The Stokes brothers' club has good food for cubs, writes TOM DOORLEY.
A LITTLE-KNOWN thing about what used to be called gentlemen’s clubs is their reluctance to advertise their presence. This is probably on the basis that everyone who needs to know knows and, of course, clubs, by definition, exclude as well as include.
Anyway, that’s the traditional way. I see that the Stephen’s Green Club not only has a metal plaque on its portals proclaiming what it is, but also has window blinds branded with the . . . er, club logo. This has caused a certain glee at the nearby Kildare Street University Club (of which I was a member for the better part of 20 years). This establishment is identified only by the number 17 above the door.
Club food is very often foul. When the Hibernian United Services Club was still struggling along, it doled out some of the worst meals in the known world. The Stephen’s Green used to be horrendously bad, but it seems to have bucked up a lot these days. However, dear old Kildare Street is exceptionally good, and I miss the “cold table” during the summer and the curry, with all the trimmings, on Tuesday evenings. And those game dinners.
It’s interesting that Residence, the “club” established by the Stokes brothers, Christian and Simon, follows the traditional line and avoids any, gulp, signage. I got a text message a few weeks ago from one of the country’s finest chefs. It read simply: “Eating in Residence. Food amazingly good.” So I wangled my way in, to see for myself, and Graham Neville’s food is, indeed, very good.
Residence is also a lovely building, with lots of 18th-century panelling. The dining room, overlooking the Green, is one of the most attractive in Dublin, and according to my lunch companion, who would be a sound judge of such things, the staff are even better dressed than the members. “That’s the kind of thing I usually notice only in London or New York,” she added.
Actually, the customers (let’s face it, that’s what they are) look pretty smart, too. There is much money here and private education. All very under-40.
The food is elegant and disciplined, something that is reflected in the economical descriptions on the menu. “Warm white asparagus, soft boiled egg” was actually more than that. True, we got the distinctive, minerally character of white asparagus, but also a few spears of the very different green one, and a subtle morel sauce.
Blue-fin tuna with Vietnamese vegetables was gloriously simple, the vegetables just a few julienne strips, the fish rare (but should, I think, have been virtually raw) and the delicate broth warm and spicy.
John Dory, smoked pea puree, wet garlic and potato gnocchi was simply splendid: the fish impeccably cooked, the puree just sweet enough and mildly smoky, the gnocchi tiny and delicate, the garlic full of that distinctive taste and texture that goes with the start of the season. Wild sea bass was suitably meaty, cooked perfectly à point, its fleshiness complemented by sweet braised onion and the whole lot infused with the subtle herbiness of Noilly Prat vermouth in the sauce.
Dessert beckoned, but so did an afternoon meeting, so it turned out to be €28 for two courses rather than €33 for three (with an added fiver for side dishes). For food at this level, this is sound value, but it’s worth remembering that Thornton’s is doing a three-course lunch for €25 for a limited time.
The bill, with a couple of glasses of white wine each and plenty of mineral water, came to just a shade over €100 for two. As to who can eat at Residence, the rules appear to be loose. My hostess is not a member and nor am I and it is well known that you don’t have to be to book a table. Membership, if you are so inclined, costs €1,250 with a €200 joining fee. Pay both together and you get a credit of €300 that you can use in the restaurant. Membership entitles you to a lifestyle management service, no less.
WINE CHOICE
A chunky list with the emphasis on the classics. Stuff that appeals to me includes Saint-Aubin 1er cru Les Combes Domaine Colin (€69); Domaine Lapalu Mâcon-Pierreclos (€35), Domaine Thibert Pouilly-Vinzelles (€52); Domaine des Homs Viognier (€35); Alaia Dehesa Rubiales (€28); Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir (€56), and Felton Road Pinot Noir (€83).
Read Megabites, Tom Doorey’s blog, at irishtimes.com/blogs/megabites