My Profile
Martin Higgins
Member since: 17 September 2009
Location: North Kildare
No. of Reviews: 29
Status: Guru
Last Visit: 18 March 2012
Member since: 17 September 2009
Location: North Kildare
No. of Reviews: 29
Status: Guru
Last Visit: 18 March 2012
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82% |
Gordon Ramsay @ PowerscourtPosted on 27 March 2012
The last time I was here was for Father's Day in 2011 and I gave it an excellent review. We returened as family last Sunday (Mother's Day) and what a difference. Yes, the staff were agin extremely pleasant and professional, the table layout and ambience first class ... but ...oh the food was terrible. There was a only a choice of two dishes for each course on the €33 set lunch. I opted for the goats chhese with red pepper jelly. It was well presented but very bland in taste.
The main course was hake which was simply not fresh. It was not "off" but had that strong flavour that one associates with fish past its best. Others had a daube of beef which had long gelatinous strings of stewed gristle in it.
Just not good enough for a restaurant of this pedigree. I cannot I say I won't ever be back, but I won't be in any rush
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Aqua RestaurantPosted on 27 March 2012
We frequently visit Howth, but this was a our first visit to Aqua. We went in on the spur of the moment looking for a light bite. We shared a main course seafood platter that was top notch and at €29, not bad value
Platter included half a grilled lobster, 3 rock oysters, 3 langoustines, some excellent smoked salmon, wonderful crayfish salad and garnishes.
It was a beautiful day and the view from the huge picture windows was very pleasant.
Will certainly be back
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The Station House Bar and GrillPosted on 13 March 2012
Stopped here en route to from Tralee to Dingle. We had a selection of tapas for our our party of three. The food was pretty good and great value. I opted for a dela which consisted of a bowl of delicious beefand mushroom stew with an accompanying plate of fired potato cubes witha cream garlic dressing and a glass of red wine - all for €15
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Vie de ChateauxPosted on 24 February 2012
Lovely athmosphere. Efficient, polite and well trained staff. The food is classic French country style cooking, very well prepared using fine ingredients and it tastes wonderful. They also have a great selction of wines by the class. A firm favourite
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Da Vincis Restaurant (Leixlip)Posted on 24 March 2011
Ate off the special fixed price menu that is available up to 8pm.
You can have starter, main course, tea/coffee and a glass of wine/soft drink for €19.95
The value menus are extensive and we had no problem choosing what we liked. I had a very nice bruschetta and my companion had spicy chicken wings. Both starters were excellent and a good notch above what you would normally get.
We both had pasta mains; one with chicken in a white suace with chilli flakes and leeks; the other was meatballs in a tomato sauce. Both were superb - good pasta, quality meat and delicious sauce.
Service was friendly and perfectly paced - neither to slow or too rushed. The wine was good too.
I was also pleased to note that if you order a cappucino or latte, instead of the standard filter coffee included in the price, they only charged you the difference in the price. They don't sting for the full price of teh speciality coffee. A nice touch!
We will definitely be back and soon
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The Two Bulls SteakhousePosted on 22 February 2011
A great find for hungry travellers.
I regularly travel from Dingle to Dublin and back, and have eaten here a few times. The value is outstanding given the quality of the food.
The steaks are locally sourced, from Ballybunion I believe, and they are superb both in quality and in presentation. My companion had the cajun chicken, (it has become her favourite here), and raved about.
With really good special offers, great service and excellent food, I would highly recommend Two Bulls for the hungry traveller or for a relaxed night out
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ely bar & brasseriePosted on 14 January 2011
I have been here a number of times for lunch, and have always found it enjoyable. You need to have a little bit of time - not really the place if you want a quick bite.
As usual, I had the the fish and chips. Nicely prepared and tasty. One of the nice theings about Ely is that they give a wine recommendation with every dish, and these are always spot on. (They have a huge selection of wines by the glass)
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Courtenay Lodge HotelPosted on 14 January 2011
We had a selection of starters (Chicken goujons, fried Brie, acesrer salas) - all of which were nicely cooked and presented. I had a main course of pasta Carbonara. Excellent!
