Review: D'Olier Street
A second visit reveals the star quality
Back in December 2022, I first ate at the then newly opened D’Olier Street. At that time, it felt somewhat austere to me, both in its slick decor and even in the dishes. I could see there was some seriously good stuff going on in the kitchen, but that sense of harmony and cohesion that makes a restaurant truly memorable was lacking for me.
Fast forward to February 2024, and the Irish food community applauds as we see James Moore walk on stage at the Michelin Guide UK and Ireland gala to receive a first Michelin star for D’Olier Street. It’s not unexpected as the buzz has been gradually ratcheting up throughout 2023, and I have pre-emptively booked a table for a return visit.
What I find is a much more integrated experience, where a rich, tasty joy underpins the dishes, and the cold austereness of the dining space has been subtly softened by time, and that gradual accretion of stuff that just happens when a place is lived in.
As before, we were seated at the low-set chef’s counter, which partially encloses the open kitchen area, giving each guest a clear view of goings on. As immersion goes, it doesn’t get much better than this. Everything is on view. An eclectic collection of cookbooks, ranging from American and French to Middle East, lines the top of the kitchen area, acting as signposts for the meal to come.
The tasting menu (€118, an increase from €82 in 2022) commences with a series of four dishes, which take an assured tour through a range of French and Asian flavours. The first bite is a fatty, lip smacking piece of fried bread topped with cheese and lardo. Immediately, my brain is paying attention. A perfectly crisp little tartlet of hamachi and smoked eel with sesame and kimchi is followed by skewers of bite sized crispy rabbit with a tangy sweet char siu sauce. Finally, it’s the turn of a signature dish, the foie gras custard served with warm English muffins.
The combination of the above leaves me extremely happy. It’s a clever mix of flavours and textures, which happily and softly smacks all the different taste profiles and tells the diner to ‘wake up, get ready’.
The next dish is on the menu for the first time that night, featuring the seasonal flavours of wild garlic. Under a disc of swede lie precisely cut squid noodles with wakame and wild garlic, all served with a creamy, nearly cheesey dashi. It’s utterly clever and glorious.
Then it’s the turn of another New York influenced signature dish, the deeply mahogany coloured shiny pretzel, with that ever so slightly bitter, alkaline tang of baking soda. This time they are served with ‘obatzda’, a German cheese spread made here with smoked Gubbeen.
A piece of cod with golden crisped edges comes with a foamed chicken sauce and brown beech, a huge improvement on the previous salmon fish course that I had experienced. The sense of happy richness continues.
We hit a bit of a speed bump though over the next two course. The beef course is just simply dull. I’m guessing that the beef was sous-vided before being lightly flashed in a pan and served with salsify and celeriac. Nothing really stands out on the plate and when combined with a side dish of a foamed ‘cottage pie’ (which amazingly tastes exactly as described) everything is just too soft.
A pre-dessert of blood orange with lemon, thyme and tamarind is quite nice in flavour but the underlying creme patissiere has not been quite fully cooked out leaving a very slight residual flouriness.
The main dessert though puts the meal firmly back on track. A glossy concoction of chocolate and sweet potato is counterpointed by a tangy, fresh buttermilk ice cream and dark richness of muscovado. It looks smart and tastes sharp. Top marks. The petits fours are non-traditional in style (no jellies or chocolate bonbons), but I think they’re excellent. This is clearly the work of a talented pastry chef who is subtly pushing boundaries.
A five glass wine pairing option is available for €88, but instead we opt to choose from the rather excellent wine list, which is well priced in places.
When I get home, I find the photos from our 2022 meal and I compare. In my mind, there’s zero doubt that D’Olier Street has found its mojo, moved the needle, shifted the dial (insert corporate buzz jargon of your choice), and thoroughly deserves that prized Michelin Star. It’s grown into itself and into that stunning dining room, and feels thoroughly, comfortably at home.
Having had a salami sandwich for dinner, reading about all these delicacies made me hungry again (and ashamed of my laziness this evening for not doing any cooking!).