Morelands Grill @ The Westin Dublin, Ireland

The Westin Dublin opened a new venue at the site of the former Exchange restaurant around 4 weeks ago before our lunch visit.

 

My fiancé and I decided to give Morelands Grill a try and reserved a table for two during the May Bank Holiday weekend in Dublin, Ireland.

 

The welcome was warm and the maître d very pleased to have us.

 

The interior was classic with modern elements and it wasn’t very busy with fellow patrons at the time.

 

The restaurant was very well branded with M for Morelands Grill on all plates.

 

We also liked the glass the Kahlua came in. It reminded us of the roaring 20s and 30s, very elegant and beautiful at the same time.

 

There was a birthday party, another couple and a single female guest having lunch with us.

 

The staff was attentive, but sometimes had difficulties to understand our accents, which eventually was overcome and we enjoyed their attention to detail and service standards.

 

We ordered a large bottle of still Acqua Panna water, a Kahlua, Focaccia Crostini with Crottin goats cheese, red onion marmalade and heirloom tomato salsa, red quinoa salad with avocado pear, toasted cashews, tender stem broccoli, overnight tomatoes, virgin olive oil and lemon grapefruit dressing, organic salmon yakitori with spaghetti of vegetables, soy ginger and basmati rice and the potato gnocchi with Piquillo peppers, ovendried tomatoes, tenderstem broccoli, spinach and Parmesan cream. We also shared all three dessert minis (coffee opera gateaux, raspberry macaron and a mini sundae).

 

The Focaccia Crostini was very strong flavored, felt rustic and served beautifully.

 

The red quinoa salad was light and delicately flavored, a gorgeous balance of size, taste and presentation.

 

The salmon was a fusion of Japanese and Thai cuisine, rightly sized and colorful, a memorable lighter dish which was fully enjoyed.

 

The gnocchi were very lovely and sumptuous, but too large. The dish was influenced by France and Italy.

 

It would be good, if there would be a half portion available too as traditionally Gnocchi tend to be heavier overall.

 

The waitress told us the sundae was her favorite. For us it was difficult to decide. The macaron was of very high quality and bursting with flavor. The sundae was very rich and moreish and the coffee opera gateaux flavorful, but not overbearing. The coffee didn’t take over, but offered a good hit. All three had been memorable and beautiful at the same time.

 

We had green tea and a hot chocolate to accompany our desserts. Service was very attentive and enjoyable throughout our visit.

 

The value was good at 83 Euro (ca. 90.50 USD).

 

We will return again in the future at this new venue in the heart of Dublin, Ireland.

©2017

Crowne Plaza Blanchardstown Dublin, Ireland

 Sorry for not updating my blog for a long time. Unfortunately I was extremely busy due to a new job. Hope the wait was worth it. :)

During November 2014 we stayed twice at the Crowne Plaza Dublin-Blanchardstown. A few years earlier we had stayed there already, but while the rooms are nice, the food quality had been low in our opinion at the time, so we didn't return until now, having read a positive review in a local newspaper about their Forchetta Italian Restaurant.

The location is good for shopping at Blanchardstown Shopping Center and upscale dining options. We recommend beside the Forchetta Restaurant in the hotel, Wagamama for Asian casual lunch or dinner.

Access is easy from the airport with the Urbus or from the city center with a number of Buses, for example 39a.The bus stops are located opposite the hotel.


The Crowne Plaza is unusual. It is inspired by nature. Two parrots are kept in a cage in the lobby and called Bubble & Squeak. It is an attraction for old and young. We enjoyed watching them for a while.

The lobby is large with the Sanctuary Bar and Forchetta Restaurant to the right and the reception to the left.

Even though we hadn't stayed for a longer time there, we were recognized on both occassions as returning guests, which was positive.

We booked an entrance category room and received the same on both occassions. The first time there was a bottle of red wine, free water and a fruit basket waiting for us, because we were just one stay away from achieving Gold status at the IHG Priority Club Rewards program and also a voucher for a free dessert at Forchetta Restaurant. The next time we only received a bottle of water. By then we were already gold members It was inconsistent and disappointing to be treated that way, especially after we've achieved Gold with IHG.

The flower theme continued in all the rooms. The silver tapestry was especially beautiful. Each room was comfortable and had different color schemes, lay outs and views.

One room was held in red, had views over the motorway and a seating area at the window. The other was kept in blue tones and had a seating area in front of the bed and views over the shopping mall.

