One of the latest Indian restaurants in Dublin
Happy New Year everyone, having taken a break last year, I am now back refreshed and ready to do more reviews. I was looking forward to attending and reviewing Taste of Dublin which had moved from Iveagh Gardens to Merrion Square. Sadly, I was not able to go as I was getting over a strep bug that was doing the rounds. I also stupidly got the Big Grill BBQ festival dates wrong so I sadly missed it. I intend attending both Taste of Dublin and Big Grill later this year.
Something, that I am finding disturbing is the amount of restaurants that are closing. This leaves me with less restaurants to review, and even though new restaurants are opening, how many are restaurants chains? The well-known Dublin restaurant, Shanahan’s on the Green has closed and another Dublin stalwart, Dillingers is no longer around. Other places that have closed include Harry’s on the Green, Wagamama ‘s three Dublin restaurants, two of Dylan McGraths restaurants and Uykio.
Having eaten in Dillingers and Shanahan’s on the Green. I could see why they are well liked, and will be missed. Harry’s on Green offered excellent value and regular readers of this blog will recall my review from last year.
One restaurant I wanted to visit was an Indian restaurant on Stephens Green, which did not last too long. It was replaced by a restaurant that did Irish and American cuisine, that after 3 or so months closed for a refurbishment. When I saw that I knew it would not reopen and it hasn’t. If you spot a restaurant is closing for refurbishment, it’s bye bye restaurant. The odds of Manchester United of winning the league are much greater than you ever eating in that restaurant.
New Year new restaurants
So, this year, planning ahead is something I will be doing. The next restaurant that will be reviewed on here has already been visited, and the review will be up very soon. I have also started to draw up a list of where I would like to visit this year. This list could change because as I already mentioned, restaurants are closing with new ones taking their place.
Over the next six to nine months don’t be surprised if you see other restaurants, big and small close down. As one restaurant closes another opens and hopefully they become popular and stay open. This neatly leads on to this week’s review, which is a restaurant that opened late last year. Just before the restaurant opened. I was invited by one of the owners to come down, take a look and sample some of their cuisine. I have also visited the restaurant several times since. but waited until it started opening for lunch before publishing this review.
This week’s restaurant is?
As you can see in the video above I was in the Portobello area of Dublin to visit Desi Crew. Desi Crew is a new Indian restaurant offering Indian street food, from the people behind the excellent Hungry Mexican. Some of you might recognise Desi Crew and will be wondering why does it look familiar. Well, it used to be the well know and popular Spanish restaurant Viva Tapas.
The last time I ate here was yesterday, the first day it opened for lunch. I was eager to see the new lunch menu, which you can see below.
Offering vegan and none vegan options, the menu caters for those of us who like Indian cuisine. Inside the restaurant looks nice and has a nice vibe to it. It does not have as many seats as the Hungry Mexican but you don’t feel cramped.
You also don’t end sitting too close to other diners. To those of you wondering what Desi Crew means, Desi Crew is an Indian music crew formed in 2012 by the duo Goldy Kahlon and Satpal Malhi. They are known for releasing Punjabi movie hits and famous Punjabi music albums.
The restaurant has had a nice makeover leaving it with a nice Indian vibe to it.
What did I order?
Well, as you have already seen the lunch menu offers vegan and non-vegan options. The Butter Chicken is something I have had before in Desi Crew and enjoyed. So, I ordered Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice and a coke to wash it down.
How was my meal?
The Butter Chicken was just like it was on my previous visits, perfectly cooked, tasty, with a nice spicy kick. The rice that accompanied it was like how good rice should be, nice and fluffy.
Desi Crew do a great Roti and I soon regretted not ordering some to soak up the beautiful curry sauce.
When I was there for the prelaunch, the Railway Lamb Curry was something I tried and loved and hopefully will be back on the menu soon.
What did the meal cost?
My Butter Chicken cost €10.95 and my coke cost €3.00. My final bill came to €13.95 plus tip.
Desi Crew is a welcome addition to Dublin’s culinary scene. In a great location on the edge of Rathmines, with bus stops outside and LUAS stops close by. The one thing that really impresses me is the quality of the ingredients. Using the same suppliers as the Hungry Mexican, you know the owners are not skimping on quality.
So, if you want to try some fantastic Indian street food, give Desi Crew a try. You won’t regret it.
Desi Crew, 27 Richmond St South Saint Kevin’s Dublin 2, D02 W319
See more reviews here.