Due to location, dining in Ranelagh isn’t something I do very often. I have however passed through many a time on a drive out to Dundrum, and always commented on the amount of dining options in the area. Everything looks so fancy!
As of last December, my non-Ranelagh dining experiences took a turn for the better. Since joining Zomato I have now tried two restaurants there at our meetups, and neither have disappointed. The most recent Zomato event was at La Resérve, located on Ranelagh’s main street.
That particular day it had been snowing; so it was freezing and generally rotten outside. To be welcomed into the very cosy La Resérve, warmly lit by candlelight in every corner was the perfect spot to defrost and catch up with other food bloggers and Zomato team.
We were greeted with champagne and canapés before sitting down to our tasting menu for the evening. Each place setting included the menu presented in scroll to keep track of what would be coming at us for the night.
The first course was organic smoked salmon, buckwheat and herbed crème fraîche. Such beautiful presentation and anything with salmon gets good reviews from me.
Our second course was frogs legs. I’ve never had frogs legs before, so I was pretty excited! Served in watercress soup; the course was so light that it felt more like a palate cleanser. I was hoping my first frog leg experience would involve garlic and plenty of butter but this was a nice twist and not too overwhelming with so many courses ahead.
The third course was confit of quail with aubergine purée and oxtail and sherry vinegar. The meat was rich in flavour (as were the accompaniments) and very gamey for such a small bird.
The next course was my favourite; rosemary and garlic infused rump of lamb with white beans and sweet pepper. The perfect comfort food on such a cold evening!
Next up was Roquefort cheese in a walnut crumb, with pear confit. I normally (regretfully!) forgo cheese courses as they can be heavy but this was the perfect amount and the walnut subdued the sharp flavour of the cheese.
Our final course was a beautifully presented dessert of a pistachio biscuit with a dark chocolate mousse, orange fruit salad and the best champagne sorbet I have ever tasted.
At the end of the meal we were honoured to meet the chef owner himself, Jérôme Fernandes, who is an incredibly pleasant, passionate and an all-around lovely guy.
La Resérve is a great little bistro, perfect for a date, anniversary or a small family gathering. Parking in Ranelagh can be difficult but La Resérve is a 2 minute walk from the Luas if you’re visiting from the city.
For more information, click here for La Resérve’s website.
La Resérve
53 Ranelagh Village
Dublin 6
+353 (0) 1 4968825
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