Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Restaurants / British Isles restaurants / The Winding Stair, Dublin

The Winding Stair, Dublin

by Jeanne Horak on August 3, 2011 7 Comments in British Isles restaurants

WindingStair © J Horak-Druiff 2011

Psssst!  want a sneak peek at the Wikio Top Gastronomy Blog rankings for August 2011?  Click here!


Sometimes when you go to a restaurant or pub, it seems the name was randomly chosen from a hat and bears no relation to reality.  I can guarantee you that there are no happy clams at all in The Happy Clam; that there is a distinct lack of chatty birds in the Sociable Plover pub; and even fewer incandescent mules at the Donkey on Fire pub.  But the reason behind the Winding Stair in Dublin’s name is really not hard to see – you exerience said remarkably winding stair as soon as you arrive and automatically make a mental note (soon to be disregarded!) not to drink too much before having to negotiate the stairs again.  On the night after the Bloom show in Dublin, when I visited along with Tess of Foodmatters, Ailbhe of Simply Splendiferous, Andrew of Spittoon and Janine of Olive magazine, we made our way up the winding stair, only to be confronted by a room already packed with people and no table available (despite having made a reservation).  Some negotiation ensued, after which… we were led upstairs to yet another floor where there were plenty of tables and a distinctly calmer air. Problem solved!

 

WindingStairWineCollage

The Winding Stair Bookshop & Café was a famous Dublin landmark in the 70’s and a popular meeting place for writers, musicians and artists. Sadly, it closed in 2005 but was bought by the Thomas Read Group in 2006 and re-opened the restaurant.  It’s a lovely, serene, light-filled room full of dark wood but with large windows overlooking the river.  The menu is relatively brief but supplemented by specials on a chalkboard.  Menu descriptions were brimming with locally sourced ingredients and contained enough tempting dishes to send us all into an agony of indecision.  Andrew was in charge of the wine list so I did not pay too much heed to it, but I do remember that at least two of our wine choices were not available, which was surprising and a little annoying.  Very smiley and charming service went a long way to smoothing that over though.

 

WindingStairStarterCollage

 

WindingStairStarterPate

WingingStairSmokedFishCollage

After much debate, I started with the potted Dingle Bay crab with toasted soda bread and organic leaves (€11.95).  This was textbook potted crab – sweet-fleshed and buttery and the bread was outstanding.  Andrew had the O’Doherty’s black pudding, fried with Gubeen chorizo, and Wexford baby potatoes with sourdough toast and salad (€11.95) – I developed immediate menu envy the moment his plate was put down, which did not improve when I sampled the sublime combination of earthy black pudding and spicy chorizo.  Outstanding.  Elsewhere, people had the Burren smokery, Ummera smokehouse and John Rogan’s smoked fish plate with our Dillisk bread, crème fraîche, pickled cucumbers and caper-berries (€13.95).  This comprised a selection of gravadlax, salmon, mackerel, trout and eel, and I would be hard pressed to tell you which one was the nicest as all were gorgeous (the gravadlax possibly had the edge!).  But I think we all voted the winner to be something off the specials menu:  smoked haddock in a pastry case with asparagus and creamy mature cheddar sauce.  I think this was a testimony to the difference that outstanding ingredients can make – subtly, beautifully smoked fish; properly tangy cheddar and crisp asparagus.  Poor Tess could not keep us away from her plate!

 

WindingStairMainsCollage

WindingStairMain

Main courses, sadly, were less stellar.  Andrew and I both chose rhubarb-stuffed Black Pig pork fillet with roasted cubed potatoes, warm mixed bean and spinach salad and pear soured cream (€24.95).  I don’t know why I have never thought to stuff a pork loin with rhubarb before as it’s a great combination.  But the meat was a little dry and the warm salad seemed like a disparate collection of things rather than a single dish – somehow less than the sum of its parts.  The pear soured cream, though, was absolutely addictive.  Elsewhere at the table was a McLoughlin’s leg of spring lamb chop with hasselback spud, crispy onions and smashed parsnip and sage (€23.95).  The meat was outstanding – succulent and flavoursome – but the accompaniments were a let-down.  The hasselback spud was not the crispy, buttery affair it was meant to be, and the parsnip was claggy – and why serve two stodgy vegetables to accompany one dish?  The winner for me was the Kilkeel hake with herby tomato, mussel and clam stew €23.95 – not only beautiful to look at but singing with fresh, fishy flavours and a robust tomato sauce that would not be out of place on the French Riviera.

 

WindingStairCheeseboard

Andrew selected our wines for the evening: an Italian Terre di Tufi Bianco di Toscana, Teruzzi & Puthod 2006 Vernaccia/Chardonnay/Malvasia Tuscany Italy (€51); a Spanish Albarino (Dona Rosa 2009 Albariño Rías Baixas Spain – €38); and a Firesteed 2008 Pinot Noir Oregon, USA (€40).  Clearly they went down really well (!) because soon we were enthralled by Ailbhe’s never-ending tale of a campervan trip that was unexpectedly held up in a lay-by near Aberystwyth for a few days; the importance of carrying a supply of port in your when you travel to dish out to locals when you need help; and Andrew’s uncanny resemblance to actor Michael Sheen (!).  We finished up with a Sticky pear and ginger cake (€6.95) with ice-cream for Andrew (not pictured) and an excellent Irish Cheese board with homemade crackers and plum chutney (€10.50) for the rest of us, washed down respectively with a glass of 2005 Cauhape Jurancon (€8.50) for Andrew and a glass of excellent Baráo de Vilar LBV port (€7.60) for me.

