We found ourselves in the bright dining room on Sunday afternoon where we were brought a pint of Wicklow Wolf IPA each to start off with, this afternoon tea doesn't include tea but an Irish craft beer instead.
It took a while for the food to arrive but when it came we were delighted to each be presented with a wooden board with both savoury and sweet items on it.
The savoury highlight was a tasty and juicy pork sausage with jalapenos and pickled gherkins on a skewer. I found the steak and coleslaw slider a little unmemorable though and preferred the beef burger slider.
The paprika chips were perfect while the bacon and cheddar scone was a little dry but went very well with the apple chutney. The chill jam was quite lovely to eat with the sausage and the chips.
On the sweet side of things, the salted caramel dessert was rich and buttery without being too heavy while the chocolate and whiskey mousse was cutely presented in a little cup made of chocolate. It turned out the whole thing was pretty substantial and we were all ready to sleep afterwards, while the rain was lashing outside.
I collected the opinion of everyone just to give you an idea:
Monsieur C. (The Frenchie): 'I really liked the sausage combination with the apple sauce and the burgers were quite good but nothing special. The fries were really nice and the caramel dessert was awesome'
Richie Big Finger: 'Overall the meal was very nice, presented very well but didn't really capture the magic of afternoon tea. My highlight was the sausage but I didn't really like the caramel dessert'
Mr. FFID: 'My favourite was probably the sausage and the chilli jam. The steak was a little bit dry but the scone was very good. Overall it was delicious and the beer was very good!'
Mr. B: 'I think my favourite was the apple puree chutney thing and the salted caramel dessert. Least favourite probably the chips because they're kind of just chips'
Ms. L (The Dancer): 'For me the sausage was the best with the apple sauce thing, yeah it was all really good but I agree with Richie Big Finger it didn't quite capture afternoon tea like different layers, levels of separation although beer instead of tea was fine. I enjoyed the slider a lot as well!'
So overall the Gentlemen's Afternoon tea was a very enjoyable experience and reasonably priced at just €23 per person which is when you think about it the price of a pint and a main dish. We all thought it looked small at first but ended up being very full as a pint of beer is rather filling at lunch time. The Gentlemen's Tea is a nice alternative to the usual and also cheaper than many afternoon teas in Dublin. Don't be mistaken by its title, ladies with a more savoury tooth will enjoy it just as much as gentlemen.
Ormond Quay
Dublin 1
