Looking for a great Dublin Restaurant?
Then look no further. Situated beside the Millennium Foot-Bridge on Wellington Quay, and overlooking the River Liffey, with views of the Halfpenny Bridge and the Customs House, The Italian Corner restaurant is a delightful culinary haven of tranquillity. It is a family-run Dublin restaurant and is personally managed by proprietor Danny Byrne.
Greeting
On Saturday 9th September 2011, I arrived at the Italian Corner Restaurant at 1pm. Upon entering the Italian Corner Restaurant I was immediately greeted by a very pleasant female member of staff, “Welcome to the Italian Corner”. I was shown to a table that faced out onto the River Liffey and Millennium Bridge. I was given a menu and the specials were clearly explained. A jug of fresh cold water was placed on the table and I was asked if I would like a beverage from the well stocked bar.
Decor
The Italian Corner Restaurant is tastefully decorated with bright and interesting wall art depicting Roman mythology and history. The interior is best described a chic with clean lines and minimalistic lay out.
Ordering and Service
Having had a couple of minutes to consider the menu and the specials, a staff member returned to take my order. I ordered the vegetable soup for a starter and the Pollo Ripieno chicken for a main course, both chosen from the specials menu. The soup was served shortly after 1.05pm and was accompanied by two slices of crusty bread, the staff member asked if I would like some seasoning, which I declined preferring to taste the soup in its presented form. The soup was excellent, spicy, hot and beautifully complemented by the crusty bread. On a cold day this was just what I needed, the efficiency of service meant that I was quickly warmed up and able to relax and enjoy the view of the River Liffey and the many people passing over the Millennium Bridge.
Busy
By 1.15pm the Italian Corner Restaurant was filling up quickly, the front of house staff while lean in number, never faltered in their meet and greet routine. Families, couples and individuals were greeted and seated within a well rehearsed/practised time frame.
The Rest Room
As I waited for my main course I decided to use the time to check-out the real test of any eatery, the Restroom. The gent’s rest room was clean; there was soap, tissue paper and a working hand drier. The one suggestion I would make in relation to the rest room is to take the ‘Cleaning Check List’ off the back of the main door and place it in view of those using the rest room, I would also suggest that restroom checks are insufficient, there needs to be regular checks, at least morning, lunch and tea time, this would ensure that pieces of tissue paper and so forth could be cleaned up.
The other observation that I made was the ability of customers to view the pantry/kitchen area on their way to the rest room, this could be addressed by hanging a specially designed hygiene curtain in the short corridor leading to the pantry/kitchen area. In conclusion the rest room area was clean, functional and well maintained.
Delay
There was a fairly significant delay until my main course was delivered, the main course was delivered at 1.45pm, and this was approximately thirty minutes after the starter had been cleared from the table. I found this delay excessive as the Italian Corner Restaurant was filled to capacity at this time and I think the restaurant could benefit from a faster turnover of seat occupancy.
Family Friendly
As a young family were seated at a table, a member of staff immediately brought the young child in the group some colouring crayons and pictures to colour in, this family friendly attention was heart warming and welcome in an often over commercialised world.
The Main Course
The main course was well worth waiting on, Pollo Ripieno, which is succulent chicken breast stuffed with spinach, smoked mozzarella, mushroom cream and served with Mediterranean Mash. The portions were ample and the combinations of tastes were complementary and mouth watering.
Ambiance
The soft background music made the ambiance of the Italian Corner Restaurant second to none that I have visited in Dublin over the years.
High Standard
I finished my main course at 2pm and my table was promptly cleared and my cup of tea served without delay. While the Italian Corner was filled to capacity at 2pm the front of house staff continued to deliver to a high standard.
The Bill
My bill was just over nine Euros which made my meal good value as well as a culinary delight.
Mystery Diner scoring system dasher©
The Italian Corner Restaurant 9/9/2011
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1-15 (across) Category: 1-10 (down) Score: Total * Score 139<150
Mystery Diner Checklist 2011
1. Meet and Greet
2. Menu presentation and explanation
3. Drinks offered and delivery
4. Ordering
5. Starter timing
6. Starter satisfaction
7. Starter service
8. Mains timing
9. Mains satisfaction
10. Mains service
11. Tea/Coffee timing
12. Tea/coffee satisfaction
13. Tea/coffee service
14. Billing
15. Rest Rooms
Dasher 2011©
Tivoli Theatre Panto 2012/2013
Snow White and the Adventures of Sammy Sausages BOOK DIRECT
Dublin whats on, Christmas Special, The Irish House Party, FREE tickets, Christmas dinner, Christmas ceili, irish dancing, Christmas party, Christmas draw
The Irish House Party is offering 4 FREE tickets for their spectacular Christmas Ceili, Dinner and Show, what an unbelievable recession beating Christmas making special. The Irish House Party at 19 Francis Street, Dublin, is Ireland’s leading traditional Irish session venue with Ireland’s leading musicians, singers and dancers performing shows that are unequalled anywhere else in Ireland or further afield.
