Hemmingway's is a fish shop that echoes that quiet and hidden-away feeling.

The small door on the left as you go up from the coast road is easy to miss. The extra 'm' might be an attempt to avoid the attention of Ernest Hemingway's estate, who may be in the process of opening a chain of fish restaurants of their own (The Old Man and the Seafood). That's speculation.

What hits you as you walk in is untypical of most fish shops. The place smells great, with warm cooking smells, frying onion and spices on the day we visited. There is a fish counter in front of you with a small selection of goodlooking stuff on ice . . .monkfish, sole, sea bass and mackerel among others.

Beyond that is an open kitchen. A bar with high stools on one side faces a display of colourful delights running down the other . . .an interesting mix of tapas in bowls, fresh and funky salads and further along the hot specials of the day.

These are predominantly fish-based, even occasionally when you might have preferred if they weren't. I'm all for surf and turf but a surf and turf burger . . . minced beef topped with prawns . . .revealed to me my own conservative limitations in the world of the burger.

Farmyard animals together, that's what burgers are about. Cheese, bacon, possibly eggs. But prawns?

They're not even mammals.

It's a problem that may be specific to me.

After four of five in the evening you can pick a piece of fish from what's available and they'll cook it up for you. That was very appealing but we were there at lunchtime and so worked with what they had.

No hardship. The tapas are 2 a portion or you can get a plate for two with bread for 14.

This selection came on a large plate that in the end we decided not to steal.

There were a variety of fat little anchovies, pickled mackerel, herrings wrapped around olives, Spanish blanched garlic cloves, pickled onions, Kalamata olives, two types of artichoke, sun-dried tomatoes and a generous basket of brown bread that was homemade somewhere. White wine cost 4.50 a glass and very quickly we felt a glow that may have come from eating interesting good value food or may just have been the luxury of drinking at lunchtime. A nice combination anyway.

For mains we had a fish cake with salad and pil pil prawns. The fish cake was crabmeat, smoked and white fish with potato, a rich flavoursome thing served with sliced white cabbage in a creamy mayonnaise that was way too sophisticated to be called coleslaw, a Greek salad of feta, olives and red onion and a mix of leaves and tomatoes.

Beautifully cooked fat king prawns came in a sauce of chilli, garlic, honey and lemon juice that was simple, punchy and piquant. They were served with grilled garlic bread and the combination was as good a main course as you're likely to get for the money anywhere. Both of these were straightforward things done very well.

We finished with a cafetiere of coffee and a chocolate walnut raisin biscuit cake that was as much fun as it sounds. Staff were relaxed and friendly and treated the youngest member of our party as if he was a highly-valued regular paying guest, very little of which was true.

They have a small selection of appropriate French wines, nicely priced. Next time we'll do the fish thing. There will be a next time.

WHAT'S THE DEAL?

Highlight
Good value, good cooking, staff

Lowlight
Easy to miss

Tapas plate for two 14.00
Fish cake and salad 11.50
Pil pil prawns 13.50
2 x glass white wine @ 4.50 9.00
Cake 3.50
Total: 51.50

Hemmingway's
2B Vernon Avenue
Clontarf
Dublin 3
Tel: 01 833 3338