Sunday, July 6, 2008

The Oval Bar, Dublin


Lovely to look at, but this pub exemplifies the old adage that you can't believe everything you read. I'm a big fan of Knopf City Map Guides. They easily fit into your pocket and offer information on museums, churches, other attractions, dining and shopping. Best of all they provide fold out maps for each section of a city with locations of everything written about. Occasionally I'll find a typo but usually they're invaluable to me. Not even close this time and definitely no cigar.

They claim that Oval Bar has the best Irish stew in town. I don't believe it. It was a filling stew, it was lamb (potatoes, carrots and onions too) but if it was the best, sitting in a tasteless broth, I'm dumbfounded. I should have known something was off as I sat down in an empty room. If this is the best, where were the locals or the other tourists for that matter? The brown bread saved the day for me. It was the first I had eaten on the trip and my favorite part of the Irish culinary tradition. Perhaps a whiskey at the beautiful bar (straight, not oval) would have helped this dining experience.
78 Middle Abbey Street
Dublin 1
P: 01 8721264
E:
info@ovalpub.com

No comments: