Top-class food from start to finish at 51 Cornmarket. Short menu, long on quality

 Top-class food from start to finish 

at 51 Cornmarket

short menu, long on quality

The short menu at 51 Cornmarket is full to the brim with quality. The service is calm and efficient, and the kitchen excels in superbly cooked (they even get the broccoli spot on) and perfectly presented dishes. All in all, 51 is top-class from start to finish. As you’ve gathered, we thoroughly enjoyed last week’s stellar dinner in the Coal Quay.

Salad & Super chips

The feel-good factor starts with the smiling welcome and some pertinent tips on the menu. Our enthusiastic server seemed to know it inside out and gave us ace pointers, including on sides and wine pairings, as they did to everyone else (you tend to hear a bit more in the compact venue).

The menu has four sections - nibbles, snacks, plates and desserts.  We went for the nibbles rather than the larger snacks because we didn't want to load up too much before the main event! 

Our picks were the Greek Garlic & Thyme Olives  (4.50) and Iberico (Acorn Fed) Salchichon & Date Ketchup (5.00). Those big green olives, somewhat larger than normal, were a neat appetiser but were outshone by that premier pork Salchichon, which came with a delicious date ketchup.

You may think twice before paying €28.50 for a grilled pork chop, but not here. Free range and large, this was accompanied by a whole-grain Mustard Cream and a side salad of apple and fennel. The meat was tasty and tender, enhanced by the cream and the salad, and worth every cent.

Nibbles

Across the table, CL was enjoying her Grilled Monkfish Tail on the Bone, Smoked Hollandaise, Organic Broccoli & Hazelnut Butter, and Cucumber Relish (32.50). They were particularly happy that the broccoli was cooked perfectly, not too hard and not too soft, just spot-on.  I must also mention that we shared and enjoyed the side of House Chips & Roast Garlic Mayonnaise (extra at €6.50), some of the best chips in the city.

The only let-down on the evening was the continuing poor bus service, which seems to draw endless complaints. We arrived at our Mayfield bus stop at 5.00 pm and didn’t get to town until a few minutes after our reservation time of 6.15 pm. I’d love to use public transport more often, but it is just plain unreliable, enough to discourage you from heading into town for an evening. The public lighting in Coal Quay is quite poor, at least on the western side. 

Monkfish

I didn’t realise the other night that 51 owners David and Anne are celebrating five years here. Their first test was an early COVID lockdown, but they survived and thrived. 

They recall (on Insta): “We opened our doors with a Benedict, a Flapjack and probably a ropey cup of coffee. Now, we’re wiser, more wrinkled and emotionally a little numb, but our love for our food, our team and our customers continues to grow to new heights at every turn.”

“ Thank you for all of your constant support to our little room on The Coal Quay. To our team and everyone who has been a part of it, thank you for your hard work. To our customers, you make it easy - having a room full of your laughter fills us with joy. Looking forward to a real belter this year with lots of excitement in store for 51 and its future endeavours.”