Dollard Market is an interesting concept
One thing that has improved cooking through the ages is technology. Food that once took take ages to cook is a thing of the past as it now cooked in a reasonable time. For those of us who haven’t all day to eat our meals, technology was instrumental behind the birth of fast food. Restaurants like McDonald’s now enable us to order and get a burger meal in minutes. By having self-service touch screen kiosks, you can order what you want your way.
For fussy eaters like me it means you can have a burger with toppings you like and not toppings you hate. Greatly decreasing the chance of you getting the wrong order or getting the wrong toppings. This concept has now made it possible to order food not classed as fast food toot suite. It also enables restaurants with bigger premises to have more than one kitchen. Allowing them to offer a variety of cuisines under the one roof.
This week’s restaurant is?
All this talk of technology and restaurants, neatly leads us on to this weeks restaurant. A few weeks ago I was in Temple Bar for the first time in ages. I was a man on a mission after some cooked chicken that I could take home. My first port of call was Dollard & Co, the Press Up Hospitality Groups Temple Bar deli.
I was in for a big surprise as it had now morphed into Dollard Market. An indoor food market offering diverse cuisines from all over the world and the deli was gone. When it used to be a deli, hot meals were available. But, the menu was not as diverse as it is now. I mentioned this to William and he suggested that we should go there for lunch.
Walking into Dollard Market, we noticed wide open spaces that housed tables and chairs as well as various kitchens.
When you want to place your order you can use one of the two self-service touch screen kiosks.
Or you can order at the bar or the main restaurant area. If there is more than two of you eating then it is advisable to take turns ordering. This way you get to guarantee that you have a table. When you are ordering you take a table service number which you can see below.
You then add your chosen table service number to your order so that your food can be delivered to your table.
What did I order?
This is where it got tricky as there was so many different restaurants and cuisines to choose from. A lot of the restaurants are branches of successful Press Up Hospitality Groups restaurants. Wow Burger, Double8 and CooCoo are amongst those available. In the end I went with CooCoo which is an Indian restaurant that uses some of the dishes from the excellent Doolally for its menu.
In the end I decided to order from CooCoo as I wanted to compare one of their curries with Doolally. Butter Chicken with Steamed Basmati Rice, a portion of Plain Naan Bread and a can of Coke was quickly ordered. Once I placed my order I went to the table that my dining buddy saved for us. He then went and ordered a starter and main course from Rice, which offers Chinese cuisine. However it took a lot longer for him to order. The person ahead of him using the self-service kiosk was having problems ordering and the other kiosk had a queue.
How was my meal?
The food was amazing, both of our meals were delicious. My Butter Chicken which is Chicken Poached in a Fragrant Creamy Tomato Sauce tasted exactly like it would at Doolally. The tomato sauce was creamy and mildly spiced which gave it a little kick. The Basmati Rice was nicely cooked and fluffy just like good cooked rice should be.
The Plain Naan Bread was absolutely fabulous and tasted very similar to Doolally’s Naan Bread. There is nothing finer than Naan Bread dipped in curry sauce providing some soakage.
What did my meal cost?
My Butter Chicken cost €13.95, my Plain Naan Bread cost €3.45, and my Coke cost €3.20. This brought the total bill to €20.60.
The food was excellent and can’t be faulted. However I found Dollard Market a bit soulless. You go to a restaurant for the overall experience and not just the food. Not having a waiter or waitress taking your order should have meant my bill should have been a bit cheaper. Relying on technology to order your food could have been a better experience. Why could you not have a scannable barcode which your smartphone opens up and allows you to order. This means you don’t have to queue at one of the two self-service kiosks.
When you order from a waiter or waitress, your starter and or desert won’t arrive with your main course. William ordered his starter and main course at the same time not realising they would come together. If you do go to Dollard Market, make sure to order each course separately. If you want a quick lunch, curry in a hurry or you are eating alone. I can highly recommend Dollard Market as the food is top notch.
Dollard Market, 2-5 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 PK72
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