Top Seven Picks for Dine in Dublin 2013

Dine in Dublin is back for it's fourth, twice yearly offering and will run from the 21st - 27th October. I personally think Dine in Dublin is a great initiative and I try to make the most of it each time it comes around. It is a good opportunity to try out somewhere new and it won't break the bank to do so either. It also means that you can try out a restaurant offerings at a time that is convenient for you and not be tied to their early bird hours.

So this year I have had a thorough look through the website and picked out seven restaurants that I think would be well worth visiting. One for each day of the week which would be my ideal way to do Dine in Dublin!!

Bang Restaurant

Bang Restaurant are offering a five course tasting menu for €39.95. This menu normally costs €69 and it is a great opportunity to sample a range of their food. Also if you eat from Monday to Thursday they are offering a wine pairing with each course for €19. I got to try out their tasting menu last year and it was a very special experience. You can read about it here.

To view their Dine in Dublin Menu click here.

Fish Course at Bang

Hot Stove Restaurant

This is a restaurant that has been on my list for ages and I have just not being able to get down to try it out yet. I have heard and read a lot of good things about it. Check out Stitch and Bear's review here to see what I mean. For Dine in Dublin they are doing a seven course tasting menu for €50 with lovely sounding things like Confit Chicken Pithivier and home cured Irish salmon on the menu. They are also offering a €35 lunch menu.

To view their Dine in Dublin Menu click here.

 

37 Dawson Street

37 Dawson Street is a funky, lively restaurant with handbags hanging from chandeliers and a great bar downstairs to move to afterwards. One of the great things about their Dine in Dublin menu, last time I tried it out, was that it had quite a lot of choice on it so there was something for everyone. To read more about my experience there click here. They are offering 3 courses for €25 and a complimentary cocktail for those dining with them from Monday - Thursday.

To view their Dine in Dublin Menu click here.

Chickpea Cassoulet from 37 Dawson Street

Dublin City Food

Another place on my to go list as they have seven amazing sounding sandwiches each named after a district in Dublin ending in ‘O’!  They have also recently opened a restaurant on the first floor and for Dine in Dublin they have created a €50 five course tasting menu.

To view their Dine in Dublin Menu click here.

The Exchange Restaurant

The Exchange is part of the Westin Hotel, a five star hotel located on Westmoreland Street in Dublin. It would never have been somewhere that I would have thought about going but in February a group of us visited during the last Dine in Dublin. We had a great night out, the food was lovely and we were well looked after. To read about our visit click here. For this week's Dine in Dublin they are offering quite a range of choices on their €25 menu. And if you don't feel like cake for dessert you can choose to have the special Exchange Dessert Cocktail designed by World Cocktail Champion Deirdre Byrne. 

To view their Dine in Dublin Menu click here.

Lemon Curd Tart

Jaipur

For a more far flung food experience you can not go wrong with Jaipur. We ate at the George's Street Branch during one of the very first Dine in Dublin weeks. It has remained a firm favourite to this day. They are offering a three course menu for €30 and it will no doubt be filled with wonderful flavours and combinations.

To view their Dine in Dublin Menu click here.

Whitefriar Grill

I actually have here booked already for a night out this weekend with friends. I haven't been back since it was done up so I am looking forward to checking it out. They offer good value modern Irish cuisine and I already have my starter picked out. I'm dreaming of the roast bone marrow w/ oxtail marmalade and salsa verdi!! Also if you eat tonight (Monday 21st) you can bring your own wine while you dine.

To view their Dine in Dublin Menu click here.

These are only my personal top seven choices from over 40 restaurants taking part during this week. Hopefully it's a helpful list but where ever you choose to go I hope you have a great night out and get to experience dining in Dublin at it's best.

Bang Restaurant: A Pleasant Surprise

Dine in Dublin is an twice yearly initiative run by DublinTown.ie. It is a week long event which aims to promote and showcase the best of city centre dining. A colleague only recently asked me what was so special about it - sure couldn't you eat out for €25 in a lot of places these days if you go early enough she said. She is right of course, it is easy to eat out for less these days if you are prepared to go early enough. The great thing about Dine in Dublin is that it is for the full seven days and is not restricted to a certain time. It's a great chance to try out some new places, on a Saturday night if you wish, and not break the bank. I already have 37 Dawson Street and The Exchange booked for this week!!

Another restaurant which is participating in the event is Bang Restaurant. Their Dine in Dublin offer is a Special 5 Course Surprise Tasting Menu for €39.95. I recently got to try out this menu for Valentine's Day and have been told that the courses on the Surprise Tasting Menu depend on which local and seasonal ingredients are available at the time so you won't know what you will get till you are given it!

For our surprise tasting menu we started the meal off with an amuse bouche which consisted of Fivemiletown Goats Cheese, Beetroot in various guises, Sunflower Seed Brittle and Truffle Honey. I have adored Fivemiletown Goats cheese ever since I came across it in Salt. It is smooth, light and went perfectly with the beetroot which was both pureed and pickled.

 

Amuse Bouche

Next was the fish course which consisted of Seared Castletownbere Scallops, Crispy Pork Cheek, Celeriac Puree and Caper & Raisin Dressing. The scallops were perfectly cooked, lovely and plump and the whole dish worked very well together.

Fish Course

Then it was onto the main course which was 14 Hour Slow Cooked Beef, Rainbow Carrots, Celeriac and Champ Potato. It didn't photograph too well but dear god it was delicious! The beef just fell apart and it was melt in the mouth. The Guinness and red wine sauce complemented it very well.

Meat Course

By now I was starting to feel full but Bang have thought of this and the next course was the cheese plate. The cheese plate had another of my favourites on it, Durrus, and a slice of Comte. Both of these were accompanied by some homemade cheese crackers whose only bad point was that I covered the table in poppy seeds!

Cheese Course

The meal was finished off with a Dark Chocolate Mousse and Passion Fruit Sorbet with Salted Caramel dotted over the plate. For some reason I don't have a photo of this because I thought I took one, but I am known to get very distracted by any sort of chocolate put in front of me! The chocolate mousse was a good end to the meal as it wasn't too heavy and the portion size was perfect. The salted caramel was practically licked off the plate but I restrained myself!

 

So if you are a bit adventurous and have always wanted to try Bang, then this would be the perfect week to visit and give them a go.

Bang Restaurant is located at 11 Merrion Square. To see the Dine in Dublin Menu for Bang click here.