A good room. A good chef. No wonder Balfe's seems to have an aura about it, an air of busy confidence, despite having only six weeks trading under its handsome belt.
Both the room and the chef, Cathal Dunne, have an implicit understanding of restraint. The room is quite lovely – dark, lush banquettes; marble-topped tables; gleaming white tiles; an open kitchen, and a bar that yells “Pull up a stool, now!” at you – all add up to a space that exerts a primal pull.
Mr Dunne's cooking then drives home that “Gimme!” urge, as he spins his riffs on a smart series of ageless dishes – burrata with grilled country bread; salmon gravadlax; carpaccio of Angus beef; burger with brioche bun; poached smoked haddock.
There isn't a whole lot that is new on the menu, but that is the point. It's the way in which Mr Dunne defines his archetypal dishes that matters most – the spicing in the chorizo and white bean casserole that comes with their Josper-grilled chicken breast is his take on the way the beans would be cooked in the Pyrenees, down on the French-Spanish border, and the piquancy is delightful. Even better is a dish of milk-fed veal, again from the Josper grill, with roast artichokes, confit potato and baby spinach. This dish is so well unified, in terms of taste and presentation – everything is on one plate – that you can't fault it. Good ingredients are shown appropriate respect, and the cooking takes things as far as it needs to, and no more.
The cooking pleases as much as the room because whilst both are trying hard, they share that sprezzatura understatement: the graft doesn't show, and there is no nonsense. It's a room that would be good for breakfast – avocado and tomato tartine for us, please – just as much as a 9.45pm dinner – hake with quinoa, rib-eye with béarnaise; seabream with capers. The wine list is choice, though we would like the red wines to be served cooler. David Murray keeps his eagle eye on everything happening in the L-shaped room, an experienced hand in a room that offers a warm and winning experience.
John McKenna
