Patrick Guilbaud (Dublin, IRELAND) ★★★★☆

When I first told one of my colleagues that I would be visiting Dublin, his first reaction - "bring an umbrella!". Perhaps I should trust him more since he is from UK after all.

After a few rainy days in a roll, our mood was at an all-time low and what better way to boost our morale by visiting the most award-winning restaurant in Ireland and the only one with two Michelin stars.

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud is often labeled as the best restaurant in Ireland. Located in the charming Merrion Hotel on Upper Merrion Street, it has the perfect setting to be one of the best fine dining destinations in Europe.

We were running a little late with our 2pm reservation but much to our surprise, the dining room was almost empty the moment we arrived. But soon after we settled down, the dining room started to fill out and by 2:30pm, it was totally packed.

I guess the locals like to eat late?

Our amuse bouche was a mille feuille with mango, crab meat and avocado cream on top. I must admit they have made quite a strong impression on us with this dish. The taste of each ingredient was very well-balanced and though not as sophisticated as some amuse bouche you might see in other Michelin starred eateries, you could tell this was a well thought course that came from a talented kitchen.

My starter came next and it was a silky smooth langoustine bisque with a crispy prawn spring roll.

Ham hock terrine was another fairly impressive dish and that said a lot coming from someone who's not keen on terrines. The garnish with a red onion confit and toasted sour dough was also a pretty wise choice.

For main course, I picked their loin of veal which was nicely wrapped in a thin slice of pancetta. The sauce was finished with a mixture of salsify, spinach, cep and jus tranche.

The overall technique in preparing this dish was almost flawless although marks have been significantly deducted on the texture of the veal.

Our other main course, roasted breast of wild pigeon, was also less impressive comparing to the starters. While we liked the idea of serving the pigeon with almond milk, sweet potato and cherry jus, the pigeon did look a little overcooked.

Onto dessert we went and it was a nice sweet-and-sour finish. The coconut and peach verrine provided contrasting flavors to our palates, which were refreshing and savory.

Definitely the best meal we had on this Ireland trip hands down!

Food Rating: 7/10

Price: €€€€

Address: 21 Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2, Ireland

Tel: +353 1 676-4192

Website: www.restaurantpatrickguilbaud.ie/