Restaurant Review: Forest Avenue, Suffolk Terrace, Dublin 4

Ireland seems to be rapidly developing its own unique culinary identity. Whilst recent years have been challenging for the Irish restaurant industry, there is now a feeling of optimism in the air with many talented chefs from around the country producing food that is no longer derivative but instead, confidently expresses who we are as a people.

A perfect example of this is to be found in Forest Avenue located on Sussex Terrace in Dublin where Chefs John and Sandy Wyer are offering up truly exciting food using Irish ingredients in innovative ways.



Forest Avenue is a self-styled ‘neighbourhood restaurant’ and is named after the street in New York where Sandy grew up. The dining room has a minimalist feel but cleverly avoids appearing sterile by the use of warm, inviting colours. Dark wooden floorboards and tables add to the Scandinavian-inspired look inside the restaurant.

 

Sourdough Focaccia

The restaurant was very busy on the evening that I visited but I had booked in advance so getting a table was not a problem. Seated opposite the open kitchen where John Wyer and his brigade of chefs were working, we happily nibbled on some excellent breads - a superb Sourdough Focaccia and slices of a Caramelised Onion Loaf which came served with a very moreish Whipped Ricotta & Chive Spread - while we examined the menu in greater detail.

 

There were two menus available on the evening that I visited; a Residents’ Menu which offers two courses for €28 or three for €35 and a Tasting Menu at €49. Two choices were offered for each course on both menus each of which included some intriguing dishes. In the end we decided to go for the Residents’ Menu.

 

Salad of Charred Bread

An amuse bouche of Pollock Tempura with Tartare Sauce was first up and set the tone for the rest of the meal. Pollock can be a strong-flavoured fish but the light and crispy tempura batter highlighted its underlying sweetness. The accompanying tartare sauce was full of gutsy, pungent flavours and was served as a smooth purée which was ideal as it didn’t distract from the soft and yielding texture of the daintily presented pollock.

 

My starter - Salad of Charred Bread, Celeriac, Broccoli, Egg, Black Garlic, Parmesan & Hazelnuts had been plated with finesse and looked beautiful. I loved the way the flawlessly cooked egg surrendered a perfectly runny yolk when it was pierced by a knife. This created a rich creamy ‘dressing’ that was wonderful with the crisp salad leaves, the thinly sliced broccoli stems and the nutty crunch of the toasted hazelnuts. The wispy tendrils of finely grated parmesan provided a gentle saltiness which completed the dish.

 

Pastrami

The Beetroot, Radishes, House Sour Cream, Lovage, Organic Lettuce, Seeds, Smoked Pastrami starter was another winner. I have always been a huge fan of pastrami, a cured and spiced meat product generally made using beef which is not unlike the spiced beef served in many an Irish household at Christmas, so I was delighted to see it on the menu. Here, its subtle smokiness was the perfect counterfoil to the earthy sweetness of the beetroot, the paper-thin slices of peppery radish and the toasted seeds. I loved the tang of the sour-cream dressing which was pleasingly refreshing and brought everything together in a cohesive way.

 

Cod, Cauliflower Textures

My main course of Cod, Whole Roasted Cauliflower, Mussel Butter & Baby Gem was a beguilingly simple looking dish that revealed sophisticated flavours when eaten. Cauliflower was presented as roasted florets, as a purée and as ‘couscous’. Each variation contributed something to the overall dish and complimented the impeccably cooked piece of meaty cod wonderfully! Everything was perfectly judged and left me sighing with pleasure. Even though it included ingredients that I have eaten many times before there were moments when I felt like I was discovering new and wondrous tastes.

 

The Suckling Pig, Pointed Cabbage, New Season Carrot, Dried Plums was also presented simply and was another outstanding dish. Here, the wonderfully crispy skin/crackling of the suckling pig gave way to meat that was tender and just melted in the mouth. The accompanying small but succulent pulled pork bonbon was delicious especially when eaten with the plums, the sweet whole roasted carrot and the ribbons of slightly crunchy cabbage. This was really clever cooking.

 

Suckling Pig

I love desserts and my Mille Feuille of Blood Peach, Pistachio & Vanilla Ice-Cream did not disappoint. I will admit that I have never tried blood peaches before but I was won over by their slight tartness which prevented this dessert from being overly sweet. The peaches were poached and served sandwiched with a lovely crème patissière between layers of crispy buttery puff pastry. The accompanying vanilla ice-cream was velvety smooth whilst a pistachio praline crumb provided textural contrast.

 

A cheese course of Whipped Fivemiletown Goat’s Cheese, Prune & Rosemary Bread was my dining companion’s choice to finish off the meal. This was not a traditional cheese board but instead was presented almost like a dessert in a bowl with some poached pear and a pear purée. A drizzle of honey and a restrained swirl of a balsamic vinegar reduction completed the dish which was served with a mini loaf of bread. We both loved it.
 

