RESTAURANTS and restaurateurs around the country have, as ever, been changing liveries and altering directions, and here is a smattering of what has been going on.
Conrad Gallagher, chef of Dublin's Peacock Alley, has introduced an inspired new idea, called "Peacock Alley Light", which should allow a lot more people to enjoy the lush Mediterranean flavours of his cooking. "People have the impression that a visit to Peacock Alley means lots of food and a long time to have a meal, so we are simplifying things a hit," says Mr Gallagher.
The idea allows anyone to choose just a single dish both at lunch and between 6 p.m. and 7.30 p.m., with a complimentary glass of wine, for £10.95 at lunch and £14.95 in the early evening. So you can have a light lunch: say, a polenta tart with goat's cheese and marinated tomatoes with rocket and ginger oil, or some roasted scallops with saffron cappellini, sundried olives, aubergine caviar and overnight baked tomatoes, before heading back to the office.
And before you head off to the cinema or the theatre in the evening you can enjoy carpaccio of peppered beef with ratatouille and arugula, shaved Parmesan and burnt Caesar dressing, or maybe crabmeat salad with mint, coriander and basil with an avocado cream, and summer vegetables with carrot and ginger.
Peacock Alley, 47 South William Street, Dublin 2, tel: (01) 662 0776.
JUST down the road from Peacock Alley, the old Girolles restaurant South William Street has been taken over by Brian Cornish and Bernadette Doherty, both of whom will be well known to fans of Locks restaurant, where they were restaurant managers.
The new restaurant is called Muscat and opens for lunch from 12.30 p.m. to 2.15 p.m., and for dinner from 6 p.m., with an early evening menu up to 7.30 p.m. with prices much the same as at lunchtime. Dinner features dishes such as confit of lamb fillet served warm and flavoured with rosemary and garlic; roast monkfish tail with cherry tomato, basil and smoked bacon sauce; beef fillet on a red onion and potato rosti glazed with mushroom and red wine hollandaise; Baileys and walnut steamed pudding with a toffee sauce.
Muscat 64 South William Street, Dublin 2. Tel (01) 679 7699.
IN the much-loved La Stampa, on Dawson Street, Mike Benjamin has over control of the kitchens, succeeding Paul Flynn, who will soon be opening his own place. The new menus look like fun: fricassee of warm oysters, champ and a chive butter sauce; open ravioli with goat's cheese, garlic and deep fried lemon zest; saffron risotto with a fricassee of mushrooms, grilled baby leeks and Pecorino cheese; chocolate pudding with cocoa sorbet.
La Stampa, 35 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Tel (01) 677 8611.
IN the midlands, Barbara and Dirk Budka have opened the Fair Green Restaurant, on High Street, Ballymore, Co Westmeath, and what is interesting here is the fact that their produce is sourced almost exclusively from organic and bio-dynamic farms.
They specialise in German, Austrian and Hungarian cooking, with some Japanese dishes as well, a legacy of the time Barbara spent in Japan. So expect rarities such as Serbian roast chicken and vegetable soup, Austrian mushroom salad with a horseradish dressing; Kazakh-stan lamb potato cakes; teriyaki beef with a soy marinade, and john dory and cod with sauce gazpacho. Prices are keen - the four-course dinner menu is £25, with a 10-course surprise menu at £38 and a Danubian six-course menu at £32 - and they are open from 7 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.
Fair Green Restaurant, Ballynore. Co Westmeath. Tel (044) 56559.
ALSO in Westmeath, that fine cook Gerard Kirwan has opened The Galley Coffee Shop, situated just by the Shannon in Athlone, with an enticing range of foods on offer: chicken wing broth with coriander; sea trout mousse in filo; black pudding salad; chicken tikka, and there is a tempting range of desserts such as banana banoffi; mango and raspberry delice, chocolate truffle gateau. They are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Galley Coffee Shop and Fine Food Deck, Lloyds Lane. Athlone, Co Westmeath. Tel: (0902) 78898.