Restaurant Review

Dish

They wear their influences on the sleeves of their whites in Dish, and not only does their unselfconscious borrowing and assimilating from all over the globe show their maturity and inquisitiveness, it also shows their sense of fun.

From amongst their "bracers" you can choose a Cosmpolitan (thank you Sex & The City), a Bellini (thank you Harry's Bar) and their tributes to the great American cocktails such as Whiskey Sour and Vodka Martini. The lunch menu, likewise, tips its hat at great contemporary culinary influences: eggs benedict or Ceasar salad or the trademark spicy chicken wings from the great brunch tradition; humous with chick pea relish and Lebanese flat bread, or Moroccan spiced lamb kebabs with saffron aioli for a taste of the orient via Paula Wolfert; butternut squash risotto or linguine with pancetta and chilli an Italian tribute via Marcella Hazan; lemon sole in oatmeal or truffled chicken liver pate an affectionate echo of Ballymaloe House cooking.

But what Dish does with these dishes is to sign them off with its very own, very distinctive, signature. Confit of bacon with white beans, garlic and parsley is beautifully achieved, the bacon melting, the beans just right. Crispy fried skate with oriental radish salad is just as sharply executed, and they turn their hand to shredded duck with hoisin wrapped in coconut and ginger crepes, or those Moroccan lamb kebabs with a winning authenticity.

This is all terribly smart cooking, sort of Union Square Café meets The Ivy, and it is modestly and affordably delivered in a darling room with ­ you guessed it ­ truly great sounds and disarmingly sweet service. As a final note, on no account should you miss the cheese board, which is sourced from Sheridan's Cheesemongers and which is one of the best selection of at-their-peak Irish farmhouse cheeses you will find.

Dish, 146 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4

Tel: (01) 671 1249