Variety Jones — Restaurant in Dublin

Variety Jones

Arrival: When booking this reservation I had high expectations as someone who has done fine dining experiences before. Upon arrival we were greeted and seated and introduced to our host for the night. It became apparent very quickly that this experience was going to be unique. The immediate attention to detail around the customer service experience did not go unnoticed.

Following the introduction, we got to speak with the house sommelier, who was extremely pleasant and knowledgeable. We asked a litany of questions about what wines would work best for the meal and our preferences and she did not stumble giving an apt recommendation and explaining the wines notes, region, flavor, and body.

Food: The first course was delivered by Chef Keelan, who introduced himself and explained the dishes in detail. The attention to detail around plating and visuals was extraordinary, and the flavor profile of the dishes was excellent.

My favorite of the snacks was the Duck Larb, Baby Gem, which was pounded duck leg wrapped in baby gem lettuce, with a hint of mint and a lot of lime juice. This one bite snack had a full development of flavor that showed up in stages. The duck was seasoned well which showed up immediately with a bit of bite, followed by the acidity of the lime juice on the back of the tongue. As you finished your snack the aroma of mint and flavor cleansed your palate.

The remaining dishes were served and explained by the host, all of which were delivered well with thoughtful pairings, finished by a fantastic desert composed of rhubarb alaska, which perfectly finished the meal and acted as a fresh citrusy palate cleanser.

Environment: The restaurant is small and quaint, which offers a nice intimate dinner and allows for service staff to be present and serve at all the right moments. The space itself wasn’t anything that felt fancy, which resulted in the ability to focus on the food - which is the point!

The kitchen is open for everyone to see and the professionalism behind the counter is something to be admired. Each dish is carefully plated by Chef Keelan, and you are able to watch as he puts the final touches on. I had noticed that the host left with a plate only to return a moment later to wipe the edge of the dish clean. A small act, but shows the care and cohesiveness of the team.

Overall: The overall experience was something to be admired. The team's preparation, the silent art of preparing thoughtful, balanced, and flavour dishes, and the altruistic nature of the environment. It is clear why Variety Jones...

The reason I'm giving 2 stars is not because of the quality of the food, the food is absolutely outstanding and delicious. But I'm giving 2 stars for the price and what you get for it, I have been to a lot of fine dining, casual classy dining establishments and this place will charge a heft price tag. In fact this place charges more than a few Michelin Restaurants in Dublin, the price tag if you go for the a la carte menu on your own you are not going to be too far off paying the same price as the only 2 star Michelin restaurant in Ireland. When I did go there we decided to go for the option for 50 EUR per person (a couple so total 100 EUR for two), basically you ended up sharing every dish. I think it is a bit outrageous, not even a dessert you get individually! You are meant to leave a fine dining establishment not hungry neither overall full. But I left hungry after this option. The taste was great but not in this way guys. I will not go back there and unfortunately will not recommend the place basically due to this practice, I mean guys 50 to 55 for a main course and these were the only two options. That is mad, there are top restaurants in Dublin giving you 2 to 4 more options but also will include mid tier price options of 22 to 38. Again like I'm saying delicious food but outrageous price for what you get. Once the crash is coming in a few years, they certainly will be the first once to be hit.

I recommend to offer a fair and decent price and think about you fittings, the affordability for what you get is not fair. Also if you would have served me the fish with these shrimps at 50 eur, I would have sent it back to the kitchen. There was absolutely nothing on the shrimps and you had to take the shells off with your hands. At least provide some lemon water or wet napkins ( after all you are fine dining right!). I was not a happy bunny once I realised what I was going to get. Total price including a bottle of wine and a tip was closer to 160 eur for two. Just to compare I was at an absolutely amazing Michelin in Italy and the 10 course surprise menu cost us 210 for two and that was not sharing 10 courses aka one dish shared but 10 courses for each person and each course was created on the spot based on a questionnaire on personality. Anyway hope you guys get the picture of what I'm trying to say about...

This was a 10/10 experience. If anything, it went beyond perfect if you can even imagine that. The food was like something you could experience only in heaven and the service went above and beyond any restaurant should even bother to do. This place ran like a Swiss clock. I was beyond impressed; I was flabbergasted. Thank you so much for the once in a lifetime experience. Thank you for being so accommodating of my shellfish allergy while still providing my husband a taste of the regular menu. Most restaurants would not have done that. I appreciate that accommodation very much. A special shout-out to the sommelier here but I forgot her name (Thursday April 18, 5pm) she was absolutely the best. She was extremely knowledgeable without being a snob. My husband and I loved her. She was the absolute best sommelier we have ever interacted with ever in any of the restaurants we have ever been to around the world. She was number 1. I wish I could bring her back home with me to Portugal to show people here how these things should be done. Also a special thank you for Valérien our server as well as all the other FOH and BOH staff. You were so hard-working and I hope the rest of the customers gave you good tips. Lord knows I wouldn't be able to work like you. Thank you for providing us with such an amazing experience. I am shocked you only have one Michelin star; you deserve three. Thank you, thank you, thank you x1000%. This was worth the money. If you are hesitant about coming here: don't be. Save up to come here if you can. This is honestly the best restaurant in Ireland. Again: thank you, thank you,...