Klaw

Shellfish heaven

Irish oysters

I have got nothing but love for seafood, so when I was planning my trip to Dublin, Klaw,  really stood out as one of the must try places for me. Located right in the heart of Temple Bar. Klaw is a tiny shellfish bar offering freshly prepared seafood in a very informal, casual space. It has an open kitchen with no more than 15 seating, the decor is very "hipster" and modern. Klaw claim that they have one of the largest selection of oysters and this is music to my ears. I can just imagine myself sipping a pint of Guinness and losing up with a mountain of shellfishes. 

Chapter One Dublin

Modern Irish charm

Grilled lasagne of scallop and Atlantic crab, pickled seaweed butter

Not to be getting mixed up with Chapter One in Kent, Chapter One Dublin is also a Michelin starred restaurant located in the northern part of the city. It appeared this is a much loved restaurant in Dublin, as it had countless awards and also rated highly on Trip-advisor. Interestingly enough, the restaurant was part of the former home of George Jameson, the founder of the world renown Irish Whiskey brand Jameson. Like most modern fine dining restaurants, Chapter One offers an a la carte menu, a tasting menu and 2 well priced lunch menus. We opted for the four course dinner menu as a group but shared all of our dishes so we got the chance to sample more than 10 dishes per person.

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud

Dublin's answer to haute cuisine

Tuna tataki, sesame, red curry

As the one and only 2 Michelin starred restaurant in Ireland (there are no 3 stars in Ireland), it would be normal to think that Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud is the best fine dining restaurant that the nation has to offer. Located in the heart of Dublin, launched in 1981 and became a household name to the city offering the finest French cooking, using top quality Irish ingredients. More than 30 years later, its reputation only got stronger with countless raving press reviews. As fine dining come at a price, this time around, I opted for the lunch menu at £48 for 3 courses. You will be looking at paying over £100 just for food for a dinner at the same restaurant.

The Greenhouse Dublin

Creative Irish fine dining

Cod, pea, Wye Valley asparagus, girolles

Greenhouse is one of the few Michelin starred restaurants in Dublin (Not to be confused with The Greenhouse in London which has 2 Michelin stars). It is a tiny fine restaurant located next to one of the National Museum of Ireland. The cooking is modern Irish/French in essence but featuring mostly local ingredients. For dinner service, the restaurant only offers tasting menu so be aware if you are not a fan of such format. What really caught my attention with The Greenhouse is the unusual and complexity of its ingredients combination, something that I think is so hard to get it right but the result could be so rewarding if the chef managed to pull it off.