Bear

The last time we were back in the Emerald Isle, we had popped into Crack Bird and Jo' Burger for a bite to eat and were impressed by both dining options. Since then, Joe Macken has gone from strength to strength and has now established a mini empire of eateries in the capital. Probably the most high profile of those is Bear, thanks partly to it being co-owned by an Irish and Leinster rugby player. 

I had a passed by the resto on one of my days in town so suggested that perhaps we try it our for an early Saturday dinner. Despite being around 7pm, the resto was pretty full (note to self: irish folk dine early) Service was polite but our waitress didn't exactly explain the cuts of meat to us very well (for example, meat is either tender with not so much flavour (fillet) or has more flavour and not so tender (rump) - it cannot be both). JD kept on having another waiter bump into him thanks to the tables being so close together which got a little irritating. Finally, our bill was tallied up wrong but was rectified by none other than Mr Macken himself (only figured who he was after we came home). Despite the service not being perfect, the food was pretty tasty and portions were generous. A real shame that having had such a nice meal, there was no desserts or tea/coffee options. I do not have a very sweet tooth but our meal just felt unfinished. A case of a chef who has focussed too much on the first 2 courses and does not care/possess the skills required for anything sweet, a real shame.....

 

Flank steak for 2 with chips, buttered leeks and beets - delicious! 

Cup of coffee and something sweet to finish would make this pretty perfect.....