This is your chance to join The Irish House Party for their Christmas spectacular, the 4 FREE tickets include a sit down Christmas dinner in the tastefully decorated Irish House Party pub and restaurant at 19 Francis Street Dublin, followed by a short walk across the street to the fantastic Tivoli Theatre where you will enjoy the greatest traditional Irish session ever. When you have been blown away by the music and the crack in the Tivoli you can return to the Irish House Party bar to enjoy the music of good old fashioned foot stamping pub session with Ireland’s greatest musicians, singers and dancers. This is a session you won’t want to leave and a traditional Christmas you will not forget.
Meet Gerry, Declan and all the Irish House Party team, chat about Irish culture and tradition, the Irish House Party team are world class performers, but down to earth people, who want you not only to enjoy Irish culture and tradition but to share their knowledge of music and culture so that your experience is one of learning as well as enjoyment.
You can see The Irish House Party Christmas dinner and show on their website and you can view the Tivoli Theatre with their fantastic Christmas Panto, Snow White, also advertised.
To enter this draw for 4 FREE Tickets to The Irish House Party Christmas Ceili, dinner and show, simply LIKE Dublin Hotel News on Facebook. All of the LIKES on Dublin Hotel News will be entered into an open and FREE draw, 4 FREE tickets for the Christmas Ceili, dinner and show, remember the tickets may only be used on Saturday the 15th December 2012 or Friday the 21st of December 2012, the tickets cannot be exchanged for money, or any other product or service, if you do not take up the offer as presented then the tickets are void.
For those of us who were reared on the finest of Irish traditional music, dance and folklore there can be nothing more disappointing than the often ‘plastic’ portrayal of those fine traditions by commercially centred enterprises to pander to a less than patriotic version of our traditions and nationhood. However, that is all about to change, and for the good.
Often, as I have reviewed the hospitality industry in Ireland, I have been pained by scratchy CD representations of Irish music, I have been unhappy to watch tired Irish dancers ‘perform’ their third ‘tourist’ show of the day. Finally, there is Celtic light at the end of the dark tunnel of gross commercialism.
On Thursday the 20th of September 2012, The Irish House Party nestled at 19 Francis Street, Christchurch, Dublin and twinned with the Tivoli Theatre, launched the revival of traditional Irish music and dance in all its glory. Gone are the big blasts and fads of the Riverdance era and its substitutes, and returned are the soft furnishings, and cosy surrounds of a Traditional Irish House Party.
The launch of the Irish House Party kicked off with a food and drink reception in the newly refurbished Irish House Party bar and restaurant at No. 19 Francis Street, Christ Church, Dublin 8. Parking is available both at the Tivoli Theatre Car Park in Francis Street, and on-street parking is also available (FREE after 7pm).
The Irish House Party Bar and Restaurant have been renovated to a high standard and presenting guests with an ambiance that is both welcoming and traditional, in the finest sense of the word traditional, the glowing charm of soft tones and traditional furnishings make the Irish House Party Bar and Restaurant a unique home from home experience. The Irish House Party staff are professional, courteous and offer all that is so often lost in our once famous Cead Mile Failte.
Unlike the often stand offish performers one fines at large commercially driven venues, at The Irish House Party, Ireland’s champion musicians and performers casually introduce themselves around the tables and sit for some banter if so invited to do so. The Irish House Party presents as one thing above all else, a labour of love, it is clear that this is a partnership born out of love for all things Irish, a passion to wrestle Irish culture and tradition back from the grasp of brute commercialism.
As dozens of guests filled out the restaurant on the first floor, the air filled with an aroma of traditional Irish food, Dublin Coddle tickled at the nostrils, as beef and Guinness stew titillated the very soul of all gathered. The food was of the highest standard and would have sat easily on the menu of Dublin’s finest Restaurants. While this was a night of all things Irish, the wine connoisseur was not to be disappointed, with Findlater (wine supplier of choice) providing such suburb choices as Tocornal Sauvignon Blanc and Tocornal Cabernet Sauvignon, just to mention two.
And what would an Irish night be without Murphy’s Irish Stout, Murphy’s Red Ale, Beamish Irish Stout and so forth, all of which combined to make a great meal, a world class experience.
