I went into Shebeen Chic on Georges St last night with my mate Betty. It's a new self proclaimed Gastro Pub directly opposite the George in a building that seems to change hands from restaurant to restaurant on a far too regular basis. Shebeen Chic is brought to you by the people who brought you the Globe, The Market Bar and the Odessa Club among others so their track record for successful venues is pretty good. The place is an 'eco' venue with all the furniture recycled or mix and matched from auctions and the wine list is made up of Bin Ends, meaning it will change regularly but should be good value for money. I liked the look of the place, it reminds me a lot of the bars in Oberkampf in Paris about 10 years ago. There's plenty to look at and the place was buzzing.
For me, the menu was a bit of a disaster, It took ages to figure out what I wanted because, well, let's just say I found the menu "difficult" There are about 6 soups, the first of which was "Leek, Onion and Maybe Mud" about 6 Boxtys, (that's mashed potato mixed with stuff) one of which was something like "Beans and Blood", Then there were the the starters which included pigs trotters (but of course) and the mains, a long enough list with "Monkfish Cheeks" and "Eel and Fried Banana" in the mix. I opted for the "Spudballs with Mushrooms and Ould Cheddar" which was basically Gnocci with mushrooms, a sticky grey sauce and some very overcooked broccolli. It was inoffensive enough in it's own way, but nothing to get too get carried away with. €14 for some very cheap ingredients is what it actually was.
The trouble with putting things like Mud and Ould on a menu in a place that is made up of a load of recycled stuff is that you get the impression your food might be leftovers too, especially if it comes out grey with unexpected bits of ancient broccoli.
We went downstairs and ordered some coffee, after waiting ages we called the waiter over to find out what was taking so long and she explained that the coffee machine was broken and she had forgotten to tell us. I guess that's the trouble with getting things second hand, they're not always reliable.
On the way out the door we passed the Harpist, strumming away.
It's a cool venue but first impressions are that the food kinda sucks.
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5 comments:
Ate here last night with a friend and was really disappointed. Both had trouble choosing from the menu and after a long wait our meals arrived. Both grey, bland and over salted. Our waitress suggested we order a side of veg and raved about the great mix on offer. A tiny bowl of grey, overcooked and antique looking veg came out. Worst I've ever had. Unfortunately something didn't sit quite well with me and I just about made it home before the bad food effects took place. Would not got back and would advise others against trying this new place out. Over priced, bad food and uncomfortable surrounds.
Antique vegetables, that's a brilliant description!
The basement was nice as a bar, if you were just popping in for a drink and the place wasn't too packed.
this place is awful.absolute shithole.very slow service, bland food, tiny portion, lousy music...sums it up. will not return...
OK, I had been told by a number of people that this place was well cool inside, (which it is) but that the food is not really that great. I decided, HEY!How bad can it be? Well, That bad. First off, inside is really cool the maître d' was really great, and the bar staff upstairs were fun and chatty and really gave me the impression that this is a more relaxed dining experience. NOW! The dining experience. I had Oysters to start (Oysters are oysters, you would want to have been dropped repeatedly as a child to get them wrong, plus I adore those cheeky little sea dwellers)For my main I had the ray. The ray was grey and not interesting grey, sewage grey and pretty awful to boot. I actually did not enjoy putting it in my mouth. Leo's by the way do great ray and it's a chip shop! Anyway the whole thing was pegged together and left a bad taste in my mouth. The wine was wonderful but could not save this sad excuse for a dish. In my opinion they will have to re-think the menu or post's like this from people like me (sad as it is) will drive custom away. It would be a really cool bar though.
I was in the shebeen not too long ago and the minute you walk in your surrounded by good vibes, with all the random and old artifacts which give the eye and imagination to look and think about. Maybe the menu has changed since you guys were there but to me its pretty good with competitive prices.
Of course its an amazing pub and thats why so many people go there and have a blast of a time. As its only "newly" open it can only improve so maybe give it another shot. Since iv moved up to the big smoke its a place we found good and reasonably priced.
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