Refuel: Koh * * *
7 Jervis Street, Millennium Walkway, Dublin 1
Tel: 018146777
Koh
7 Jervis Street, Millennium Walkway, Dublin 1
Tel: 018146777
Friday May 22 2009
I had a minor private victory this week: I finally managed to faze my normally unflappable friend, the Foodie. Usually, he's as cool as the other side of the pillow, but when I asked him to accompany me for this week's Refuel column, he collapsed into a hyper-ventilating, hand-fluttering tizzy, hopping from one foot to the next, exclaiming "OMG" over and over.
You see, for several years, the Foodie has had the biggest teenage girl crush on this column's redoubtable chatelaine. When we first met, he would spend hours grilling me for details on Ms Flannery (what she's like, what's her home address), and, on the odd occasion that I have covered this column, he's looked at me with barely concealed disdain, before spitting out a withering putdown like, 'you're not fit to moisten the tip of Her pen, lackey!'
Long story short, he's a big fan, so the idea of finally appearing on this page is a dream come true, even if it's with me. The mission at hand this week was to visit Koh in the bustling Millennium Quarter, a stylish Asian/Thai restaurant that came with glowing recommendations from the few friends with any disposable income left after Lootin' Lenihan eviscerated their pay packets.
We went on a Tuesday evening, and I thought the place would be quiet. Within an hour, the restaurant was three-quarters full (recession, how are ya?). Upon arrival, the Foodie and I got comfortable in the chairs in the outside lounge and pounced on the extensive cocktail list (we're good that way).
There are at least two dozen options, priced between e8.75 and e10, all made from scratch with fresh ingredients. After polishing off a delicious vodka and strawberry-based Pomegranate Mountie and a tart Midori-lined Nakata, we made our way into the main dining room, which is sparsely decorated, with two long tables in the centre to facilitate group dining, and smaller, more private booths along the sides. For starters, I ordered mussels (e7.50), at least two-fifths of which were unopened, alas, but they came in a wonderfully salty and tangy basil, lemongrass and chilli broth that made up for any other shortcomings. The Foodie, meanwhile, opted for the chewy and crispy soft-shell crab (e9.75), which was very tasty, but its presentation was poor, and its side salad of papaya, tomatoes and cucumber seemed a drab afterthought.
Both being ravenous foodbags, we also got two portions of the Tom Kha Gai soup (e5.75), comprised of chicken, mushroom, lemongrass and coconut. It was creamy with a nice kick, and I liked it, but the Foodie said the taste reminded him of Campbell's condensed soup. We'd have to agree to disagree on that.
For mains, I had the Phad Thai with chicken and noodles (e13.50) -- the bacon and cabbage of Thai cuisine -- and I wasn't disappointed. It's always a fairly busy dish, but this was wonderfully sweet and nutty (a little like myself), offset with lime juice and tamarind sauce. Impressive. The Foodie ordered the Red duck curry (e18.50) with rice. The curry sauce was extremely good, but the duck was insanely over-cooked and devoid of any taste or texture. A mixed bag, definitely.
The waiting staff were helpful and personable from the start. However, the service dipped after we got our mains, as their attention was diverted by a large party. It was a struggle to order dessert, but once we had, the waiter had our divinely sticky and yummy cashew-nut brownie (e6.50) and coffees out to us in record time. Plus, they thoughtfully split the dessert in half without us having to ask. Good save, guys.
On the whole, we left Koh satisfied, but our dishes were a bit uneven and some of them could do with a little work presentation-wise. However, while it remains relatively pricey, Koh has the trappings for a very enjoyable night out. Aingeala, the Foodie says he'll take you there any time you want.
- Declan Cashin
