As the curtain rises on another Dublin Theatre Festival, Tom Doorley suggests a few places to eat before and after the performances.
Eating before going to the theatre is fraught with problems. Not only is there a very real danger of having your enjoyment of the show ruined by intrusive thoughts of how much you've paid for a lousy meal. Even if you have eaten well, and perhaps consumed a glass of wine, there's a risk that your body will decide that it's now time for a refreshing snooze. I've been known to interrupt the performance by talking in my sleep, even after a sandwich and a bottle of mineral water. Perhaps I should stick to a couple of bracing double espressos but, then again, one has to reckon with the diuretic effect.
There used to be a fine old Dublin tradition of not eating at all before the theatre and then heading off for a late-night supper at The Trocadero. However, it seems that we are now less inclined to eat in the small hours. Perhaps we're becoming true northern-Europeans after all these years.
The Trocadero will still welcome you with open arms, provided you manage to order by 12.15 a.m. And they don't seem terribly worried about how long you linger. The more sensible approach might be to trot along between 5 and 7 p.m. have the pre-theatre menu and vacate, as required, by 8 p.m. The cost is €19.70 for starter, main course and coffee and the food is, as ever, comforting and well executed. My own choice here would the shamelessly 1970s deep-fried brie, followed by the carved duck breast. Even the most savage of appetites will be soothed, given the generous portions of good vegetables. House wine is Oxford Landing at €19.50, €4.80 by the glass.
101 Talbot no longer opens for lunch, but dinner is as good, and as eclectic in style, as ever. Starter, main course and coffee weigh in at €21, and the house wines, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Tempranillo as reds and Viura/Chardonnay as white, offer excellent value at €17.95 or €3.95 a glass. Should the weather suggest it, there's also a Sardinian rosé at €4 a glass.
Unlike most restaurateurs, Romano Morelli has set out to see how he can beat other people's prices. Romano's, a little restaurant in Capel Street, produces great homemade pasta. Lunch is possibly the best value in town, but even in the evenings a plate of egg pasta with olive oil, garlic, chilli flakes and a generous mulch of grated Parmesan will set you back just a tenner. Wines run from €18 to €20 and there's a chunky Montepulciano d'Abruzzo for €4.50 a glass. A main course, glass of wine and an espresso should set you back not much more than €15. A generous steak is €20. Other restaurants please copy.
The subterranean La Cave has been operating for 15 years and I have to say it's been quite a while since my last visit. However, the early-evening deals look good. The pre-theatre menu is the usual starter, main course and coffee, but the price is refreshingly low at €15.95. Add in house wine from the south of France at €3.95 a glass and you have a bargain. One course and coffee can be had for €9.95 so, with a glass a wine, you can come out for just under €14. Starters include goats' cheese salad and pâté de campagne. Mains include minute steak or daube of beef. There are 30 wines by the glass ranging up to €11.95. These deals operate from 5.30 to 7.30 p.m. and you have to up sticks by 8.30 p.m. Sounds good to me.
If you want to go seriously upmarket, my hottest tip is Chapter One, handy for the Gate, and even for the Abbey. I mentioned previously a superb three-course meal for two, with a €35 bottle of exceptional Chinon and coffee. The bill was just shy of €100 and it demonstrated, for me, how the best value in Dublin is often to be found at the top end rather than in the middle. You must order by 6.30 p.m. and be gone by eight.
It may seem rather unfair to place Cafe Bar Deli at the bottom end but, quality aside, it is certainly one of the cheapest places to eat, especially if you just want a pasta dish and a glass of their perfectly decent house wine. The closely-related Market Bar does respectable tapas. You can share a plate of cured Spanish meats for a tenner, and a green salad for €4, while there are plenty of drinkable wines for €17-18 and Spanish fizz for €30.
If you want pizza, I'd have to single out The Gotham Cafe. Pizzas run from €9.95 to €11.25 and they are possibly the best in Dublin. With a glass of house wine at €4.75 - for a generous 215mls - and a coffee, you should be able to come out for as little as €16.50.
Other ports of call that I tend to favour for a quick bite in the early evening would include The Good World for dim sum and a pot of Chinese tea (although I can't fathom why prawn wontons are supposed to be dipped in Worcestershire sauce); Wagamama, sometimes patchy but generally good for a bowl of soothing, comforting noodles and Dunne & Crescenzi for some antipasti, Italian red and a good strong espresso. Ely is another strong contender, but it is closed for September while the restaurant is enlarged.
In general, early-bird and pre-theatre menus in Dublin are a mixed bag. Some restaurants seem to think that reducing their high prices by a smidgin is enough; others really do seem to want to get bums on seats and offer quite substantial savings on their usual rates. I suspect that this will be a growing trend. And the great thing is that you don't have to go to the theatre. You can eat well at a reasonable price and just have an early night, falling asleep with an easy mind.
FESTIVAL PITSTOPS
The Trocadero, 3/4 St Andrew's Street, Dublin 2, 01-6775545. Romano's, 12 Capel Street, Dublin 1, 01-8726868. La Cave, 28 South Anne Street, Dublin 2, 01-6727258. Chapter One, 18/19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, 01-8732266. Cafe Bar Deli, 12-13 South Great George's Street, Dublin 2, 01-6771646. The Market Bar, Fade Street, Dublin 2, 01-6139094. The Gotham Cafe, 8 South Anne Street, Dublin 2, 01-6795266. The Good World, 18 South Great Georges Street, Dublin 2, 01-6775373. Wagamama, South King Street, Dublin 2, 01-4782152. Dunne & Crescenzi, 14 South Frederick Street, Dublin 2, 01-2773815.