Tom Doorley is disappointed by another poor wine list, which detracts from a fine restaurant
Why is the content of quarter-bottles, now colonising a pub near you, so heart-sinkingly boring, bland, and utterly predictable? It doesn't have to be like that, but I will refrain from putting the words "taste" and "publican" in the same sentence.
Anyway, if you happen to be sick to the back teeth of bad wine served in pubs, visit Coman's in Rathgar. This establishment has a terrific off-licence, managed by Fintan McCormack, formerly of The French Paradox in Ballsbridge. You can select any of the huge range of wines, pay €6 corkage and they will serve it to you in the pub. For example, you can share a ready-chilled bottle of Peter Lehmann Riesling, in pleasant surroundings, for €13.99 including corkage.
Rathgar must be the best served place in Ireland for wine. Within 100 metres Of Coman's, are both an O'Brien's branch and The Vintry. Across the road is the newly-enlarged and recently reopened Bijou, one of the most popular neighbourhood restaurants in the country. So popular, indeed, that I risk considerable wrath in levelling any criticism at all at it.
Oh, what the hell. Bijou's wine list is short, which is sometimes a good thing. Here, however, brevity meets a curious randomness. This is a strange and not very good list. It occurs to me that Bijou could allow customers to bring in wine from the three excellent wine shops across the road. If they charged a tenner corkage, which would be very hefty, the punter could drink serious wine and get good value (€20 retail price, plus €10 corkage would deliver something a lot better than a €30 wine from the list). And the restaurant would still make plenty of money.
Bijou is not alone in this. Lots of restaurants with unimpressive wine lists are close to wine shops with lots to offer. Why not co-operate, or is it just too easy to make money anyway? The restaurant trade constantly whinges to the contrary, so perhaps we could see some innovation please?
Anyway, wine list aside, Bijou is a fine restaurant, offering simple, well-prepared food in a very, very busy environment with friendly and efficient service. There are not a lot of places of which I can say that.
Don't go expecting a challenging or exciting menu. This restaurant caters for the tastes of people who tend to walk there. They are well-heeled but sensible; adventurous, up to a point, but they like their comforts.
The menu is short and presses the right middle-class buttons. Prawn cocktail (a good idea) was generous and fairly decent, although the crustaceans, proper Dublin Bay ones, were perhaps a little light on flavour and a bit woolly. A brandy-flavoured mayo was not an improvement on the Marie Rose pink stuff with which we all grew up.
A combination of a small disc of rosti potato served with melted Swiss cheese and slivers of prosciutto was very simple, and much better in the mouth than it sounds on paper.
Crispy duck was, in fact, fairly crispy, which is unusual in Irish restaurants (at least in those that don't deep-fry the bird). The whole half duck seemed to have been confit-ed, which would account for its almost overwhelming richness. It came with a pleasantly sharp compote of blackberries and scallion mash.
Scallion mash, or champ as we used to call it before we became very sophisticated, also accompanied a fillet steak, which was fine. Most fillet steak, as served in restaurants, doesn't really taste of anything at all. This did actually taste of steak, although not very strongly.
We passed on desserts, but the petits fours served with good coffees were just gorgeous. They put me in mind of Milky Bars - but on a rather more ethereal level. While the companion nipped out to the loo, I scoffed all four of them, which was a shameful thing to do. The bill, including a beer, a mineral water and a bottle of really rather good house wine, came to €94.98 before service.
• Bijou Bistro, 47 Highfield Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6, 01-4961518
WINE CHOICE Infinitus Chardonnay/Viognier and Infinitus Syrah (€20.95) from Spain are decent house wines. The Syrah is surprisingly rich and generously oaked. Otherwise, the list is pretty dull. There are lots of better white burgundies, and at similar prices, than Macon-Fuissé (€28.95) from Jaffelin, now part of the Boisset empire. Likewise, why list Wolf-Blass Presidents Selection Cabernet Sauvignon (€33) which is available, for less, in any supermarket? Bonny Doon Big House Red (€30) is certainly red, but not big and, like all of Randall Grahm's wines, arrogantly over-priced. His Pacific Rim Riesling (€31.95) is not nearly as good as Peter Lehmann's much cheaper one. La Joya Reserve Merlot (€24.95) is a reasonable buy, and Laurus Gigondas (€35) fair enough.