RESTAURANTS:Dublin's best burgers can be found in Rathmines, writes Tom Doorley.
LET HE WHO has been without a dig-out cast the first stone (provided he is sure of the facts, of course). If there is ever a Restaurant Tribunal, I may have to explain that one of my contemporaries at school gave me a loan to buy a packet of crisps in the tuck shop at lunchtime, sometime in 1977. I would explain, of course, that this loan was fully repaid, and not the proceeds of a whip-around.
But, in the interests of transparency, I would have to explain that my benefactor may have been the current owner of the Gotham Cafe, as he was a member of what I suppose you would call my "circle" when we were incarcerated together in our place of education. As so often happens with tribunals, I simply can't remember for certain. No, honest to God, I can't.
I can say, however, that it is very unlikely that it was Johnny Cooke, who was, in any event, in the year behind mine. And Johnny was not a member of the "circle". Our lot liked to go around quoting Proust and - my memory may be shaky here - wearing velvet smoking jackets with gardenias in the buttonholes.
And now, having considered my position and reflected on my evidence, I suppose I had better go for full disclosure. I have worked on books with both Derry Clarke and Richard Corrigan, and I think I may have once cadged a Marlboro from Ed Jolliffe of Ely, when I was in loco parentis to him at an establishment in the foothills of the Dublin mountains. Or it may have been his brother.
And then, of course, there's my niece, Kate de Courcy, who is the manager of Jo'Burger. Kate is the reason I have confounded dozens of readers who have e-mailed me with great enthusiasm about this Rathmines burger joint. I hope they will now understand my reticence.
Yes, it has taken me a long time to visit what is generally regarded as the best burger provider in the city. But I could hold out no longer. And, on balance, I have to agree with other critics (notably The Dubliner guide) and many, many readers of The Irish Times. I would demur, however, on the critical issue of chips, of which more anon.
Jo'Burger is pretty single-minded. It does burgers, pure and simple (organic in the case of beef and lamb, "barn-reared" in the case of chicken). But between the burgers, the way in which you can choose to have them presented, and the plethora of accompaniments, the menu extends to more than a possible 100 permutations. But my schoolfellows will confirm that I was always lousy at maths.
I and two of my children (who, in the interests of complete transparency, I must add, are Kate's cousins) enjoyed the following: there was an organic beefburger with avocado salsa and smoked applewood cheese in a lovely bap made from unbleached flour; an organic lamb burger with Crozier and cream cheese in a chunky wrap, and a genuinely hot and spicy chicken burger (actually slices of breast marinated generously in harissa) in another bap.
These burgers were outstandingly good and so were the accompanying bits and bobs of relish and salad, and what have you. Over the fries, of both potato and sweet potato sorts, however, I will draw a veil. Suffice it to say that they were less than good. And in the interests of fairness, I would have to say that Gourmet Burger in Ranelagh does some of the best chips in the country (along with an equally outstanding organic beefburger and a shockingly seductive banana split).
Jo'Burger has bench seating, funky murals, great music, and a pleasantly rubbed-at-the-edges feel to it. It also has a very loyal clientele, most of whom are under 30. The menu carries a sensible warning that "undercooked or raw meat may lead" to illness, which strikes exactly the right note of concern without being nannying. With lots of organic soft drinks and some home-made cucumber pickles, our bill came to €59.
DRINKS CHOICE
The house red and white, from Chile's estimable Emiliana, weigh in at €16.50. Château Saint Florin (€21) is a good basic claret. But for €22 you can have Dehesa de Rubiales Alaia, a chunky, oaky red from Spain. You can have 75cl of devilishly good Belgian Duvel lager for €12.50, or Schneider Weisse Kristall, one of the best wheat beers, for €5.50 per 50cl. We had Luscombe organic soft drinks - St Clement's orange and lemon, hot ginger beer and raspberry lemonade - at €4 for 33cl.