Balfes Restaurant – All Day Dining Brasserie and Uptown Bar in the Heart of the Creative Quarter
DublinTown continues to be the mecca for Irish foodies with new, exciting restaurants continuing to pop up. Dublin newest eatery Balfes is tucked away beside The Westbury Hotel and is definitely one to visit.
The restaurant has a sophisticated, comfortable feel with a cosmopolitan bar area running the length of the entrance to the larger dining area. Balfes is where socialising meets great food.
Located just off Grafton street, Balfes interior is a fusion between old and new with white painted brick, leather chairs, and granite table tops, combined with crisp monochromes and raw metal ceiling fixtures. The design and overall theme of the restaurant was inspired by a classic French brasserie but given an added New York / LA twist.
We were greeted by the front of house lead and restaurant manager David Murray who talked us through the menu and gave us a glimpse of all the uniqueness Balfes is bringing to its new customers.
The menu ranges from an all-week breakfast from 8am, a ‘To Share’ section for friends and groups to get complete taste of the menu, a Fish Bar menu, and a Josper Grill section on top of familiar menu sections. It’s clear to see that Balfes aims to serve its food in a way to enhance the sociable aspect of dining. The head chef Cathal comes from a classically trained French background, and he brings this to the menu with an Irish twist.
To start, we opted for the freshly baked assorted breads with dips. The soup of the day was tomato and basil which couldn’t be resisted to accompany our open sandwiches. We tried the fivemiletown goats cheese tartine with honeyed walnuts and the roast vegetables Provençal with Toonsbridge mozzarella.
The food did not disappoint. All of the flavours were clean and simple. Nothing was overdone or over powering, you were able to enjoy each individual aspect of the food without being confused by the combination of flavours. The presentation of the food mimicked the minimalistic atmosphere, and made the food look even more delicious.
David joined us again after our meal with head chef Cathal. They walked us through the process of the menu and creation of the food. Everything is made from scratch, making the menu highly customizable and can easily be catered to anyone with a food allergy. All the food is traceable and is of the highest quality- their commitment to quality is evident in every aspect of the restaurant.
David highly recommended coming for brunch over the weekend as they serve everything from delicate eggs benedict to a hearty, comforting half chicken roast. His favourite meal, and what he most recommends, is the Josper grilled gambas to start followed by the ribeye steak, with a bottle of their Argentinian Malbec. Cathal’s favourite dish is the Josper grilled T-bone steak, or any of the daily specials which are his favourite to create.
You are able to see into the kitchen from the dining area continuing the comfortable atmosphere of the whole meal. We were both eager to see the Josper Grill, where the sandwiches and steaks are cooked. If you don’t know what a Josper Grill is, it was explained to us as ‘it’s a grill that runs on lump wood making it cook like an oven with the effects and taste of a barbecue’. After seeing how all the steaks and fish and sandwiches were grilled, I think we both regretted not trying something a little bigger and better – it looked amazing!
Overall the experience was excellent. Balfes encapsulates all that is great about dining in Dublin at the moment, it’s fresh and exciting. The relaxed vibe makes it the perfect place to share food over cocktails with friends or take a loved one for an intimate dinner.
Don’t take our word for it, go experience it for yourself.
For Further Details on Balfes follow the link below.
Balfes Restaurant – Shop/Do/Dine
