While wandering down Dawson Street last week, myself and the other half were on the lookout for somewhere decent to eat. We happened to stop by The Farm restaurant, an "organic where possible" type of place. We had a quick look at the menu, which was a little limited but hunger drove us in.
Being encumbered with a twin pram, we had no option but to dine al fresco as the bloody thing wouldn't fit through the modest sized entryway. But after a quick look inside, I think we made the right choice. With a name like "The Farm" I was expecting perhaps homely, comfortable, natural. If not exactly a herd of cows in the back and old uncle Michael chewing on a blade of grass while granny knitted beside the fire, at least some personal touches. Instead it was another anonymous soulless cavern filled with cheap plastic chairs and hideous green lighting reminiscent of a Limerick nightclub circa 1986.
Meanwhile outside, the service was pleasant and quite speedy. I went for the goats cheese tart, made with organic goats cheese, described as "melted onion and cheese, served in a warm tart". How exactly do you melt an onion?! The cheese was sweet and creamy with a hint of tang and the shortcrust pastry was crumbly if a tad dry. It was accompanied by a salad where all of the vegetables were so fresh and had a really clean taste. Disappointingly, the "sweet balsamic sauce" was a rather heavy handed dose of plain old balsamic vinegar.
The other half went for the Spanish omelette, which at €13.45, was not an inconsiderable price to pay for a couple of cracked eggs with some potatoes on top. His verdict was it was just "OK".
One of the problems with The Farm, is it's policy of "organic where possible". There are inconsistencies and vagaries that I believe the management play on to charge the prices they do. For example they specify the cheese in a goats cheese tart is organic, or the eggs in an omelette. But what about the salad leaves they're serving you for a hefty price ? Since they're not listed as organic, I presume they're splashed in pesticides, while "greenwashed" in some garish kermit the frog lighting.
According to their website, The Farm is listed as the "second most popular restaurant in Dublin". If this is true, I can only imagine what the rest of the list must look like.
