Oscar's Bistro Restaurant Review
© February 2006 issue
Oscar's Bistro, Main Street, Duleek
041 9882566
Oscars is a new restaurant on the main
street of Duleek. The moment we walked into it, I was reminded of one of those
friendly Chicago Sunday brunch family restaurants. There is a tradition in many
American cities of the extended family meeting in a restaurant maybe once a
month, maybe or less often, but you’d have all the uncles and aunts and
especially the cousins catching up with each other. The patron of the restaurant
would know first names of at least some of the group.
The type of place were you might find
groups of 10 or more people all sitting at long tables or snugs yet no one
family group interfering with all the other diners. So when our small group of
four entered Oscar’s on a Saturday night in mid January, I was pleasantly
surprised to see several large different age groups at three tables. And there
were probably more too as the restaurant is L shaped; it is situated in a corner
building with windows to the street at the front and side, and I couldn’t see
around the inside corner.
 I
noticed the large groupings first as the restaurant was packed to the rafters. A
promising sign then, the product offering must be pretty decent. But it wasn’t
just large full tables, there were plenty of couples and groups of four - as we
were that night - in the restaurant as well, several of the ladies dressed in
little black dresses, so perhaps Oscars is a location for the special occasion.
Despite our reservation for 9pm, we had
to wait about three minutes to be seated, so full was the place. It bustled and
buzzed. Our congenial friends that evening were a French couple who knew not a
little about food.
We were assigned to a corner table by
the back wall with a fine view of the restaurant. A friendly waitress had menus
at the ready. The menu read well. It was not hard to find a few dishes we wanted
to try. Starters ranged in price from €3.95 to €5.95. They included Thai fish
cakes, Brie wedges, tossed salads and jumbo prawns. Two Brie were selected, one
salad and one prawns.
The waitress came for the wine order.
We still weren’t ready. The Frenchman professed to not know much about wine. An
Australian wine then I suggested. Non! They do not travel well. They are
metallic, ungenerous, the vines are spoilt. When a Frenchman says he doesn’t
know much about wines, it obviously means something different to an Irishman not
knowing much.
Time had passed and the attentive
waitress returned for the wine order not realising the complexity of the
negotiations. By now the debate raged about whether to go for a South African or
Argentinean wine. The Lo Tengo South American red won on the basis that none of
us had ever had Argentinean wine before and we were not afraid to try something
new.
Luckily as the starters arrived
immediately. The plates were well presented. The Brie
looked good; fresh Brie pieces bedded and deep fried, served with a tossed salad
and sweet red currant chilli. The portions were generous and it tasted as good
as it looked. Unfortunately the jumbo prawns which the wine expert ordered
numbered only five, swimming in a large sea of delicious sauce. Disappointment
was writ large on his face. They tasted lovely but each one was eaten with a
look of despair at the shrinking portion. In contrast the salad was a lovely
full, filling, well mixed portion.
When the wine arrived, the label
diverted our attention. This bottle had an atmospheric black-and-white
photograph of a couple’s legs - knee to toe only - dancing the tango on a paved
street. By using what is called lenticular technology, a bit like a holograph in
three dimensions, the picture 'moves' when you move. So as you sway your head in
front of the bottle, or walk past it in the supermarket aisles, it seems as
though the couple really are dancing, hence the name lo tengo or, 'I've got it'.
The wine expert later peeled off the label for his collection.
Much to everyone’s pleasant surprise,
the wine was a hit and the label was a nice talking point. But it didn’t divert
us from the main courses. On offer in the menu were the standard range of
offerings from steaks, chicken dishes, fish and a small vegetarian selection.
They were priced from €15.95 to €19.95.
I had ordered a fillet steak. This
arrived as a 300g, (10oz) nice large cut of meat, beautifully cooked. Again my
French reviewer had been dismayed to hear me order the steak well done. How
could I when we have such beautiful steak in Ireland? I like my meat well cooked
was the reply. Apparently a well done steak in France is the equivalent of a
medium steak in Ireland. The steak in front of me looked huge, and when cut, had
a hint of red interior. It came with a baked potato and garlic butter which
packed a very powerful punch. My blood was thinned for a week afterward. It all
tasted delicious and I was the last to finish.
 Madame
had ordered a Thai (chicken) Green Curry which was served on crispy wavers. It
too was very tasty although Madame soon pointed out that the menu said nothing
about it being very hot. Our lady guest had chosen a crispy roasted duck with a
kumquat and Grand Marnier sauce. It was bedded on champ mash. This too met with
quiet approval and a clean plate. It is hard to resist Grand Marnier in any of
its forms.
The Frenchman was presented with
Chicken Murphy, a breast of chicken in a traditional sauce of Guinness and Irish
whiskey, served with rosti potatoes. It looked and tasted very good but somehow
I got the distinct feeling that he would have preferred larger portions.
The serving staff wore beautifully
co-ordinated uniforms. All wore gold ties while some wore white shirts with a
black apron and others wore a white apron with black shirts. Our waitress was
very friendly and chatty. The service was attentive yet unobtrusive. The tables
behind us were in constant motion as the evening went on as a lot of the tables
which had been groups of four had now been taken over by couples. There was a
very good mix of different age spans.
Eventually I finished and the Dessert
menus were offered. I knew for sure my French friend would be partaking. The
desserts were €4.50 to €4.95. They included sticky toffee pudding served in a
carmel sauce, selection of cream strawberry gateau, double chocolate cake,
symphony of desserts, Baileys Irish cream cheesecake, apple and berry crumble.
Madame went for the sticky toffee
pudding which was surprisingly light. Full from the steak, I opted for a sambuca
as a digestif. It was exactly what was required after such a full meal. Monsieur
from France had chosen the Bailey’s cheesecake, which apart from all the whipped
cream on the top, was marked “great” at last. The symphony of desserts was the
last dessert ordered and as expected, we all got to try some. They included
Profiteroles, fruit tart, strawberry ice cream, chocolate, pear and chocolate
and lemon tart.
The Frenchman’s final verdict? The
portions were a bit uneven. There was no bread on the table to act as a filler.
Apart from that, good. The final price which everyone remembered to pay this
time, was €137.45 for four. Our final verdict, well worth the drive and I look
forward to going back for a brunch one fine weekend.
| 
The
Meath Coaster