We preferred the layout of the first room which might have been an Deluxe room on a higher floor.

On both occasions we also had dinner. Forchetta serves Italian cuisine. We enjoyed the meals including toasted bread with cod, gnocci and Panna Cotta. It was delicious and the value good.

Breakfast was a different matter and unfortunately not so high quality as the dinner was, so we had it only once.
There was a dish I liked. The breakfast potatoes are delicious.

All staff were warm and efficient.

Would we return? Maybe. If we need some additional points or take part at a promotion.

 ©2014

Mezza Luna @ The InterContinental Residence Suites Festival City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

During our stay at the InterContinental Residence Suites Dubai Festival City, we had dinner and breakfast at Mezza Luna.

The restaurant was designed in the same contemporary style as the lobby with two story floor to ceiling windows and black and white photographs.

Mezza Luna serves Italian cuisine.

There was an open kitchen and when we arrived there was a family and a few couples already dining.

The chef showed some kids how pizza was made as they watched.


DINNER:


We ordered one berry smoothie, one mango juice, one hot chocolate, one Piri Piri chicken pizza, one gnocchi with artichokes, cherry tomatoes and garlic parmesan sauce and a tiramisu to share.

The hotel is dry, so Mezza Luna doesn't serve alcohol.

The pizza had just the right amount of spiciness. It wasn't a scorcher, but hot enough.

The gnocchi dish was surprisingly light, considering the sauce was cream/cheese based. It was colorful and mild.

The tiramisu was served with coffee ice cream. All was delicious.

The bill came in at 200 AED (ca. 42.10 Euro or 54.50 USD).


BREAKFAST:


Breakfast was included in our rate
.
Cold items were served buffet style with a lot of Western and Middle Eastern choices, including fruit salad, lassi, cold cuts, cheese, bread and pastries and much more.

Hot items, coffee/tea and juices could be ordered from the waiter.

We had scrambled eggs with sausages.

We enjoyed the quality and freshness of both, breakfast and dinner.

We would gladly enjoy Mezza Luna again when staying next time at the InterContinental Residence Suites Dubai Festival City.

 ©2014

The Kitchen Table @ The W Hotel Bangkok

Before going to Bangkok we planned also to try out The Kitchen Table at the W Hotel Bangkok.

Having good experiences with the W Istanbul, where we have stayed, and the W Hong Kong, where we stopped for a snack, we were looking forward to the sister property in Bangkok.

We were impressed by the grounds, the former Russian Embassy, which is now used for events, and the newly built tower containing the hotel.

The lobby was bright and modern and the lady of the gift shop was so nice to direct us to the elevators and the right floor.

The decor and design is stylish and contemporary. We liked it.

Unfortunately our dining experience wasn't exactly what we imagined.

We were warmly greeted and brought to our table. The restaurant was already buzzing.

Soon the menu arrived. There were a la carte choices or a two course or three course lunch with a soft drink included.

Having had two course options previously it meant for us either a starter/main course or main course/dessert combination.

Not so at the Kitchen Table. The waitress explained to us we had to order an appetizer and a main course or take the three course to have dessert.

In the end we decided to have the three course, even so we already knew we weren't that hungry. Thinking about it now, it would have been better to forgo the set menu completely and order a la carte.

We ended up with one mocktail (The Conscious), a mango juice, a large bottle of Voss water and two Sprite, one Caesar Salad, one paprika corn soup, two gnocchi in tomato sauce and goats cheese, one espresso tiramisu and a plum tart with vanilla ice cream.

The Caesar Salad, tiramisu and The Conscious were the best.

The salad was made with anchovies, which my better half and I love. It added a nice flavor to the salad.

My soup was good, but got a bit too one flavored after a few spoons. I was only able to taste the paprika.

The gnocchi were fresh, the sauce and the goats cheese tangy. Overall we were happy, but it was slightly too salty.

While his dessert was excellent, mine wasn't perfect. The plums and vanilla ice cream were in fact outstanding, but the tart crust was very hard and had been spiced with anise and wasn't what I really liked.

The staff was very friendly, efficient and concerned, because we couldn't finish our meal.

The price for the lunch was 1989 THB (ca. 46.60 Euro or 62.40 USD).

Considering our experience we wouldn't go back to The Kitchen Table for lunch, but instead go to the Woo Bar, enjoying cocktails and the dessert buffet instead, or enjoy coffee.

©2014