Following food, drink and banter in the Irish House Party Bar and Restaurant, it was time for the 8.30pm show in the Tivoli Theatre. Many will know the Tivoli Theatre for its long service to theatre and music in Ireland. As I walked along the tunnel entrance, I was moved by the diligence of the Tivoli owners to maintain nostalgia with what was clearly a ground breaking partnership between the Irish House Party and the Tivoli Theatre. Once inside the Tivoli, the bar area is nicely set out with traditional seating and a home from home atmosphere, again, staff are both helpful and courteous.
The real surprise comes when one steps through the curtain as it where, and enters what at first glance appears to be someone’s sitting room, that has allowed, friends and neighbours to drop in for a session. The stage replicates a traditional Irish sitting room, with pine dresser and couches setting the scene.
The main body of guests are seated directly in front of the stage, the stage meets guests at head height while seated, making the guest feel as though they are part of a traditional Irish session rather than part of a concert audience. The line-up of musicians and dancers is a ‘Who's Who’ list of the best Ireland has to offer. The casual stage setting makes the audience feel relaxed and at home, the banter, folklore and organic conversation between the session musicians and dancers adds an authenticity rarely if ever seen in modern representations of the Irish traditional session.
Soon the Theatre echoed with the haunting sounds of hundreds of years of all that is good about Irish Culture and Tradition, music and song were not only played but explained, instruments were not a mystery but visualisations used to explain their time and place in our long rich history. Three hundred year old tunes, that made Leonardo De Caprio and Kate Winslet famous in the great epic Titanic, captured the hand and foot stamping mood of the guests gathered, Bono and U2 echoed from the traditional instruments as easily as the lyrics written by 1916 Patriot and Irish hero Padraig Pearse. A straw poll was taken before the bouzouki and its player told a strange story about a well-meaning rugby player, and this was followed by Gerry telling a story in song, about a yellow haired girl, who may not have been all that she first appeared.
This session with the Irish House Party was as much about music appreciation as it was about concert and performance; time was taken to explain the instruments, the songs, the dance and the music. The dancers stepped up from the couch causally and periodically, to perform what can only be described as dancing Gymnastics, the dancers reminded the audience, that one does not have to be on a big stage with multi-million Euro backing sets to perform and transcend the very essence of Irish Dance.
Following rapturous applause from the guests gathered, many from America, New Zealand, our own Fair City and other parts of the world it was time to return to the Irish House Party Bar where yet more musicians had gathered to beat out a crescendo of tunes that seen even the most restrained, foot-tapping, hand clapping and singing along with the memories stoked by a timeless echo of ancient tradition.
The Irish House Party has returned Irish music, dance and culture to its true home, that is home is built from the passion and the love of the few, to be shared with the many. The Irish House Party, above all else offers guests a truly traditional experience, that experience is captured in the ambiance, the food, the service, the passion, and most importantly a true Cead Mile Failte has been returned to the Irish session by world class musicians and dancers.
Snow White and the Adventures of Sammy Sausages BOOK DIRECT
“Fantastic” “What a treat for the family” “Better than ever expected” “Mammy can we come back again”……
Just some of the parting comments of last year’s visitors to The Tivoli Theatre Snow White Panto last year, and no matter how mature we get, we still get a real buzz out of the traditional Christmas Panto at The Tivoli Theatre…..so much has changed in our world……yet the one constant is our Christmas traditions…..thanks to The Tivoli Theatre the next generation can carry on the annual pilgrimage to worship theatrical Gods such as Sammy Sausages AKA Alan Hughes and Goddesses such as the world famous Niamh Kavanagh as the Good Queen.
After his fantastic performance in Snow White last year, Alan Hughes returns to The Tivoli Theatre, Dublin, as the lovable Sammy Sausages ... Whatever you do, don't miss this fun-packed Tivoli family pantomime 2012.
One might ask if there is no end to the talent and vision of those associated with The Tivoli Theatre as only a couple of weeks ago The Tivoli teamed up with The Irish House Party to bring a new dynamic to the world of traditional Irish music and dancing.
This year’s Christmas Panto at The Tivoli Theatre is already being billed as the best show in town by those who love theatre and the annual serving of all that is great about the traditional Christmas Panto in Dublin. Starring Alan Hughes as the lovable Sammy Sausages, Brian Dowling as Bridie the Mirror, Niamh Kavanagh as the Good Queen and Niall Sheehy, finalist in ITV’s Superstar, this is one Panto not to be missed!
12 December 2012 – 12 January 2013
TICKETS: €21.50 (Preview) / €100 for Family Ticket (2 x Adults & 2 x Children) / €29.50 Adults & Children
BOXOFFICE: 01 454 4472 (No Booking Fees Apply)
Limited number of Family Tickets available per performance
The Tivoli Theatre, 135-138 Francis Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.
Telephone: +353 (1) 454 4472/Email: info@tivoli.ie
