Here are some new and some golden places to consider booking over the bank holiday weekend …
Old Brennan’s Wine House, Cork
Over the past number of years, we have really embraced wine bars and everything they have to offer. Small plates can often be divisive but what could be more perfect than good wine paired with beautifully curated small plates and sharing boards in an intimate environment. Old Brennan’s Wine House is Cork’s newest wine bar and the simple menu will likely garner a lot of fans. Sunbeam beer cheese and smoky bacon jam sounds like the dip of dreams and it is served with sourdough bread for dunking. The Brennan’s butter board with caramelised shallot, chive butter, leek oil and crispy onions sounds downright dangerous. There are also cold fish platters, charcuterie and cheese boards with a couple of dessert options for those with a penchant for sweet treats. @old_brennans
Forest Avenue, Dublin 4
Just off the Grand Canal, Forest Avenue is one of the go-to Dublin restaurants for fine dining in a chilled ambiance that is both warm and inviting. Named after the street in Queens, New York where Sandy Wyer, one of the owners, grew up, the menu is filled with simple ingredients from Ireland’s best producers that are curated into memorable dishes. The lunch and dinner tasting menus feature dishes such as cod with crab, rice, shellfish sauce and pumpkin kimchi, as well as toasted buckwheat ice cream with chocolate and sherry caramel. The brunch tasting menu that ran some years ago might be a thing of the past, but it will always hold a special place in my memory. The couple behind Forest Avenue also run Little Forest in Blackrock and recently opened a bakery in Ranelagh called Una, which reputedly lives up to the high standards set by its elder siblings. www.forestavenuerestaurant.ie
mrDeanes, Belfast
I was a big fan of Michael Deane’s Love Fish and of course, the legendary Eipic was a destination restaurant in itself so I am very excited about this brand new addition to the Deane empire. mrDeane’s Bistro Bar and Social opens this weekend in the space that was formerly home to Love Fish and Eipic, and promises to serve ‘top quality ingredients, skilfully cooked as well as an extensive selection of drinks, in fresh, contemporary surroundings’. The 90-seat restaurant will feature a long bar which joins both rooms and includes an area known as MrDeanes Social. It will offer a la carte menus for lunch and dinner as well as snacks and drinks. There will be live music on various nights in the Bar/Social area and the menu will feature a variety of Deane’s classics. www.michaeldeane.co.uk
O’Grady’s on the Pier, Barna, Co Galway
Rustic perfection is how I would describe the outdoor space at O’Grady’s on the Pier in Barna, Co Galway. Being perched outside devouring flaky fish and chips while gazing over the horizon and Galway Bay is one of life’s simple pleasures. If the weather doesn’t play ball, tables inside are equally atmospheric and the vast range of daily fresh fish specials are enough to have inspired a fan club. As a card carrying member, I can confirm that the spaghetti vongole is excellent. www.ogradysonthepier.ie
Osteria Lucio, Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2
It’s difficult to compete with the wonderfully atmospheric interior of Osteria Lucio but the small, perfectly formed terrace is where I want to be on a balmy summer evening. In an ideal world I am gorging on the suckling pig shoulder with onions, olives, roasted potato, spring leaf salad, apple and horseradish sauce and sipping a cold Sicilian Vermentino – but gamberi al forno or the Black Angus beef tagliata would also be serious contenders. www.osterialucio.com