Balfes at The Westbury doesn't disappoint.
An all-day dining restaurant, it does healthy breakfasts, leisurely lunches and dinner using the best of Irish seafood and quality meat.
The outdoor terrace has cosy blankets and heaters, while inside is Parisian bistro chic
The vibe here is elegant French style mixed with the edginess of a New York eatery that wouldn’t look out of place in Chelsea in NY.
A snuggly terrace is ideal for gabbing away with the bonus of having a beautiful herringbone wool blanket by Donegal Woolen Mills draped over your knee.
Their sharing plates are ideal if you’re peckish but don’t want a full on meal
While they offer larger options such as steak, prawns and whole fish roasted on a charcoal grill, or fresh oysters, we went for the sharing plates, which were a charcuterie board, a seafood platter, and gooey fresh Buratta cheese.
The Charcuterie Plate (€16) comes with a selection of cured meats, pâté, olives, pickles & crusty sourdough and it’s HUGE. A bitta cheese wouldn’t go amiss, but the meats are delicious and I’m not ashamed to say I ate almost all of the pâté.
While you might think that dinner in a five-star hotel’s restaurant would be only for special occasions, Balfes has a much buzzier and more relaxed vibe than I had imagined.
I can easily see myself swinging by here again for a quick bite to eat or some cocktails with friends – and after sampling just a taster of what’s on the menu it’s on my list of spots to go for a full blowout dinner v soon.