Thorntons
Thorntons, Fitzwilliam Hotel, St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2
Where to begin? The food - fabulous; the service - perfect; the décor - hits the right note; the price - just what you'd expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant, I'm afraid!
From the moment you walk in, you know that you're not just in any old eaterie. The staff are immediately on hand to take your coats and seat you at your table. There's a bit of chair holding for the ladies but thankfully they draw the line at putting your napkin in your lap for you. Somehow, these guys manage to hit the right level: they know their food and wine and they know how to add a bit of pomp to the occasion, without being obsequious.
The atmosphere tends to be a little subdued early in the evening but by around 9, most of the tables are occupied and there is a pleasant hum of conversation. It never seems to get too loud either, which is a master stroke of acoustic engineering on the part of the 3 inch thick carpets! The walls are decorated with enlarged and mounted photographs of some of the chef's (Kevin Thornton) creations.
Until quite recently, Thornton's had two Michelin stars. While the chef was working on his book, he decided to scale back slightly and stop serving lunch. He lost one of those stars because of it. Having had dinner here when there were two stars and when there was one, I can't say that I noticed a difference in the food or service, so the losing a star thing strikes me as a bit of a nonsense!
Anyway - on to the food. Starters are priced from €27 to €45 and main courses from €40 to €60. You may think that this is excessive but remember, it's not like you'd be dropping in here for a quick bite to eat on your way home from work. This is a special occasion place. Also, if you're up for it (and all the people at your table need to be up for it too) you can tackle the surprise menu - 8 courses of epicurian delight for €125 per head.
Needless to say, when Con and I rocked up here last weekend with friends of ours (all four of us free from children, thanks to the wonder of babysitters!) we glanced briefly at the menu, looked at each other, and said "Surprise?". A resounding "YES" all-round. (And we were - all round - by the time we'd finished.)
Apperetif: Freshly squeezed orange juice for the driving/pregnant amongst us; Bombay Sapphire and tonic for the others
Course 1: Lobster and caviar with lobster consommé
Course 2: White asparagus spears with truffle
Course 3: Green asparagus mousse with caviar
Course 4: Foie gras and duck terrine served with truffle for the men. A bad case of 'shroom overdose (ixnay on the truffles) and pregnancy (no can do liver products) meant that the women were treated to goat's cheese in marinaded tomatoes with aubergine skin
Course 5: Brill in truffle saubinon
Course 6: Cod with potatoes
Course 7: Nettle and thyme sorbet (for those who were neither driving nor pregnant, this was also doused in Bombay Sapphire gin)
Course 8: Stuffed ballotine of Guinea Fowl with fig and armanac sauce
Course 9: Dessert - cherries that had been soaked in something incredibly alcoholic for a long time, créme anglais, cherry icecream, shortbread and some sort of pudding with cherries in that had been glazed over with a brulée torch
Coffee: Delicious coffee with a dish of petit fours
Wine: There was a bottle of white, a half-bottle of Chateau-Neuf-de-Pape (red) and an unending stream of sparkling or still water throughout the evening
Total: (including tip) €750
Worth every penny. Or cent.
Where to begin? The food - fabulous; the service - perfect; the décor - hits the right note; the price - just what you'd expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant, I'm afraid!
From the moment you walk in, you know that you're not just in any old eaterie. The staff are immediately on hand to take your coats and seat you at your table. There's a bit of chair holding for the ladies but thankfully they draw the line at putting your napkin in your lap for you. Somehow, these guys manage to hit the right level: they know their food and wine and they know how to add a bit of pomp to the occasion, without being obsequious.
The atmosphere tends to be a little subdued early in the evening but by around 9, most of the tables are occupied and there is a pleasant hum of conversation. It never seems to get too loud either, which is a master stroke of acoustic engineering on the part of the 3 inch thick carpets! The walls are decorated with enlarged and mounted photographs of some of the chef's (Kevin Thornton) creations.
Until quite recently, Thornton's had two Michelin stars. While the chef was working on his book, he decided to scale back slightly and stop serving lunch. He lost one of those stars because of it. Having had dinner here when there were two stars and when there was one, I can't say that I noticed a difference in the food or service, so the losing a star thing strikes me as a bit of a nonsense!
Anyway - on to the food. Starters are priced from €27 to €45 and main courses from €40 to €60. You may think that this is excessive but remember, it's not like you'd be dropping in here for a quick bite to eat on your way home from work. This is a special occasion place. Also, if you're up for it (and all the people at your table need to be up for it too) you can tackle the surprise menu - 8 courses of epicurian delight for €125 per head.
Needless to say, when Con and I rocked up here last weekend with friends of ours (all four of us free from children, thanks to the wonder of babysitters!) we glanced briefly at the menu, looked at each other, and said "Surprise?". A resounding "YES" all-round. (And we were - all round - by the time we'd finished.)
Apperetif: Freshly squeezed orange juice for the driving/pregnant amongst us; Bombay Sapphire and tonic for the others
Course 1: Lobster and caviar with lobster consommé
Course 2: White asparagus spears with truffle
Course 3: Green asparagus mousse with caviar
Course 4: Foie gras and duck terrine served with truffle for the men. A bad case of 'shroom overdose (ixnay on the truffles) and pregnancy (no can do liver products) meant that the women were treated to goat's cheese in marinaded tomatoes with aubergine skin
Course 5: Brill in truffle saubinon
Course 6: Cod with potatoes
Course 7: Nettle and thyme sorbet (for those who were neither driving nor pregnant, this was also doused in Bombay Sapphire gin)
Course 8: Stuffed ballotine of Guinea Fowl with fig and armanac sauce
Course 9: Dessert - cherries that had been soaked in something incredibly alcoholic for a long time, créme anglais, cherry icecream, shortbread and some sort of pudding with cherries in that had been glazed over with a brulée torch
Coffee: Delicious coffee with a dish of petit fours
Wine: There was a bottle of white, a half-bottle of Chateau-Neuf-de-Pape (red) and an unending stream of sparkling or still water throughout the evening
Total: (including tip) €750
Worth every penny. Or cent.
posted by Sinéad at 12:39 AM
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