If you’re not really a sightseeing person when you travel, you can still get cultured by simply eating. Clanbrassil House in Dublin, Ireland, serves up a modern take on Irish cuisine. Using local and seasonal ingredients and creating dishes with Irish roots, they bring Irish food alive. For so many who have outdated ideas of what Irish cuisine consists of, Clanbrassil House will open your eyes… and your mouth will happily follow suit.
The restaurant is small, with the front room home to only four tables and two window seats. A big window facing the street gives the restaurant a cozy feel as you watch the rain augment the lights in the dark evening.
The man working the front was very attentive and knowledgeable. I put my wine trust in him immediately, and with the tasting menu in mind, he started me with a Bodega Cinco Leguas, La Maldicion, 2020, Malvar from Chinchon, Spain (€9).
I highly recommend going with the tasting menu, although, be warned, it takes a long time to get through (mine was about 3 hours). They space each dish out very well. I enjoyed the drawn out nature of it.
Tasting menu on October 20th (€68)
- Fermented potato bread, cultured butter
- Beetroot cracker, St Maure, elderberry
- Fried purple sprouting broccoli, pickled walnut
- Cured sea bream, sorrel, kohlrabi, jalapeño ice
- Charlotte potato, smoked red pepper, Coolattin
- Short rib, shallot, fine beans, chanterelles
- Blueberry clafoutis, buttermilk, almond
- Brown sugar cake
My favorite items were the potato bread and cultured butter, fried sprouting broccoli, cured sea bream, and short rib. I’ll probably think about the sea bream for the rest of my life. It was so satisfying and impressive. Four or five perfect rectangular nuggets of salt-cured seabream sitting in a shallow pool of celery, cilantro, and lemon juice (imagine fresh pressed juice). The fish was of excellent quality, without a hint of fishiness, and had great texture. But, what could have been the most exciting part of the dish was the jalapeño granita on top. My mouth was going in multiple directions but all the flavors, textures, temperatures were marrying not fighting. There was spice (jalapeño), brightness (acid), and earthiness (celery). I left no morsel and no juice. It’s amazing what can be done with flavor and texture together. I love a team that can execute this. You know when you eat something and it’s so good in every way, and you can feel this…feeling in your chest? Like giddiness, amazement, and relief? Should we call that food pleasure manifesting in the body? Well, that’s what the sea bream did to me.
Each dish is introduced to you with a description of what it is exactly, which I loved. Upon receiving the short rib, I was told that the process begins the day before with a 24 hour warm water soak, which is how it can possibly be so tender yet full in form. Mixed into the jus was a bone marrow reduction that was lathered generously over the meat. It was topped with chanterreles that were so pleasant and mild, adding a woodiness rather than shroominess, that can easily put me off. It was accompanied by a small bowl of tuscan kale cooked lightly in a broth of miso and butter, 100% drinkable. It was so good. Really simple, so satisfying.
To say nothing of the food, Clanbrassil was a good experience. Youre tucked away in this tiny tiny space receiving dish after exciting dish and being well looked after by the staff. I’ll be booking a reservation here for my next visit to Dublin, you definitely should too.
Click here to go to their website.
Reservations needed.
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