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.

Amuse bouche

Foie gras royale, apple, smoked eel, walnut

The meal kicked off with foie gras royale, which was one of Greenhouse's signature dish. It was rich and creamy without a trace of bitterness, and I especially enjoyed the apple and smoked eel element to offer the dish a lovely balance. Up next was the cod, cooked to perfection and every single element on the dish worked in harmony in term of taste and visual, it was truly an outstanding dish. The main of belted Galloway beef was tender and full of flavours, and it worked beautifully with the crispness of the artichoke and boldness of the garlic. The weakest dish for me was the passion fruit souffle, whilst the execution was great, it was a touch too sweet for me.

Scallop, courgette flower with lobster

Galloway beef, broad beans, artichoke, garlic

Passion fruit souffle

Without a doubt, The Greenhouse is a Michelin starred quality restaurant. The presentation of the dishes were like artwork and all the dishes had a great balance of imagination while deliver on taste. Service was also pretty on top of their game, very professional. As it was a rather small restaurant and was in a fairly formal setting, perhaps this was a restaurant more suited for special occasions (Every table around us really made the effort to dress up). Having said that, The Greenhouse delivered really high quality creative cooking and that alone warrant a visit if you are a serious foodie.

Food 4/5

What I paid: 
£100 per head with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
£69 short tasting menu
£74 long tasting menu

Joshua House, 21 Dawson St, Dublin 2, D02 TK33, Ireland

http://www.thegreenhouserestaurant.ie/