Modern European fine dining cuisine is what Chef Andrew Walsh and his team create but fret not, the atmosphere in the restaurant is not the stuffy sort.
We had the Business Set Lunch on our first visit, less than a fortnight into their launch. For our main, we could pick monkfish or quail, while dessert was either a yogurt or chocolate based one. Do note there isn't an a la carte menu so choice is rather limited.
Once we'd ordered, the warm, friendly staff brought out a mini sack containing slices of mixed seed sourdough bread slices with small bowls of whipped bacon butter (this was amazing!) and piquant, crunchy fermented cabbage. All made in-house mind you.
Shortly after, a platter with three types of loveliness arrived: a deepfried cube with lava-like sweet creamed corn within, a leaf on which sat a Galway Bay Oyster, beef tartare and oyster leaf mayo, and last but not least, a piece of crisped teriyaki chicken skin with pickled ginger. This was, not surprisingly, my favourite course of the entire meal.
Next up, a bowl of housemade ricotta dressed with tender asparagus, milkskin and Comte cheese. Lovely but not particularly mind-blowing.
My artistically plated (but quite small-portioned) main course of monkfish had an Asian element of sesame. The sweetness of the accompanying root vegetables was pleasant but other than that, I didn't find the dish as a whole, all that spectacular. Perhaps it's because I prefer robust flavours and had picked the dish designed for someone with a more delicate palette. Oh well...
Fortunately, the chocolate, orange and honeycomb dessert was more up my alley. Besides the playful mix of textures, I also liked how the citrus note contrasted with the richness of the chocolate. Having said that, I stole a bite of my dining partner's dessert--the yogurt--and didn't stop. Admittedly, I fell even harder for that.
I was looking forward to ending my meal with a cappuccino but alas, it was not to be. Cure, rather oddly, does not serve coffee. The reason given was their focus is on aperitifs and wine. I guess there's always the option of popping into The Lokal just around the corner to grab one.
The staff also shared with me their plans to change their menu monthly, so diners can always look forward to something new.