Eating out: Charles Guilbaud's restaurant is set to become one of Ireland's most fashionable places to eat
My fellow diner at Venu had a voice that was accustomed to command. Having grabbed my elbow in a vise-like grip, he thrust his somewhat stubbly chin towards my ear and said: "The prices on the menu don't include VAT, and" - he paused for effect - "if you don't mention that in the paper I'll be very annoyed."
If his accent had been Italian I would have been concerned about concrete shoes. Anyway, he left in a cloud of Puligny-Montrachet and Côte-Rôtie fumes. I discerned this not from the aroma but from his bill, which he dropped on my table.
It's interesting how the well-heeled don't do their sums in circumstances such as these. The menu does include VAT, but the bill shows how much of what you are paying goes in tax. Which is a good and helpful idea.
There are probably lots of people who want to find fault with Venu. They are the same crowd who complain about the portions at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, and they will probably never understand the point of either RPG or its new satellite, which is run by Patrick's son, Charles.
The idea behind Venu is simple. The Guilbauds want to provide simple food, well prepared, at decent prices - an ambition that is well nigh revolutionary in Dublin. And it looks really cool, in a way that is a first for Dublin. It seems set to become one of the country's most fashionable restaurants, which will be deliciously ironic, as the prices are, indeed, reasonable.
Menu and wine list are printed on single sheets, there are no tablecloths, the place buzzes, waiting staff zoom around with remarkable efficiency. And the food is based on good raw materials with a minimum of cheffing around.
Plump, juicy tiger prawns with real flavour were skewered and lightly grilled, then dished up on a rectangle of banana leaf with a ripe, sweet mango salsa. Simple and perfect. Our other starter, tomato and buffalo-mozzarella salad, was equally good. The tomato might have had a touch more flavour, but the cheese was so intensely creamy, the basil leaves so warmly spicy and the olive oil so clean and nutty that it has to qualify as the best example I've had in an Irish restaurant of this trattoria staple.
Grilled lamb skewers involved meat cubes that were crusty outside and perfectly pink within. And as a courgette grower myself, I salute the quality of the courgette salad that formed a cool vegetable counterpoint to the protein. A dipping sauce of yogurt, lemon and mint completed the picture.
Grilled pork rib cutlets were let down only by the fact that, generally, Irish pork tastes of very little. The cutlets, however, were impeccably chargrilled (not an easy task) and the spicy, terracotta-coloured tomato sauce was so good I could have eaten a dish of it on its own. Creamy, buttery mash and cool, crisp watercress salad came with this dish.
We shared some crunchy green beans sprinkled with sesame seeds and a lot of salt. The saltiness and the crunch made them completely addictive, which is more than can be said for most things that cost €3.
The star of the evening was roast pineapple with coconut ice cream. It was possibly the best pud I've tasted in years. The fruit had been marinated in spices, with just enough saffron - not an easy thing to judge - providing a suggestion of honey.
A simple cheese plate was good. There was an unusual Brie with a walnut filling, half a pungent goat's crottin that had been marinated in olive oil and garlic, and a slice of perfectly ripe Bleu d'Auvergne.
The dearest starter is the prawns, at €16.50, but smoked salmon with treacle bread and salad is €9.50. Whole grilled Irish lobster tops the price league, at €45, but you can have grilled salmon for €14.50. Generous side orders cost €3.
Venu is possibly the most exciting restaurant development in Dublin since L'Gueuleton. Our bill came to €121, including two large bottles of water, two double espressos and a good bottle of wine. u tdoorley@irish-times.ie
Venu Brasserie, Annes Lane, Dublin 2, 01-6706755
Wine choice
There are four house wines at €19, including the lovely Tergeo Monastrell. The dearest wine is Château Latour, a Pomerol 2000, for a keen €120. Highlights include the delicious Domaine des Entrefaux Crozes-Hermitage (€33), Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon (€49), Beaujolais Terres Dorées (€23), Volnay 1er cru Les Fremiets Domaine Boillot 2002 (€86), Qupe Bien Nacido Chardonnay (€41), Mâcon La Roche Vineuse (€27) and Taittinger 1999 (€85). All in all, an excellent, concise list with a mark-up that makes many competitors look extortionate. La Roche Vineuse, incidentally, is a cracker.