Share
20th December 2016
12:10am GMT
It's that time of year where we all going absolutely fucking BBQ crazy. The sun pops out and we all run off to see just how much of a shit heap the grill is on from when we "forgot" to clean it at the end of last year. I don't think I'd be exaggerating to say that BBQ is one of the most loved types of food in the world. It could be pulled pork in Texas, Lobsters in the Caribbean or tuna down in Australia but anything that gets slapped on the BBQ inevitably just tastes way better. With the sun splitting the skies and the mercury hitting a barely credible 18c at the weekend it was decided that nothing would be going in to our bellies bar BBQ. We also decided that rather than boring old burgers, potato salad and sausages we would go pimped out and head for what was reportedly the best BBQ in town...Asador. It may be a new restaurant in Dublin but the literal meaning comes from the Brazilian or Portugese for "to grill" or "to have a social gathering" and unlike the enormous pile of horse shit that was the Aussie BBQ a couple of weeks ago this is the real deal...
Its one of those places where you know you are being a complete gobshite by even thinking of having a starter but where you go ahead and have one anyway cause you get carried away in the moment. Prawns Pil pil and beef carpaccio were delicious but why is it that the most iconic of Spanish holiday dishes never tastes as good at home as when it does in the sun?
Not only had we been looking for BBQ but cocktails were also very high on the menu. What is it about Irish people that as soon as the sun comes out we all feel we have to drink even more than usual? Maybe it's the fact that we have just lived through 6 months of sideways freezing rain and that this could very possibly be the last sunny day of the year even though it is only May? The cocktails in here are absolutely fucking insanely good. I might have been influenced by the fact that we were sitting up at the bar and every time the Italian bar man made one for anybody in the place he gave us a shot to taste. A mixture of pink champagne, whiskey based cocktails and fruity specials later and we were getting smashed and nearly slipping to the point where you forget about the food.
We decided to ignore all the delicious meat and went for a sea food platter for 2 instead. It was 40 quid but it came overflowing with squid, prawns, monkfish on the bone, mackerel and sea bass all freshly off the BBQ and dripping with flavor. See with BBQ all you need are some good ingredients, no bullshit and a wedge of lemon. Pretty tough to balls that up but this place doesn't just rely on the food. The service is top notch. The wines amazing. The buzz of the place intense and building to a crescendo as the night went on and people got more drunk.
I love the informality of sitting at the bar in a venue like this. There is something about the interaction with the staff and seeing everything from up high that changes the experience for the better for me.
This place is going to do very well. It has a great location with a mix of business people for lunch and the affluent D4 only over the bridge and a bunch of hotels to send them guests too. Whoever picked the location got this one spot on. It will cost you a few schillings more than most places but this dining experience oozes quality and perfection. I'll go back many times and will add it to my top 10 places in Dublin where I'd bring family or an important client. When people are this good at their craft on the food and service side of things you'd be very surprised if they ever let you down. Sheer perfection and worth a visit.
I am only one person eating there on one evening so in a bid to give the review some more balance here are some other blog posts and reviews Irish Times Girl Eats For N Cork Irish Food Guide
