Sunday Business Post : Deserving Praise

Posted by on Aug 8, 2009 in Reviews | Comments Off

Unimpressed by the previous visits to a local eatery, Katy McGuinness found the revamped Valparaiso had everything she could wish for in a neighbourhood restaurant.

What is it that we want from a neighbourhood restaurant ? I surpose it’s obvious: decent food, reasonable prices, relaxed ambience. Somewhere that you’ll be able to get a table at relatively short notice. (That last criterion probably applies to just about every eating establishment in the country thes days, although I did recently try and fail to get a table at Neven Maguire’s McNean House any time this year. Granted I was looking for a Saturday night, and accommodation to boot but still… isn’t it great that there’s no recession in Cavan?)

Monstown, on Dublin’s southside, is awash with restaurants, and over the last year or so there have been some good additions to the offering there. Seapoint has become quite the favourite since it opened last summer, Taste is popular too and the new cafe in Enowine a good spot for some superiour antipasti and a glass of wine. The old reliables like FXB and Siam Thai have their loyal followers.

Valparaiso, located over Goggins’ pub, has been there for years. I’d eaten there on a few previous occasions and had been less than overwhelmed. The menu was ‘Mediterranean’ with a Spanish/Portuguese bias. The lat time I was there I thought the decor had become more than a little tired and was in no rush to go back. Then I heard there had been a makeover and there was a new chef, Paul Regan who comes from one of my favourite Dublin restaurants, Town Bar & Grill, and before that Hartley’s in Dun Laoghaire, another local success story. It was time to give it another go.

It was mid-week and Valparaiso was about half full. The re-vamp by designer Kari Rocca has given the room a cool, modern feel. The menu offers an all-night early bird, six nights a week. On Saturday, it operates between 5:30pm and 7pm. Two courses are €19.95 and three are €23.95, pricing that seems fair although four of the 10 main courses attract a €4 supplement.

We started with a couple of orders of Monkstown Crab Cakes with Saffron and Caper Aioli and on of Confit Chicken and Pear Salad with Glazed Walnuts, Blue Cheese Foam. Both starters were good, although we thought the serving of crab cakes a tad stingy. Other options included Gravad Laz, Duck Liver and Foie Gras Parfait and Spicy Chicken Wings which I gather are something of a house specialty – regulars rhapsodise.

For mains, Paula had a Pan Roasted Fillet of Sea Bass with Garden Peas, Bacon, Pearl Onions, Minted Beurre Blanx, one of the mains to which the four euro supplement applies. I’m assuming the fish was farmed, because the menu didn’t say otherwise. This was a well-constructed dish, the fish perfectly cooked. Jane’s choice of Valparaiso Fish Pie with Cod, Prawns, Salmon, Smoked Haddock, Herb and Parmesan Crust was a huge, trenchermand portion on which she made valiant inroads – a hearty, substantial dish with a good balance of fish. My Roast Fillet of Hake with Balsamic Glazed Beets, Cherry Tomato and Olive Salad was a good, simple, don’t-scare-the-horses hind of a plate and none the worse for that.

We passed on puddings, although we probably should have given the Strawberry Bajed Alaska with Summer Berry Coulis a whirl, if only to see if they really do the whole flaming thing, health and safety issues notwithstanding.

With two bottles of an excellent Gruner Veltliner (the Austrian white that has replaced Albarino as my favourite in recent times) at a fair €31.50 a pop, a side of mash, a coffee and a herbal tea our bill for three came to €148.23 including 10% service. A student I know who has been waitressing in one of Dublin’s best restaurants for the summer tells me that average tipping tends to fall significantly below this level, so I can understand why Valparaiso has introduced an across-the-board service charge, although the menu fails to state whether this goes directly to the staff.

Valparaiso is hitting all the right buttons with its new look, refreshed menu and reasonable prices – just the kind of place that any neighbourhood should be happy to have.

Rating: 4 stars