This is an ideal spot for a quick bite while travelling. Good straightforward food, quick service and good value
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Coach Lane Restaurant @ Donaghy's BarPosted on 01 September 2010
Restaurant was full, and we had no reservation, so we were seated in the bar.
Service was very good, given that they were busy.
The food is excellent, but the mains are overpriced. €20 for a vegitarian risotto is too much in the current climate. Having said that, an excellent duck foie gras at €9 was good value
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Cromleach LodgePosted on 01 September 2010
Excellent restaurant
Really good rack of lamb and the freshest of turbot, both perfectly cooked.
Smashing starters and desserts
Cromleach has wonderful views of Lough Arrow.
Staff are very well trained, efficient and friendly.
Excellent wine list at good enough prices
Will be back
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Fire RestaurantPosted on 12 August 2010
Had a business dinner here recently. The prawn starter was excellent and the lemon sole main course was very nice. Service was a little slow, but very friendly. The big attraction for me is the room. It is so spacious and airy, and has great athmosphere
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Murphy's Ice CreamPosted on 27 July 2010
Murphy's Ice Cream is legendary in Dingle. The range of flavours is incredible (burnt caramel, sea salt, guinness, etc) and the ice cream is delicious.
The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and will let you taste the product before you purchase. Coffee is good and they have expert barristas.
At €3.50 per scoop, however, it is quite expensive
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Caife Na CillePosted on 27 July 2010
Situated in Ballyferriter village, this cafe offers nices sandwiches, soups and home baking at reasonable prices.
Inside cafe is quite basic but very clean, the staff are friendly and native Irish speakers, and if you want to prcatice your cupla focail
Food is freshly prepared and very tasty, with good coffee too. A nice place to stop if you are touring Slea Head
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ely winebarPosted on 16 May 2010
Really Enjoyable.
I have eaten in the Ely CHQ many times, but this was a first visit to the original Ely wine bar. Located in a Georgian house in Ely Place, just off St Stephen's Green, the restaurrant offers a wonderful 2 course early bird menu for €24.95 (3 courses for €27.95).
I had wonderful mussels to start followed by a perfectly cooked 8oz rib-eye. Divine homemade fries, fresh succulent leaves and nice bearnaise sauce on the side . Service was very pleasant but not intrusive
As a wine bar it has the advantage of a huge range of wines by the glass, and they are reasonably priced by retuarant standards
Highly recommended
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Paddy's CottagePosted on 08 April 2010
Paid our second visit here recently. A great little place, with fantastic French country cooking using superb local ingredients. Prices are great, and you can a have a three course meal for €15.
Outstanding value and well worth a visit
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Global Village RestaurantPosted on 22 March 2010
Global Village had just reopened for the season when I visited last week.
It is always a joy to visit this restaurant. On this occasion we just had main courses - John Dory for me and free range duck rillette and breast for my companion.
Food was superb, and service was friendly and prompt.
Global Village is real gem, and is particularly good value with it's early bird menu.
It can sometimes be a little cramped when busy as it is quite small, but that is a minor complaint
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EllaPosted on 06 March 2010
The special offer of 2 courses for the price of the main course is available until 7pm on Saturday.
We called in on spec but got a table for two no problem. We had french onion soup and smokies to start, followed by sea bream and the fish special (monk and gambas).
The food was superbly cooked, service was friendly and efficient. Great choice of wines by the glass, reasonably priced
This establishment really deserves to succeed and I will certainly be back. Hughly recoomended
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Le Bon CrubeenPosted on 03 February 2010
Had a quick bite here one evening. Place was a little lacking in buzz, but then it was early evening an not buzy. I had the fish and chips - nicely cooked whiting in crispy batter. Good food, good value and quick service. Will be back!
