Tom Doorley
Gracias and hasta la vista in 2019, the year of the Spanish restaurant!
THAT last year saw some very exciting restaurant openings is, in a sense, a miracle; it also shows how resilient the truly driven people in the industry really are.
The context is, of course, ludicrous rents and a doubling in the VAT. These people are remarkable. I’m not talking about chains or basic restaurants that are prepared to chug along being all things to all people and not caring much about where produce is sourced. I mean the kind of people who do extraordinary things for modest rewards, the people behind the likes of Etto and Bastible in Dublin, Kai in Galway, Nash 19 in Cork… the list is long (and if you want to see the whole lot just go to tomdoorley.com).
People, essentially, who don’t compromise and who set themselves amazingly high standards. I sometimes wonder do we, as a nation, deserve them.
Anyway, what can we expect over the coming year? Well, it’s rather uncertain as Brexit in some form looms; and as the much vaunted ‘market’ is allowed to set rents, to the detriment of the organism that is a city.
In terms of Dublin’s areas, I’m guessing that Dublin 7 will see more interesting, independent restaurants. It’s experiencing a mini-boom at the moment thanks to the Luas and its proximity to the city centre. And, by and large, expect to see the most original and free-thinking new restaurants to appear well outside the city centre but not quite as far out as the suburbs.
These restaurants won’t necessarily be the kind of places that Brexit-ing bankers and hedge fund managers will turn to. They will gravitate towards the Michelin star end of the spectrum and, indeed, the very new Shelbourne Social from Dylan McGrath. I WONDER if The Ivy will prosper. After the social butterflies have got over their initial infatuation, I suspect it will become a place of pilgrimage for a certain kind of diner from down the country, rather like Roly’s used to be. Controversy over tipping policy and food sourcing will not have helped.
I’m predicting that the serious bread trend will accelerate in 2019; there’s still so much scope for missionary work in this area. I also feel that, as a people, we are falling further in love with seafood and that the great work already done by Michael’s in Mount Merrion, Klaw Seafood Café and The Cliff Townhouse in Dublin, Quinlan’s in Cork and Out of The Blue in Dingle will spawn more restaurants that celebrate the creatures of the deep.
I wonder if Dublin has reached peak pizza? Is it not time for some serious pasta operators like London’s Padella? Speaking of this, I have some good news to report next Saturday, so watch this space.
What about fermented foodstuffs and cultured creams and butters and the like? Surely we will see more in 2019, although this culinary niche seems to have gained relatively few exponents over the past year or so.
It may also prove to be the year of Spain. Uno Mas has set a new standard in this, while also introducing us to Iberian wines that few of us knew existed. The lovely Las Tapas de Lola is said to be planning a new outlet and The Real Olive Company have a hugely expanded range of proper Spanish produce in Cork’s English market. Could it be the year that real tapas come to the Real Capital?
Speaking of tapas, the concept of small plates or plates for sharing – which I know annoy traditionalists – is certainly going to get more widespread. As I’ve said before, how many of us eat a starter, main course and pud at home? Menus where starters merge imperceptibly with something more mainish are becoming more common, and I love them; they suit the way I like to eat.
If we look at what is happening in Lon-
don and New York, I think we can predict more cooking over fire. This atavistic approach to cooking adds flavour and some chefs love the somewhat wild nature of it.
What else? Restaurants taking booking deposits, especially towards Christmas (thanks to the shockingly inconsiderate behaviour of a minority who fail to cancel and don’t turn up). More ‘natural’ wines, even though some of them are pretty terrible. (I’d love a restaurant to introduce a ‘maximum intervention wine selection’). Mobile phone-free restaurants, quite possibly. And more vegan outlets which is fine by me, but I just wish they wouldn’t pretend to be saving the planet.
Finally, I reckon that eating insects will take a while to catch on. Not by the end of 2019, anyway.
Happy New Year!