Greene's. Impeccable Delectable Lunch By The Waterfall

Greene's. Impeccable Delectable Lunch By The Waterfall

Mackerel

Always a pleasure to dine at Greene’s. And last Saturday’s lunch was no exception. The sun shone on the sparkling waterfall alongside and the superbly cooked and presented dishes matched and even enhanced the mood of the long and lazy afternoon.

Lamb

The kitchen team here, under Bryan McCarthy, have long recognised the excellence of the local produce and utilise their skills to get the very best from what comes in. And this lunch menu, available Saturday and Sunday, is a prime example. Three amazing courses, with choices, for €32.50. They also do a 6-course Tasting Menu (€55p.p., plus matching wine €42.50), available to order by table only.

Hake

We two are checked in, as per current guidelines, and are soon seated in very comfortable chairs at our comfortable linen topped table and studying the menu. There are four starters on offer, five mains (with extra sides) and four desserts or an Irish cheese plate. 

Goats cheese

And a terrific selection of wine of course; with a long day and night ahead, we settle for a glass (7.50) of white and one of red.(7.50). Both are Spanish (by Hermanas), a Macabeo/Sauvignon Blanc and a Monastrell/Syrah, each blend perfect for the main course ahead.

Raspberry

West Cork Lamb Shoulder, artichoke, chicory, spiced coffee rub was one of our mains. That lamb was so tender, you could have had dined with a spoon and the combined flavours were impeccable, the ensemble perfectly executed.

Our other mains was Pan Fried Hake Fillet, sea vegetables, dillisk, dashi cream. The fish was white as could be, moist and delicately delicious, again enhanced by its accompaniments, even though CL is not a great fan of creamy sauces with fish! Both mains came with a bowl of shared potatoes and vegetables. The two plates and the bowl were returned empty.

Lemon Parfait

Indeed, everything went back empty (well maybe not the bread - always wary of eating too much bread early on!). 

I got a superb starter: Cured Mackerel, sorrel, gooseberry, sea vegetables. The three plump slices of mackerel came “swimming” in a green lagoon (gooseberry and mackerel are a traditional pairing) and it was a tartly delicious treat, so much so that I used an extra piece of bread to mop up the sauce!

You can often study a menu and you form a picture of the dish in your mind. But that picture is rarely accurate when Chef McCarthy is the “painter”. And so CL was ambushed, in the best possible way, by her gorgeous Goats Cheese, hazelnut, apple, summer berries.

We were asked to pick our desserts at the start (but also had the choice to leave it until later). I first put my eye on the Chocolate Cremeux Mousse but, with the fruit in season, selected the Raspberry, Mascarpone Mousse, sable biscuit instead. It turned out to be an excellent choice, very happy with it as it glided in and down.

The other dessert was Lemon Parfait, strawberry, basil and biscuit another perfect dessert, light and easily dispatched. In quite a few places, dessert can be too heavy, a "killer" at the end of the meal. Not the case in Greene’s where their colours and their fine flavours combined with a lack of density means they bring the excellent meal to a perfect finale.

Out then to the sun and a stroll around MacCurtain Street where they are eating outdoors from the  likes of Gallaghers at one end to Thompsons at the other. And in between, there's so much more, including the Harley’s Street Market (with its food trucks and rustic seating), abuzz in the August sun. Maybe not the best of times but not the worst either.

MacCurtain Street newcomer: REZz