Jacob’s on the Mall

Jacob’s on the Mall

Clockwise from top left: Salmon, Watermelon, Cointreau,
Ta Moko, Pork, Sorbet and wantons 

Sometimes a quick reading of the menu can lead you astray and you think there is little that is exciting here. Pork Fillet, Pan Fried Salmon, Roast Cod, Thai Green Curry. You’ve seen them all before. Right?

But have you seen them in Jacob’s on the Mall? Here, under Head Chef Trisha Lewis, they do it differently, as I found out this week. Quite a few delightful surprises over the evening and it was two happy customers that walked out into the South Mall gloom.

Let’s start at the start, with the Water Melon Salad. But let us read this menu a little more closely: Black pepper, ginger, watermelon salad with pineapple, feta and red onion. A bit of pep here, you might think. And you’d be right. This is a very thoughtful blend, a really lively one on the palate and shows just what you can do with such a salad. Loved it, especially the inclusion of the red onion.

And CL’s Crispy chicken wantons with fennel, red onion and peppers, Szechuan dressing and spicy dipping sauce was another starter that brought the appetite to attention. Tasty, lively, spicy. Another class starter.

In between courses, we were offered and gladly accepted a sorbet. The chilled Strawberry Sorbet was just the job, with real body and real flavour. Could almost have passed for a dessert.

If you ever travelled on a bus tour in Austria, staying and eating in budget hotels, you’d be fed up of pork for ever after. But the dish I enjoyed as my mains in Jacobs might just convert you back. The Moroccan Spice Pork Fillet with turmeric rice, roast peppers and soy dressed leeks was brilliant, so well put together and so well cooked. Great colour here, with the rice and the pepper, the meat was top class, the leeks nice and crunchy, and the balance overall was brilliant. A terrific dish for under twenty euro!

And CL’s was another top drawer winner. She enjoyed Pan-fried Salmon with warm coriander and spring onion crushed potatoes, vine tomatoes and root vegetable sauce. Every element played its part here, the fish, the potato mix, and believe it or not the root vegetable sauce proved a highlight.

Had enjoyed a few glasses of Ta Moko Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) with the meal and, skipping dessert, finished the enjoyable evening - place is comfortable and service is friendly and courteous - with a warming glass of Cointreau.