{"id":493889,"date":"2026-06-11T07:29:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T07:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/493889\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T07:29:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T07:29:11","slug":"note-on-fenian-street-restaurant-review-the-food-is-a-joy-at-this-buzzy-dublin-2-bistro-with-a-talented-new-chef-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/493889\/","title":{"rendered":"Note on Fenian Street restaurant review: The food is a joy at this buzzy Dublin 2 bistro with a talented new chef \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note <\/p>\n

\ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d7 <\/p>\n

Address: 26 Fenian Street, Dublin, D02FX09<\/p>\n

Telephone: N\/A<\/p>\n

Cuisine: Modern International<\/p>\n

Website: https:\/\/notedublin.com\/Opens in new window<\/a><\/p>\n

Cost: \u20ac\u20ac\u20ac<\/p>\n

\u201cNote is a new typology of bistro with a fierce determination for quality food, drinks and service. Presented in a low-key, humble environment, building community and connection along the way.\u201d \u2018Oh dear,\u2019 was my initial response. I\u2019m not sure if this descriptor of Note on Fenian Street<\/a> has been on the website since it opened in 2021, or if it arrived with the shiny new chef who has taken the reins from former chef Essa Fakhry. <\/p>\n

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines typology as \u201cthe study of types, or a system of dividing things into types\u201d. Which is giving off serious \u201ccodology of the business\u201d energy, to bring Joyce and Ulysses into the conversation, Bloomsday fast approaching and all that.<\/p>\n

Yet I have already met this new chef in Copenhagen<\/a> and seen what he is capable of: a pared-back style focused on seasonal, organic produce. Killester<\/a>-born Sam Kindillon will have devoured more manifestoes than most of us have had hot dinners in the decade he spent overseas, working at Amass and Manfreds in Copenhagen and Mrs Robinson\u2019s and Ora in Berlin<\/a>, so perhaps I shouldn\u2019t be surprised.<\/p>\n

Any worries about it all being too earnest are quickly dispelled as Neil Kenna \u2013 a familiar face from the television show First Dates, and from Chapter One, Luna and The Old Spot \u2013 greets us and sees no reason why we shouldn\u2019t sit on the banquette by the wall rather than our assigned table. Hospitality at full mast, which we soon discover continues for the evening with our server, Rachel Mulligan. This is about as far from \u201cup themselves\u201d as you get.<\/p>\n

Nothing has changed with the room, from what I can see. Somehow it just clicks, buzzy with a mix of date nights, groups of friends and tourists. The menu is tight \u2013 five snacks, five starters, three mains, two desserts and cheese \u2013 and works equally well for sharing as it does for a three-course meal. If you\u2019re in the mood for a blowout, there\u2019s brill on the bone with fries for two at \u20ac90.<\/p>\n

Instead we want to make a good stab at trying a number of dishes, starting with a hunk of Dublin batch bread (\u20ac6), with a beautifully blackened crust and a crumb fluffier than any batch I\u2019ve ever encountered, more akin to Japanese milk bread in texture. <\/p>\n

Add smoked trout French toast (\u20ac10) to your must-order list, a snack so clever and playful it makes me smile. Two pieces of toast arrive still warm and nicely eggy, squiggled with horseradish mayo and topped with cleanly cut slices of smoked trout, dotted with succulent leaves that taste as though they may have originated in the sea. It all goes nicely with our bottle of Tasari Tasari (\u20ac38), a light Nero d\u2019Avola from Sicily.<\/p>\n

Note remains a wine bar at heart, with a producer-led list featuring names such as Comando G, La Stoppa and Occhipinti. There is plenty of good drinking in the \u20ac50-\u20ac80 range.<\/p>\n

The Winetavern sausage (\u20ac14) is like a posh hot dog: a meaty, good-quality sausage in a milk bread bun, drizzled with potato skin mayo (I know, a new one on me) and kumquat mustard, topped with pickles. Crispy onions add crunch. You could divide it for sharing or have it as a main course, because it\u2019s sizeable.<\/p>\n

\"GeneralGeneral manager Neil Kenna, head chef Sam Kindillon and assistant general manager Rachel Mulligan at Note restaurant in Dublin. Photograph: Paulo Nunes dos Santos \"BeefBeef tartare with asparagus, horseradish and pommes allumettes at Note in Dublin. Photograph: Paulo Nunes dos Santos \"DonegalDonegal squid with spring vegetables at Note in Dublin. Photograph: Paulo Nunes dos Santos <\/p>\n

Cavatelli (\u20ac28) \u2013 the small, hand-rolled pasta from southern Italy \u2013 has a nice bite, as it should, and white asparagus, morels and comt\u00e9 cream make for a delicious sauce. Could it be a touch over on the salt? Perhaps, but there is a lightness to the dish as the sauce hasn\u2019t been pushed too far and overconcentrated. It\u2019s a good vegetarian option.<\/p>\n

Curragh lamb (\u20ac36) is pink and has plenty of delicious crispy bits on the outside, sitting on a bed of fregola with goat\u2019s curd mixed through. Mizuna and trout roe bring a Japanese inflection to this Moroccan-inspired dish and we wonder whether it is already salty enough and the roe pushes it a tad too far.<\/p>\n

Desserts are a highlight at Note. The strawberry crepe brulee (\u20ac12) is filled with creme patissiere, topped with a dark bruleed crust and served with sliced strawberries and meadowsweet ice cream. A perfect buttermilk panna cotta (\u20ac11) is clever, topped with rhubarb and candied dillisk.<\/p>\n

I find myself liking this new typology of bistro very much \u2013 original and inventive dishes that hit all the right notes (sorry!), keeping things playful and a joy to eat, backed up by a front of house that is every bit as good.<\/p>\n

Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was \u20ac155.<\/p>\n

The verdict: 8.5\/10. Highly original cooking from a talented chef.<\/p>\n

Food provenance: Vegetables, Riversfield Farm; wild sea trout and fish, Glenmar; meat, JJ Young.<\/p>\n

Vegetarian options: Cavatelli with morels, saganaki with rhubarb, salsify tempura, Mitraille potatoes with wild garlic.<\/p>\n

Wheelchair access: Fully accessible, with an accessible toilet.<\/p>\n

Music: Barely audible. <\/p>\n

\"InsideInside Note restaurant on Dublin’s Fenian Street. Photograph: Paulo Nunes dos Santos \"InsideInside Note restaurant on Dublin’s Fenian Street. Photograph: Paulo Nunes dos Santos \"NoteNote restaurant on Dublin’s Fenian Street. Photograph: Paulo Nunes dos Santos <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Note \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d7 Address: 26 Fenian Street, Dublin, D02FX09 Telephone: N\/A Cuisine: Modern International Website:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":493890,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[27235,4507,93,631,61,60,709,5861,5863],"class_list":["post-493889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-berlin","tag-dublin-2","tag-entertainment","tag-for-you","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-magazine","tag-restaurant","tag-restaurant-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493889\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/493890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=493889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=493889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}