Reviews

Elegant and understated, the Town Bar and Grill is a civilised and moneyed place to eat.  Calm cream and white tones, white table linen, artwork chosen for it's brown and cream tones perhaps, the atmosphere is relaxed and unfussy.  Popular amongst businessmen and women for sealing deals and celebrating successes, it takes on quite a different feel at the weekend with people coming in groups of beautifully dressed friends to enjoy themselves.

There is no fanfare about the food.  It is executed efficiently and the menu appeals to an Irish audience with plenty of hearty winter fare heavy in comfort.  The fillet steak was perfectly cooked and came with a crispy and tasty potato rosti keeping some root vegetables warm.  More unusual choices such as chargrilled veal or monkfish bisque are all cooked in an unthreatening way, concentrating on a mixture of flavours which have had proven success.  The wine recommended by the waitress was excellent, Le Corti 2002, a Chianti Classico keeping easy pace with the strong flavours we ordered. 

Carpaccio is frequently used to describe starters on menus.  Wafer-thin and raw is what normally comes to mind, but the smoked salmon carpaccio had thick generous slices of excellent salmon and a creamy horseradish sauce.  My sardines for starters were hefty and full of flavour accompanied by a tomato concasse and some mystifying green and balsamic flourishes.

Pushing your appetite to the maximum pays off.  The desserts are good, really good.  Pannacotta and tiramisu were given the star treatment here.  The pannacotta managed the balance of being rich an dlight with soft plum giving an injection of modernity to the classic dish.  The tiramisu was light and the alcohol balance superb.

With three courses each, a bottle of Chianti, a brace of mineral water and service we managed to rattle up a bill of €160.

AS we were leaving, the strains of familiar piano music made us linger at the door, wistfully looking at those just at the beginning of their meal.  Our coats on, we had no further excuse to stay and we went out into the cold dark night looking back at the warm squares of window light.