Nestled on Joshua Lane which is just off Dawson Street (across from Mansion House) you will find La Ruelle wine bar. I’ve probably walked by it a hundred times and never knew it was there.  It was only when it came up on a Grab One voucher that I heard of it. The offer was three tapas and two glasses of wine for a mere €16.

So on a Friday evening after a few pints in Kehoes I headed around to La Ruelle with a friend in toe to cash in my voucher. The venue itself is quite small but thanks to some clever decoration looks deceptively large.

There is a small bar area with a selection of wine just inside the door and the main seating area runs around to the right of that.

Entrance

Bar Area

Seating Area. Picture from: http://www.laruelle.ie/index.aspx

The tapas menu has all the usual suspects on it so we opted for Warm Spanish Croquette, “Beshoffs of Howth” Sautéed Tiger Prawn and Pisto. Excuse my photos, for some reason they all have a reddish tinge off them, I think it was the lighting or the few pints I had in advance of taking them !

Warm Spanish Croquette

They were, funnily enough warm, creamy and actually delightful. I know it’s tapas but four was just no enough for me.

“Beshoffs of Howth” Sautéed Tiger Prawn

It’s hard to go wrong with prawns and I’m happy to report that La Ruelle served up some tasty ones. Perfectly cooked.

Pisto

The Pisto I’m sorry to say wasn’t great.  It was all a bit too mushy for me inluding the asparagus which was wilted to within an inch of its life.

The voucher came with two glasses of wine so we opted for Sauvignon Blanc, Croix des Vents, Languedoc, 2011.  Light and crispy and a bit too easy to drink which ended in us ordering a full bottle (€23).

Sauvignon Blanc, Croix des Vents, Languedoc, 2011

We also decided to opt for the large Artisan Charcuterie Selection, which was plentiful at €15.95 but lacking in its variety.

Artisan Charcuterie Selection

The service was good, the food was probably just ok, the overall atmosphere was lacking a little and the wine, well the wine was great but it is a wine bar afterall. Despite using the voucher which was for three tapas and two glasses of wine we still managed to rack up another €55 on top of that.  I don’t think I would be rushing back to be honest.

Web: http://www.laruelle.ie/about.aspx

3/4 Joshua Lane, D2