Poulot’s

Tres chic
this elegant venue was, in a previous incarnation, Ernie’s, one of Dublin’s few good restaurants back in the days when Ireland had more in common with communist Poland than four shared letters. Secreted in a lane behind Kiely’s pub, it was a place in which the party apparatchiks dined their sub-rosa squeezes. We’ve been fans of Jean-Michel Poulot since his tenure of Halo in the Morrison Hotel, in its heyday the temple of tall, tortured food with Jean-Michel as high priest. Nobody did houses of edible cards or pylons of spun sugar better. Nowadays food has subsided to a lateral plane and M. Poulot does bas relief with the best. His empathy with fish, in particular, is total; on a recent visit we were enchanted by both the tuna and the John Dory. The bold wine list, compiled by J-M’s wife, Lorna Jean, has plenty of choice to complement the fine food. Finally, the dining room, looking out on  a courtyard, is Zen-like in its ability to calm. Pricey. Mulberry Garden, Donnybrook, Dublin 4. 269 3300, www.poulots.ie