Meal #4, Quaglino's Dundalk

As Broken Wing has already brilliantly reviewed our evening out on the 2nd of October, I will make my comments brief. We went to Quaglino's over the Century Bar in Dundalk's town centre. I have been there a few times before but never with my fellow S.R's. As on previous occasions, it was very quiet. It is not accessible for those with mobility issues as it is at the top of an old, narrow flight of stairs, but for those who can climb, the decor is pleasant and there is a nice view of Dundalk, especially St. Patrick's church. The menu is extensive and high class, with the prices being at the higher end of the scale. Because we arrived at an early hour, we were eligible for the early bird menu which included starter, main course, dessert plate and coffee for only €26. This was exceptionally good value, especially when one of the main courses on the menu - the medallions of Angus beef - was €25 on the Ala carte. The service was efficient, although perhaps not as speedy as Gonzalez would have liked, and our waiter was extremely nice and attentive without being obtrusive. The early bird menu had a good choice of starters and main dishes. I chose vegetable soup followed by medallions of Angus beef. The soup looked terrible, but tasted quite nice, although I couldn't stomach the veg pulp at the bottom of the bowl. I had asked for my beef to be well done, as always, but it was very pink in the middle when it arrived. I was hungry so I didn't send it back and decided to eat it, but I would consider it medium rare rather than well done. It was served with mashed potatoes and a Diane sauce (which I asked to be served on the side) and there were vegetables for the table, which included carrots, mange tout and cauliflower. Potatoes also came with the meal, but Dancer and Gonzalez asked for chips instead. The beef and vegetables were very tasty and made a good combination. The helpings were large, I would consider them country helpings, and the food was well done, if simple. For dessert we all got a selection of four different desserts, which was a lovely idea and it was nice to try them without filling up too much on any of them. We finished our meal with coffee and, totally satiated by our meal and happy with the value, we returned home. On a minor note, the bill came with chocolates, which was nice, except my chocolate had mould growing on it, which was not so nice. My rating is 8/10 Highly Recommended.

Meal #2 - La Cucina, Smarmore Ardee

For tonight's evening out we ventured further afield to La Cucina, the restaurant in Smaremore Castle, a short distance outside Ardee town. The road to Ardee from Dundalk is quite windy and bumpy, and those who are prone to travel sickness might find it difficult. It was a very busy evening for the restaurant when we arrived with most of the tables occupied. The restaurant is situated in the old barn of the castle stable block and there isn't much room for tables to begin with. There are a few shallow steps that have to be negotiated to access the restaurant so it might be difficult for wheelchair users, but shouldn't be too difficult for those merely unsteady on their pins. Despite booking and arriving on time, we were made wait for our table. This was understandable, as they were busy, but we got no apology for having to wait and several groups who came into the restaurant after us were seated first, which set the evening off on a bad foot. Also, if we had been given the menu to look at while we waited or if we had been offered something to drink, it might have made the wait sweeter. However, instead we were left standing in the entrance to the restaurant, in view of all the diners and in the middle of the route to the kitchen with lots of waiters walking past us, which was not pleasant. The overall impression was that the establishment was stretched beyond capacity and no one could cope. I have been to La Cucina before and was pleased with it then, so I think this is an unusual situation rather than the norm. We were finally seated. The tables were very close together to make maximum advantage of the limited space. The barn had been nicely converted and the decor was pleasant, with bright colours and plenty of black and white prints and soft lighting. However, the chairs were not very comfortable, especially for long lingering meals, and there were spider webs around the edges of the rooms. The menu was typical Italian with a range of pasta, pizza and meat dishes. I shared a starter of garlic mushrooms with Broken Wing and sampled some of Gonzalez's garlic bread (vampires beware!). Both the bread and the mushrooms were delicious, although the presentation was non existent. For my main meal I chose steak, and once again there were no objections to serving it well done. The meat dishes came with a choice of potatoes, but I asked for a side order of vegetables instead and got more garlic mushrooms and extra onions. The meat, mushrooms and onions were really delicious - good, unpretentious food - however, the lack of presentation again let it down. The only home made dessert on the menu was Tiramisu, although there were a selection of packaged desserts which seem to be available in restaurants all over Europe (in my limited travel experience, anyway). I am not a fan of Tiramisu, but chose to sample it and shared it with Broken Wing. It was sweet, gooey and pleasant and my only criticism of it was that I don't like Tiramisu. I also had a cappuccino, which was pleasant, and helped myself to the basket of mints near the till on the way out (not the whole basket, of course).

Now, I cannot fault the food, and I liked the decor and the relaxed, friendly atmosphere of the other diners (at one point, nearly all the people at the tables around us were talking to the other people at the different tables around them) but the service was another matter entirely. The waiters were sullen, unfriendly and gave the impression of people called in on a favour to help with the crowd but would rather be anywhere else but there. When we ordered drinks, I ordered a jug of water for the table. The drinks came and I got a jug of water and a single glass. I had to ask the waiter twice for another glass before she brought one and even then she didn't bring extra for my other two fellow diners. We also had to wait a long time for our food. Well done steak always takes a while, but we were waiting for a lot longer than usual. I would have put up with this if we had at least got a smile or an apology from our waiters.

I liked La Cucina the last time I visited and I would certainly highly recommend its food, but on this performance I regretfully rate it 3/10 - OK, I suppose.

Meal #1 - McBrides, Castlebellingham

Ah! The inaugural meeting of the Stardust Ratatouille superheroes! For this evenings refreshment we headed to Castlebellingham, a small hamlet not 8 miles away from Dundalk. McBrides is a pub on the main street, with a long history as a drinking establishment. It serves hot meals all day in the pub downstairs (it is basic pub grub, but of a high standard. Gonzalez and I tried it out a few weeks ago) and more high class meals in the restaurant up stairs in the evening. The outside of the pub is attractive cream and black and it looks newly painted. Parking is a problem, however, and you are lucky if you get a spot along the pavement in short walking distance to the venue. Entrance to the restaurant is via a small porch and up a steep flight of stairs, which is not very friendly to those with mobility issues. Once in the restaurant, the decor is very pleasing with nice decorations and touches of rustic charm. The chairs and tables are wooden and comfortable. The atmosphere is created with soft light and soothing music and is relaxing. We were greeted by a very friendly woman who showed us to our table and took our drinks order (always a good sign when a restaurant takes a drinks order while you peruse the menu imo). The menu was quite restricted, but all the meals sounded very tempting. I chose Steak for my main course, which they cooked well done without a quibble (I know technically steak should always be pink in the middle, but I hate when a restaurant refuses to do your steak well done. You are the one eating it - and paying for it - so what are they complaining about?). It came complete with onion marmalade and potatoes and was delicious. For dessert I had been advised to try the Creme Brulee, but I found none of their desserts particularly tempting (although they all sounded nice) and decided to just go with a cappuccino, which was warm and frothy but a little too bitter for my taste. The staff were very attentive and pleasant throughout the meal, without once rushing us or being obtrusive. A good place to dine, I would give McBride's 7 stars out of 10 - expect a good evening out.