Review: Old Town Wine Bar
Today’s review is from a location that opened in late October last year and which seems to have largely gone under the radar since then, bar some occasional videos from influencers.
Old Town Wine Bar is located in Le Pole Square, secreted away between Chancery Lane and Great Ship Street. The square occupies the former site of St. Michael Le Pole Church, one of Dublin’s oldest churches dating from the 8th century. Recent developments have seen the creation of a landscaped courtyard that is bounded by the Radisson and Chancery hotels as well as the Dublin Royal Convention Centre. Old Town Wine Bar and its sister cafe sit on the northern side, quietly tucked away from the world outside.
We walk in on a Friday night and the first impression is that money has been spent on the fit out. We’re talking a polished concrete floor, seats in a rich maroon leather and a lovely red-tiled bar counter. It’s all very smart but, oddly for a Friday night, also rather quiet with the majority of tables empty.
Initially the menu appears simple, but closer reading reveals some nice touches. There are cockles from Lissadell Bay, crab from Dingle Bay and pork from the divine Andarl Farm. Most appealing of all is the pricing, with a dish of braised Hereford beef cheek taking the top billing at €24.
Dishes start coming out quickly, maybe because the kitchen is relatively quiet.
Dingle Bay is lightly curried and served atop three buttery, toasted pieces of brioche (€14.20). There are pickled spheres of apple and a saffron aioli for contrast, and it is very enjoyable, even if one piece of crab shell was picked out of the mouth. A delicate tuille crisp perches on a rather good tuna tartare which is seasoned in all the right ways, and topped with a dollop of rich and smooth Velvet Cloud yogurt (€14.40).
Three croquettes of Dublin Bay prawns in a rich béchamel filling are likewise spot on, with another appearance from the saffron aioli, which is earning its keep in the kitchen (€12).
The Andarl Farm pork cutlet could have benefited from being cooked a little harder and faster to develop more caramelisation, but even so, it’s quite good with the accompanying parsnip purée and a moderate chimichurri (€18).
I think the sumac baked cauliflower was first steamed before being baked, it has that texture, but it has been solidly coated in sumac before being roasted, and I like the clever addition of the darkly crispy cauliflower leaves (€14). Scattering of golden raisins, apple and hazelnuts add the contrast to this rather decent vegetarian option.
When a place describes itself as a wine bar, it’s only natural to have expectations of a decent, well-chosen wine list. The first two pages of the wine list at Old Town didn’t immediately give this feeling, listing 6-7 pocket-friendly options for red and white wines, all available by the glass or bottle.
However, as I continued to turn the pages, through the rosés, sparkling, orange and pet-nats, I come to a selection of more serious wines. But it would be all too easy to look only at the first pages, and not go any further. A bit of a miss there I think. We end up choosing a Portuguese pet-nat which is deliciously full of apples and fruit (€50).
While I was quite pleasantly surprised by the food and value at Old Town Wine Bar, the one thing that’s harder to forgive was the pace at which dishes were delivered to the table. We arrived at 7pm, and barely an hour later, we were done with our main courses.
Some diners had come and left over the course of the hour, but the room was still on the quiet side as we left. It makes me wonder who is the intended demographic for this venue. The food is solidly decent, better than I had anticipated in fact, the pricing is good value, but the location is quiet. Put this food in the middle of town, and it would probably do a decent footfall, but in this off the beaten path spot, it feels as if a bit more magic is needed.