The Bay Tree Bistro is located on top of the exchange pub on ballybricken. Its run by keith and his lovley wife Carmel,the pair clearly put tonnes of love into this restaurant. Do not let the location fool you, this is a dinning experience on a budget that you will not want to miss. Two course meal and a glass of wine will set you back 20e or a three course one for 25e. The menu changes every week bar a few of the trusted classics such as the fish chowder in its edible tiger bread bowl not to be missed, or the char grilled steak with tobacco onions.
To give you guys an honest account i have gone back to this restaurant three Fridays in a row all with different company the first week I went for a romantic dinner with my husband the second i went with a vegetarian Friend and the third was a girls night. this allows me to show you the versatility of this location and how it suits all occasions and budgets. hopefully enticing you further to try it.
The first time myself an the better half went and we where very surprised by the decor. Keith has got local camera clubs to exhibit there work in the venue on a weekly rotation allowing you the diner,different scenery every week. I found this to be a wonderful idea. the decor has changed drastically since the previous two restaurants and it is a very welcome change.
What also stuck with me is the very interesting menu that changes as regularly as the photos on the wall. there is a restaurant back in France that I would call my all time favourite french place. it is not fancy per say but the food is always sublime. it is in a village called Ferney Voltaire and is called l'imprevue. in french this means the unexpected. it is so named as you do not pick the starter that comes to you on the night you could receive anything. hence the name. this varied menu change fondly reminded me of my favourite french restaurant. The fact that all the products are locally sourced and every thing is hand made also brought me back to a french way of living. then the fresh baked bread came out and boy was i excited to order the next few courses.
On my first outing here i tried the calf liver on a bed of celeriac as a starter. i have a very soft spot for root vegetables done properly and celeriac is so underused and incredible i was very impressed with the mash. For my main I had the monk fish tails with smoked haddock puree wrapped in parma ham with asparagus in a wonderful Bearnaise. both where Devine the calf liver was tender and tasty the mash complimented it wonderfully. the Monk fish was fantastically flavoured by both the ham and the smoked addition and the sauce and asparagus all lended them selves perfectly to a wonderful dining experience. my husband tried the chowder in the edible bowl. wow!was it ever spectacular often times we both find chowder to be over salted but not this one and the edible bowl. well i have yet to meet a person who isn't instantly brought back to childhood at the notion of finally being able to eat the bowl it was followed by a chicken supreme in a wild mushroom sauce. the flavour of the sauce was wonderful. i tend not to usually order chicken in restaurants just like i would never order pasta. but in this case i was delighted the hubby picked it so i could try some. not one bit dry unlike what i would usually expect from restaurant chicken.
For desert we then chose salted caramel brownie with baileys ice cream and an apple crumble with an orange custard. the baileys icecream was incredible and the orange custard went fabulously with the crumble lightening it slightly and adding wonderful taste
All in all we enjoyed our date night and most of all did not break the bank in order to afford it. so i would recommend this for a date option.
My next visit was with my vegetarian friend now she does eat fish so the choice was that bit easier for us. however they do have a vegetarian menu and gluten free options if needs be and will happily help with any other dietary requirements if advised in advance.
i will say that due to the fact that it was the last night of cheltham the exchange down staires was qiet busy and loud. but these things are to be expected and the staff dealt with it very well neither of us really minded. but i do think mentioning it is important in case some of you out there of a busy night and don't expect it to be this way. sound travels guys lucky for me so did the fun. my friend chose the goats cheese and beetroot salad with candied nuts and rocket. she very kindly let me try some too now i have to say it almost made me regret my choice. presentation and taste where incredible.if he ever does it again i suggest you try it as it was one of my favourite dishes he has made me to date. I myself went for the fish rillet with toasted blaa crostinies and i found it very creamy and tasty. but the goats cheese was definatly a winner in my mind on this night. so simple and perfect.
For our mains my friend had the salmon fillet in a horseradish croute on a bed of spinach very enjoyable. I had the pork belly with crackling Croquette which was not only incredible in apearance but in flavour and softness. the pork almost melted like butter there was a pipette in the Croquette to squirt the home made apple sauce into the centre taste explosion. this is to date my favourite main i have had in this restaurant and will take a lot to beat.
At this point my Friend and i worried who would roll who down the stairs we where so full and satisfied. but we pushed forward for you the reader. my friend had the salted caramel brownie as per my recommendation. i had the carrot cake with chocolate orange ice cream the carrot cake was yummy and moist. the choc orange ice cream was however just the most perfect ice cream i have had homemade in Ireland if you see it on the menu you MUST try it. his ice creams are incredible full stop but the choc orange is my favourite so far.
We enjoyed our meal very much on this night and in answer to who rolled who down the stairs. well to be perfectly honest as tempted as we both where to push one and other down. we decided walking very very slowly was probably safer and more lady like.
On the third occasion i went for a girlie night with two of my besties unfortunately one of them couldn't come last minute. which happens us all but that didn't stop the two of us from having a fab girlie night. like all girlie nights a bit of fuel is vital. what we found super here is that a glass of wine is 3.50e or a bottle is as little as 13e so your girlie night will not break the bank either. we opted for a bottle of house red. and this time we shared a starter and desert and had a main each as so as to allow plenty of room for the wine and chats.
The starter was the fish cake with home made sweet chili the sweet chili came separately and allowed me to use as much or as little as i wanted. the fish cake itself was nice very delicate not over powering of fish and had a nice texture.
For the main i made the mistake to order extra chips. i just really fancied chips guys... i can be a glutton at times. in previous descriptions i forgot to mention all mains come with side dish of root veg of the night and what ever other accompaniment available. extra chips was a very gluttonous notion but a deliciously gluttonous one. my friend had the steak with tobacco mushrooms the mushrooms where lovely and the steak was char grilled to perfection. if you do not like that taste im sure if you ask he will cook it for you differently. i had the chicken Wellington with mushroom duxell. i know one minute I'm telling you guys how i never order chicken the next im ordering the chicken. you must think what is she at?and you would be right... i saw chicken Wellington and i really liked his change on a much loved classic beef Wellington would be Divine. i also have a super week spot for mushroom duxel so i had to try his. the pastry was very crispy and buttery the chicken was again moist the duxel was very nice and the sauce lent it slef perfectly to the rest of the flavours.
for desert we shared the creme brule and i sneakily asked for some chocolate orange icecream on the side. i had to guys when you taste it you will see why. the creme brule was very tasty it was topped with crispy caramel biscuits instead of the traditional caramel. but this is the only folly of Keith's i have ever had issue with. and that's probably due to my very french upbringing do not mess with the little kid in me who gets such joy in breaking the top off and the sound it makes. but it tasted fabulous and was certainly an original take on the classic.
All in all these three weeks have shown me just how versatile this restaurant can be. i fall in love with the menu every week. i enjoy the ambiance i love the decor. i adore the price and the local produce. i highly recommend you book yourself in and try it yourself.I'm sorry if yet again reading my blog made you hungry. but i suppose at the same time if it didn't what would be the point in writing a food blog. happy eating guys. Also I'm currently using a tablet due to having no laptop so please forgive me for the messy layout.
Apple crumble with orange custard
Salted caramel brownie
Calf liver on a bed of celeriac mash
The pork belly of epicness
