Swanktacular. Way to describe the event and surroundings, Hazel M.
To drink.. Mulled wine and O'Hara's beers. To eat… Fish n chips wrapped in Yelp newspaper, organic Ely burgers, chorizo arancini, topped off with chocolate cake. Throw in… Live jazz followed by some eclectic tunes, cracker pulling, a craft beer talk, cracker swapping, charity gift giving, and even a visit by Santa himself, what a way to celebrate Yelp Dublin in 2013.
Firstly, the surroundings. Ely have recently renovated their waterside pad on Grand Canal Dock to include a cosier bar area upstairs and a very swish restaurant area downstairs.
Sabrina J described the Gastro Bar well; "It lived up to my expectations. The décor is stylish and cosy. This venue would be a great haunt for a pre or post theatre meal as it is only steps away for the Bord Gais Theatre."
Then the food… Emilie A said; "The burger was a great surprise. I'm forever in search of the elusive perfect burger. This one was so simple, you could really taste what was there 100%." Well the meat does come straight from Ely's organic farm Emilie..
Donald P agreed. "Foods and drinks were excellent. Mulled wine on arrival (the best one I have ever had in Ireland), than Chorizo Arancini, mini Organic Beef Burger and the mini leek & Gruyere tart, supreme! Beers from O'Hara's Brewery were like the cherry on top of the cake. The beer I liked the most was the Pale Ale as it was refreshing, easy to drink, with that little bit of bitter hint. Thanks Seamus!"
And the drink… As Donald rightly put it, the event was kindly supported by O'Hara's Craft Beers, who paired each of the bites with one of their Carlow brewed libitations.
Reuben G was equally happy with the inclusion of O'Hara's to the mix; "'The choice of Leann Folláin (the extra stout), one of my favourite beers as a match for the chocolate cake was spot on. Few drinks can complement a chocolate cake but a rich chocolatey extra stout does it wonderfully."
To sum up… "Have to say I was impressed. Not only by the lovely location, the class live band but also by the effort everybody made with dressing up and most importantly the attention to details that Emily put in! This ranged from Mulled Wine as Aperitif over Chrismtas props for photo shoots, Yelp themed paper wrappers for the Fish&Chips and the lovely handwritten Christmas cards that we received." Well said Michael S, well said.
Thanks… to all who came along, to Ely Gastro Bar who pulled out all the stops, and to the Carlow Brewing Company who provided the essential social lubricant.
Roll on 2014 for more free Yelp parties, discovery of unique local businesses, and the exploration of our ever-changing, ever-amazing Dublin city.
