Bistro Martello

This place is great. The bf took me here for a special, we are almost done with the thesis. WOOT.
I had the pasta Sophia, which was a bit of heaven, with its salmon and prawns swimming in a lovely sauce of cream and tarragon. The kiwi had a steak, which was one of the most perfectly cooked steaks I have ever had.
The service was perfect and lovely. They even remembered we had to be out of there by a certain time to make a show, so the food was prompt and beautiful.
Add to that the fabulous gay couple sitting next to us, who were lovely, chatty, and told my bf how fabulous his outfit was. It was like home.

Bistro Martello is located in the basement of a small house on the Dun Laoghaire seafront. The dining room isn’t large but it was packed with people who were obviously enjoying themselves when we visited for dinner on Saturday night. Tables are fitted tight together, but not in such a way that you feel that others are too close. In any case, it’s the food that counts and everything that came out of the kitchen was good to eat.
Starters included sautéed kidneys in a cream and mustard sauce that was very tasteful, especially when mopped up with the good bread that was provided. The other starters were done well without rising to any great heights. The nightly specials included game pie, just the job for a bitter night, and proved to be both filling and tasty. Other mains included a nice halibut. Desserts included a toothsome brownie and some excellent bread and butter pudding. We had a nice Chilean cabernet. Coffees round out the evening and the bill for four was EUR152. All in all, good value for good food in a place that deserves support.
On a fashion note, some might not care for the way that the young and cheerful male waiters who display their choice of underwear to all and sundry by wearing their trousers at half-​mast. Knowing that one waiter prefers patterned undershorts while others prefer plain could detract from the food. Although I’m sure it is comfortable, it’s a tad unprofessional but evident of the friendly nature of the place, similar to the way that they leave blankets on the chairs outside for smokers to use when they take their nicotine breaks.

We’re somewhat spoilt by living two minutes from this fantastic restaurant. The welcome is always warm, the staff are friendly, and the food is just to die for.
They keep the menu short and specials board interesting, so the hardest part of the evening is always choosing what to have, but rest assured whatever you choose will be mouth-​wateringly delicious. The menu is a set price for two courses or three courses, with supplements for particular dishes, and very good value for the standard of what is produced.
The unassuming exterior and unpretentious décor give the place a laid back casual atmosphere that encourages you to linger and enjoy the good food, good wine (which they can recommend faultlessly if asked) & good company. From the home-​baked soft bread before your starter to fabulous aromatic coffee no detail is overlooked, and they richly deserve the loyal local clientèle they have built up in a area spoilt for choice with good eateries.

Another shocker! while discovering the exceptionally pleasant walk along the sea in Sandycove on Sunday I also happened upon another new eatery which I had never heard of… tummy rumbling and child shouting we ventured forth.
The Martello is a charming little bistro — the sort you really wish was within staggering distance of your own front door, sadly for us it would be a considerable stagger — some 10 miles — and there is no amount of alcohol of an eve that will keep me going that long.
Inside it is perhaps a bit dark during the day but in the evening you don’t notice this. The cuisine is European I guess; I can’t nail it down any more than that. They do Seafood — glory be, a seaside restaurant that knows what a fish is! — this is a favourite rant of mine, not half enough fish places about…
The menu is a set affair for 25Euro pp for a 3 course meal but splash out and pay the supplement of 4.50Eur and get the Dublin Bay Prawns, worth every cent. The Mediterranean Seafood stew is likewise worth a shot, lovely with a bottle of good dry white wine!