Print
E-mailI'll come clean from the get go. I dined at MPW as the guest of one of the extended Fitzpatrick/Fitzer family (Marco's partners in this joint venture) who happens to be an old friend (as well, of course, as a serious foodie – hence the lump of black garlic that she brought with her and rhapsodised about before divvying it out between the three of us). I hadn't realised that I was a guest when the night began; neither had I intended to write a review. But we had a terrific meal and a hugely enjoyable evening and I can't imagine the experience would have been any less satisfactory had I (or the Sunday Tribune) been picking up the tab.
Fitzers on Dawson Street was always one of the best located restaurants in the city and it is a clever move to re-invent a space that had begun to feel a little tired, even though it continued to be popular with a loyal clientele. In its new MPW incarnation, the space has had a bit of a makeover and at night there is more than a touch of glamour about the place. I'm not sure about the blown up photos of a much younger cleaver-wielding Marco that adorn the walls but I guess that he didn't get to where he has by being shy and retiring. On a chilly Thursday evening, the restaurant was hopping inside and out – every table on the heated exterior terrace was taken – and there was a fine buzz about the place.
It was the second time that I had visited. On the first, a couple of months back, I had been a guest of the man himself after an interview. He told me what to order (rib-eye with béarnaise, side of creamed spinach) and was utterly charming. In the interim, I had ample opportunity to study MPW and his strangely-accented and aphorism-littered patter during the compulsively watchable Hell's Kitchen. Unlike many celebrity chefs he has been upfront about the fact that he no longer cooks in any of the restaurants that bear his name. The menu at Dawson Street, which concentrates on quality steak and fish, simply prepared, is a far remove from the complicated dishes that he used to serve up in his Michelin-starred heyday. (Marco is infamous for having been the youngest chef ever to have won three stars, only to hand them back when he tired of the whole Michelin palaver.)
On my first visit, the restaurant had only been open a couple of days and Nick Munier, the suave Marco-enabling maitre d' had been in situ, instructing the staff of Fitzers in the ways of the boss. By the second visit, Nick had gone on to his next MPW project and long-standing Fitzers' veteran, the lovely, welcoming Gina Bokin, was back in charge, freshly returned from a trip to see it all for herself in the Hell's Kitchen studios in London.
Fresh Crab and Mayonnaise (€12.95) was the dish that the over-injected and teary Linda Evans (the Dynasty actress and eventual winner) spent most of her time on Hell's Kitchen putting together. "Linda Linda Linda! Crab crab crab!" It was great – spanking fresh crab, good mayo. An impeccable Cocktail of Fresh Prawns with Marie Rose Sauce (€14.50), served in a martini glass, was delightfully retro, the prawns sweet and meaty. Rib eye steak with sauce béarnaise (€25) was as good as it had been on the first occasion – terrific meat, cooked rare as ordered, accompanied by excellent fries. Next time I will try one of the signature halibut steaks – they look fabulous. Chicken Paillard (€18.95) – a butterflied breast grilled with herbs and served with baby spinach, watercress, rocket, chervil and chive salad is a simple and delicious dish, the kind of thing that you might try and fail to recreate at home. Sides of Creamed Spinach and Grilled Mushrooms (€3.75) were perfection. We shared a very good Crème Brulee (€8.95).
We drank house champagne (€12) and sancerre by the glass (€11) and the full-bodied Bergerie de L'Hortus (€32) with the steak. Later, much later, successful and generous punters of our acquaintance arrived back from a lucrative day at Punchestown and there was an amount of Dom Perignon action as matches were made and the world was put to rights.
I don't know what the final bill ended up as, but the menu pricing seems fair for the quality of the offering. There are daily lunch specials (Fish Pie, Ham Hock, Pork Belly – that kind of thing) priced at €12.95 which would be well worth checking out and a new three course set dinner menu (€44.95) has recently been introduced. There is a also a more restricted 2 course daytime menu at €17.95. This is the kind of simple, well-executed food that is universally popular and a welcome addition to the city centre.
del.icio.us
digg
Facebook
Google
