La Serre

We had originally planned on trying to get a table for Juniors for Saturday dinner. Between not getting through on the phone for reservations and being told by sister resto, Paulie's Pizza that Juniors would be rammed because of the Lady Gaga gig nearby, we decided to leave it for another time. I then rang La Serre late afternoon for a dinner reservation and they were able to accommodate so that was our destination for Saturday night.

La Serre is about 30 minutes drive outside Dublin and is the resto of the venue, the Village at Lyons. Once in the grounds, the setting is lovely with a long driveway to the main building (you know you are in the country with the numerous rabbits scampering around on either side of the road!) and it's easy to see why people often choose it as their wedding venue. La Serre is located in a conservatory attached to the main building which is picturesque. I would advise not sitting by the wall if possible as we were bothered by a pesky wasp (which was probably attracted to the plants growing beside us) throughout our meal. Dinner itself was not bad (I think I made better choices than JD) and service in general, was friendly and efficient. At 45 yoyos per person for 3 courses, it is not cheap either. Nice to go once but I am not sure if I will be making a return visit in a hurry.

Cured salmon with apple and fennel salad and lavender jelly - very tasty and nice balance of flavours. JD wasn't too impressed by the paucity of the dish.

Duck breast with roasted spuds in duck fat and cabbage sauteed with bacon - generous portion of breast but let down by a non-crispy skin

Bread and butter pudding with rhubarb compote and vanilla ice cream - not a looker! The bread and butter pudding looked like reheated lasagne from a microwave with no crunchy baked top. It didn't taste bad though....