Walking into the dining room everything is a treat to the eye, I love the island bar with it's tiles and chicken wire. In fact I wonder if there is any chicken wire left for the chicken coups such is it's proliferation here in Cleaver East! There are long couches lining the walls which are really comfortable though a smidgen too low for the rustic style tables. The huge beams had me scratching my head as they hung there, doing absolutely nothing at all... such enormous pieces of wood should be put to work!
One of the waiting staff explained the concept of the menu to us, small tasting plates, order at least three. He also included the advice that the chef would decide what should arrive together and when it should arrive. We considered ourselves duly warned!
In the first three dishes to arrive was the tomato salad. Just look at the picture of it. It's like a painting, so light and airy. I adored the beautiful ripe tomatoes. The green ones had a tough bitterness to them that wasn't altogether unpleasant! What made my eyes open wide was the black olive crumb. It was one of the oddest things I have ever tasted. I still don't know if I like it or not but it was definitely radical.
This is by far the prettiest food I have seen put in front of me. The chef obviously has a very light touch.
Second up was the pan fried scallops with bacon and potato bubbles. It was sublime. Such a simple dish executed perfectly. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water.
This is my death row dish! If I ever have to have a "last meal" this is what I'd ask for!
The last dish in the first half of our meal was the scotch egg. It comes under the heading of "twisted classics" and twisted it was! Out with the sausage meat and in with some smoked haddock. It's a bold move and I liked it. Traditionalist might despise it but it's a brave dish and what's more it works. It should be applauded.
The twisted scotch egg!
At this stage we waited for the next dishes to arrive. So far M had one dish and I had two. It was a bit of a complicated affair. It really isn't tapas and, in any case, we weren't interested in sharing! The juggling of plates and trying to eat it all before it got cold wasn't what I was after on that particular day, perhaps another.
Next up came M's corn-fed chicken with a side of spaghetti vegetables and a smoke chicken lollipop. He looked me in the eye and nodded his head vigorously as he chewed, as sure sign that he was enjoying the dish!
So much more than just chicken and veg!
My last dish was the lamb breast. When it was placed in front of me I was sure it was pork belly but one bite proved me wrong. So delicious and tender. Just thinking about the juices flowing out of it nearly makes me put on my coat and head straight for Essex Street!
Super succulent lamb breast.
Things took a little turn at this point, when the two dishes above arrived they were accompanied by another scotch egg, we informed the waiter that it had already made an appearance and that we were waiting on the beef carpaccio. Well we waited and waited and waited. Given the waiters earlier warning we were reluctant to ask for it. When we were offered the dessert menu we knew it wasn't coming but at that stage M had no desire to eat while I looked on.
Obviously when the bill came we had to ask for the carpaccio to be removed. In getting the issue rectified it became quite clear to us that while there are amazing things going on in the kitchen, front of house is still catching up. While waiting for our amended bill we watched the service being received by the three other tables in the house. There were definitely people receiving sterling service. The restaurant was only open two months at the time of our visit but I'd have thought these kind of kinks would have been ironed out by now.
I always think it's a great pity when the service lets down the cooking. I've had some of the best food in my life in Cleaver East but I left with sour taste in my mouth and it was nothing to do with the food.
Cleaver East The Clarence Hotel East Essex StDublin 201 531 3500Website