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Twist CafePosted on 03 February 2010
I love this place, although it can get crowded. Great for breakfasts and snacks - try the hot beef sambo mmm!. Service is friendly and prices are reasonable
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Avenue Cafe & RestaurantPosted on 03 February 2010
If you like gourmet burgers, you will like the Avenue - a nice bistro on the Main Street. Athmosphere is good and staff are very friendly, but service tends to be a bit slow (based on my three visits). Food is well cooked and presented and represents reasonable value
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Ashe's BarPosted on 03 February 2010
This was our second visit to the restaurant. It has the cosy athmosphere of a typical old-style Dingle pub. It specialises in local produce and the superb ingredients were imaginatively and perfectly cooked.
The a la carte is not cheap but is good value given the qulaity of ingredients. There is good value to be had on the early bird menu. Booking ahead is recommended
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Beckett'sPosted on 10 December 2009
Great lunch time value. Have been a few times for lunch. Great food, great service and fantastic fixed price menu for two or three courses. Have booked for Christmas Eve and are looking forward to it
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MacNean House & RestaurantPosted on 08 October 2009
I love fine dining and it does not come any better than this. Neven Maguire is a genius and is in his kitchen every night (unlike many celebrity chefs). The quality of the locally sourced ingredients is superb, and what the kitchen creates from these is exquisite. Every dish is a work of art.
The prices are very reasonable for the quality of the food, and the excellent wine list is reasonably priced. The only downside is that you need to book months in advnace, particularly if you want overnight accommodation. They do operate a waiting list, and if the have a last minute cancellation, they will phone you.
Many friends and colleagues have eaten here, and I have yet to hear a single complaint. A memorable experience
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Chart House RestaurantPosted on 08 October 2009
One of my favourite restaurants in Dingle. Lovely romantic athmosphere and excellent food. Service is always very good and friendly. Visited again last Saturday I had an amazing starter- Confit of Rabbit with Vanilla Risotto, followed by wonderful Kerry Lamb. Not cheap but, given the qulaity of the food, good value. Advance booking is advised, particularly at weekends
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Fallon and ByrnePosted on 08 October 2009
Had lunch with a friend here today. Great value lunch time menu. I had a Linguini with Vension Bolognaise. Hearty portion of excellent food for €12 and very attentive service
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The Winding Stair RestaurantPosted on 20 September 2009
Not good value
Visited with a party of 4 at 6pm on a Sturday. Restaurant filled up quickly. Wait staff were welcoming, efficient and friendly. Tables are a bit cramped especially tables for 2. The menu makes a big deal of name-checking some of Ireland's leading artisan producers, whose products feature in the dishes.
However the dishes themselves are pretty average. I had fried chicken livers for starter. They were served (pretty dry) on dry toast with salad leaves with very little dressing. I then had beef shin in Guinness, which was just okay -tender but not very flavoursome. The bed of mash was equally unremarkable. My dining companions all had the same view. This restaurant is very over-priced for what you get. They may use top artisan ingredients, but the resulting dishes do not do the ingredients justice. Would not rush back here
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Zest CafePosted on 17 September 2009
This is a great restaurant and a regular haunt of mine. Always good value, great food and friendly service. There were two of us on the last visit. We had the tartlet and pate for starters - both excellent. Excellent pasta to follow and a delcious creme brulee to finish. A nice thing about this retaurant is it has a fine selection of sparkling, white, red and rise wines avialable by the glass - a great idea when one of you has to drive.
I have been hear many times over the years and have never been disappointed
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Out of the BluePosted on 17 September 2009
I had heard much about the food OOTB. And as far as the quality of the food goes, its reputation is well deserved. Starters and main courses (fish only) are superbly cooked and using the finest ingredients. Could not fault the food. That said it is expensive, and as for the attitude of the wait staff - oh dear. I have rarely come accross such a sullen and offhanded crew who were so up themselves. I won't be back
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Fenton's of DinglePosted on 17 September 2009
Fentons is one of my "top three" in Dingle - a town noted for great food. Great value early bird and and fixed price menus. First rate local ingredients, cooked to perfection and good service. This time I had the ribeye steak and Fenton's Sundae - best ice cream I have ever tasted
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