Pickle Restaurant has been on my list of places to go for months. I finally went during the week and I honestly cannot wait to go back. Other than at Taste of Dublin this year, I’ve only found one Indian restaurant in Dublin that I like (Madina on Mary’s St). I used to frequently go to an Indian restaurant in Galway when I lived there but apart from Madina, nothing else ever really could compare.
I’m a really boring person when it comes to Indian food. Usually I’d get the same thing all the time: Butter Chicken. Of course, I was delighted to see it on the Pickle menu but in the end, I went for something different. I went with my friend Eimear who had also been dying to try Pickle too.
To start, she had Bombay Curried Scallops, Gram Flour Crispy Vermicelli & Peanut Chat. Terrible picture BTW.
Normally if I see scallops on the menu I am instantly drawn to them but the chicken wings on the menu were calling to me more. The scallops, however, were extremely tasty. It was such a change to the regular scallops you get with black pudding and peas. They were absolutely packed with flavour. Every single component of the dish worked incredibly well together.
As I said, the chicken wings were calling to me. Pickle Special Chicken Wings with Roasted Tomato, Garlic & Coconut Chutney. These were possibly the nicest chicken wings I’ve ever had. They were absolutely gorgeous. They were more like chicken lollipops rather than wings and easier to eat than regular usual wings. The roasted tomato, garlic & coconut chutney was to die for. I literally sat there eating the remainder of it with a spoon.
For my main, I was going to go for either the Butter Chicken or the Traditional Lamb & bone marrow curry with onion, ground ginger & Kashmiri chilly. I asked our server which of the two he recommended and he suggested something different. I ended up getting Bhopali style ghee roast – Lamb slowly cooked with dry spices & turmeric with tawa parantha. I’m really delighted that he suggested this to me. I probably would have never ordered something like this otherwise.
There was so much flavour in the dish and the lamb melted in my mouth. The tawa parantha was a perfect accompaniment to it. It also came with avocado & pomegranate raita which was perfect for dipping.
Instead of getting a main dish, Eimear got two additional starters. Venison Keema Roti with Juniper Berries, Mango Pickle, Cucumber & Date Raita and Punjabi Chicken Tikka (Boneless Thighs) & Creamy Chicken supreme with Coriander Chutney, Corn & Cashew Nut Chat.
I don’t have a picture of the venison as the picture came out terrible. But anyway, it came with a sweet mango pickle raita which Eimear initially thought was too sweet but it grew on her after a few more bites. Both dishes, again, were gorgeous and ordering more starters was a great idea. Next time I go I will probably order more starters and then get one main dish between us.
We also ordered a basket of naan bread. It came with three different types: Peshwari, coriander and garlic and the third I can’t remember the name of but all three were sensational. I’d go back alone just to get the naan bread. Did we order too much food between us? Probably. Did we care? Nah, we had leftovers for the next day.
Neither of us even looked at the dessert menu because we were both full.
Would I go back to Pickle?
Definitely. I will order more starters next time and get one main to share between us.
What did I not like?
It’s not cheap. Our bill came to 93e including 3 glasses of wine. It wouldn’t necessarily put me off going again but I will more than likely go back for a special occasion rather than just a mid-week meal.
