RESTAURANT REVIEW - EASTERN SEABOARD
Tuesday 18 September 2012
I decided on one of those few recent fine days to take a ‘Thelma and Louise’ type spin up the coast to the Eastern Seaboard Restaurant at Drogheda with friend Rena. It seemed the perfect opportunity for a late lunch, or an early evening supper, so I called up to see did they do food all day. They did. Great. “Would you like to book”? Asked the pleasant chap on the phone. “I’m not sure of the exact time, it might be 3 pm, later or earlier.” “That’s no problem”, he said agreeably, adding, “I’ll pass you on to make a booking”. That proved nearly the nail in the coffin! A girl with a foreign accent seemed to have read the rules manual for perhaps a busy Saturday night or Sunday lunch, and there was no give or using the head. “What time”, she asked. I explained, it might be 3… that her colleague had said….. “ “If you arrive early you might have to sit at the bar and wait for a table…..” She replied. Then came the next bit…. ”If you come at 3 pm, we want the table back by 5 pm”! That nearly killed ‘the bird in the hand’! Does everyone party on Friday afternoon in Drogheda, I wondered. We arrived to find six people in the place. So what was all of that about?
Located in a run of shops in a housing estate – the Eastern Seaboard has no external views or exotica – but what we did find was a fine big ground floor contemporary brasserie and bar. The lunch cum dinner menu had something for everyone from “appetizers, small plates, and things to share” such as pails of crispy whitebait or calamari, through salads, sandwiches and burgers, fish, meat and vegetarian, priced generally from €8.50 to €15, apart from crab claws at €18 and 8oz fillet and 10oz rib eye steaks at €23.50/€25.50 - surprisingly the rib eye was more expensive than the fillet. But what we really loved was the ample list of interesting sides at €4 each, from which you get to choose two with fish and mains, and one with sandwiches and burgers.
We kicked off by sharing Bagna Cauda (€4.50) and a Butcher’s Board (€8..50). The Bagna Cauda was a coffee cup of anchovies in warm oil paired with toasted crusty bread, simple and delish, as was the Butcher’s Board which sported a dollop of pork rillettes, sitting under a chunky tranch of a black pudding, pistachio and chorizo ballotine, plus Parma ham, salami, cornichons, perky pink radishes, and mustard. Having recently had an otherwise okay burger ruined by being served on a tired grotty looking wooden board in a Co. Kildare pub, it was a joy to see this charcuterie meticulously presented on a sheet of greaseproof paper on a pristine board. Little details count or can turn you off.
From a selection that included Clam Spaghetti, Moules Frites, Pork Belly, Lamb Shank et al, I had a fantastic tender, flavoursome, lamb rump (€15), topped with a fresh plum salsa, which added a different dimension to the old mint sauce. My chosen sides proved a zingy crispy sharp red Asian Slaw, and luscious sweet potato wedges – great. Rena’s pilgrimage to Drogheda also paid off because she just adored her grilled aubergine, mozzarella and vine tomato stack (€10.50), oozing melted cheese and juices into a Balsamic reduction, and her choices of garlic courgette, or as they say up there, ‘zucchini’, and Tabbouleh.
Everything was so crisp and well presented, we continued with a chocolate dessert (€6) with citrus shortbread, which had a brace of white coffee cups filled with light chocolate mousse and a rich runny dark chocolate. Smart, simple and sublime. Wine was available from €18 by the bottle or €4.95 by the glass. With a glass of Cola (€2.50) for me and two glasses of Fischer beer (€2.80 ea) for Rena, our bill with optional service for the very pleasant waitress, was €57.60.
Great value, lovely casual food, which we could so easily have passed on.
Eastern Seaboard Bar & Grill,
1 Bryanstown Centre,
Dublin Road,
Drogheda,
Co. Louth.
Tel: (041) 980-2570
www.lucindaosullivan.com