Sunday Business Post - Fade Street Social

Sunday Business Post-MagazineSunday, 27 January 2013Page: 8Circulation: 44529Area of Clip: 62300mm²Clip ID: 27508Page 1 of 2McGraths starin ascendanceFade Street SocialFade Street, Dublin 2Tel: 01-6040066fadestreetsocial .comChef: Dylan McGrathFade Street Social in Dublin 2: positively zinging with atmospherewas obliged to keep answering his Either way, the space is too smartI'm a big fan of proselytising: mobile, giving me loads of time to for such casual delivery of food.food as education, food as peruse the menu.I was drawn towards the cornedhistory, food as culture. The first thing you'll spot is that beef with turnip puree, turnipYou'll get all that at Fade it is almost chicken-free. So it's already slices, pickled radish and a truffleStreet Social, the menu of breaking the perceived view honey (€8), but sadly it was notwhich provides a bit of culinary of what a menu should contain. available. I went for the white puddinghistory. But I've read enough The menu is also thoroughly modern, and cabbage soup with nutmegspin to know that the written word and though there are foreign potato puree, slivers of duckis not always as tasty as the real influences, it has an Irish core. liver (€7.50). Who knew cabbagething.Staff were fantastically well informed, could sing so beautifully whenI pitched up for lunch on a Fridayguiding us in ordering portion matched with such august company?in January to find that Dylan size, flavours and matching Flawless.McGrath's new venture was positively wine. A carafe of Picpoul de Pinet My companion had the scallopzinging with atmosphere. (€20) was particularly good and taster muirin (€10.50) studded withThe entrance area leads to an glasses at €2.50 is a brilliant smoked salmon baton, breaduber-chic tapas bar. Upstairs, there idea. We decided to order a 'bag of crumbs, colcannon and egg butteris another dining and bar area, bread', (€5) while we waited. This mousse. It was good, interesting,while to the left of the entrance, was a generous selection of sourdough, decadent even, but on a more recentyou'll find the restaurant with its brown seed and white flour visit I had the oysters naturalown kitchen separate from the tapas rolls served with smoked butter, a with chilled cured salmon cream,bar kitchen. The massive sunken nice touch. Here, however, we cucumber, lemon shallot dressingarea feels like a dining club spotted a problem.and seaweed (€11.95). OMG! Whatfrom the 1950s. I was half-expecting The problem in service is with an utterly extraordinary dish anda finger-clicking Sammy Davis Jr the ordering and delivery. It looks yet the ingredients sound so simple,to appear. ppWelike dishes are brought to the table but twists like 'salmon cream' andtook our place in a booth as they are ready at the hot and cold threads of cucumber brought thiswith a full view of the ground floor,to dizzy heights of excellence.including a view through the glass pass, without dockets being The main courses included flatbreadsback of the tapas bar. As my friend checked. Or perhaps expediting inwith a rainbow of toppingshad developed importantitis, he the kitchen is mistiming delivery.such as poussin chervil and hazelkihi

Sunday Business Post-MagazineSunday, 27 January 2013Page: 8Circulation: 44529Area of Clip: 62300mm²Clip ID: 27508Page 2 of 2pnutbechamel, mushroom, onionlyonnaise and brie, to mention afew (€11 for regular, €18.50 large).This is the only place you'll findchicken, and you can replace theBreakingthe bankStarter oysters natural €11.95Main course: Wexford sirloin steak€29Dessert: sherry trifle €10.50Wine: Pommard Clos des Epeneaux,ler Cru 2007, Comte Armand(Organic), Burgundy, France €95Total for two: €197.90meat with a choice of squab, mallardor organic chuck.I went for the pulled crispy porkwith fresh rosemary, parmesan,Tomas Clancy rates the tvine listWatching the penniesStarter: white pudding and cabbagesoup with nutmeg potato puree andduck liver €7.50Main course: flatbread with chorizo,tomato and squid €9Dessert: three flavours of ice creamor sorbet €6Wine: Quinta da Alorna, FazendasPerdidas, White, Tejo, Portugal2012, €20Total for two: €65I examined this list in detail in the main wine column last October, whendetailing how to plan a restaurant wine list.Chef Dylan McGrath wanted a list that reflected his ideas and ambitions forthe whole restaurant project. Colly Murray and Gerard Melinn of Retrovino weretasked with replicating that vision in wine.The result is a 36-page list with almost 300 wine offerings in every shapeand size. The wines are divided up by taste profiles, such as Smooth & Richwhite wines and The Spice Trail, with epic Aussie Shiraz and Chateauneuf-duPape.There are also two dozen organic wines, a dozen sauvignon blancs and afive-page Private Cellar with reserve wines.There are also 40 wines by the glass, 40 by carafe and so on, from €5.50.Prices for bottles start at €20 and though prosecco at €36 nudges our newhoped-for €32 benchmark, the list is well priced overall.Our white wine, value and quality pick is the Due de Morny, Picpoul de Pinet2011 at €32, the red pick is the Chateau Ksara, Reserve du Couvent 2010 at€36. Rating: ****onion puree, Irish mozzarella,sliced chestnut and fried mushroomalong with the recommendedaddition of rare breed pork chop(€9).They are quite right not to usethe word 'pizza' for this. It is an ennobledversion boasting all the ancientbreeding that only a chef withencyclopaedic knowledge can deliver.Order this. You will not be disappointed.My companion had the Wexfordsirloin with bone marrow butter(€29), which sounds simple enough,but the first bite again revealed thatsourcing is king here.Desserts include a list of allthings schmaltzy which have beengiven 'a new dimension by rethinking'from banoffi (€7.50) to sherrytrifle (€10.50). We went for the breadand butter pudding of brioche, vanillacustard, caramel and brandysauce, poached raisins and raisinand ripple ice cream. Served cold,though the topping was warm, wewere not overwhelmed. The issue isthe temperature, as the textures andflavours were a delight.This is a new departure for chefDylan McGrath and there is nodoubt that the great chef is fast becominga great restaurateur too.Fade Street Social is an exciting additionto an area of Dublin that isgarnering a name as a foodie village.It looks like the master has arrived.