Leslie Williams eats at one of the grand dames of Dublin dining, the revamped Shelbourne Hotel.
Does anyone else out there still eat “Tea” at 6 o-clock? Well if you do have your dinner in the middle of the day and would like a high tea in the grandest of surroundings then head for the Shelbourne.
The grand old lady of St. Stephens Green has had a traumatic time in recent years and she has not always been treated with the respect she deserves. However I have eaten here a few times in the past six months and I am tentatively suggesting that the Shelbourne has finally have cast off her housecoat and fluffy slippers and is entering a Helen Mirren period.
Take for example the Lord Mayors Lounge which serves afternoon tea as usual until 6.30pm every day but at this point the Exec. Chef Garry Hughes' Shelbourne Supper menu comes into effect. The Shelbourne Supper is a light three course menu with elegantly presented classics such as house smoked salmon, chicken liver parfait with brioche, fillet mignon, surf and turf, and desserts such as Eton mess and mango delice.
The price of the main course is the full price of the meal and ranges from €25 to €30 with a choice of starter and dessert included. All three dishes arrive on a board at the same time and there is a selection of wines by the glass, well chosen by the Shelbourne's excellent sommelier Nisea Doddy.
A group of us ordered all the dishes on the menu a few weeks back and all dishes were cleaned. The tempura was light and crisp, the chowder rich but not too creamy, the parfait light and delicate and the steak correctly cooked. We weren't sure about the almonds on the profiteroles or the truffle oil in the risotto but this is a menu
designed to appeal widely and it works.
Elsewhere in the building the Sunday Jazz Brunch is serving fine Eggs Benedict and Eggs Shelbourne (with fillet steak, a dish that shouldn't work but does) and the Saddle Room has a good oyster bar and is serving some decent seafood and some excellent desserts.
Yes, the vegetables were badly over-cooked at a lunch there recently, but crucially my sea-bass was not, my ham hock terrine and celeriac remoulade was excellent and my chocolate and raspberry tart with pistachio ice-cream was delicious.
Mint tea was made from fresh leaves, espresso had excellent crema and teabags have now been banned from the premises and it is attention to details like this that will keep this old lady in good health and may yet see her back on top.
www.TheShelbourne.ie
Tel: 01 6634500