It was one of the nicest and most relaxed dinners I’ve had this year, helped along by the stellar company, no doubt, but also by the relaxed, competent and friendly service; the lovely airy space; and good, unfussy food.  Although mains were not as inspired as starters, the menu was a pleasure to read through and we had no cause for complaints – it’s easy to see why the place was packed.  I really loved their support for locally sourced Irish ingredients and my only regret is that I do not live closer to Dublin to enable frequent return visits.

Thank you once again to the lovely Tess from Food Matters for organising both the trip to Bloom 2011 and our meal at Winding Stair.  For Andrew’s account of the evening, click here.

Liked: the superb selection of starters, the lovely room, the friendly & knowledgeable staff
Disliked: The unavaiability of our first 2 wine choices

The Winding Stair
40, Ormond Quay
Dublin 1
Ireland

Tel:  (+ 353) 1 8727320
E-mail [email protected]

 

Don’t forget to check out my and Michelle’s London restaurant reviewing and photography workshop coming up in August!

 

ShootEatWrite, London August 2011

 

And if you miss that, you can catch me speaking on writing style and voice at Bite ‘n Writein Birmingham in November!

BiteNWrite, Birmingham Nov 2011

 

 

 


More deliciousness for you!

  • Saturday Snapshots #244Saturday Snapshots #244
  • Corrigan’s MayfairCorrigan’s Mayfair
  • Cream of asparagus soupCream of asparagus soup
  • The Social Eating House; and a review of the Nokia Lumia 920The Social Eating House; and a review of the Nokia Lumia 920

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Broccoli, cherry tomato & Brie tart
South African wines at the London International Wine Fair »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Ailbhe says

    August 3, 2011 at 11:06 am

    Oh Jeanne I have LOADS of campervan stories, bewarned! Great evening indeed and fun company. Must do another trip soon : )

    Reply
  2. Andrew says

    August 3, 2011 at 6:17 pm

    Campervan stories… oh, dear lordy save me now! 😉 I still don’t know if you ever made it to Newcastle…
    Twas a grand end to the day; and delightful photos from Jeanne brings the memories flooding back.

    Reply
  3. Móna Wise says

    August 4, 2011 at 8:05 am

    I have been to the (older) Winding Stair and had no idea it was re-opened as a restaurant. Lovely recap of your evening Jeanne and it annoys the crap out of me too when wines on the list are not available. Lovely photos. I look forward to trying this place when I go to Dublin in a few weeks. Enjoy Dubai!

    Reply
  4. aarthi says

    August 5, 2011 at 5:35 am

    Hai Dear
    This looks yummy….you have a lovely blog… You have so many wonderful recipes..I have bookmarked you blog and some recipe from that to try..Please check out my blog.I am having a Giveaway in my blog..Please check it out and partcipate in that..
    http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/2011/07/homemade-bounty-chocolate-and-giveaway.html
    Aarthi

    Reply
  5. Sally - My Custard Pie says

    August 5, 2011 at 8:46 am

    Well done on the rankings. Looks like you had a lovely time – I’ve never been to Dublin and would love to.

    Reply
  6. Maria @ Scandifoodie says

    August 5, 2011 at 7:29 pm

    I think that cheese platter has my name on it! Yum!

    Reply
  7. kat says

    August 24, 2011 at 12:45 pm

    “and why serve two stodgy vegetables to accompany one dish?”
    Are you kidding? Because it’s Dublin. Because you should be glad you didn’t get three kinds of the potato as sides.
    Because the Winding Stair is not what it once was. It was always a quirky little place, but it used to be independent.
    Part of the Thomas Read Group I’m afraid it has become a bit too, well, Mugg and Beanish in its franchiseyness.

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Perfect broccoli and Stilton soup [keto, low carb, GF]
  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Oxtail and red wine potjie
Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Jan Ellis pudding - a classic South African dessert
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
My big, fat South African potato bake
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential

Featured on

Also available on

[Ad/Press sample] Love beer? Love peaty Islay whis [Ad/Press sample] Love beer? Love peaty Islay whisky? Then you need to get your hands on this delightful collaboration between @innisandgunn (their original beer is billed as a beer for wine drinkers and is one of my all-time favourites) and @laphroaig (makers of one of my favourite super peaty whiskies). 

