I would like to thank members of the LCSG for launching this initiative with ITICA. I availed of the offer today at lunchtime in an unusual location for fishānāchips, The Grafton Lounge in Royal Hibernian Way was the venue.
Food Quality: Fish wasnāt a huge size but it was fresh, cooked to perfection and was coated in a an excellent batter. The chips were skinny but homemade with bits of the skin left on while the mushy peas had a good hint of mint. This came with a caper and lemon mayonnaise that was sensational. 4.5
Value for money: ā¬5.95 for fish and chips which would be half the normal price. However as the meal was so pleasant I also decided to order a cappuccino which came in at ā¬3 which left a bitter taste in the mouth. The price not the cappuccino itself. 4
Service: Excellent. The minute I sat down the waiter was straight over and I told him straight away I wanted the fish and chips without even looking at the menu. It was served promptly and once I had finished there was no hassle to leave and thatās when I decided to indulge in the coffee. 5
Facilities: Itās a wanker bar but was well laid out. Irish Times supplied which was also a nice touch. 4
Overall: A pleasant surprise. They sold out of the special by 1:30pm. There was also a serious amount of hot looking women in the place. Probably secretaries/PAs/receptionists from the surrounding offices on Dawson St. 4
Other notes: Upon my departure I walked into the path of the farmerās protest turning onto Molesworth St. Some amount of boggers with effective chanting such as:
āUp Leitrimā
āUp the farmersā and
āWe fed the Queen and we fed Obamaā
I also spotted Charlie Bird hurrying down Dawson street with a copy of the Irish Times under his arm. I thought about putting hm in the Celebs Spot thread as he had no news reporting paraphanelia but he turned swiftly onto Molesworth St in the direction of the Dail so I assume he was meeting the news technical crew down at Leinster House.
Thatās a good review right there Spidey, sounds like you enjoyed yourself. Regarding the potential celeb spot of Charlie Bird, i can kill two birds with the one stone here and advise on that as well as it is now also part of my duties. Charlie wasnāt in the act of work when you saw him and provided he passes the other criteria for valid celeb spots, such as no scarves, iām sure you have a spot on your hands thereā¦
Food quality: 4
The chips were fresh, home-cut and from real potatoes. They were flawless really. As per the rules i also sampled two battered sausages. These were splendid, far superior to any battered sausage iāve had in rival eateries. The only reason i havenāt awarded a 5 is that i like my bag of chips to be thoroughly soaked with vinegar throughout. When asked would i like salt n vineger, i nodded approvingly. The attendant was too liberal in my opinion with the bottle and to my horror neglected to shake the bag, the result being that only the top half of my chips had received the vinegar, the bottom of the bag being bone dry.
Value for money: 5
ā¬5.60 for a large bag of chips, two battered sausages and a can of 7up to quench my thirst. This is very competitively priced for the area considering the quality of the product and the current economic clmate. I applaud Luigiās on this front.
Staff appraisal: 2
The two lady attendantās were non-nationalās, and to the best of my knowledge non-Italianās too. I think in light of the high rate of unemployment in the mid-west area at present, it would have been a nice touch if Luigiās had employed some local workers to keep some of the work in the locality. This is something that the likes of Fuscoās in Garryowen has embraced so to me itās unacceptable that Luigiās havenāt followed suit. Also, neither of the two lady attendantās were wearing low-cut tops. Again, a few marks deducted for this.
Efficiency of service: 5
I canāt fault them on their speed of service. The whole process was over in less than two minutes.
Facilites overview: 3
Ultra clean facilities, a few nice paintings on the wall. Marks deducted for lack of reading material however
As Iām in the city Im going to do a bit of work for the group and review a chipper this evening. I can only pick one as I havnāt enough room left in my gut to go around the town. Is there anywhere we need an urgent review? Otherwise Iām just going to Fredaās.
Donkeyās would be good. I went there for the first time in years a few months back and I must say I felt the standard had dropped alarmingly. It would be good to know whether I just hit it on an off night or not.
I was in Donkeys a mere number of weeks ago and i can confirm that all is very well. No need to review Donkeys FFS. Get over to Luigis TRE, itās been a while since we checked up on themā¦
Back from Donkeys and tucking into a large chip and cod. She was mean enough with the portion and didnāt but near half enough vinegar on them despite me asking for extra. The cod is also below par for the establishment. Soggy batter and may have been cooked for some time. This is bad news if the HQ of the group is dropping itās standards. Iām considering a letter expressing my worrying thoughts.
Not all negatives from my visit there though, I got parking right outside the door and was in and out in under 3 minutes.
I may have to call into Enzos soon if I remain peckish.
Was up strolling around the market and decided to pop into Cafe Lazio for a bag of chips.
A fairly middling experience unfortunately.
The chips were soggy, with the tell tale black specs on them from dirty oil.
I asked for āplentyā of salt and vinegar and the lady lashed on the salt but only gave a splash of vinegar.
I didnāt finish the bag.
Also during my considerable waiting time I saw two customers return incorrect orders.
That shit might wash in Dublin or Cork, but on the Limerick scale I am giving it a fairly miserable.
When I was based in Limerick, Iād often stroll around the market of a saturday and treat my self to a sausage (of the batterred variety) and chips from the Lazio.
+1 used to be the best in town in my book, havenāt been in about 2 years though. Their burgers were second to none. Iām deeply saddened by this news.
Perhaps they deserve a 2nd visit before they are removed from the TFKLCSG Offical Guide Book? While we demand consistency, itās possible for a place to be having an off day.
While on a stroll around town I decided to indulge in a bag of chips from Enzoās.
The results were spectacular.
Enzoās - William St, 10/11/11
Chip quality: 5
Absolutely faultless. The chips were fresh, thick but fluffy in the middle with a nice crispy exterior. An exhibition of chip making.
Value for money:4
ā¬2.20 for a regular chip. No complaints.
Staff appraisal: 4
Prompt but without being overly friendly. Measured the salt and vinegar to perfection.
Efficiency of service: 5
The whole transaction was conducted in under a minute
Overall: 4.5
After my shocking visit to Cafe Lazio my faith in Limerick Chippers has been restored.
Fantastic chips. I see Enzoās having a big say in proceedings when the end of year gongs are being handed out.
