Nestled between South Great George’s Street and the trendy Drury Street is Fade Street Social by Dylan McGrath. The venue has always been a popular spot for dining or cocktails in the bustling Creative Quarter area of Dublin City Centre.  One of the reasons we love going to Fade Street Social is you know you are guaranteed a great dining experience with the added extra of not having to head somewhere else for an after-dinner cocktail. You can simply walk upstairs and out onto Fade Street Social’s beautiful roof top garden. 

Since reopening post lockdown Dylan and the kitchen team have implemented a new menu with some truly tasty dishes to try. We started with the Chicken Liver & Duck Parfait (€13.50)which is served with thinly sliced bresaola, poached apricots, chutney, and toasted sourdough with roasted almonds. The silky-smooth parfait was delicious and was perfectly complemented by the red onion chutney and soft roasted apricots to give that hint of sweetness. Adding to this the crunchiness of toasted sourdough bread resulted in a truly divine flavor sensation. For us, the parfait was the standout dish of the meal. Our second starter was the Cod (€13.00). Two Deep Fried Salt Cod Brandade Balls delicately topped with a half quail egg sitting on a thinly sliced piece of chorizo and served with a red pepper coulis. The fresh cod emulsion in the crispy croquet ball and quail egg is a delicate taste, but the addition of the chorizo and pepper coulis gives a Spanish/Mexican kick that excites your palette. 

For our main dishes we had the Seabream (€23.00). The delicate white fish was coated in a light, crispy beer and honey batter and served with peas and broad beans with a warm gribiche sauce. We also had the slow cooked smoked and soy Glazed Baby Back Pork Ribs. (€22.50). The succulent, fall off the bone, meat was delicious.  We’ve had pork ribs many times but the flavours here were different, it could be the marinade, it could be the soy glaze but whatever it is it works!  

After such hearty mains we hardly had room for desserts, but we were tempted by the Summer Fruits Sundae (€9.00) and Fade Street Chocolate Brulee Cake (€9.00).The brulee was everything you would expect, it was rich, chocolaty, and gooey in the center, a dessert you don’t want to share! The sundae was bursting with raspberries, strawberries, sticky caramel, crumbly biscuit, soft ice-cream and topped with sweet Chantilly cream. Included in the summer fruits sundae was Umeboshi (pickled Japanese plumb), which was unusual flavour for us but equally delicious and brought a tangy zest to all the sweetness of this dessert. 

We ate inside, on the ground floor restaurant but decided to have our desserts and some cocktails upstairs, in the roof garden. We were delighted with our decision to move to the rooftop as it was a beautifully mild evening outside, providing the perfect ambience for enjoying a Margarita and a Passion Fruit Martini. Whether you’ve been to Fade Street Social in the past or haven’t yet had the opportunity, now is a great time to visit to try this new vibrant and exciting new menu and experience Dylan McGrath’s exploration of flavors and tastes. 

WRITTEN BY ABIGAIL FOX CARROLL & CLYDE CARROLL