I know I said I would do a “Where I’ve been eating this month” post, but this month I ate in Liath. So I will do that post as well, but Liath deserves a stand-alone post, its two Michelin stars, my forever love and a place in the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Food.
A couple of weeks ago, Katy McGuinness, food critic for the Independent dined in Liath and reviewed it. I was Katy’s guest for that dinner. I took the pictures and gave her my notes (fun to see my candid photos in the national press), but more so I just sat down and enjoyed the rollercoaster ride that is dinner at Liath.
If you’ve never been, or haven’t heard of it, Liath is a small restaurant in the Blackrock Market, in Blackrock (surprisingly enough), south Co. Dublin. It is owned by Damien Grey and his wife and the team that is working with him has been there for a good while now. When you walk in, the restaurant is small but still you’re not all on top of each other. For instance, I couldn’t tell you what the people at the table beside us thought of their food. It’s intimate but not in a sardine in a tin kind of way. The kitchen is what I love the most about the place. It’s “tiny” but beautiful, and if you are sat somewhere where you can see what they do, it is fun to see how they put the focus and attention given to each and every plate.
Dinner at Liath is not just food, it’s very much dinner, drinks, and a show. Louise, Ailish, and Emma own the front of the house and they might as well be ballet dancers for the art and grace with which they work that room. It’s just gorgeous. The odd dish is brought by the chefs but you mostly see the Three Graces.
Katy wrote about the food and I mostly agreed with her. This was my third time in Liath in as many years and I tried to go at different times of the year every time. Last year I was there in April, for the Spring menu, this time, it was the Summer menu. I’ve been very curious to see what they would do with tomatoes. And just look at it, the first of two tomato focussed dishes and a plate full of sunshine. Unusual spicing with saffron and not something I would know how to approach in my own kitchen but I found it to be a stunning plate of food, both to look at and to eat.
The smoked eel and aged parmesan is a signature dish at Liath and I would happily eat it every day for the rest of my days. You see it popping up in other restaurants but I’ve yet to have one elsewhere that came even close to Damien’s version. You’ll excuse the blurriness but he made me laugh and that was that.
The cheese course was memorable, first because I’d never had Saler (from the Auvergne) and because Damien freezes it before grating it finely. It becomes melt in the mouth and is served with charcoal lavosh crackers and is beyond delicious. It takes a very brave man to serve me frozen cheese, it takes a genius of a man to make me like it and ask for seconds.
A quick mention for the pairing, I went for the non-alcoholic one. It’s inventive and all the drinks are made in-house. The smoked beetroot juice, the hibiscus and the gin and the one with the thyme (Katia Attention To Detail Valadeau) were all spectacular. The last drink of the evening is spiced with cardamom and a bit of chili and behaves just like a fine port.
Overall, the food at Liath is bold, confident, and incredibly intelligent. It always teaches me something new about my palate and my taste. It challenges my idea of what it is I think I like or dislike. The evening is always polished and fun in a casual environment. I was wearing jeans and I don’t think anyone batted an eye lid. I love fine dining food in a casual set up. It’s my bag and Liath do it better than most.
The final thing I want to mention is that, compared to other Michelin-starred restaurants in Dublin, they are a tiny team. Four chefs, that’s it. Then you have a sommelier and the front-of-house staff and together, they create genuine magic. Given the size of the team, I find the quality of the output is simply unmatched.
So voila, I love Liath, it gives me joy and although it can be difficult to get a table, I would encourage you to budget for it and keep trying. Dropping the team an email will never do you harm either, if you’re looking for a booking.
Right, I’m off to peel a Babybel.
Eat more cheese.
K xx
