What’s on offer?
Clair Dowling’s cooking carries the mark of her years with Yotam Ottolenghi and Skye Gyngell – vegetables treated as the main event, food built on colour, herbs and spice. At Tiller + Grain on South Frederick Street in Dublin 2, that influence is grounded in Irish produce: vegetables from Airfield Farm and Hussey’s, meat from JJ Young & Sons, fish from Sustainable Seafood Ireland, and pantry goods from Lilliput.
The menu shifts with the season – salads of farro, fregola or quinoa brightened with citrus and herbs; aubergine with tahini and pomegranate. Proteins are marinated in yoghurt, miso or gochujang before hitting the indoor barbecue, while sandwiches (€10.50) run from pastrami with slaw to chicken with pesto and sun-dried tomato. Breads, cakes and pastries are all made in-house.
What did we order?
Honey and Dijon barbecued free-range chicken with three salads; roast sea trout with three salads; courgette and goat’s cheese focaccia slice; orange hibiscus loaf; and yuzu coconut loaf.
How was the service?
Helpful, pleasant and efficient.
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Was the food nice?
The salads change on a seasonal basis (I won’t go into all the descriptions). There are two protein options – sea trout or honey and Dijon free-range chicken thigh – to have with three salads for €17.50. The portions are notably generous and the chicken was a standout, with beautifully crisp skin and a deep barbecued flavour.
All the salads were layered with flavour. Slices of aubergine were roasted until jammy with coarse spice crust, dressed with a creamy tahini sauce. The bean salad with shaved fennel, courgette, kale and pickled radish, was finished with fennel flower and loaded with cannellini and black turtle beans. Fresh mint, parsley and a lemon dressing made it deliciously summery.
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The farro salad with grilled nectarines, pumpkin seed pesto, pickled shallots, lamb’s lettuce, fresh mint and parsley was nutty, herby and tangy, with a touch of sweetness. And the fregola came with charred corn, torched green beans, coriander and heat from jalapeño in a zesty lime vinaigrette, with the option of crumbled feta.
The focaccia was a huge slice, nearly too thick to balance the topping of goat’s cheese and courgette, and the cakes were delicious: an orange hibiscus loaf and a yuzu coconut loaf, with the latter the clear highlight.
What about the packaging?
Sustainability is central to the ethos: everything is compostable or recyclable.
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What did it cost?
€50 for lunch for three people: barbecued chicken with salads, €17.50; roast sea trout with salads, €17.50; courgette and goat’s cheese focaccia, €6.50; orange hibiscus loaf, €4.25; and yuzu coconut loaf, €4.25.
Where does it deliver?
Takeaway and dine-in only. Open Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm.
Would I order it again?
Definitely. These are outstanding salads and the barbecued protein is top quality.
