Restaurant Review - De Ville
Monday 01 October 2012
There is nothing like a discount to disarm and sweeten the punters when you open a new restaurant. This was the tactic taken by the new De Ville’s Restaurant in Dalkey. A good idea perhaps for other restaurateurs who try out their new restaurants on the customers, charging full whack from day one for the pleasure of maybe erratic food and service, and then whinging when a restaurant reviewer comes along that “it wasn’t fair, it was too early.”
Brother and sister, David and Kim O’Driscoll, are at the helm in De Ville’s and, although young cubs, both have been around the restaurant business for quite a while, variously in the Ely Wine Bar Group and The Green Hen. There is also a family history in the biz, so they are experienced and wise enough to know there will be glitches in the early stages.
De Ville’s is an American style Steakhouse and Grill, the sort of place you might find in New York or Paris, with a traditional bar on one side of the room, which already had plenty of local backsides hanging off the stools, and a raised platform area with brown leather booths being the “dining room” area per se. When it comes to the food, the prices are good, there is something for everyone in the audience, and carnivores are going to love it
Appetisers are €6/€9, plus a further selection has ‘For One or For the Table’ €9/€22, a good idea as more and more people like the idea of sharing a starter. Chicken liver and foie gras parfait is there, as is seafood ceviche and salted chilli squid. Oyster and Bantry Bay mussels were going down well around us, but I went for the individual ‘Charcuterie Assorties’ (€10– or €17 to share). It was cracking! A white rectangular platter held three overlapping fingers of delicious smoked ham, two rectangles of pate, Parma ham, cheese, chorizo, walnuts, capers, sundried tomatoes, and good brown bread. Friend Sheila was equally pleased with her well dressed, and tossed, pickled pear, walnut and Blue Cheese salad (€8).
28 day dry aged steaks, served with a choice of sides, and include a Texan size 32oz Porterhouse for two at €57, and 6 or 8oz fillet steaks at €24/€28 respectively. We hit them on their second night and they had neither, but they did have a 12 oz ribeye or a 10oz New York striploin. Roasts and grills €16 - €26 included roast chicken for 2 at €32, chargrilled tuna steak, the ubiquitous pork belly and rack of Wicklow lamb. Side orders of Pommes Frites, Dauphinoise Potato et al are €3.50 a pop but we abstained. Pan seared scallops (€26) for Sheila presented a diagonal row across the plate, of six decent molluscs, well seared, with mash, a little mound of boudin noir and a sliver of foie gras. All good, all happy. I too was content with my fine filling fillet of hake (€18) topped with a lemon and ginger crust. The fish was good, retained a bite, the topping a bit ineffectual being soft rather than crusty, but I did love the accompanying samphire and creamed spinach, which I requested rather than the billed mash.
Puds – Tiramisu, Banoffee, Chocolate Mousse or a selection of icecream, didn’t inspire – I hope they raise the anti here. There is also a very accessible bar menu including duck confit, Dauphinoise potato and Swiss chard, Coq au Vin, Steak Frites, at €15, and indeed a hamburger with trimmings at €12, available in the bar or dining room Sunday to Thursday all day, and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 7 pm.
With a bottle of crisp golden Broglia Gavi Il Doge 2011 (€29) and a brace of espressos (€2.50 ea) our bill was €72, including 25% discount, and to which we added €10 service.
There are now so many good eateries in Dalkey one can’t but wonder will all the birds in the nest be happy or will Dalkey be the setting for a new Dallas!
De Ville’s
25 Castle Street,
Dalkey,
Co. Dublin.
Tel: (01) 284-9071
www.lucindaosullivan.com