So, last Thursday 26th February we descended on the doors of one of Dublin’s newest restaurants and cocktail bars. The Meeting House has a very distinct feel to it, it has a dark, mysterious but welcoming tone, amplified by the smiling faces of Aaron Wall, the restaurant’s GM, Johnny Connolly of Dublin Ink fame who manages the Marketing side of things and Ash, their smiling host.
The Meeting House restaurant has a very unique vibe, the music is great, the lighting is comfortable and the bar is built like a dugout so that you feel as if you are standing 10 feet taller than the bartender making it much easier to order drinks on a busy night.
As we took our seats the lovely Eva talked us through the menu whilst Aaron whipped us up some of his signature cocktails, I had the awesomely flavoursome “Pornstar Martini” which was honestly one of the finest cocktails I have ever tasted, followed by an “Old Fashioned” which was mixed to perfection. The favourite of the night though was the “Emerald Collins”, Jameson Whiskey complimented by Cynar, Lemon, Sugar and Soda. Albeit it was a somewhat quiet night in the venue the staff and the very eclectic mix of music gave a unique buzz to the place.
As we were making our way through the second round of cocktails the food arrived, elegantly served on turquoise stone-coloured serving plates that nicely complemented the Burmese / Indian mash-up that oozed through every fitting and fixture within the venue. At €9.99 for 3 dishes we found the food to be of excellent value considering the size of the portions. We were served 3 dishes each, mine being Tuna Sashimi, Steamed Sea Bass Fillet and Pepper Crusted Steak, all cooked to perfection with a delicious Burmese twist. In total, we had 15 dishes between 5 people, a lot I know, but it worked very well as the staff encourage you to treat the dishes as sharing-style tapas, and we ate every bit…
The Meeting House is the type of restaurant where you could sit in for hours chatting with friends, tasting dish after dish and enjoying some of the 12 signature cocktails that Aaron Wall has created to compliment the menu, the venue also has a very cosy outdoor seating area that faces on to Meeting House Square and is warm enough to sit out and eat a full meal even on the coldest of nights.
After fighting for the last piece of Pepper Crusted Steak we tucked into another round of fabulous cocktails to cleanse our pallets before dessert… And yet again, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality and presentation of the food, they brought us down three sharing plates of deserts (four tasters per plate) consisting of Coconut Panna Cotta, a Trio of Chocolate Truffles, Ice Cream & Sorbet and Orange & Almond Drizzle Cake… It is safe to say there was a clash of spoons as every last morsel of desert was devoured…
To top off our night we were brought to the bar to be shown some of the tricks of the trade that is mixology, Aaron brought a couple of our team in behind the bar to show them how to mix, juggle bottles and crush ice, needless to say, he is lucky to still be alive.
We had an unforgettable experience in The Meeting House and I would recommend it to those who are looking to add a bit of fun to their dining experience, it might not suit all tastes but if you like good music, great food and mind-blowing cocktails then it certainly is the place for you. And great for groups too, lots of craic to be had… Well done guys…
