We’ve reviewed Cafe Bar Deli here before, but having eaten there again the other night, I just wanted to once more praise their salads. Not many restaurants offer such a wide variety of interesting, unusual salads and for such good value: the large salads are enormous, more than enough for a filling meal, and cost from €10.50 to €13. Not great value compared to other countries, sadly, but good value for Dublin.
I am pretty much locked into always ordering the Broccoli, Feta and Chickpea Salad, even though there are other very attractive options:
- Roasted vegetable salad with moroccan spiced couscous and hummus and chermoula dressing
- Spicy lamb with tabbouleh, rocket salad & tzatziki
Mmmm. A good salad is a thing of beauty and a joy forever.
I did notice while in the George’s St branch is that they seemed to be quite badly understaffed – only two waiters were working the entire ground floor, which wasn’t packed but was still busy enough. It took us ages to get our bill, and the waitstaff seemed like they were under a fair bit of pressure. Is this a recessionary side-effect, restaurants cutting back on staff in anticipation of quieter evenings?
Thursday 28 May, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Morton’s do a very nice broccoli, feta and chickpea salad – though I always end up flicking out the chickpeas. It’s one of my lunch favourites since they’ve opened up their shop off Hatch Street.
Thursday 28 May, 2009 at 3:29 pm
I was in the George’s Street branch a few months ago and got the broccoli, feta salad. However, there were only about two measely chunks of broccoli. I did the un-Irish thing and told the waitress, the manager came over and offered me a free desert, which I didn’t feel like and by the time she arrived we’d already paid the bill. She didn’t offer to refund…dissaponting because as a veggie, I love that salad.
Friday 29 May, 2009 at 3:23 am
Unfortunately the lack of staff in restaurants (or at least in the one I work in) isn’t just due to expecting fewer customers. A restaurant’s wage bill has to be a percentage of its costs (obviously). Since the recession has hit, the average spend of a customer has fallen by at least 25% which has resulted in a sharp increase in the wage percentages. To combat this, staff numbers have to be dropped so that restaurants can continue to try and make some profit.
Friday 29 May, 2009 at 10:15 am
I love the nicoise salad. Normally I like to try different things in every place but I keep ordering that noicise saled – its divine. That and a litre of wine – between friends, of course.
Friday 29 May, 2009 at 10:28 am
Try the salads at Avoca. Divine!
Friday 29 May, 2009 at 10:58 pm
their smoked trout salad is absolutely gorgeous. i did find a tiny worm in mine the last time i dined there, to my absolute horror! the staff were lovely and gave me a generous voucher to use in there another time, however i don’t think i’ll ever be ordering the salad again.
Tuesday 2 June, 2009 at 9:21 am
I know white fish normally have tiny tiny white worms in it. I was making fish pie for my toddler years ago and found them in cod. Brought it back to superquinn and the fish guy told me the worms live in the fish. They try to remove them all but some escape…
Tuesday 2 June, 2009 at 11:25 am
Swordfish and tuna are notorious for worms. They’re quite common parasites in the fish. They won’t harm you if cooked properly, but it can be a bit offputting.
Tuesday 2 June, 2009 at 12:11 pm
That’s really offputting! Specially because fresh tuna is often served undercooked! Better to drench the fish in lemon? 😮
Tuesday 2 June, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I had the special salad today in the George’s Street branch – smoked duck, crispy red pepper and mixed leaves, really good.