Shelbourne Social, Dylan McGrath's Manhattan style, super high end restaurant in Ballsbridge opened to the public last week, with every luxury food ingredient you can think of, leather dining tables and some very punchy prices - their €120 steak was quite the talk of social media.
The menu is most definitely unlike anything else currently on offer in the city, and while it's not anchored to any one cuisine, there are some jaw-dropping dishes on there - both in description and price. Wagyu beef on crispy potatoes with sesame, garlic, hot sauce and crème fraîche will set you back €45, you can get a pot of whole roasted duck with confit leg, citrus pancakes, preserved lemon, bitter leaves and rice for the princely sum of €90, or the aforementioned 35 day dry-aged rib eye with pickled red onion, fried chard and Café de Paris Hollandaise for €120. All to share apparently. Phew.
The menu is pretty extensive, with crudo (raw), nearly cooked, fish and meat sections, and there are less expensive options too, if you're one of those unlucky people paying Dublin rents, like soba noodles with brown shrimp, prawn and Thai basil for €15, and cacio e pepe pasta for €18. They're also adding a bar menu soon which should be on the more affordable side.
We have a serious gaze on the 'hot curd bread' section, which is being described as being like an Irish potato bread made with sheep and goat's curds, cooked like a large pancake and served with different options, from foie gras with poached plum, Riesling and pine nuts to caviar and seaweed butter. Please god let these taste as good as they sound.
The interior, described as old fashioned American, is proper swank, with leather topped tables, Italian marble and a mezzanine cocktail bar. There are several dining areas, and we're being promised intimate niches in the restaurant and the cocktail area upstairs.
Shelbourne Social is on the corner of the new No. 1 Ballsbridge development on Shelbourne road, and we're pretty sure the residents of the five-star luxury apartments above will be regular customers. It's a 5 minute walk to the Aviva Stadium and a 10 minute talk to the RDS, and in a part of town that's not exactly bursting with good eateries it's great to see another quality sounding option opening up.
This is the sixth restaurant and bar from McGrath's restaurant group Prime Steak Ltd, which also includes Fade Street Social, Rustic Stone, Bonsai Bar, Taste and Brasserie Sixty 6. This latest opening has cost a reported €3 million - they'll need to sell a lot of €120 steaks to make that back.
Shelbourne Social is open now for dinner from Monday - Saturday, with lunch to follow in a week's time. Bookings can be made through their website below.
Shelbourne Social
Unit 1, 1 Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
Mon - Sat 17.00 - 22:00. From 12th of December, Wed - Sat 12:00 - 15:00 also.
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