Something to shout about

Alexis restaurant in Dún Laoghaire is a spot we go to now and again. It's been a bit up and down over the past couple of years, in our experience, but we certainly enjoyed our last visit. tonight's visit was a bit different, since we went for the Midweek Tasting Menu. The linked menu is s sample only. Our actual menu this evening was (1) Roasted Will Rabbit Loin, Foie Gras Terrine, Roast Pears; (2) Seafood Plate; (3) Roast Loin of Venison, Sauteed Bacon & Cabbage, Rosti Potato, Red wine & Port Sauce; (4) Valrhona Chocolate Plate; and (5) Coffee & Lemon Shortcake.

Being a tasting menu, portions are small, but that suits me just fine, since I find heaped plates of food quite off-putting at the best of times. We opted for the wine supplement, so each of the first four courses came with a different complementary wine (100ml in the case of the first three; 75ml for the dessert wine). The food was generally wonderful, and if the idea behind the tasting menu is to show off what the chef is capable of and to entice customers to come back for a full meal, then it succeeded perfectly. There were some real winners among the various dishes. The Seafood Plate consisted of a white fish pie with lobster, along with lobster risotto. The pie was utterly divine. The Foie Gras Terrine which was part of the first plate was delicious, and was served with perfect brioche toast. The surprising star of the show (at least for me) were the lemon shortcake biscuits which accompanied the coffee.

Bottom line: A fabulous culinary evening, and excellent value for 37 euro each.

Obviously the blip has nothing whatsoever to do with the meal. Shots taken in Alexis didn't turn out well, so it's just as well I's also spotted this display in a shop window afterwards. After such glorious food I felt like jumping for joy, so I suppose there's is a bit of a connection after all.