HARVEY’S
Heard some good reports (mainly lunch/brunch) about Harvey’s of Academy Street. Checked out their website and was quite impressed. Booked a table for dinner and was expecting great things.
But the website flattered the place. Both it and the entry in Whazon says it is fully licensed but they sell only wine, no beer. The expansive list of dishes on the web is a fiction as the actual a la carte menu was much more restricted, disappointingly so. Another letdown came when we asked for dessert. Just five on the list and two of those were “off”. Coffee on the web is set at €2.00 but its actual cost is €2.50.
Started with
a pretty average Bruschetta of vine tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic. My main course wasn’t bad at all and well priced at €18.95. It was Ribeye Steak, cooked as requested, with onions and mushrooms, a wee bowl of salad and chunky handcut chips and Cafe de Paris butter.
a pretty average Bruschetta of vine tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic. My main course wasn’t bad at all and well priced at €18.95. It was Ribeye Steak, cooked as requested, with onions and mushrooms, a wee bowl of salad and chunky handcut chips and Cafe de Paris butter.
Following a decent Tomato and Red Pepper Soup, the other main course wasn’t as satisfactory. It was deep fried Brie with Parma Ham and a red onion marmalade on salad leaves (12.95). Three generous chunks of cheese and the ham were mounted on a mound of iceberg lettuce, a few slices of cucumber and three cherry tomatoes and no noticeable sign of any dressing.
Dessert was a non event so we finished off our average house wines which were priced at five fifty to six fifty per glass. Oh yes, that glass. They use a small non standard wine glass and fill it to the very brim. So don’t swirl and don’t put your nose in! One person at the table ordered Coke. The glass was filled from a large bottle; the Coke was flat and lukewarm and cost was €2.20.
The city centre bistro, which does a 3 course early bird for €20.00, is neat and tidy with very good space between the tables. It was busy enough on the weekend night that we visited and service was efficient.
3 comments:
Hi Billy,
it's very interesting to hear your experiences in Harvy's.
I've been to Harvey's for an early bird dinner a few times. I've found that menu options being off on the night is common enough.
The house wines are usually perfectly acceptable - it came in normal glasses any time I was there. The Coke being served like that certainly is poor form.
I've only had lovely food there. The place certainly has quirks, but I like it, and I'll be going back for more early birds and specials.
Hi Brian
Must say that you had supplied one of the good reports that I relied on! It wasn't just a few options off (that can happen anywhere) but there was such a restricted choice by comparison with the jazzy website and I'm sure quite a few punters would rely on the site. And that restricted choice was like the curate's egg. Maybe it is better during the day (and you are not the only one to tell me that it is!) but overall the impression, my first impression, was that this wasn't a once off, that it was barely average and I won't be going back in a hurry.
I meant to say that I went in first on word of mouth - I've never actually looked at the website. If I had, and I went in expecting a certain menu, then I wouldn't be impressed.
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