The Prince and The Hawker

I had been meaning to visit Dublin with my partner for a few years, but because of the pandemic we never got around to it. With the lifting of restrictions this year, we were able to plan a quick weekend trip. Living in Nottingham, England, we found a convenient flight from East Midlands Airport to Dublin.

Our first priority, as always, was to plan our meals. Our weekend was going to be packed trying to fit in both sightseeing and meeting up with friends. So we looked to book a lunch on the Saturday just for the two of us. I wasn’t looking for Michelin-starred restaurants exclusively, but Dublin actually has quite a sizeable selection of Michellin-starred or Bib Gourmand designated restaurants. Looking through the list, Glovers Alley piqued my interest. The restaurant seemed to advertise simple, refined techniques applied to contemporary food. Additionally, there was mention of partnerships with local suppliers, which is always a plus for me. With one Michelin star, I knew we were guaranteed an unforgettable experience. We definitely were not disappointed.

Glovers Alley is situated adjacent to St. Stephen’s Green, a large park in central Dublin. The park made for a nice stroll both before and after our meal. The namesake of Glovers Alley is the alley adjacent to the restaurant’s building, where glove makers used to set up shop. The restaurant is up two flights of stairs. As we turned the corner on the last flight, we saw a huge art deco style mirror logo that told us we were going the right direction.

The art deco atmosphere continued seamlessly as we entered the restaurant. We were greeted and brought to our table by staff that were classy but not stuffy. The dining room was a brilliant combination of mirrors, brass fixtures, and green banquettes. It gave a warm and sophisticated feeling. The oblong mirrors set facing every direction gave a little feel of excitement. I felt like we were interesting characters dining in a 1930’s period drama.

Once seated, our server warmly welcomed us and presented us with menus. There were a few options for lunch: a la carte, a three-course prix fixe, and a four-course tasting. We opted for the three-course option since there were items on the menu we were specifically interested in. Absolutely no fuss was made when my partner asked if he could order the scallop dish pescatarian, removing the lardo.

After ordering, we were brought our sparkling water. As you can see on the menu, they have a flat price for water filtered on-site. I like restaurants that do this. It’s more environmentally friendly, and I don’t feel like I need to keep track of my consumption throughout the meal. We were sat at a round booth facing out towards other tables. While it was a fairly open layout, I still felt like we had the privacy of an intimate table.

Time to Eat

The meal started with a duo of snacks. I never expect this, but it’s always a nice surprise when a restaurant makes the extra effort. The morsel that looks like my first failed attempt at a macaron (haha!) was a chicken liver pate set between two mushroom puffs. The mushroom puffs were extremely light but packed an intense earthy umami flavour. The second snack was a white cheddar cheese and green onion tartlet. I enjoyed this classic flavour combination, but what stood out was the extremely crisp tart shell. I sometimes find that these kinds of pre-meal snacks can come out a bit soggy, but I was happy this was not the case here.

Then came a bread service which was spectacular. We were brought a platter of four types of bread to choose from. We both selected the mini baguette and the cheese roll. The baguette tasted freshly baked and went well with the simple butter served alongside. The cheese roll was crispy and soft at the same time. I didn’t really mind that it almost seemed out of place in such an elegant dining room. I’ve been noticing more restaurants making the bread service more adventurous (like my recent meal at I Portici in Bologna), and I think it’s a great addition that makes a meal more exciting.

After the pre-meal snacks and bread, we were served our first course of the menu. I just wanted to pause here to describe the service style of the meal. Every dish was brought out in a perfectly orchestrated manner. Every course was served in sync with separate servers placing each of our dishes on the table. It all seemed to flow perfectly and seamlessly, with class and precision, which I really appreciate and I know is not a small feat for the service staff.

Anyway, back to the food! My first course was the scallops. It was wrapped in lardo and served with thinly sliced fennel, seaweed, and hints of green olive and vanilla. Lardo is the fatty layer of a pig attached to the pork rind, cured by salting or smoking. The lardo was expertly fused to the scallops, resulting in a synthesised texture. The scallop and lardo together were balanced and not too heavy. I think this came down to how thin the lardo was cut. The seaweed gave a punch of acid to round out the dish. I thought this dish was an excellent modern spin on the classic bacon-wrapped scallop.

The main I selected was the hake, served on top of a chorizo jam, with brassicas on top. The hake itself was beautifully cooked. There was a nice crust on the outside and it was flaky on the inside. I thought the chorizo jam was smart and didn’t overpower the fish. When you think of chorizo, you usually think of a strong, salty taste. The flavour was more subtle and sweet here. The brassicas were an interesting touch. The cauliflower was shaved thin and served raw, while the brocollini was sautéed. It was sort of weird and unique, but it worked. From both the starter and this fish dish, I could tell chef Andy McFadden is a master of balance.

When we were first served our main dishes, we were offered freshly foraged black truffle shaved on top for €15 per person. The server explained that it would enhance any of the main dishes. To me, this felt a little gimmicky. I usually am not a fan of adding truffle just for the sake of it, unless it is an integral conceptualised part of the dish. In retrospect, I made the right choice as my hake dish was perfection the way it was served. My partner also enjoyed his dish absent of the extra truffle.

One last off-menu surprise was then brought to us – a pre-dessert of yoghurt mouse, mandarin granita, and shaved lime. I thought this really worked well as a palette cleanser. The mild and refreshing yogurt taste is obvious, but the mandarin granita was tempered in flavour to bring it down to the level of the yogurt. This resulted in an overall cleansing feeling rather than a super punchy citrus taste.

Finally came the dessert. I was very excited since I ordered the Raspberry, Chocolate, and Passion Fruit dessert. I had seen this featured on the restaurant’s website before. The presentation was beautiful, and more humble than the flavour explosions hidden inside. The tart was filled with raspberries and two mousses: chocolate and passionfruit. The chocolate used was Manjari, which is a single origin chocolate from Madagascar. The fruity notes in the dark chocolate paired beautifully with the raspberry-forward dessert. Topped with a chocolate disc and raspberry sorbet, this dessert was another success of balance using a classic flavour combination.

We chose to end the meal with coffees, which were served with one last surprise: some pistachio petit fours. They were both crunchy and soft, and reminded me of Spanish turrón. My partner’s americano was great, but I ordered a latte and the milk didn’t seem to be sufficiently frothed. I’m a bit of a coffee snob so I did notice this hiccup. However, it didn’t detract from the excellent meal.

Final Thoughts

The meal at Glovers Alley ended up being quite substantial and didn’t feel like just a simple lunch. It’s nice when restaurants of such high calibre still offer multiple options for a lunch sitting. I feel like this gives more flexibility, especially if you’re only visiting a city for a few days like I was.

The food at Glovers Alley was an education in balance. You could really feel Chef Andy McFadden drew inspiration from classic flavour combinations. Yet he made his dishes exciting and excelled at execution. The price point of €50 for a three-course lunch at a Michelin-star restaurant was absolutely a steal, especially when you consider all the extra surprises that came with the meal.

I also have to highlight the service. It was precise throughout the whole meal and the pacing was perfect. Glovers Alley is a restaurant I’d definitely return to in the future, especially since I can imagine Chef Andy McFadden having much more in store.