Restaurant Review - Rock Lobster
Monday 21 January 2013
The new Rock Lobster eatery over Kiely’s Pub in Donnybrook is a somewhat unusual collaboration between two guys in the restaurant industry in that they are at opposite ends of the country! On top of that they have also chosen a venue which has seen off a few eclectic eateries in recent years from Italian to Thai and more recently a short lived Indian restaurant called Dakshin. On the really positive side this is a space that has been crying out for someone who knows what they are about and I guess Niall Sabongi could claim to know all there is about the art of hospitality, whilst Pat Kiely of O’Connor’s Seafood Restaurant in Bantry can claim to be familiar with every crustacean that raises a claw out of the sea. Sabongi’s brother, Chef Robert, who trained originally with Conrad Gallagher, has also joined the duo. The Sabongi boys’ father ran one of the most hospitable wine bars, George’s Bistro, in South Frederick Street for many years, the scene of much music, wine and fun. At Rock Lobster they have also emulated the sociable fun feel with a large Cocktail Bar where once stood a Teppanyaki table, a piano, and a lounge area with leather sofas in a room to the rear which in other lives had the feel of dining in steerage.
As to food and drink, well it’s all about ‘cocktails, fish and primehouse’, with lots of the innovative twists by way of “Titbits” and “Starters”, and a “Raw Seafood Bar” option to build your own shellfish platter. Hereford dry aged steaks abound, from 8oz and 10oz fillets, ribeyes and sirloins, to 1kg 55 Day aged Porterhouse steaks and Cotes de Boeuf to share. They should keep any Desperate Dan carnivore happy bearing in mind Kiely’s is one of our foremost Dublin Rugby pubs.
We kicked off with a trio from the “Titbits” selection - €3.50 each or 3 for €10 – which saw a trio of white rectangular plates lined up, holding variously a glass jar of delicious silky chicken liver brulee with toasted ciabatta, a criss cross of homemade posh fish fingers with a little jar of Tartare sauce, and finally shards of Piggy Puffs – pork crackling – the dentist’s delight – with apple and ginger puree.
Lobster Bisque, Steak Tartare, Mussels Mariniere, and Balscadden Crab Cakes featured amongst the starters (€5.90 - €9) – all undeniably tempting. However, Rena chose sauté wild mushrooms on toast (€8.90) topped with a perfect poached egg, whilst I had fried duck egg (€8.90), pretty as a picture, the egg white carpeted with a bed of flaked lobster, topped with sea greens, whilst its sunny yellow yolk beamed out in the middle. Now that’s a starter I’ll be pinching for the O’Sullivan DP repertoire!
Rena proceeded on with another starter – or small plate as they are called in some places – Spiced Venison Carpaccio (€6.50) – sporting five elegant spot on slices of fillet of venison, lightly coloured on the outside and ready to get up and walk on the inside! Complemented with horseradish and watercress the dish was absolutely perfect. “Whole Split Lobster” with shoestring fries and a side salad, for me, was cracking value at €20. I liked the fact that there wasn’t any bull about this being ‘local’ lobster - as I am getting in other restaurants – it was what it was of the small Canadian lobster variety, but at the price, for the whole lobster, you can’t complain. They intend to have local lobster in season. There are “Add On” options of ‘50C, €1 and €2 upgrades’ by way of sauces and tweaks, or you can “Push the Boat Out” with a Half Lobster or Foie Gras at €10 apiece. With one glass of Bodegas Cimbron Rueda Verdejo 2011 (€7.00), the bill amounted to €66.30 including service.
They also have an excellent Express Menu at €16.90 for two courses between 6 pm – 7pm and 9.30 pm -10.30pm.
Rock on up – as some more pretentious pseuds like to say!
Rock Lobster,
Above Kiely’s Pub,
22-24 Donnybrook Road,
Dublin 4.
Tel: (01) 202-8585
www.lucindaosullivan.com