It's been cool for ever, but Odessa is a bargain right now, writes TOM DOORLEY.
I’M TOLD THAT expense-account eating has gone the way of all flesh. Mind you, with new revelations every day about certain financial institutions, I wouldn’t be unduly surprised to find that they have on-site orgies secretly catered by Michelin-starred chefs and with Bollinger Vieilles Vignes on draught. Old habits die hard.
Of course, there are still some people who can justify a bit of corporate cuisine in the line of duty, but there’s an awful lot fewer of them these days. Something has to give. And it’s the number of people who barely glance at the bottom line on the credit-card slip. Restaurants now find themselves in the bizarre position of having to feed and water people who actually pay for their own meals. With their own money.
Restaurateurs are thus going through the painful process of relocating to the planet inhabited by the rest of us. But of course some restaurants were never going to be the place of choice for newly minted property developers and their friendly bankers. Like, say, The Bad Ass Cafe. Or Gruel. Or, indeed, Odessa.
A distinct absence of obese felines has been part of the appeal of these diverse establishments. Odessa, of course, has been cool for ever, but that’s different. I had a theory that you had to be well under 40 to “get” Odessa, but that was when I last visited and the food wasn’t great. This time around, I went – to misquote Fergal Quinn – for the prices and stayed for the food. In fact, I stayed so long that I was the last to leave.
The attraction was Odessas’s selection of small dishes which they call Fivers because, follow me closely here, that is what each of them costs. They are served from 5pm or 5.30pm on Sundays. Now, I happen to like small dishes rather than the conventional starter, main and pud, so this is right up my street.
And when we arrived, on a Thursday evening, it was like being transported back a few years. Yes, a full restaurant. With a considerable buzz. And, as far as I could see, nobody else was having the Fivers. Great big main courses as far as the eye could see.
We had five Fivers, and the star of the show was brandade with toasted ciabatta (a bit multicultural, but who cares?). The combination of salt cod whipped into ethereal mashed spud and drizzled with plenty of good olive oil was simply ace. And filling.
Chorizo, chick pea and red wine stew was good, especially if you like your chorizo on the soft side – it was rich, dark and packed with flavour. Salt and pepper calamari was coated in polenta flour for extra crispness and was nicely tender inside.
Mushroms with garlic and thyme on toast was just the sort of thing I cook myself for breakfast. Perfectly simple, it was just right for the end (or indeed the start) of a long day. My only gripe, and it’s a minute one, is that big flatcap mushrooms, sliced up appropriately, would have more flavour than the little button ones we had. Button mushrooms taste of damn all. That’s why they had to invent mushrooms à la Grecque, but I digress. Gambas al ajillo – prawns with garlic – were meaty, garlicky and came in a pretty generous portion considering the prices you would pay elsewhere for exactly the same.
Anyway, this was a very happy meal (I hope the legal people at McDonald’s will let me away with that phrase) that fed two moderately hungry people for €25. Add a bottle of lovely house wine that tasted much better than the average wine that costs €19.50, and you have dinner for two with wine for €45 before service. And iced tap water arrived within seconds of us sitting down.
Of course, human nature being what it is, you will probably have coffee. Or another glass of wine. But that’s not the point. Is this the best value in Dublin? It has to be a serious contender.
And you know what I liked most? Having my sense of scepticism evaporate. These were not mingy little portions. It was decent food at fair prices. And not a developer or a banker in sight.
THE SMART MONEY
Five dishes and a bottle of wine for €45, excluding service.
WINE CHOICE
Our Domaine Mont-Auriol Sauvignon Blanc, from southern France, was fresh as the early morning dew and a lovely buy for €19.50. The red equivalent, Torre de Benitez, was chunky and spicy, again at €19.50 or €5.50 a glass. Domaine Talmard Macon-Uchizy is proper white Burgundy for €29.50, but Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc from NZ for €32 seems a bit steep. Likewise Château Pesquie Côtes du Ventoux at the same price. The Lebanese Massaya Gold Reserve (€68) is great if you like your wines big. It tastes like it has been fed anabolic steroids (and I mean that in a good way). With a few exceptions, though, the wine list seems out of tune with the food prices.