As we moved towards the end of summer, the food scene in Dublin was talking about just one restaurant. It was time for Coppinger, the successor to the Bereen Brothers’ beloved Coppinger Row, to take centre stage.
For me, the original Coppinger Row was where I went for dinner with work friends. We were early in our careers, still not earning a whole amount of moolah, and Coppinger Row was the perfect aspirational place for Flo & Basy cocktails, garlicky gambas and loads of chat.
It’s been 15 years since the original Coppinger Row opened, and a whole lot has happened since. Owners Conor and Marc Bereen have launched multiple restaurants, including Charlotte Quay, Orwell Road and Row Wines. The diners who filled those seats back in 2009 have aged, probably mostly having kids and serious lifestyles. Would the new Coppinger recapture some of that magic?
We were seated in a cosy corner table where we had a great view of most of the floor and bar. Perfect people watching territory. With the sound of ice rattling in shaker tins in our ears, we had to order cocktails. Two confident and balanced drinks arrived in the form of Coconut + Fig Leaf (€14), a sweet riff on the classic Negroni and a bright green Celery (€14) which was herbal and fragant.
With 7 options for ‘Bits & Dips’ and 6 ‘Small Plates’, there’s plenty to choose from for sharing amongst the table. I loved the contrast of the creamy, salty tarma with sweet fennel jam (€6.50), and while a plate of Toonsbridge stracciatella with anchovies (€8) was clean and simple, it just didn’t have the same punchy flavours.
Thin slices of tuna crudo dressed with chopped chilis came alongside a pool of peach jam and rolled radishes (€19). Despite my initial suspicion, it turned out to be a great combination, although I would have liked a touch more saltiness. A plate of tomatoes, prepared multiple ways, with creamy Velvet Cloud cheese, a divine basil sorbet and a delicate tomato broth was my dish of the meal (€15). This was fresh and bright, perfect for a warm summer’s evening. All very good so far.
A piece of roast cod with a crispy skin and golden edges hit the spot nicely, accompanied by chunks of Abercorn courgette, peas, sturdy gnocchi and a chicken butter sauce (€32). Sadly though, an Andarl Farm pork chop with nduja hispi cabbage received far less sympathetic treatment (€31). Rather than being charred, crispy and spicy, the hispi was wet and oddly sweet, while the pork chop was topped with an overly generous amount of an apple and hazelnut salsa, which combined forlornly on the plate with the juice from the cabbage.
Chef Dan Hannigan sent out a portion of his fantastically crispy Ballymakenny potatoes with parmesan (perfect material for a TikTok video where a chef gleefully scrapes their knife on a crispy surface), and they are well worth a try.
Both courses were quite substantial, especially after enjoying 4 smaller plates, and we ultimately ended up bringing a decent portion of the chop home rather than sending it to the kitchen bin, minus the topping of course.
Hannigan (formerly of Orwell Road and Mister S), a seriously talented man, has created a menu that manages to simultaneously evoke the flavours of the 2010s yet be also totally of the moment. I have a feeling that it’s going to perfectly suit the evolved tastes of the Coppinger Row regulars.
Pork chop sadness aside, there’s a hell of a lot to like at Coppinger. Service is friendly and on the ball, and with so many small plate options available and very decent cocktails, the best bang for your buck might be to combine a selection of smaller dishes along with one of the substantial main courses.