The Citroen Restaurant is based at the Fitzwilliam hotel in the heart of Dublin. Considering that it is located on the premises of the prestigious Fitzwilliam five star hotel, the Citroen for us did not have the feel of a 'fine dining' establishment. Instead it does have a more 'buzzing' and 'light' atmosphere. The Citroen is described as being a 'fun, funky place to eat'. The decor in this restaurant is simple and comfortably stylish. Enough to tell us that this would hopefully be a good dining experience if nothing else.
We were not put off by the lack of chandeliers and ordered from the a la carte menu. The pan smoked mackerel and the pea risotto started off our meal. The Mackerel was flavoured beautifully while my partners risotto contained chilli and squid. This was a surprisingly good combination and made for a good starter.
“The Citroen is a reputable restaurant and a wonderful venue for good food and drink.”
For our main course I ordered the substantial study of beef which consisted of a dry aged sirloin steak, served with Daube also known as a provencal stew, oxtail croquette and onion bhaji. My partner enjoyed the slow cooked Irish Haddock this came with crushed potatoes, onion salt, saffron and white wine sauce. Both meals were impressively sized and put together with their side dishes for maximum flavour impact.
Surprisingly there was just about room for dessert and we indulged in the Apple Trio. This consisted of delicious apple crumble, vanilla ice cream, apple puree, creme brulee and apple crisp. We complimented our meal with the Paddy Borthwich Pinot Noir Wairarapa, New Zealand 2010.
The Citroen was voted 'Best Hotel Restaurant of 2012' by Food & Wine critic Paolo Tullio. The Citroen is a reputable restaurant and a wonderful venue for good food and drink.
The Bill: £75 per head