Mille Feuille

John and Sandy Wyer bring a Nordic sensibility to the food that they serve in Forest Avenue but it remains food that is very much rooted in all that is Irish. Commonplace ingredients are treated with respect and with an inherent understanding of how they can be creatively used to thrill diners.

 

What I liked so much about Forest Avenue was its lack of pretension or self-consciousness. There is nothing smug or self-congratulatory about the food served. Under John the kitchen operates with a sense of focused calm and determination which is apparent on every plate of food served. Service is relaxed but attentive without being obtrusive and added to our enjoyment of the meal.



Prune & Rosemary Bread

For me, dining in Forest Avenue was like falling in love. I was enthralled and won over from my very first mouthful. The food that I ate left me tingling with excitement. Everything tasted so intensely of itself and there were times during my meal where I felt like my palate was being awakened from a very long sleep. There was something almost magical about the whole experience which left me totally smitten and eager to return.

 

Our bill for the meal plus optional gratuity came to €95 which included two White Ports with Tonic and a bottle of sparkling water.
 

Forest Avenue

8 Sussex Terrace

Dublin 4

 

Telephone: 01-6678337

Website: www.forestavenuerestaurant.ie

Opening Hours:

Closed: Mondays & Tuesdays.

Lunch: Wednesday – Friday 12pm-2pm.

Dinner: Residents’ Menu available on Wednesdays & Thursday evenings only.

5 course Tasting Menu is available Wednesday – Saturday.

Brunch: Sunday 12pm – 2.30pm

 

This review first appeared in TheTaste.ie

 

Whipped Goat's Cheese

Autumn Apple Cake

For me, nothing beats the bounty of autumn’s natural larder and here in Ireland we are particularly blessed with the great produce that is on offer at this time of year.

I especially love picking blackberries from the hedgerows and watching as the apples start to ripen on the trees in my garden. Autumn is also a great time for game and as the season progresses there is more and more of it available. This is a time for hearty stews, hot soups and substantial puddings – foods that are warming and comforting to eat.

The abundance of the autumn months has a profound effect on my general sense of well-being and brings my passion for cooking and experimenting with food to the fore. As the days get shorter, I feel compelled to produce dishes that are nourishing but cheer me up as.

 

I usually use cooking apples in this cake but you could also use tart eating apples. I have a couple of Bramley apple trees in my garden but I find that have struggled to produce fruit whereas the other apple varieties that I have are laden with fruit each year. Although I would have preferred to have used some of my own home-grown apples I had to make do with some Bramleys that I bought in my local fruit and veg shop. This didn’t take away from the flavour of the finished cake which was magnificent.

 

This is one of those cakes that is lovely served slightly warm and demands to be eaten with a hot cup of strong tea. It keeps incredibly well but if it lasts more than a couple of days it benefits from being warmed up in a low oven for 10 minutes or so before serving.

 

The apples do release some moisture during baking so it can be tricky to judge when it is done using the trusty ‘skewer inserted into the centre of the cake’ method but if you follow my timings and use the same sized cake-tin that I did, you should be rewarded with a lovely moist cake which is baked all the way through.

 

If you like you can add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the cake batter when mixing – the smell of the spice as the cake bakes is heavenly!

Ingredients:

450g cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
Juice of ½ lemon
Cake:
225g butter, softened

280g caster sugar

4 large eggs

340g self-raising flour

½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

2 tsp vanilla extract

To finish:

2tblsp caster sugar

2tblsp of apricot jam
 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4. Grease the inside of a 20cm round spring-form with butter and line the base with a circle of non-stick baking paper and set aside.

2. Place the apples in a bowl and pour in the lemon juice to prevent the apples from discolouring. Gently toss the apples so that they are coated in the apple juice. Set aside.

3. Place the butter and caster sugar in a large mixing bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, mixing well after each addition.

4. Sieve the flour and cinnamon (if using) together and fold into the creamed mixture, making sure that it is well incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract making sure that it is well mixed in.

5. Spoon half of the mixture into the prepared tin and spread it out evenly. Place half the sliced apples on top, spreading them out so that they sit in an even layer.

6. Top with the remaining cake batter, again spreading it out evenly so that it covers the layer of apples. You don’t have to be too particular about this as the cake mixture will spread as the cake bakes. Finally top with the remaining apples, placing them in an attractive design on top of the cake. Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of caster sugar.

7. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes and then reduce the heat to 160C/ Fan Oven 140C/ Gas Mark 2 and cover loosely with some tin foil. Bake for a further 30-35 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes before removing.

