On the first floor above Crowe’s Pub on Pembroke Road in Ballsbridge, in an room that once acted as a stage for small musical acts, lies Roast Restaurant. Not everyone knows of it, but the staff at Roast are determined to change that.
When you first enter Roast, you come into a room full of wooden floors, large brown tables with fine cut cutlery, photographs of various famous buildings, art by local artists and a large desk that allows the staff to organise various orders. These days, most orders in restaurants are computerised, but the staff at Roast still take your order manually and ensure you’re seated comfortably. On arrival, you will most likely be met with a smile from Pawell. I take my seat in a quiet corner to speak with Matt Dylan the owner of Roast, and Declan Healy his Head Chef.
“The Aviva Stadium was just completed, there was a large accumulation of offices, and it’s prime target for lunch trade. We set out to open a neighbourhood restaurant,” Matt says speaking about when he first opened Roast in 2010. Matt, a tall dark-haired man from Wales spent years in the culinary arts before opening Roast.
“Ballsbridge is a huge residential area. I knew we could offer excellent food for good value,” he says.
The menu in Roast could be best described as “French” which Declan takes great delight in telling me. At 28 he is one of the youngest members of the team. Declan is from Howth, and started out in the culinary arts at the age of 14, where he adapted such a taste for cookery that he progressed through third level education, and travelled around the world to places like Australia and the US working in French themed restaurants.
“In my eyes, everything is French except for Asian food,” Declan says. “Classic cookery is French cookery, and that’s what I’ve been trained mostly in. I’m obviously going to do what I do best,” he says.
Roast’s menu may be French orientated, but it’s not limited to French themed items. On days when the rugby matches are on, Roast changes the menu slightly to cater for lads and ladies on the go. A generous portion of fish and chips with pea puree and tartare sauce will cost you a modest €10, so will their delicious burger and handcut chips. Just what you need to keep to set you up on a cold evening watching Leinster play in the RDS. Other days Roast offers a wide selection of food from Confit of Duck Leg with roast sweet potato, sprouting brocoli and apple-ginger gel (€20) to their cooked to perfection Daube of Irish Beef (€19) which literally melts in your mouth. This is served with herb mash, Paris brown & beech ragout, chanteney carrots and red wine jus.
Roast also caters for people who are in a rush at lunchtime, or haven’t the time for the formality of a restaurant. “It’s designed for speed,” says Matt referring to Roast’s lunch menu. “It’s designed so regulars can come everyday and choose from 22 dishes.” Their current menu changes quite regularly and adapts for each season. “Our lunch diners want good food, but they also want speed and variety,” says Matt.
To book a table phone (01) 6144727 or find them on the web at www.roast.ie
by Liam Cahill
