The last thing I can ever remember winning was a bag of coal when I was four. Yep, I was the pint-sized, pig-tailed envy of Junior Infants as you can imagine. However, I am happy to declare that the calibre of prizes has improved over the last twenty-two years and last week I was delighted to learn that I had won a place to attend an evening of seafood tasting at Matt The Thresher- Seafood Bar & Grill in Dublin 2.
I am familiar with Matt the Thresher of Birdhill, Co. Tipperary, but the Dublin version is a thing quite apart from its sibling restaurant. The version in the west is by no means any less appealing, but in an entirely different way – it’s traditional and homely. The Matt the Thresher on Pembroke Street is its more worldly, Blackberry-carrying, skinny-jeans wearing, designer handbag-toting big sister from the City.
The decor is simply beautiful, with art-deco features and large open spaces interspersed with pieces such as the grand piano on the mezzanine. The first thing you notice is that it’s airy and bright, a heavenly change from the dark, slick and metallic interiors of the super-pubs of the past. On the evening we were there the sun was streaming through the stained glass windows, bathing the whole place in light and making the glass of Prosecco we were quickly proffered all the more enjoyable.
Many thanks to Aoife of I Can Has Cook for the photo!
The second thing you notice is the clientele. No scuffy student Converses, no cackling hen parties, just smart professionals enjoying a sun-downer on a Wednesday evening. Most were sipping a cool glass of wine, but I did see a couple of pints of the black stuff leave the bar, which means MTT must have already captured the much-coveted title of ”good for a pint”. The menu features an array of high quality seafood dishes including great value ‘after 3pm’ offers of Guinness and oysters for €10 or mussels / plaice with wine, for €14.95 and €19.95 respectively.
If, like many Irish groups you have a fish-fearing friend among you, they’re well catered for, with a menu including hamburgers, steaks, lamb stew and meat pies. Finally, in what I believe to be a very shrewd move, they’re also open from 8am, and include scones or a bacon ‘buttie’ on their breakfast menu. Have you ever tried to find somewhere – that isn’t a bleedin’ hotel – for an early breakfast meeting? Well now you have.
We were quickly seated by the well-stocked seafood bar which that night played host to a variety of prawns, oysters, squid, plaice, mackerel and much more including one rather scary creature of the deep lagoon. I’m sure it tasted lovely though.
Again, many thanks to Aoife of I Can Has Cook for the de-pooping pic!
Ah, the taste. This is where Chef Stephen Calveston comes in. Myself and five lovely ladies were positioned on high stools by the ice and regaled with a detailed description of all the seafood the house has to offer, from Dingle smoked salmon to Berehaven crab. The genial former fishmonger taught us how to shuck an oyster and serve it either plain, or with a choice of Tabasco or a shallot and red wine vinegar dressing. I opted for the dressing, which was exquisite, adding a very welcome sweetness to the salty affair. Chef Calveston was an excellent host, informing us without lecturing, and teaching us some very handy skills along the way, including how to remove the ‘poop-chute’ from a prawn. I’d love to see that appear on a Home Ec syllabus!
From there we were invited to sample the house’s gourmet offerings, and were served a platter of smoked salmon, shrimp, crab claws, crab meat, and the most beautifully cooked individual portions of hake I think I’d tasted in a long time. Involving butter, needless to say. This was all served with moist hearty brown bread and on the side we had mixed leaf salad, which was complemented beautifully by a simple dressing of half balsamic, half olive oil, a dash of mustard and a sprinkling of brown sugar. The glasses were topped up and conversation flourished among my fellow foodies, Aoife of I Can Has Cook, Catherine of The Runcible Spoon, Emily From China Village, Lily of the Amateur Mexican Cook and Vicky of S’tasty. As a new kid on the block I thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to meet wonderful people with a similar interest, and learn from them as established bloggers. Many thanks indeed to Irish Food Bloggers Association for putting it together. In fact the girls were so friendly and helpful they even forwarded the images you see here to me as I had managed to jump on a train with barely a notebook in my mitts, never mind a camera. Dizzy brunette.
If I lived any closer to MTT I would definitely pop in for a bowl of mussels and a glass of Pinot after a long day, bring the girls there for one of their tasting platters, or even enjoy a lingering date by the piano. With a bustling clientele, relaxed ambience and delicious food for reasonable prices, you really couldn’t ask for much better.
Ps: if anybody’s wondering about the name ‘Matt the Thresher’, the guys themselves explain it much better than I ever could, right here. Ooh, also if you’re nearby tomorrow do pop in, there’s likely to be plenty of ‘bubbles’ floating about, as it’s their official launch!
Matt the Thresher, Dublin 2, 4/5