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!

  • Braised baby turnips and radishes – and a workshop!Braised baby turnips and radishes – and a workshop!
  • A spiced strawberry & rhubarb upside-down cake to celebrate 9 years of bloggingA spiced strawberry & rhubarb upside-down cake to celebrate 9 years of blogging
  • Fu.Shi, Plettenberg BayFu.Shi, Plettenberg Bay
  • Eggs on eggs on toast – EoMEoTE#10Eggs on eggs on toast – EoMEoTE#10

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

  • 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
  • Cauliflower steak Welsh rarebit

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Oxtail and red wine potjie
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential
Asynpoeding (Vinegar pudding)

Featured on

Also available on

🌷🌷🌷 It’s tulip season in London! Every 🌷🌷🌷 It’s tulip season in London!

Everywhere you look, these long-legged floral supermodels are adding a splash of colour to parks and gardens and I just can’t get enough of them! It’s easy to see how they inspired a collective buying frenzy in 17th Century Holland, called “tulip fever”, but today there are less dramatic ways to enjoy them. Here are a couple of suggestions of where to see them at their best:

🌷 The ultimate tulipalooza is the annual opening of Keukenhof gardens outside Amsterdam where 7 million (!) bulbs burst into life each Spring. This year the gardens are open 24 March-15 May (click on the link in my bio for FAQs and my top tips for visitors)

🌷In London, Kew Gardens always has spectacular displays of tulips; but you can also see excellent and free tulips in most of the Royal Parks such as Regents Park. 

🌷The Hampton Court Palace tulip festival is on until 2 May and the Hever  Castle’s Tulip Celebrations until 24 April - both within easy reach of London.

🌷The Morges Fete de la Tulipe in Switzerland takes place every year against the spectacular backdrop of Lake Geneva - it is on until 8 May this year.

I spotted these spectacular red frilly parrot tulips beside St Paul’s Cathedral yesterday 🌹 Where is the best display of tulips that you have ever seen?
MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food restaurant in Wembley

Remember to save this post so you can find it later! 🔖

[Invited] If you thought Brick Lane and chicken tikka masala or madras were all there is to know about the food of the Indian subcontinent, think again! In the shadow of the Wembley arch,  @chefatulkochhar has opened his first casual dining restaurant,  showcasing the rustic, spicy, diverse street foods of India. 

Highlights when I visited included:
1. Carrot halwa
2. Papdi chaat
3. Chicken 65
4. Tandoori broccoli
5. Smoky aubergine chokha
6. A snap of all our mains - you can read all about these and more in the full review on my blog - click the link in my bio or go to:
 https://www.cooksister.com/2022/04/masalchi-atul-kochhar-indian-wembley.html

What is your favourite dish from the Indian subcontinent? Let me know in the comments 🌶🌶🌶
🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸 T 🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸

There is no season in London that I love more than cherry blossom season! From March through to April, trees in various parks and gardens in London put on an amazing display of delicate pink and white blossoms - and everything in the city seems a little more magical. This particular tree near St Pauls must be among London’s most photographed, and it’s not hard to see why 💕

Did you know that...

🌸cherry blossoms are Japan’s national flower and are known as Sakura 

🌸In 1910, Japan sent the USA some cherry trees as a goodwill gesture… and the Dept of Agriculture inspectors nearly caused an international incident by burning them as they were carrying insects and diseases! But in 1915 Japan sent more cherry trees that survived the inspectors, and these marked the start of cherry trees in the USA.

🌸 Peak blossom season is usually only two to three weeks in March/April but is hard to predict as the weather and the subspecies of tree influence the timing.

🌸The cherry blossom capital of the  world is Macon, Georgia with 300,000 - 350,000 Yoshino cherry blossom trees.

🌸 There are over 200 different varieties of cherry blossom and some are purely ornamental (meaning they produce no cherries)

Where is your favourite place to see cherry blossoms in London or around the world? Let me know in the comments and happy blossom hunting! 🌸🍒🌸

#pinkpinkpink
Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day to those of you who don't speak Welsh! 

1 March is the Welsh national day  and what better way to celebrate than surrounded by daffodils -  the Welsh national flower!

Did you know that:
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The English name "Wales" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning "foreigner" - but the country's Welsh name "Cymru" means "friends" in Welsh.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The  Welsh language Cymraeg is the oldest language in Britain, at about 4,000 years old!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 There are more castles per square mile in Wales than any other European country.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Mount Everest is named after George Everest, the Welsh surveyor who first mapped the peak on western maps.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The beautiful Menai bridge (spanning the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and mainland Wales) was the first suspension bridge in the world.

