Review: Lotus Eaters
It’s a fairly ballsy move to change a winning formula, and doubly so in a time when dining out is increasingly seen as a luxury.
Chef Stephen McAllister and wife Andrea Hussey opened ‘The Pig’s Ear’ way back in 2008, received a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2009, and have been trucking along nicely ever since. Stephen’s style is well-executed modern Irish, with a strong leaning towards the classics. It’s a style he and Andrea have developed even further in their Dublin 8 gastropub outpost, Spitalfields.
So why has he now decided that it’s time for a change? He tells me it’s a chance to try something new, to share the Japanese style food that he and Andrea enjoy cooking at home, to give his loyal kitchen team a chance to learn new skills.
And so we now have Lotus Eaters, a temporary (?) concept that has taken over The Pig’s Ear. The dining room is largely the same, granted sporting a newly painted bronzed gold ceiling and artwork on the walls. The wine glasses still bear the Pig’s Ear name, so there is an odd sensation of transition, but to be fair, it makes sense not to go all in right now.
We get lucky with a window seat, looking out over Nassau Street and Trinity College. The menu is relatively short, and there are a good few options to jazz up your meal with extras like caviar (€30) or truffle (€10).
Kelly oysters with nahm jim and bonito flakes are a gorgeous hit of Asian flavours (€4.50 each), while a plate of thinly sliced hamachi (aka Japanese amberjack or yellowtail) comes with dollops of yogurt and sprinkles of hibiscus (€19). I find it just a bit dull and mono-textured and the accompanying lime wedge is definitely needed to liven it up.
Beef tartare is stuffed into a thick slice of golden grilled brioche (€16), accompanied by a bowl of exceptional smoked egg yolk and leek ash mayonnaise. The entire combination is truly hedonistic, an indulgent combination of salt, acidity and savoury.
Before our main courses arrive at the table, a plethora of sauces and bits is delivered to the table. Small squeezy bottles of ponzu and sriracha, chopped jalapeños, crispy onions, homemade shichimi togarashi (a mix of sesame seeds, chili, salt and other bits), and a highly aromatic paste made with fermented nectarine and chili. Having all this on hand truly brings out a little giddiness in me.
The crab omelette has already become a must order item, and it truly is a picture of smooth folded perfection when it arrives at the table (€20, with caviar add on gifted). We cut it open, releasing the loose liquid interior. Sweet fresh crab is elevated by a touch of tarragon (béarnaise sauce possibly) and the egg itself is soft and fluffy. Stephen wryly informs me that there’s been a lot of practice going on in the kitchen to nail this dish.
The wagyu burger, made using beef sourced from McLoughlins Butchers, comes as a rounded ball of grilled meat (no bun, €20 with rice included). This slightly concerned me as my experience with thick burgers is generally dry and overcooked, but not here. Not in the slightest. This was juicy and flavoursome.
Knowing my love of grilled bone marrow, Stephen sends a complimentary plate to our table (menu price €10). The thin layer of sambal on top cuts through the unique unctuousness of the marrow, and it’s glorious when mixed through the rice.
There might be a little lack of cohesion as a result of the room change, but there are no misses in the execution of the food. It’s a serious testimony to McAllister’s skills and ability that he and the team can transition to a very different influence and pull it off, including adding a charcoal grill to the kitchen and training the team to cook over open fire.
He’s also got his finger on the pulse - this is casual style dining, with a mix and match approach that will work well for groups, and he’s also nailed some seriously Insta-friendly dishes in that crab omelette and tartare toastie. It’s time to enter your Lotus Eater era.
The omelet and burger sound absolutely delicious! I hope you enjoyed!!