Innis & Gunn’s limited edition Islay whisky cask beer is a Scottish red beer which is double matured - first in used Laphroaig whisky casks and then in used port casks. The result is a deeply smoky beer with notes of coffee, dark chocolate, malt and rich toffee, all balanced by a clean and almost saline finish, much like Laphroaig whisky itself.  It comes in a limited edition gift box with beautiful artwork by @scottnaismithartist and is available from the Innis & Gunn website for £6,00 for a 330ml bottle while stocks last (it’s also vegan!). 

I paired it with crostini topped with cream cheese and smoked oysters - the salty, smoky, creamy oysters complemented the flavours of the beer very well. I can also imagine it working well with green olives or smoked almonds. A perfect gift for the beer or whisky lover in your life!

What do you think of combining the flavours of beer and peaty whisky? Let me know in the comments 🍺

#innisandgunn #laphroaig #islaywhisky #beerlove #beerloversofinstagram
This week I made a flying visit to the RHS Chelsea This week I made a flying visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in  London’s leafy Chelsea, courtesy of @babylonstoren and @thenewtinsomerset [INVITED] I was fortunate to have an early morning tour of the beautiful show gardens and by far the most inspiring was the Best in Show winner, Horatio’s Garden, designed by Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg. Horatio’s Garden is an initiative to provide spinal injury patients in NHS hospitals with an accessible garden and private respite rooms within the garden. There are 8 across the UK and the design we saw at the show will be rolled out in Sheffield once the remaining funds needed are raised. Have you visited the Chelsea Flower Show? Let me know in the comments 🌺🌷🪷🪻🌼🌸 #rhschelseaflowershow2023 #rhschelsea #horatiosgarden #horatiosgardenchelsea
Today is the official coronation of King Charles I Today is the official coronation of King Charles III and London is literally awash with red, white and blue flags, bunting and souvenirs. I don’t have bunting… but in celebration I can offer you this plate of red, white and blue deliciousness that is sticky toffee pudding with berries! I had this last weekend at the @bristolbarbrighton - the pudding alone makes the trip from London worthwhile 😍👑🇬🇧 Long live sticky toffee pudding!!
Happy Easter to everyone celebrating! My Easter ch Happy Easter to everyone celebrating! My Easter chocolates are from Ukrainian chocolate producer @roshen_ukraine - gorgeous hazelnut praline-filled dark chocolates, and how beautiful is the packaging? #easter2023 #easterchocolate #easterchocolates #roshen #ukrainiantraditions #roshenchocolate
Great exhibition on at the V&A Museum in London ri Great exhibition on at the V&A Museum in London right now for anybody interested in textiles, fashion or Africa. Such fascinating info about the cultural significance of various traditional African cloths (kente, kuba, bògòlanfini and many more) and a great display of modern African designers from around the continent. It’s on till 16 April so catch it if you can! #africafashion #thingstodoinlondon #londonexhibitions #londontourist #londonbylondoners #kentecloth #kubacloth #bogolanfini #chrisseydou #ladumangxokolo
The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a 7 metre diameter scale model of the moon suspended in the Painted Hall at the  @oldroyalnavalcollege in Greenwich this week, by @lukejerramartist. A surreal and fabulous sight!
Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need to get down to @canarywharflondon between now and Saturday 28 Jan to catch the free Winter Lights 2023 event, back for the seventh year.

My favourites include @lukejerramartist ‘s Floating Earth; Tom Lambert’s Out of the Dark; Fluorescent Firs; Toroid by This is Loop; and the surreal and mesmerising Anima by MEATS - a tunnel filled with hundreds of thin optical fibre lights that change colour and move in the breeze 😍 

Have you been to Winter Lights? What was your favourite?
“When we look down at the Earth from space, we s “When we look down at the Earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile.” - International Space Station astronaut Ron Garamond

To experience the “overview effect” (a phenomenon experienced by astronauts viewing the earth from space), head down to Canary Wharf in the London docklands this week where you can see @lukejerramartist ‘s beautiful Floating Earth installation as part of the Winter Lights event. 

This giant 10m diameter installation is created using high resolution NASA images to create a floating scale model of the Earth, lit from within so that it glows from its current home on the Middle Dock, surrounded by the headquarters of international banking and finance corporations.

The artist hopes that viewed in this context, the installation will make visitors and the bankers working in surrounding buildings question how their money in savings and pensions is invested, and whether investments can be greener.

Aside from being a thought provoking piece, it is also mesmerising and surreally beautiful, so make sure you visit the free Winter Lights event before ends on Saturday 28 Jan.
Happy lunar new year! [Invited] To celebrate the Happy lunar new year! 

[Invited] To celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, why not head over to @mamachensdumplings currently doing a residence at the @thegantrylondon in #stratford where you can feast on prawn & chive dumplings; pork, Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushroom dumplings; pork & prawn wontons with Mama Chen’s chilli oil; vegetable dumplings; smacked cucumber salad; and spicy noodles coated in garlic and Szechuan pepper oil.

And afterwards, make sure you head up to the @unionsocialoc bar for a cocktail - I loved the Moreish Fashion with bourbon, PX sherry, chestnuts and mandarin orange bitters!
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Bowls of broccoli and Stilton soup
Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2023 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2023 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT