RESTAURANTS AND FOOD: Jacobs on the Mall. Catching the Early Bird

Monday, February 20, 2017

Jacobs on the Mall. Catching the Early Bird

Jacobs on the Mall

Catching the Early Bird

An Early Bird was required last Friday so I checked a few websites and it was the one in Jacobs on the Mall that had most appeal. We got into the lovely old building about 5.30pm, thirty minutes after opening, and found that the place was filling up rapidly. Word of the Early Bird had obviously spread and we soon found that the promise was indeed amply fulfilled.

Basically, you get three courses for €25.00. And Head Chef Trish Lewis gives you three or four or more choices for each course. There is a good wine choice here too, lots of different wines form different parts of the world. Good to see a few Irish beers featured and also highlighted were Blackwater Gin and Kalak Vodka.

There were three starters plus Soup of the Day. My Pick was the Smoked haddock paté, with lime gel, pickled cucumber and crostini. Very enjoyable indeed, the lime a nice touch. And CL’s Crispy chickpea fritters with pickled cucumber, and beetroot hummus, was another excellent opener, a tasty mix of colours, textures and flavours.

Chef Trish provided at least six choices for the mains including steak (with a hefty supplement). We could have had a Beef-burger, Fish and Chips, or a Blackened Chicken bruschetta.

I opted for the Pan fried cod with a creamy pearl barley, samphire and chorizo. I’m a fan of all these elements and I enjoyed every little bit of the dish which was cooked to perfection and also well presented.

Our other mains was Cuban style pork, with mint, avocado, orange, balsamic vinegar and rustic potatoes, another well cooked plateful, another happy customer.

There was agreement on the dessert as we both ordered the Raspberry and lemon curd slice with Chantilly cream, a nice little finish to an excellent Early Bird that is available Monday to Saturday from 5.00 to 6.15pm.

It is a gorgeous venue, one of the few indoor places where you might find a leaf in your wine, rather than the fly in your soup. There is a lot of foliage overhead here! Service is excellent here, from the friendly welcome to the contact at the table right through to the farewell and help with getting the coat on. Well worth a try.