To finish:

9. Place the apricot jam in a small saucepan with 2 tablespoons of water. Bring up to the boil and allow bubble for 1 minute. Pass through a sieve into a small clean bowl. Discard the contents of the sieve. Brush the heated and sieved jam over the top of the cake.

NOTE: The cake can be served warm or allowed to cool completely.
 

Serves 10-12.

Cheese Scones

These scones are the perfect accompaniment to most of the soups on this blog but work particularly well with my Roasted Tomato Soup. Like many of the recipes that I give they are quick and easy to make using everyday ingredients. Even though I love sweet scones, there is something about these scones that is so addictive and perfect for when you want something that is deeply savoury and satisfying to eat.

 

I have used a strong, mature cheddar and a little parmesan in the scones but you can use any hard cheese that you fancy. You can also vary the flavour by adding chives, thyme or other fresh herbs. Sometimes I like to include some chopped spring onions in addition to the cheese and I find that this also works well with the Roasted Tomato Soup.
 

Ingredients:

250g self-raising flour
½tsp English mustard powder

50g cold butter, cubed

50g mature cheddar cheese, finely grated

25g Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1 large egg, lightly beaten

140ml whole milk

To finish:

25g mature cheddar cheese, finely grated
 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan Oven 180C/Gas Mark 6. Line a large baking tray with some non-stick baking parchment and set aside.

2. Sift the flour and mustard powder into a large mixing bowl and add the cubed butter. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the cheeses and mix through making sure that everything is evenly distributed.

3. Make a well in the centre and add the egg followed by the milk. Mix everything together with a fork to form a soft dough. Tip out on to a clean work-surface, lightly dusted with flour and knead briefly.

4. Roll out to a thickness of 2-2½cms and using a 5cm round cookie cutter stamp out rounds from the dough. Place onto the prepared baking tray.

5. Re-knead the remaining dough briefly and repeat the rolling and stamping process until all the dough is used. Scatter the grated cheddar cheese over the scones and bake in the pre-heated oven for 9-11 minutes or until the scones are well risen and golden brown.

Makes 10-12.

 

Roasted Tomato Soup

I sometimes wonder whether I actually gave birth to my three children!

 

I find it astonishing that I could have produced offspring who are such fussy eaters. I eat everything and love trying new things. I’m also quite a good home cook and regularly try out new dishes which I hope that they will like but, more often than not, such culinary creativity is met with disdain and a barrage of complaints along the lines of “why can’t you cook NORMAL food?” The list of vegetables they don’t like is lengthy which I find hard to comprehend as I can’t think of any that I detest. I seriously wonder whether there was some mix-up in the hospital and that they were switched at birth? These things do happen.

 

The one thing that my gang loves is homemade vegetable soup which is great as it is a way of getting them to increase their veg intake. I find that I can include a whole range of vegetables that they would normally never touch in the soups that I make for them.

 

The key thing when making a homemade soup is to use a good stock as the foundation of your stock. This can be a vegetable or chicken stock. In an ideal world homemade stock is preferable but to be honest there are a lot of good commercial versions readily available. I tend to roast a couple of chickens at the weekend and use the leftover carcasses to make a flavoursome stock but I have also been known to use proprietary brand ‘stock pots’.

 

Although I tend to make Cream of Vegetable Soup most often, I also like to make this Roasted Tomato Soup which goes down a treat with my gang. Roasting the tomatoes brings out their natural sweetness which makes this soup irresistible. Simple garnished with a swirl of olive oil or a few fresh basil leaves.

 

Ten or fifteen minutes before the tomatoes are due to come out of the oven  I like to mix up a quick batch of Cheese Scones which I pop in to bake after I remove the tomatoes. They really are the perfect accompaniment to the soup and are also incredibly easy to make.
 

Ingredients:

To roast the tomatoes:
1.5kg ripe tomatoes

5 cloves of garlic, peeled

3tblsp olive oil

A large pinch of sugar

For the soup:

3tblsp olive oil

2 medium onions, sliced

1 fresh red chilli, sliced

2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

400ml chicken stock (or vegetable)

100ml double cream

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
 

Method:

To roast the tomatoes:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Toss the tomatoes and garlic in the olive oil and tumble into a large roasting dish. Sprinkle over the sugar, season with seal salt and freshly ground black pepper and roast in the oven for one hour, giving them a shake half way through the cooking time.

To make the soup:

3. Place a large saucepan over a moderate heat and add the olive oil. Once it has heated up add the onions, chilli, celery and carrots and fry gently, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes until softened but not coloured.

4. Add the roasted tomatoes and garlic, followed by the stock and add 250ml water. Bring up to the boil and then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Use a blender to purée the contents of the saucepan and then strain the soup into a clean saucepan. Place over a moderate heat and warm the soup up.

5. Add the cream and stir through. Once the soup Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve.

Serves 6.