Review: The Seafood Café
Sunday lunch with a twist
Is Ireland’s relationship with seafood and fish finally starting to change? At the very north and south of the island you will find two chefs who are absolutely killing it when it comes to nose-to-fin sustainable fish cooking, namely Stevie McCarry of Lir and Aisling Moore of Goldie.
In Dublin we have Niall Sabongi, a man whose energy levels might make the Duracell bunny seem subdued. Over the years he has given us the now closed Rock Lobster & Saltwater Grocery, Klaw, the more upmarket Seafood Café, as well as recently launching Seafood Suppers, a range of ready to cook meals.
With an eye always on the latest trends, late last year Niall launched a sharing Sunday Lunch at The Seafood Cafe. In a challenge to the traditional Sunday roast, the menu centres on a shared main seafood dish, along with a welcome drink, starters, sides and a dessert. The price of the meal depends on the main course option chosen.
Located just to the rear of the old Central Bank in Temple Bar, the interior of the Seafood Café quietly screams ‘we serve seafood here’. Blue and white tones, white marble countertops, clam shack style wooden booth seats and a bubbling fish tank right at the door. The only issue I have is that I’ve found it to be chilly during winter months, so I remind myself to wear a warm jumper when visiting.
We start with a fantastic Bloody Mary, the type that is capable of fixing all the wrongs from the night before, plus a decent pint of the ‘black stuff’. Virgin Marys and Black Velvets are also on offer. Flaggy Shore Dainties are available, one of my favourite Irish oysters due to their neat size, so we get some to enjoy while waiting (€3.66 each).
The first snack of Clare Island smoked salmon comes with a dinky little brown bread loaf (made with a touch of treacle, just the way I like it), crème fraîche, finely chopped shallots and capers. It’s simple but delicious.
One of my favourites things to order when in Portugal are baby squid (sadly not common at all in Ireland), and so I’m delighted to see one come out as the second snack. It’s tender and comes with a properly Neapolitan puttanesca sauce, punchy with salty, briny capers and olives. It’s a really glorious dish, marred only by some slight grit in the squid. Note that the snacks on offer change from Sunday to Sunday.
When the roast rib of halibut arrives at the table, we are momentarily silenced, gazing at the neatly trimmed rib and solid lump of meat easily capable of feeding three (€65pp). Who needs big roasts of beef and lamb when fish can be served like this? The crispy salty skin that would give pork crackling a run for its money is pushed aside to gently ease the flesh from the bones, before dipping into the silky smooth chicken butter sauce. Sautéed baby leeks from Skerries with hazelnuts and the house Caesar salad with marinated anchovies and grated parmesan round out a rib-sticking meal.
Other mains options on the day include eye-catching wild prawn and North Sea cod en croute (€45pp), lobster Thermidor (€75pp) and a whole John Dory cooked over coals (€55pp).
Dessert is served table side, with our server dolloping out big spoonfuls of tiramisu into little chalice-like goblets. It’s not complicated, and hits all the right notes for a Sunday lunch dessert, creamy, sweet and satisfying.
Chefs Andrew Fox and Phuoc Lee are in the kitchen during our visit and they don’t miss a beat in this tiny open kitchen, moving neatly around each other from salamander to induction top. As each plate drops onto the counter for service, it teases you with what you didn’t order.
Ireland is in general very strong when it comes to traditional seafood styles - chowder, fish and chips, smoked salmon etc, and of course, we have the best oysters in the world. A lot of people feel comfortable with these dishes, even if they don’t love seafood. Make it too different, and it will only appeal to a limited set of people. With this Sunday lunch menu, I think that Niall and team have a sweet spot which will appeal equally to fish lovers and those who might feel more ambivalent.
Go on, I dare you, leave the red meat roast behind, and give a fishy Sunday lunch a go instead.
The rib of halibut looks incredible!