Morel's of Glasthule has turned into Duzy's Cafe - same place over the Eagle Pub, same owner - John Dunne and Stephane Couzy who also own Blueberrys restaurant in Blackrock - same tropical fish in the tank as you come up the stairs, same staff, but stunning new decor and a new menu that's aimed at a younger, more relaxed crowd.
When Morels first opened five or six years ago it was my favourite restaurant. There was a real sense of occasion about dining in that long lofty room with its high curvaceous dining chairs and lamps glowing in the windows. The food was consistently good too. We went several times for birthdays and family occasions and then stopped and I was reminded why the other night. Our bill for two came to £89 without service which is an awful lot if you've just nipped out for a bite and planned to be in bed before midnight. Admittedly we had three courses each - where two would have been plenty - and a good bottle of beaujolais, but even so at that sort of money Duzy's is too expensive to be called a cafe.
We did try it again a few nights later, this time in a family group when everyone was a little less greedy. With two courses each and one bottle of modestly priced wine it cost £30 a head. Reasonable but not cheap, though maybe some people think so. That evening it was full with all sorts of people including a couple with two very young children at the next table who arrived at 9 p.m. and solemnly ate a full meal.
The newly decorated room is extremely smart with a gorgeous new colour scheme of deep red walls, ceiling a chic muted blue, with cream panelling and columns looking crisp by comparison.
The wildly colourful abstract paintings of yore have been taken down - I don't think they'll be missed - and mirrors put in their place.
Very smart too is the new bar area, which is where you now enter, with several enormous sofas grouped around low tables. There's live music here on a Saturday night and you can just call by for a drink or a coffee.
There are two diningrooms but on weekday nights one is likely to be closed off, as it was the first night we were there. This didn't leave a lot of room for smoking and non-smoking sections and we were placed close to two smoking tables, which doesn't bother me, but may some readers.
A blackboard on the wall offers several different wines by the glass and we started with a glass each of perfectly chilled but outlandishly pricey Sancerre at six quid a glass. A plate of white and brown bread was excellent stuff, particularly the brown which came in very thin slices but was marvellously moist and nutty and absorbed butter at a frightening rate.
Our waiter was efficient in a steely, intense sort of way but not overly friendly and seemed a little impatient when we asked his advice about the wines. We spent too long mulling over the starters and David picked the wrong thing - a selection plate at £6.75. This wasn't very impressive and consisted of a little heap of something that tasted very like Coronation chicken, a miniature Caesar salad and a spring roll. Caesar Salad was a Morel's staple and I tried it on the second visit. It was plentiful but arrived upside down with the croutons and parmesan shavings underneath and the dressed leaves on top. The lettuce was chilled - EU regulations no doubt - as was the dressing and the overall taste was watery.
First time there, I had an absolutely delicious starter, a baked mushroom and leek tart drizzled with truffle oil. The tart case could have been lighter but the filling of sauteed mushroom with a powdering of parmesan was full of flavour, with bright green slivers of leek underneath and a sauce with the truffle oil gleaming in little pools here and there. It was filling and satisfying and left no great feeling of anticipation for the duck that was to come.
The duck came in neat slices in the middle of a thin sauce with a flash of ginger in it. The meat was tender, the skin was crisp, the fat was succulent, but there was no oomph to it. The bok choy accompanying it looked marvellous, but was tough and stringy to eat. David's scallops on a saffron risotto was a meek and mild dish that would annoy no-one but failed to be utterly captivating either. The scallops were on the small side, as was the portion of risotto so he asked for supplementary spuds and got them for nothing although vegetables and potatoes are extra on the menu.
A dish of green veg each included some splendid broccoli. It was fresh and green and bristling to attention instead of limp with a whiff of drains about it as it so often can be. There were a few more shreds of bok choy and some string beans that had met some butter along the way and were all the better for it.
One very irritating thing is the lack of salt and pepper on the table. Most people use them so why not put them out and let them ruin their food if they want.
After that we certainly didn't need dessert but on we went. At the back of my mind was an article I had read about an Englishwoman who moved to France and began to eat seriously good food twice a day - three courses each time - and actually lost weight after six months. We called for the menu again.
I had the special - a pecan pie with caramel ice cream. Another pastry case and a filling with far too many nuts, and not enough syrupy stuff to subdue them. Also a disconcerting hint of ginger. It was nice and sticky and the ice cream suited it well, but it wasn't a superb pecan pie. David had a madeleine with a honey sauce and some ice cream that looked extremely pretty and tasted light and delicate.
We finished by sharing a cappucino - German tourist style - and by having a great chat with two women at the next table. Yes it's pricey but it's still a very glamorous and convivial place.
P.S. You get great chips, excellent bruschettas and salad downstairs in the Eagle House pub any day of the week.
Duzy's Cafe, Glasthule, Co Dublin, Tel 01 2300210
