You may have noticed the closed doors of Brioche at 65 Aungier Street, the faint outline of the letters over the door. “Hey…,” you may have thought, in passing. “I thought that little place was doing really well…” And you’d be right. Brioche is showing the signs of being a success story rather than a recession casualty.
The team at Brioche, led by chef and patron Gareth McDonagh, moved from Aungier Street into their Elmwood Avenue digs off the Ranelagh Road before Christmas of last year, taking their sign with them. In 2012, they began serving surprising plates of ambitious food in the surroundings the sweet yet squashed deli. It was immensely great value and, to me, an embodiment of the creativity that some kitchens embraced throughout the downturn. Can’t get a traditional restaurant space? Think differently about what you do have and fire up the stove anyway.
The space they have moved into used to be a McCambridge’s bread production kitchen, which they’ve transformed with a décor that is French-style bistro with Irish ingredients. The floor tiles evoke Paris but manager Gerard tells me they came from an old dance hall in Howth. It’s a direct reflection of their food, with its French style – a nod to McDonagh’s training in France as well as in Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud and L’Ecrivain here in Dublin – highlighting the best of Irish ingredients.
“Everything has a reason for being on the plate,” McDonagh tells us after dinner. And it certainly feels that way. This is clever, deliberate cooking. The menu works the same way as before; it highlights the star ingredients (beef, duck, mackerel, mushroom…) and tells you what to expect in accompaniment. It’s not split into starters or mains. Instead, the plates are small so as to give you the opportunity to get through quite a decent chunk of the carefully sized menu.
A mini-loaf of fresh and fluffy brioche is wolfed down before we’re presented with a marvelous starter of Beetroot and Délice de Bourgogne Salad. (€10.50) This is a total babe of a salad. Sweet beetroots and blood oranges share the plate with the rich, creamy French cheese and slivers of crunchy bread. I’m bowled over by the baby beetroot meringues scattered around the plate. It’s the highlight until we meet our dessert, exquisitely pink and champagne poached rhubarb (€6) with ginger biscuits and delicate vanilla marshmallows.
Between that, there’s a Buckwheat Crepe starter (€8.95) with an avocado mousse and air-dried tomatoes that is enjoyable but doesn’t quite come together; the green mousse is gratuitous and somewhat innocuous. Our plate of cured and smoked Mackerel (€10.50) with crispy shallots (yum) and a fennel purée is stunning. Our slow-cooked daube of beef (€10.50), a dish that has travelled with the team from Dublin 2, is as good as we remember and the pork cheek special (€10.50) is unctuous and earthy. The potato plate (€8.95) acts as a delightfully starchy trio of sides, with a potato and goat’s cheese roulade, a sweet potato gratin and skinny French fries.
A glass of Chateau Haut Rian Sauvignon (€7) is devoured over the starters while a Domaine de la Renne Pinot Noir (€7.50) is savoured throughout the dark meats of our main plates. Two bottles of sparkling water and a French Coffee bring our bill to €98.30.
What I would have preferred to see being left behind in Aungier Street is the squeeze to get into our seats. We’re a bit too close to our neighbours and getting in and out is awkward. McDonagh’s team of chefs must not know themselves for the additional space in their kitchen; it’s nice to be able to see them work from the open kitchen pass that is a lot bigger than the deli counter of their previous home.
The optimism that has slowly crept back into our city’s psyche seems to be having an impact on our restaurants, with busy mid-week services taken as a sign that Dublin’s restaurant landscape is feeling the same slight loosening of the belts as the rest of us – we’re all connected after all. It’s been great to see Brioche’s evolution over the last 2 years. The price of dinner has almost doubled since our visit to the deli but this is a different operation and it still feels like great value, with a five course tasting menu at €38 per person.
They’ve upgraded but haven’t forgotten their roots and there is still a casual feel to their service that is friendly and unfussy. They staked their place by being inventive during the downturn, and I can see they’re bringing that sense of inventiveness, good value and innovation with them towards the future.
Brioche Ranelagh
51 Elmwood Avenue Lower
Ranelagh
Dublin 6
086-1228828
eat@briocheranelagh.com
www.briocheranelagh.com/
Words: Aoife McElwain
