Located below Cliff Townhouse, this stylish new city-centre venue specialising in cocktails and small plates of food has its own entrance down steps from St Stephen's Green.
It’s a rare and refreshing thing to see Irish seafood being presented with a modern sensibility, so kudos to the team behind the Cliff portfolio – which also includes the spectacularly located Cliff House Hotel in Waterford and the newer Cliff at Lyons in Kildare – for taking a risk and having a bit of fun with Urchin.
Being first and foremost a bar, you don’t have to eat in Urchin. But we’d certainly recommend that you do, whether just sharing a small plate or two or ordering enough for a full meal. Predominantly, but not exclusively seafood-focused, the menu marries the classic, flavour-oriented cooking of Cliff Townhouse’s head chef Sean Smith with the signature flamboyant style of executive chef Martijn Kajuiter.
Nor do you have to drink cocktails: a good selection of fine wines and local craft beers such as Wicklow Wolf and Black Donkey keeps the selection democratic and fitting to a range of budgets.
Seating is a choice of high stools at the bar, a couple of window perches or the central high tables, or lower tables and banquette for those who prefer to settle back a little. Either way, the decor keeps the mood lively
Imagine stepping into Alice’s Beach-Hut in Wonderland: every inch of the space dazzles with candy stripes and beach-brolly colours. The effect is somewhat overwhelming on first impact, but it’s well executed and proves a fun but comfortable space to hang out. It also makes for a striking contrast to the grown-up and rather more straight-laced style of the Cliff Townhouse dining room upstairs. There's an outdoor space too - which, during the warmer summer months, is utilised as a coffee and ice-cream bar.
Food is served through the day and late into the evening (the kitchen closes 30 minutes before the bar), making Urchin a good option for a re-fuel day or night. But as fuelling goes, this is a properly gastronomic experience where adventurous flavour pairings are presented with real panache.
Their signature dish is not to be missed: an ‘edible cocktail’ of sea urchin roe from Cork’s Beara Peninsula submerged in an airy, tomato and whiskey-scented hollandaise inside a ceramic urchin shell. Other highlights on the seasonal menu might include the delicately layered flavours of thinly sliced West Cork scallops marinated in ginger beer and topped with pickled ginger and crisp seaweed; small bites of Dundalk razor clams with pomegranate seeds, seaweed, feta and a lemon emulsion; or Irish sea trout ceviche served on a pink Himalayan saltstone with watermelon and dill vinegar.
Non-seafood-eaters will be sated with treats such as crunchy lettuce cups of pork with a spicy dried shrimp crunch; steamed buns with sobrasada (a spicy cured sausage from Mallorca), ricotta, quail eggs and sriracha sauce or a generous platter of top quality jamon bellota negra served on some excellent pan con tomate.
Menu prices reflect the range in size of serving, which span from a few bites of gorgeous flavour to a more substantial share-sized serving, and staff are more than happy to talk you through the menu.
A welcome newcomer to Dublin’s casual dining scene, the sense is that Urchin will continue to evolve as it finds its feet and grows its customer-base. Let’s hope that Dublin diners are as brave as the team here when it comes to great Irish seafood, and as open to experiencing it in a fresh and modern context.
