Restaurant moment

Went over to Carl's place after today's music session, to be greeted with plates of lovely canapés and a nice glass of wine.

It's a while since we've eaten out, but the notion took us tonight. Perhaps somewhat cynically, I thought the Martello restaurant were putting on a bit of a show when they took a good five minutes to 'check' if they'd have a table for two (though it turned out later that there was no question of putting on a show). Our booking was for 8.00 pm, so we began in the Eagles pub, wrapping up warmly because of the freezing fog which had been around all day. The poor old Eagles just isn't the same since they installed far too many TVs, and it was particularly bad tonight because of some rugby match between Leinster and London Irish which was showing on all six screens and had most of the customers glued to it. To add insult to injury, the Guinness wasn't great either.

The Martello made up for all that, though. We've often done well here before, but they outdid themselves tonight. There were plenty of tables free when we got there, and we were given the best table in the place (round, big enough for four, right out in the middle of everything). By the time we'd ordered, the place had really filled up, proving that the phone delay had been fully justified. Like most restaurants in these difficult times, the Martello now offer an 'Early Bird' menu all day every day (22 euro for two courses with tea/coffee; 25 for three). We both decided to have starter and main and skip dessert. My crab bisque starter was absolutely gorgeous, and my main (Pan-fried Breast Of Chicken stuffed with Feta Cheese, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Spinach, with a Roast Red Pepper sauce) was pleasant enough. Carl had a similar experience with his Roasted Paersnip Soup (really nice), and his Six Game Pie (nice enough).

Best of all, though, were the atmosphere and the service. Carl chose a Pinot Noir from the wine list, but the boss-man, who was serving our table, asked me to taste it. I thought it a bit light for a Pinot Noir, but Carl was happy enough with it, and the boss-man felt t would go well with the game pie especially. No doubt sensing that I wasn't fully happy, shortly after he came back to the table with a taster of a different wine and said 'this will probably be more to your taste'. It was, gutsier and with more character (Carl though it was too old, while the Pinot Noir, on the other hand, was too young). I would have been quite happy to order a half bottle of the new one, but didn't have to do that since a full glass was brought to the table without charge.

Apart from other tables of two and three, the largest gathering was at a long table in the far corner which we later found out was a birthday celebration. They were in good form, and added nicely to the whole experience. I had a really nice cup of coffee after the meal and then we both had an Irish coffee (yummy!). All in all, a hugely enjoyable night, and we'll definitely be back in the Martello again soon.

The night finished in the Cozi Bar, which ended up with us crashing a private party upstairs and having a final drink there with the guests.