The cozy and dark interior of Ely Place.
I'm not sure what I expected but given the look of the exterior I wasn't expecting to be shown downstairs to a snug little bar area with a brick-lined restaurant beyond. I was gobsmacked! The place just oozed charm and character. It is quite the antithesis of the other two venues which can sometimes feel cold and sterile in my opinion. Ely Place is warm, comfortable and relaxing.
M's pork croquettes.
We had initially planned to come for wine and snacks but when we seen how lovely it was we decided to stay for dinner. To start M had the pork croquettes which he found to be quite generous though maybe a little dry even with the accompanying gribiche sauce. I had the calamari which was well flavoured and plentiful but could perhaps have benefited from being sliced more thickly. All in all, though,a very good start to our meal.
Calamari. Slightly on the dry side but well season and tasty.
M ordered a burger and chips for his main. Here Ely gets major thumbs up from us. The server asked how he wanted it cooked and when told medium rare didn't refuse and say that all burgers have to be done at least medium. This is one of my pet peeves! The burger was particularly juicy and tender and the chips were a definite winner. What really got his vote though was the homemade pickled cucumber, tangy, crunchy and refreshing!
M's burger and chips with the lovely pickled cucumber!
When I seen that they had both a large and small charcuterie board I assumed that the small would be suitable for one person. I was wrong. What arrived was a mammoth board filled with all kinds of meat, cheeses and antipasti as well as bread and crackers. It would have been enough for two people or a decent snack for three! It was all freshly sliced and not too cold which I really like.
Huge charcuterie board!
M grazed over my leftovers for dessert but all we could really manage was some very good coffees so we finished off a good meal on a high note!
The final word on Ely Place has to be about the staff though, they are absolutely wonderful. They seem to have perfected a good balance between friendliness and professionalism, I wonder is this down to attention to detail by the management team? What ever it is it's working and they now have another loyal customer!
Ely Place Wine Bar
22 Ely Place
Dublin 2
01 6768986
Website
