The Seapoint Restaurant. 4 The Crescent, Monkstown Village, Co Dublin, Tel: 01-6638480.
Chef: Nick Clapham

Anew restaurant in the present economic climate? Very brave, methinks, yet regardless of the prevailing winds, people will always need to eat (out) - even if it is just for the ceremony, rather than the food.

During the Prussian siege of Paris from 1870 to 1871,the Parisian Jockey Club offered a selection of meats including Salmis de rats à la Robert. Whatever it was, I can’t imagine it stayed on the menu after the siege.

No such delights were to be found at the Seapoint Restaurant. It offers a good bistro menu with items for plain eaters, as well as the more adventitious.

I was with two old friends who fell quickly into the ‘rules of reviewing’, automatically ordering different dishes from each other - except when it came to the Pierre Pailla Champagne. We ordered three glasses at €14 each.

I settled on the simple half dozen native oysters on ice (€14). A plate of plump, rich-tasting oysters appeared, served simply with a slice of lemon.

This is a perfectly acceptable dish at home, but I would have thought some diced shallots and vinegar would be automatic accompaniment in a restaurant .

Nonetheless, the spanking-fresh oysters and the wash of the sea that coated the mouth just about made up for this omission.

We also ordered marinated tuna with wasabi and crème fraiche (€9.50).This is a classic combination but without a good kick of wasabi it can get lost in mediocrity, which was partly the case here.

It should be said that the tuna gave beautifully to the bite, it only needed an extra whip of wasabi and possibly a third element from a different taste spectrum to unite the flavours and textures.

The vivid green asparagus (€9.50) ordered by our other dining companion was a perfect visual representation of the food envy I was feeling.

The stalks were grilled and served with parma ham, a poached egg with a bright yellow centre which oozed onto the plate, and flaked parmesan. So simple and so bad if the ingredients aren’t top notch. Thankfully, not the case here. Scrumptious.

In the interest of research, we shared a further starter of rabbit loin with wild mushroom risotto and basil cream (€9.50).The great thing about a bistro menu such as this is the opportunity for people to try dishes they wouldn’t normally venture near.

On this occasion my dining companions were pleasantly surprised and I suspect they’ll order it again. For the main course I had pan-fried sea bream (€18.50) with a tangy mash and red pepper relish.

There is something about beautifully handled fish that is an utter delight. Shiny jewel-like flakes fell away from a flawless piece of fish. This was so good that I nearly forgot the sauces: with a good mash and a slightly over-sweet pepper, this was a dish in need of a third element.

The 8oz fillet of Irish beef (€28) with wild mushroom ragout and crispy Gruyére potato brought on another fit of food envy. This was truly melt-in-the-mouth beef matched with classic earthy flavours, creamy potatoes and a high note from the cheese.

Strange though, no mention of the supplier. You’d think a good supplier would inform a new restaurant of its legal obligations to state the sourcing of the beef.

We also ordered pan-seared scallops with basil risotto, garlic and chilli butter (€22). Again, these people know their fish. A micro thin caramel exterior gave way to creamy scallops, all married beautifully with the likes of the thin sliced garlic. The jury was out on the basil accompaniment though.

Afters was a happy medley of cheese and biscuits (€10), a mixed dark berry sabayon with vanilla ice-cream (€8.50) and chocolate fondant with banoffi ice cream. The clever sabayon was clearly a Class A drug. I almost inhaled the lot in one go.

The bill came to €245.50 between three, which reflects some greed/ professional tasting on my part, but also starters which were slightly pricey when compared to the main courses. Nonetheless, Seapoint is a restaurant that deserves to weather the storms ahead and looks set to improve with age.

Clarification
In the restaurant review of The Residence, 41 St Stephen’s Green, on July 20 it was stated that the restaurant interior was designed by Pia Bang. The design work was in fact carried out by Deirdre Whelan Interior Design, Jeff Stokes and Clodagh Conroy Interiors.