Like meets like, and likes it

I still consider myself to be a novice at this blogging lark, but it seems that I’m on the right track as I was recently invited to my first food writers and bloggers dinner. The invitation told me the event was taking place at The Exchequer – a place I’m quite fond of for eating and drinking, and winner of the 2010 Irish Restaurant Awards gong for Best Gastropub in Ireland – so the decision to attend took mere milliseconds.

Through some coercion investigative work, I learned that I’d be sipping and nibbling with some pretty big hitters from the world of Irish food writing and blogging. Of course, the mind started working overtime, with questions like “Will I be exposed as a total sham?”, and “Dare I mention the Le Creuset collection?” spinning around in the ether. But I needn’t have been concerned at all as my co-diners were a truly great bunch, and I’d even met some of them before. Amongst others, in attendance were; Paul Trainer from The Dubliner magazine, Aoife from I Can Has Cook, David from Kitchen 72, and Vicky from S’Tasty.

The evening started off at the bar, with Darren ‘Mixmaster’ Geraghty putting together four new cocktails for us to sample. I’ve been a big fan of Darren’s work since The Exchequer opened its doors, so I knew we’d be in for something pretty special. And special we got. He unveiled four new cocktails – Cucumber and Mint Daquiri, Irish Legend, Pear Punch and Farmhouse Gin Punch – and they were all exceptional. Rather than going into excessive detail about how they’re made and how good they tasted, I’m going to suggest that you take yourself into the bar and try them out. The big guy takes the time to talk about the ingredients, and his inspiration for each of the cocktails on his list and to be honest, this is the best way to experience them.

After a half-hour of getting to know each other, and being suitably lubricated, we were shown to the dinner table by Peter Rock, our host for the evening. Peter and his business partner Ian Tucker have a joint passion for food, beer and wine, and this passion is passed on to each member of staff, ensuring considered and informed service every time. It also helps that the building is conducive to eating and drinking, with a selection of tables, benches and booths to suit every occasion, be it a big date or a casual chow-down. I’d met two friends of mine when I arrived earlier in the evening and they told me that they pop in most evenings for a shared starter platter [which changes regularly] and a glass of wine. It’s great to hear that we’re becoming ever more civilised when it comes to early evening light dining. It wasn’t long ago that a scurvy burger from one of the Big Two would have been sufficient fodder for a night’s drinking.

And speaking of food, let me begin.

The Exchequer’s Chef, Lee Doyle, has also unleashed some new dishes on his Dinner Menu, and it was these we were to sample over the course of the evening. Turns out Darren had one more little surprise for us before he handed us over to the food end of the evening. As soon as we were seated, he brought two enormous china teapots to the table, followed by matching cups and saucers. We were then served his most recent creation, the Hendrick’s High Tea – a heady mix of gin, cucumber juice and black pepper. Yes, you read that right, black pepper. It was a sensation. Again, that’s all I’m saying – go try it out, it’s more than worth it.

The aforementioned starter platter was brought to the table, and consisted of foie gras and duck liver parfait with spiced apple chutney, beignet of goats cheese with beetroot and raspberry purée, and calamari with a citrus salad. Served on a long board, it was a riot of colour and looked good enough to eat – which is exactly what we did once the photographs had been taken. The foie gras was served with toasted brioche, which was perfect for heaping on the parfait and apple chutney. Served with a Chateaux Jolys Jurançon – a French dessert wine – this was a real melt-in-the-mouth experience; the sweet wine perfectly complementing the creamy parfait and slightly tart chutney. Not being the world’s biggest fan of goats cheese, I approached the second starter with some trepidation. My mistake. It was great. The accompanying wine – a Paddy Borthwick Sauvignon Blanc from Wairarapa, New Zealand – was again spot-on as a partner for this dish. My personal favourite on the evening was the calamari with citrus salad. Served on a bed of mini-greens, beansprouts and grapefruit, this was a seriously sexy portion of food. It could be the perfect dish to change the mind of anyone who’s not a fan of calamari, and the Fornas Pinot Grigio it came with was full of fruit and citrus. Three out of three on matching the wines with the starters.

The pork belly with crispy squid is one of the dishes I return to any time I visit The Exchequer, but I’m a country boy at heart and have always been a fan of simple food, so when I saw bacon and cabbage on the menu, my mind was made up. And what a major score this was. More of a Kassler than a traditional bacon, this hunk of sweet, smoky meat was way beyond my expectations. I’d had my doubts about the inclusion of a sweet potato purée with this dish, but had faith in Lee’s judgement, and was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. The creamed cabbage was served in a miniature pan, and was a minor miracle in its own right. But the mustard croquette was in a league of its own. Think of Champ [an Irish dish comprising mashed potato, spring onion, butter and milk], then add some English mustard to the mash. Coat in egg and breadcrumbs and fry. That’s a mustard croquette. I opted for the Rolf Binder ‘Highness’ Riesling from Eden Valley in South Australia, and again full marks go to the guys for a brave choice of wines to go with the selection of mains.

Dessert is a bit blurry at this stage. Mind you, a fair schooner of wine had sailed past my lips by then, but the dessert platter had a warm lemon polenta cake, white chocolate cheesecake, a chocolate tart with raspberry sorbet and Lee’s secret recipe jelly and ice cream. What a great way to finish off a truly fantastic evening’s eating and drinking.

The guys at The Exchequer have done their homework and have achieved the perfect blend of cool, casual dining with a slightly more formal option available should you choose.

And I urge you to choose. It’ll be a decision you won’t regret.