A content creator known as Paul_IsItWorthIt has been searching for the best roast dinner in Ireland and he kickstarted his mission by visiting the Clonsilla Inn in Dublin
Paul’s roast dinner challenge started in his hometown of Dublin
A bloke who has been on the hunt for the best roast dinner in Ireland and Northern Ireland visited highly recommended pubs in Dublin, Belfast and Cork – before rating their carveries out of ten.
The content creator, known as Paul_IsItWorthIt, did not let being from Dublin influence his decisions and even calls himself the “most honest food reviewer” in Ireland.
And this title was put to the test in a recent video series, where one dish was far and away the best and another was hugely disappointing.
Cork – Murphy’s Rock Bar (7.7)
Ever since announcing to his 17,400 subscribers that he was on a mission to find the best carvery, Paul’s comment sections have been flooded with recommendations to try Murphy’s Rock Bar in Ballincolly.
Murphy’s Rock Bar has been called ‘Ireland’s best carvery’ (Image: Paul_IsItWorthIt /YouTube)
Arriving at his destination after the long drive from Dublin, he said: “This is meant to be, we put out the Batman sign, this could be the best carvery in Ireland. That’s what we’ve been told. Literally all the comments, everyone from Cork just says go here, nowhere else. Forget about the rest, just come to Murphy’s Rock.”
He added: “I’ve got huge expectations, and I looked up some of the reviews, and it says the portions are massive.”
Despite being aware beforehand that he would not be left hungry, when the plate arrived, he said: “Oh my God… this plate is stacked.” After going through what was on his plate, he added: “That looks amazing. Huge. That’s too big. That’s too big a portion for me if I was to complain. Like too big a portion.”
Paul and cameraman John arrived at 2pm, just one hour before the carvery closed, and therefore only ham was available, rather than turkey too.
How the carvery looked (Image: Paul_IsItWorthIt /YouTube)
However, he said the meat was “spectacular”, although he was less than complimentary about the roast potatoes, describing how the absence of crispiness was a real letdown.
He also said €19 for the carvery was on the expensive side but he acknowledged that it was maybe the best ham he had ever tasted.
Concluding with a score out of ten, he said: “It had really good things but then it had really average things as well. So what score would I give it? And the price was pretty expensive… I had some really high and really low points so I am going to go 7.7 out of 10.”
Dublin — Clonsilla Inn (7.5)
Dublin came in second place, but only just! Paul said the Clonsilla Inn, based in, you guessed it, Clonsilla, was “Dublin’s most talked about carvery” and he understood why after trying one item in particular.
Paul tucking into his carvery (Image: Paul_IsItWorthIt/Youtube)
On this occasion, the turkey and ham roast was available, and before trying the food, Paul said: “This is meant to be incredible… spectacular some will say. This place has been serving up carveries for over 50 years. We have seen videos, the gravy looks almost like tar, it looks beautiful, nice and thick… tar in a nice way!”
He also said it was “meant to be one of the best carveries in Ireland” and dipping a roast potato in the highly anticipated gravy, he said: “That gravy is thick, rich, salty and just the perfect consistency. That gravy is amazing, you can tell that’s coming from the juices off the meat. That’s no packet gravy.”
The mash potatoes were also worth shouting about but he said his meat, unlike in Cork, was “slightly dry”, but that with a dollop of gravy, it wouldn’t matter too much.
He absolutely loved the gravy (Image: Paul_IsItWorthIt/Youtube)
The total cost was €16.95, something he described as standard, and giving his final verdict, he said: “I thought the meat was slightly dry if I’m being honest. I thought the gravy was one of the best I’ve had and that actually helped because I just poured the gravy on everything.
“The mash was beautiful. The veg was nice and sweet. The roasties were average. They were ok. So with all that being said, €17 is about average, I’m giving this place a slightly above average score, price, taste, experience, a 7.5 out of ten.”
Belfast — The Morning Star Bar & Restaurant (4.2)
Unfortunately, while Paul was fairly satisfied with his meals in Cork and Dublin, his carvery in Belfast did not go to plan.
He was not impressed by how the food looked(Image: Paul_IsItWorthIt/Youtube)
Not being as familiar with Northern Ireland, Paul asked ChatGPT for the best carvery in Belfast, and it recommended The Morning Star, a beacon since 1810.
However, what was a pleasant surprise was the price, and he said: “How much did this cost? £8.95! One of the cheaper options. Does it look appetising? Not particularly to me.”
And while looks can be deceiving, on this occasion, Paul’s fears about the food were soon validated.
He said the mash was “lukewarm” and the roast potatoes tasted more like “grease” before acknowledging that the pork was “decent”.
Paul won’t be returning for the carvery (Image: Paul_IsItWorthIt/Youtube)
His review became awkward when a friendly manager introduced himself who said it was great value. Acknowledging the price, Paul replied: “Value for money you can’t get better than this one, 100%. It’s the cheapest one we’ve got. It’s usually about 18 to 20 euro.”
Despite being impressed by the price and the affability of staff, Paul then had to be brutally honest after his meal.
He said: “I’m giving this 4.2 out of ten. I think that’s fair and honest. The roasties weren’t to my taste, the mash was not warm, the pork was decent, the veg unappetising and the gravy was just stock gravy. So 4.2 was my score. Price, taste experience, price is great, the experience was great and the food was below par.”