Given the times that are in it, we'd thought that Ely CHQ, in the IFSC, might not be very busy. Just in case of a last-minute rush of foreign investors, we booked – cunningly for four even though we were to be only three, assuming that would give us a better table. Despite this foresight we were directed away from the light-filled ground floor to downstairs. There's something dispiriting about eating in a basement in the middle of the day, unless of course you are hiding from someone or have the desire to be unaware of time passing or to drink yourself into oblivion. I suppose there are plenty of folk falling into those categories around the IFSC these days. We did get a good table however – a comfortable raised banquette booth that could have easily seated six.

Ely occupies a huge space that once formed a series of excise vaults and is now operated as a brasserie. On Friday nights there's a DJ and it's a place for after-work drinks and collegiate bonhomie. On Monday lunchtime Ely was plenty busy, mainly with men (and a few women) in suits, but the mood was subdued.

The only wine was on a table occupied by a pair of racy Italians, which seemed like a shame because if there is one thing that all the Ely establishments do well it is wine. At other tables, the topic of conversation was the economy, with Irish hosts doing their best to explain the niceties of Nama to their German guests. There was precious little fun being had.

We shared a Sashimi of Tuna (€10.95) in a main course portion by way of starter. This came with avocado, poached pear and grilled cuttlefish on a bed of well-dressed leaves. The tuna was excellent, and the warm cuttlefish made for a terrific counterpoint to the salad. This would make a perfect lunch for a carb-phobe, if they could manage to resist the very good homemade Guinness brown bread – sweet, moist, yummy – that arrived on the table and disappeared in an instant.

We were all in a carnivorous mood and so three meaty mains were ordered. Perhaps we would have done better if we had spread ourselves around the menu a bit more – we could have gone for Clam Linguini, or Fish & Chips or Bangers & Mash (all priced between €12.95 and €15.95) – but beef it was. A main course portion of Organic Burren Beef Carpaccio (€11.50) came with foccaccia, green bean salad, hard-boiled egg, spring onion and horseradish mayo and a pile of leaves. The beef had a pleasant, smoky flavour but it was dried out and had more the texture of a bresaola. An 8oz Sirloin Steak (€15.95) was hidden under a pile of watercress salad and bearnaise, perhaps to conceal how shamefully tiny it was. The meat here too was dry. Granted it had been ordered well-done, but this was lacking in flavour and had lost all its juices.

An Organic Burren Beef Burger (€15.95) came with molasses cured bacon, raw Spanish onion and manchego cheese and more leaves. The burger also was very dry – it was ordered rare and came medium. The hand-cut chips that accompanied the steak and the burger looked great but were short on flavour. We ordered a pair of French Salads (€2.95 apiece) to accompany the burger and the carpaccio and got two large bowls of the same leaves that were already on the plates of those dishes in abundance – our waitress should have pointed out the superfluity.

A shared Tiramisu (€5.95) was wonderful – rich, full of good caramel, coffee and chocolate. We thought it was home-made: too oozy and freeform to have withstood transportation.

With tap water and three coffees, our bill came to €75.70 before service. On a different day we could perhaps have had a much more successful experience – I have had plenty of better meals at Ely restaurants in the past. The meat here was the problem, proving that organic is not necessarily best.

The DDDA's shopping centre next door alongside has the air of the Marie-Celeste. "You can buy party shoes and party dresses and party make-up," observed Clare, "but there's no chemist, or anywhere you might pick up something for dinner. It's the kind of place where you don't want to go into any of the shops for a browse even, for fear of getting their hopes up unduly…"

Ely Chq Brasserie, IFSC, Dublin 1. Ph: 01-672 0010. Rating: 2/5