“Dylan McGrath is soooo mainstream,” says the foraging courier to the architectural student turned supper club host. “I know, I mean, seriously. TV? New restaurants?! What a douche.” Being the restaurant reviewer of the hipster Hot Press means that I had my own not-quite-so-harsh internal monologue about Dylan McGrath. “Everyone has reviewed Fade Street Social. I need something more underground. Preferably a restaurant in a bunker under The Liffey that you can only get to by crawling on your hands and knees through a series of cold, dark tunnels.”
After a bit of earnest soul-searching, I got over it and booked a table at The Gastro Bar at Fade Street Social for myself and Editor Dan. It was a Wednesday before Christmas and every available space in the relatively gargantuan space that is Fade Street Social was occupied. We were seated at the faux-communal high tables that run through the middle of The Gastro Bar upon the surprisingly comfortable gymnast’s horse style seats and a bang-on view of the open-bar style kitchen.
The Gastro Bar menu is long and exciting, almost overwhelming for us indecisive eaters. I fretted as my eyes greedily swallowed the menu. “The Mini Lobster Hot Dog or the Jerusalem Artichokes with Mushroom Cream and Leek Jelly on charred sourdough – HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE?!” The point is you don’t have to choose. We ordered both, and squealed with delight as the hot dog (€9.95) appeared in a crispy, sweet brioche roll heaped with melted hazelnut butter and squelched together with a béarnaise sauce. Seriously god-damned awesome. The Jerusalem Artichoke puree (€6.50) that sat upon the sourdough was as generous as the mushrooms were earthy. We were nearly at the end of our meal before stumbling upon the leek jelly at the bottom of the fancy see-through side dish full of more delicious puree, rendering the jelly sadly redundant.
I had low hopes for the chickpea chips (€5), but their light semolina coating and sweet, fluffy interior alongside their garlic and pernod custard dip made them a wonderful little treat. We both declared the air-dried Lamb carpaccio (€9) with fig puree and black olives our favourite while the Cod Cheeks (€8) left a lot to be desired. More accurately Cod Faces and, despite the eminent carrot puree on the side, their rubbery texture and humdrum flavour made this dish the only savoury disappointment of the evening. Daniel’s doughnuts (€6.50) were also a bit of a downer, being stodgy rather than fluffy and served with an ill-judged mango dip. My Neapolitan Ice-Cream Sandwich (€5), however, brought us both back to a childhood filled with eating ice-cream sambos in our respective grandmothers’ kitchens.
Our bill, delivered to by our thoroughly pleasant waitress, included two Knockmedown Porters, a Budvar and an Americano came to a very manageable €69.60. The menu is animated and appealing, with The Gastro Bar’s energy one of endearing activity. We felt the building as a whole lacked slightly in character and identity, perhaps due to too many muted and natural wood tones in a city that has been bingeing on try-hard kitsch and fraudulent vintage. Fade Street Social is bound to be, and seems to already be, a roaring success. It’s a huge space from a renter’s point of view but it appears that McGrath has bitten off a perfectly reasonable amount and is, one would hope, well aware of what he can chew.
Fade Street,
Dublin 2
Booking and Reservations: 01-6040066
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