When James Sheridan and Soizic Humbert started Canteen in Blackrock Market, in the premises now occupied by Heron & Grey, the tiny kitchen limited James Sheridan to a set menu and a very small number of guests.
Since they re-located to a larger and lovelier space in Celbridge in 2016, everything at Canteen has been taken up a notch. The menu is still short, but now there is choice, and there will be something on it to appeal to everyone, from the plain eaters to those in search of something more adventurous. Dishes appear on both lunch and dinner menus so, whether you are catching up with friends over dinner or enjoying Sunday lunch with friends, the choices will be equally appealing.
Three or four choices are offered on each course (lunch and early dinners menus being slightly shorter) so a curious group of four might manage to eat every dish on the menu - which, in summer, could mean everything from a simple heritage tomato, mozzarella and artichoke salad with basil pesto, to a summery pea soup topped with a poached duck's egg and shards of duck confit to (a favourite) charred mackerel with an oyster emulsion, Granny Smith apple, cucumber and radish.
For main courses there might be confit shoulder of lamb with the depth of flavour that only comes from long and slow cooking; accompanied perhaps by a little sweetbread, fondant potato, leeks and charred grelot onion. Sheridan serves a tranche of just-cooked cod with bouillabaisse sauce, fregola, confit tomato and juicy bread-crumbed deep-fried mussels, accompanied by wilted sorrel leaves, all topped with a fine crisp of sourdough and a swish of aioli.
A star main course is a slow-roast rump of beef alongside a tasty croquette of unctuous blade steak, heritage carrots, chard and sauce Choron, a béarnaise with the addition of tomato paste. On the side are vegetables - broccoli, leeks and courgettes - doused in butter and topped with breadcrumbs, and the floury potatoes that are thankfully back in vogue. The quality of ingredients is evident and some are name checked - Macroom buffalo mozzarella for example, and Crowes pork - although it would be interesting to hear more about suppliers.
For pudding, there may be a dense chocolate ganache with poached apricots, candied almonds and vanilla ice-cream, or a salted caramel crème brûlèe that strikes the perfect balance between crunch and custardy smoothness. Another summer treat is Wexford strawberries, some macerated, some not, that come with a delicate elderflower and yoghurt sorbet, tiny meringues and a sliver of sablé breton, while well chosen cheeses could be Mossfield and Young Buck accompanied by a cider and apple chutney.
To accompany these good things, a shortish wine list covers all major grape varieties, with a focus on French wines.
Soizic Humbert has a lovely way about her and the welcome is French and warm; her staff are relaxed - enough chat but not too much - and efficient, a good combination.
All this and good value too. No wonder Canteen pleases all of the people, all of the time.
