There’s a hotdog staring at me and I can’t finish it. “What’s wrong with you?” says Niall in disgust, his face covered in the tangy, sweet BBQ sauce that is slathered over his enormous plate of sticky baby back ribs (€18). “I just…I don’t think…I can handle it…” I wheeze, weakly nibbling on a skinny fry as my street dog stares longingly at me from its paper holder, the Jalapenos, guacamole, chipotle ketchup and cheese weighing down on its back.
I could blame the cannonball effect of the outstanding margarita. Or maybe it was the caramelized veal tongue (€9) I had for starter. Either way, I’m happy for a moment to take in our surroundings.
Dillinger’s has always been cool but it’s looking seriously sharp after a refurb earlier this year. Its owner John Farrell always wanted to create an American-style diner with a modern twist. “I guess you could say the new Dillinger’s has taken the diner feel a step further with the design. The place looks totally different,” John says. Both the chef Eamonn Conners and the bar manager Leo Molloy have been brought in from 777 to create the updated, unpretentious food and drinks menu that Dillinger’s is currently sporting. Not that it was outdated or pretentious before, you understand. Stylistically, you can see the family resemblance more now between Dillinger’s and 777, with the addition of a long green bar becoming the heart of the room, a trait familiar to those who frequent the third sibling of this culinary family, the Butcher’s Grill, also in Ranelagh.
We’ve arrived early on a Saturday night and are swinging our legs at the seats at the bar, feeling like big kids in a 50s teen movie. The only difference is that our soda milkshakes are goblets of a potent Margarita (€10) and a sassy Kiss My Ginseng (€10), made by the brilliant Maria Krause who you might recognise from behind the bar at 777. As we get giddy on our cocktails, I can’t decide if she’s my best friend or my worst enemy.
Back to that caramelized veal tongue starter. An enormous portion arrives and it is awesome. In any sensible person’s mind, tongue should be disgusting. What they’re serving in Dillinger’s is a meaty cut paired beautifully with lardo di collonata, fennel, smushed tomatoes and heaps of garlic. It’s exciting and I eat the entire lot. Same goes for Niall’s sardines on tapenade smeared toast (€8), another large portion easily obliterated.
I think it’s because of the force and size of my starter that I can’t eat all of my dog (€14). Secondly, the street dog is a long sausage wrapped in thick cut bacon. I was defeated. It appears I can’t eat properly, or at least to the levels of a self-respecting food critic. I’m so ashamed.
We sup on a bottle each of Sierra Nevada’s Ruthless lager (€6.50) a pop and decide that Maria is indeed our best friend and that we want to marry all of the waitresses. They’re pros – friendly and fast.
We can’t face dessert. We think about having another cocktail instead but we’re already a bit pissed so we head for home, after settling up the bill for €86. Because the atmosphere is so casual, I was momentarily surprised by the price. But it added up when I took into account the quality of ingredients, the clever way they’re used plus the strength of the service and the potency of those brilliantly dangerous cocktails.
We staggered home with a doggie bag stuffed with the leftover hot dog for me and a leftover rib for the dog.
47 Ranelagh
Dublin 6
01-4978010