Have you ever visited Wales? What did you like most about it?
*NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, *NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, capers and dill. Pretty in pink 💕

[AD] Blood oranges are a small obsession of mine - from blood orange posset to blood orange and halloumi salad to blood orange & Cointreau upside down cake, I am always looking for new ways to make the most of their short season. Barbecuing them with salmon, capers and dill is a perfect match in terms of flavour as well as colour (or you can oven bake the salmon if it's not barbecue weather where you are!)

When @grahambeckuk asked me to suggest some recipes to match their wonderful Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV sparkling wine from South Africa, this was a pairing made in heaven, and wonderfully colour co-ordinated with their silver-pink bubbly. Get the full recipe and find out more about Graham Beck's sparkling wines, made using the same methods as Champagne, on my blog - link in my bio above. 

What do you like to do with blood oranges? I'd love to hear in the comments!
💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into 💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." - Lucille Ball

Whether you are celebrating with a partner, with friends, or by yourself today, I hope most of all that you love yourself, love your body, love your strengths, love your weaknesses, and love who you are (or are becoming). Because... you're worth it!

Are you doing anything celebratory today? Let me know in the comments 💘💘💘

(The beautiful street art is London Hearts by @akajimmyc)
📸: @girl_travelsworld
Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a p Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a picture of a Moorish palace, a castle or a cathedral? And that you can get to it from central London in under an hour?

This is Crossness Pumping Station @crossnesset , a Grade I listed heritage site and one of London's last remaining magnificent Victorian sewage (!) pumping stations in Abbey Wood near Rainham. 

Did you know that...

💩 You can visit the building on monthly open days - the next one is Sun 20 Feb. Book at www.crossness.org.uk

💩  It was only in 1856, after 3 major cholera outbreaks in 30 years and the Big Stink when the stench of London's sewage finally reached Parliament, that construction of an intercepting sewer system for the city was approved.  The system (parts of which are still in use today) was designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, Chief Engineer of London's Board of Metropolitan Works at the time.

💩  At Crossness, all London's sewage from south of the river was was raised by 9-12 metres to large reservoirs so that gravity would cause it to flow further east and into the Thames estuary. (Yes, until the 1880s, raw sewage was simply pumped into the Thames!)

💩 The incoming liquid was raised by the four enormous steam driven pumps, built to Joseph Bazalgette's design. The pumps were named Victoria, Prince Consort, Albert Edward, and Alexandra. They are thought to be the largest remaining rotative beam engines in the world, with 52-ton flywheels and 47-ton beams. 

💩 The pumping station was decommissioned and abandoned in the 1950s but declared a listed building in 1970.  Although all 4 beam engines remain in place, they were so damaged that today (thanks to the efforts of the Crossness Engines Trust) only Prince Consort has been restored to working condition and can be seen in action on open days.

💩 The exuberant and colourful wrought ironwork inside is the amazing work of architect Charles Henry Driver. My favourite detail is the fact that the pillars in the central atrium are topped with stylised figs and senna pods... two of nature's greatest natural laxatives 🤣
*NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta ch *NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts

Ever noticed how you are affected by colours? 🌈

Maybe some colours make you agitated and some make you relaxed. Or maybe you find yourself inexplicably attracted to a particular colour (oh, hi teal and aqua!💙). On the basis that all colours have a wavelength, and that those outside the visible spectrum can affect us, it makes sense that the colours we see can affect our mood or even our physiology. Did you know for instance that exposure to red light can increase your blood pressure and heart rate? Are there any colours that you find yourself particularly attracted to or affected by?

The pretty colours of these roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts will be the first things that attract you to this dish - but it is the delicious combination of flavours and textures that will keep you coming back for more!

The recipe (and more about how colour affects us mentally and physically) is now live on my blog - click the live link in my profile and remember to like and bookmark this post to see more Cooksister in your Instagram feed ❤️
Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something.

Perspective is the one thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has given us plenty of. It has certainly made us re-evaluate what is truly important, and also what we did and didn't enjoy about our lives  before the pandemic and its associated lockdowns. It made me appreciate how much happiness my house, my job, my friends, my own company and my running bring to my life (and how fortunate I am to have all these things). But it also brought home how much I enjoy and miss travel, the theatre, and the luxury of reataurant visits at the drop of a hat. I don't think words can describe my joy at sipping the first coffee purchased from a coffee shop in summer 2020 as lockdown eased. It's the little things...

One of the things I have enjoyed and will not miss as the world creeps back to normality is the absence of crowds in what is usually a crowded city. On the occasions that I have been in central London since the start of the pandemic, streets have been blissfully empty and it has felt as if I were discovering my city anew. This glorious perspective (hah!) of St Paul's Cathedral normally requires a long wait while a queue of tourists and "influencers" ahead of you pose for photos - but on this glorious day last Spring it was almost deserted. I will miss that...

Is there anything you will miss as Covid-19 restrictions start to be lifted?
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

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
Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2022 · 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 © 2022 · 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