Eating out:There are lots of things that restaurants should not let happen. Failing to clear away the starters until half an hour after they have been finished is one of them. Compounding this by asking "Would you like coffees now?" is a bit beyond the pale.
This is what happened at the Farm, newly opened on Dawson Street in Dublin and doing brisk business. Its success may be a case of location being everything, but I would like to think there's more to this place than just that. Despite atrocious service, it seems to have its heart in the right place.
There are mission statements about using as much organic produce as possible, and the prices are pared to what I suspect is the bone for this high-rent bit of Dublin 2, especially when you consider a fit-out that will have cost as much as a two-bedroom apartment in the leafier parts of town.
Our starters were typical of a cost-conscious kitchen: organic cocktail sausages served with apple puree; and a pizzetta. Done well, these would have been fine; indeed, the pizzetta was of a generous size and well anointed with butter. All it needed was a bit more chopped parsley, a heavier hand with the garlic and, arguably, a smidgin more salt.The bangers were a different matter. Sticking a few cocktail sausages in a dish with some cocktail sticks and a little container of apple that looked like weaning food does not make a very attractive starter. When the sausages are pink over 90 per cent of their surface and only just cooked through, it all becomes a little repellent. I would have mentioned this if the plate had not been whisked away half an hour after I gave up the struggle. Where staff are trained properly, an unfinished dish always elicits a polite inquiry about what went wrong.
Hamburgers are big these days in Dublin. At the Farm it was the bun that was large. This granary affair was so big that it swallowed the organic beefburger whole and threatened to make it look a lot smaller than it was. There was nothing wrong with the burger; indeed, it was one of the best I've had of late, and the bun was quite superior to the usual baked bandage. It was just the proportions that were wrong. Melted cheese and streaky bacon added to the gaiety of the thing.
The risotto - with herbs, asparagus, French beans and what-have-you - was a sombre dish. Risotto should not be attempted by those who don't know how to make it, think it's easy, or have never eaten the real thing. I don't know which of these scenarios applied, but the rice was overcooked and oily, and there wasn't even a homeopathic suggestion of creaminess. The vegetable content was, at least, crisp, which suggests it was added when dishing up.To be fair, when it was realised that our main courses had "slipped through the cracks", to use the manager's phrase, the kitchen produced them with considerable dispatch. And one was provided free, as compensation for the wait. Can't say fairer than that.
One further small point: our waiter insisted that the wine he brought to the table was the one I had ordered when it was clearly not. I had to get stroppy before he accepted the difference and explained that the other one (the only other, and somewhat cheaper, rosé on the list) was sold out. He should have said that in the first place.
This is probably not his fault. I have a feeling that the staff at the Farm, who are all pleasant and friendly, have not had enough training. In this respect, the Farm is not alone among Irish restaurants. I would suggest that once foreign visitors have recovered from the fact that food is dear in Ireland, and that good stuff is still a bit of a rarity, the main negative they will remember is poor restaurant service. I don't blame the staff. Staff can only do what they are trained to do. Restaurant management, by and large, seems to be shamefully negligent in this area, and they are bringing shame on the country.
With one main course not charged for, the bill, including a bottle of wine and two small bottles of mineral water, came to €46.05. This is a place that may well be worth watching.
The Farm, 3 Dawson Street, Dublin 2, 01-6718654
WINE CHOICE:The organic Carta Vieja Pinot Noir from Chile, full of very ripe fruit, is a keen buy at €23.50, much more so than our perfectly pleasant Montarels Syrah Rosé at €29.50 (and indeed the Enate Rosé, which we wanted instead, at €27.50; despite the steep price, it had sold out). Best buy is undoubtedly the Nekeas Merlot/Tempranillo (€18) although, oddly enough, de Venoge 1998 Champagne at €80 is much the same price as you would pay for a bland NV from some of the more famous names. Scala Dei Priorat Crianza (€36.50) is a brawny red from the original winery of this tiny Catalonian region. There is an unascribed Saint-Aubin 1er 2002 which, if it comes from a good producer, would be a bit of a Burgundian bargain. The organic Picnique wines, with their swivel-top caps, are fun and easy at €18.50.