Meal Ticket: Canteen at the Market, Blackrock, Dublin

Blackrock Market start is a meandering lane that leads you behind the highstreet of Dublin’s seaside town. Inside, you’ll find crafters and bric-a-brac stalls until you meet a tiny restaurant in a corner called Canteen at the Market.

Run by Soizic Humbert and James Sheridan, who both work worked in Thornton’s among other Michelin-starred establishments, this little bistro’s aim is to bring smart food into a space that used to house a greasy spoon.

Dinner is a set menu, priced at €48, featuring four or five dishes of what’s good that week. This week that means tuna with scallops, soy and honey; stone bass with glazed white asparagus and a lamb, leek and spatzle (the delightful German pasta), and strawberries and elderflower for dessert.

On my visit, the stand out dish was decorated with fat, sweet scallops accompanied by pickled raisins, blackened cauliflower and crunchy chicory. There’s a gloriously pink piece of venison, too, sprinkled with a walnut crumble and served with soft, sweet pears and Jerusalem artichokes.

Canteen at the Market are also open on Saturdays and Sunday for lunch, with three courses for €26. This premises allows this two-person team to push the boat out with their dishes, while keeping it all contained to a small space. Until, that is, they move on to a bigger dining room. Watch this space.