Side Trips from Dublin - Dublin - page 169

gleefully celebrates with ingredients you don't run across often on
Irish menus. All the noble peasant classics are here—moussaka, tara-
masalata, roast suckling pig—each executed perfectly and with flair.
This is a fun dining room, and it fills with a buzzy, energized clien-
tele each evening. Leave room for one of the meltaway desserts.
Seafront, Bray, County Wicklow. & 01/286-3498. Dinner main courses € 19- € 24
($23-$29). AE, MC, V. Tues-Sun 7:30-11pm.
MODERATE
Hungry Monk Wine Bar INTERNATIONAL This place has
been around for a long time, but it continues to pull new fans
because of its no-nonsense approach to good food and wine. If
you're in the mood for a nice, three-course meal, then head upstairs
to the upscale restaurant. Downstairs, at the wine bar, is where you
come for a one-plate dinner and a bottle of nice wine. No wildly
complicated or sophisticated dishes here, just good, honest, middle-
of-the-road food at middle-of-the-road prices—something that is,
sadly, becoming harder to find in Ireland. Think seafood chowder,
vegetarian spring rolls, Bombay chicken curry, goujons of plaice,
and scampi. Everything is good, but the Monk Burger, served with
onion rings and extra cheese, is especially recommendable. The
wines are well chosen and affordable, the service unobtrusive and
correct, the crowd cheerful and enthusiastic.
Church Rd., Greystones, County Wicklow.

&

01/287-5759. Main courses

€ 13- € 18 ($16-$22). MC, V. Wed-Sat 7-11pm; Sun 12:30-8pm.

Roundwood Inn IRISH/CONTINENTAL Dating from
1750, this old coaching inn is the one of the best reasons to head to
Roundwood, a place of unspoiled mountain beauty. It has an old-
world atmosphere, with open log fireplaces and antique furnishings.
Nearly everything is home-baked or locally grown or raised—from
steaks and sandwiches to traditional Irish stew, fresh lobster and
salmon from Greystones, and seafood pancakes. In good weather
there's a lovely, secluded garden to sit in, and in the bar between
meal times, there's outstanding pub grub.
Main St. (R755), Roundwood, County Wicklow. & 01/281-8107. Reservations rec-
ommended for dinner. Main courses € 20- € 30 ($24-$36). MC, V. Wed-Fri

7-9:30pm; Sat-Sun 1-2:30pm.

INEXPENSIVE
Avoca Handweavers Tea Shop BISTRO/VEGETARIAN
Forget for a moment that this is an informal cafeteria—at a tourist
magnet, no less. It is a great place to eat, virtually guaranteed to
deliver one of the better meals on your trip. The menu changes