Eastern Seaboard Bar and Grill

Bryanstown Centre is a row of average looking buildings plonked close to a housing estate done in true Celtic Tiger style. On first inspection it looks an unlikely place for a restaurant let alone being home to two of the best places to eat in Ireland. The first is the Brown Hound Bakery which I have blogged about here and the second is The Eastern Seaboard Bar and Grill. For mother’s day a few week’s ago I thought it would be nice if the mother and brother came up to my end of the woods to try out a place I knew they would love. 

The Eastern Seaboard Bar and Grill is a large restaurant but still manages to retain an air of cosiness probably due to the fact that it is separated into distinct areas with tables by the large front window and then a bar area with high stool seating. The furniture is vintage chic with old wooden chairs, large wooden tables and on this occasions daffodil on the table. My mother had left a vintage beaded purse at one end of the table which my brother thought was part of the decor albeit one that confused him slightly!! We arrived around 2.30 on a busy Saturday afternoon and were immediately seated. While waiting on my brother who somehow managed to get lost on his way up, we ordered Smoked Mackerel Pate with cucumber salad & crostini spears. This was a wonderful starter the texture was creamy and the taste wasn’t overpowering like some other pates I have had. This sated the hunger for a while but as time ticked by and with a lot of hopping off my seat and running outside to ring the brother it was soon time for another starter. 

Smoked Mackerel Pate

This time we went for the Seasonal Crudités & Grissini. This included carrots and strips of other vegetables accompanied by breadsticks. This was a great starter to nibble on but it’s just veggies so we weren’t expecting anything mind blowing. The only thing I didn’t like about this was the crudités at the bottom were very salty so they were left uneaten. By this stage the brother had finally arrived being only an hour late! He was stressed and hungry but calmed right on down once I showed him the extensive craft beer list. It brought us back to our recent trip to Brussels where I was introduced to beers such as Delirium Tremens which are available here. Cue big happy grin on the brother! 

The staff were over quickly once my brother arrived to take our main course order. The mother opted for the Sesame Seeded Loch Duart Salmon with soy butter. On the menu it says that 'the salmon is sustainably farmed and environmentally responsible and that this salmon is outstanding. It will be cooked ‘medium’ for optimum flavour'. My mother was quick to concur with that! It flaked easily while the sesame seeds were a new one on me.

Sesame Seeded Loch Duart Salmon

The brother ordered the Slow Roast Belly of Pork with salsa verde. It came with crackling and was soon devoured.  I opted for the Wild Garlic Guinea Kiev which was divine. The use of wild garlic seems to be confined to recipe use on websites and blogs and this was the first time I had seen it used mainstream. It was mouth-watering! The Kiev came on the bone which meant the meat was fabulously juicy while the wild garlic was a revelation. The flavour it gave off was subtle but tasty. 

Wild Garlic Guinea Kiev

All the mains came with the option of two sides so we went strategic on the menu and decided to get items we all liked! We opted for Warm Potato Salad, Tabouleh, Sweet Potato Wedges, Garlicky Zucchini, Slow Roast Organic Carrots and Red Cabbage. All the sides came in separate dishes which meant they were easy to share and it made the meal feel truly feastlike as we passed them around the table and sampled everything.

Despite feeling quite full we are a family who always leaves room for dessert! After having a good look at the dessert menu my brother and mother both went for the Little Pots of Warm Chocolate Heaven with citrus shortbread for dipping. My brother liked the milk chocolate pot and the shortbread but found the dark chocolate one a bit heavy so I kindly offered to help. I'm such a good sister! The texture was light and bubbly though it was strong as all dark chocolate is.

Little Pots of Warm Chocolate Heaven

For my dessert I went for the Rhubarb Fool Crumble. This was a lovely fresh dessert and it felt like my first taste of spring this year.

 

The Eastern Seaboard Bar and Grill is a wonderful restaurant with  lovely staff who happily accommodated us and let us stay longer at our table even though we were very late starting. My mother was bowled over by the quality of the food and declared it the best restaurant she has been to in a while. Mother’s Day Success!! My brother adored the food and the range of craft beers on offer. It is a restaurant that will keep everyone happy and I, for one, am very glad that I live so close to it. I am already planning my next visit!

The whole meal came to just over €92 which was for two starters, three mains, three desserts, a glass of wine and two craft beers.