Restaurant Review: Sophie’s at The Dean


Posted February 5, 2015 in Restaurant Reviews

Last month, my distinguished colleague Daniel Gray visited The Dean Hotel as a Barfly scout. A month later, I was back to see how Sophie’s was maturing as a restaurant.

‘You picked the right night for dinner,’ our waiter tells us as he sets us up with water and menus on a Sunday evening. ‘It can be a bit clubby in here on a Friday and Saturday night.’ That sounds like fun too, but we’re glad we get to focus on the food in peace. It’s still very buzzy, of course, and, as is well documented by now, the views of the city are simply exquisite.

A clever combination of crab and pear comes as salad (€10) that also includes ribbons of carrots and dollops of blood orange dressing. Crusty bread from The Bretzel Bakery is given generously and the butter it’s served with is exactly the correct temperature for spreading, which pleases me no end. Our small table gets crowded quickly though – I would question the wisdom of setting up each table with a full-sized bottle of olive oil, a pepper mill and a big box of Atlantic Sea Salt. If it were about packaging or provenance, wouldn’t it be better if it was Irish Sea Salt that they were showing off?

The idea of bone marrow with toast (€8) suits the style of The Dean – lots of attitude, a little quirky but down to earth – but it was very, very oily and lacked seasoning. I wonder if there is an alternative way to prepare the marrow to make it more palatable while retaining its rustic charm?

I have a nosy peek in at the kitchen, which is in a glass-walled cube of a room near the front door of the restaurant. My nose nearly pressed against the glass, I can see all the chefs prepping and chopping, squeezing and saucing, as if they’re in the most seriously stylized zoo of all time. They seem happy and well looked after so I don’t feel too bad for them.

There’s a huge pizza oven to the front of the kitchen, too, and this is where our fennel sausage, taleggio and rosemary pizza (€15) comes from. It’s superb. Its thin, crispy base is scattered with the perfect ratio of sausage to cheese to herb. Also impressive is the oozing flavour of the oxtail ragu laced with plumped up apricots, served with pappardelle prepared in house and scattered with pistachios. The pasta’s shiny ribbons carry this meaty sauce, and I love the occasional crunch of the pistachio.

We adored the desserts. A bowl of ice-cream (€7) with caramelized pecans is served with sticky toffee sauce and butterscotch sauce. You really can have it all. Even better is a creatively tart panna cotta (€7) topped with a layer of blueberry jelly and a dusting of honeycomb.

Sophie’s is a busy space. It probably closes for about two hours out of 24, catering for Dublin drinkers until late then kicking off early with breakfasts for guests. When I do a bit of ogling at the hotel rooms and rates on the website, I notice breakfast is not included. It feels like Sophie’s wants to welcome non-residents and even more so, that non-residents might be their main priority. This makes sense, economically and emotionally. Why build a beautiful restaurant that shows off Dublin so well and not share it with Dubliners?

Sophie’s are now open daily for breakfast and dinner, with a weekend brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday. Our dinner, which included a first-rates raspberry sour mocktail (€6), a savoured Guarapo cocktail (€11), a glass of Kellerei Kaltern that was expertly recommended by our waiter (€9), two large sparkling waters (€5 each) and a very fine Clement & Pekoe espresso (€2.20) came to a grand total of €106.20.

 

Words: Aoife McElwain / Photos: Evan Buggle

 

Sophie’s at The Dean Hotel

33 Harcourt Street

Dublin 2

01-6078100

www.sophies.ie

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