The Saddle Room can be found located inside the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin’s city centre. This restaurant is wonderfully elegant and beautifully designed. During our visit, we experienced one of their booth style tables which are very comfortable and come dressed with crisp white linen along with immaculately polished cutlery. Seafood and meat is the speciality of The Saddle Room, so of course we had to sample some whilst we were there.
We decided to begin our evening with a pre-dinner drink, for which I opted for a classic Negroni which was most enjoyable, and my partner decided on a glass of Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut NV. We deliberated over the menu before making our choices and waiting in great anticipation for the arrival of our first course.
For our first course, we indulged in the Shelbourne Seafood Tower, which consisted of Lambay Island lobster tail, Mullaghmore mussels, Dublin Bay prawns, Carlingford oysters, smoked salmon and Castletownbere crab. The entirety of the seafood was impeccably fresh tasting and full of the most beautiful flavours, with the Lambay Island lobster tail and the Dublin Bay prawns being a personal highlight.
"The food promises a lot and we’re extremely pleased to say that it also delivers to an extremely high standard."
Our decision for our main course was an easy one, as we simply couldn't pass on the temptation of their 45 Day Aged 500g Chateaubriand for two, served with cherry vine tomatoes, watercress and fresh roasted garlic. The Chateaubriand was masterfully carved tableside and was absolutely stunning having been perfectly cooked to our liking. We also added sides of mashed potatoes, tenderstem broccoli and baby potatoes, as well as a helping of their rich black peppercorn sauce. The sides and sauce completed our meal wonderfully.
To accompany our meal, we also enjoyed a bottle of the 2014, Château de Vaudieu, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Closerie de Vaudieu Rouge, France, which offered an abundance of black fruit aromas and flavours and worked perfectly alongside our main course. Unfortunately having completely overindulged we had no room for dessert, although they did look extremely tempting as we watched and admired them being served to other guests in the restaurant.
We were most impressed by The Saddle Room. The food promises a lot and we’re extremely pleased to say that it also delivers to an extremely high standard. Service at this restaurant is by the book and as you would expect from such an establishment; attentive yet unobtrusive. We would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Dublin and we simply cannot wait to return.
The Bill: £73 per head
