Behind the Glass Curtain lies the holy grail! Flavour is our holy grail.

Behind the Glass Curtain lies the holy grail!

"Flavour is our holy grail"

Flavour is our holy grail* is the motto at MacCurtain Street’s Glass Curtain. Here, experienced  and dedicated Chef Patron Brian Murray, aided by equally dedicated acolytes, harnesses the essence of each season and fresh local ingredients to craft refined dishes, meals fit kings and gods. The pinnacle is consistently realised, the customers regally dined and wined.

The quality is evident on each and every plate. The local elements include fish and meat but also “minor” foraged items such as Sea Spaghetti and Blackberry. And these Irish blackberries, especially the smaller varieties, are full of flavour, unlike those tasteless giants from Central America that you occasionally see used as decoration on desserts. 

Tasting Menu 23.10.2025

Those blackberries featured twice on the meal that we enjoyed for a birthday occasion recently. We splashed the cash and went for the 5-course Tasting Menu. That delicious journey ended with a three part dessert and the blackberry combined with almond to good effect in one of them. Earlier, it was a welcome element in the venison which was perhaps the star course of the evening. The five courses didn’t, by the way, count an excellent Amuse Bouche at the beginning nor the petit four at the end.

Beaujolais by Morel

The first course was a duo of snacks, a Crudo (raw fish) with blackened citrus and a Sea Spaghetti fried Watercress (this latter an illustration of the Glass Curtain’s fondness of foraging)

Now we were on to the fish course (monkfish) and here the scallop XO sauce was a shining star. XO was developed in Hong Kong in the 1980s and the name is borrowed from cognac terminology to signify its high quality. Perhaps Brian came across this during his extensive travels as a chef. He learned it well and the umami flavour here on MacCurtain Street was striking.

Monkfish, scallop XO

Cultured butter (with the Focaccia)

"Half-time" was marked by the Glazed Beetroot course. Enjoyed that too but we were looking forward to the venison as we sipped from glasses of Dominique Morel, Beaujolais-Villages, France, 2023, also available by the carafe and bottle (imported by Liberty Wines). Morel himself is proud of this one and rightly so. It is full of fresh red berry fruit, elegant with good acidity, and is a great example of Beaujolais-Villages. 
 

The venison came in two dishes, done two ways: Venison, blackberry, charcuterie sauce and Quince braised venison under a potato foam and onion crisps. The meat was a perfect combination of juiciness, tenderness and flavour.  Even here blackberries played a noticeable and delicious role. The braised version was even more tender, so thumbs up on all counts.

Starters

When we first read the dessert listing we were thinking one plate and were surprised when three were served. On one, we had the Kilbrack Apple, on another the Muscovado Ice Cream and then a slice of blackberry and almond tart, all delicious although the humble locally grown apple was perhaps the standout.

Desserts x3, with the Kilbrack apple to the fore.

Bushmills 14

• Chef Murray, a native of East Cork, returned home after working in kitchens around the world, including on yachts and in Dubai, to open his own restaurant here in 2019. It is based in the old Thompsons Bakery. More on the Glass Curtain here.

• Tea Cakes, crumpet, slim and griddle cakes, rich and plain cakes (all of “superior quality”) and Swiss Rolls of course, were made here when Thompsons operated their bakery from 1826 to 1984 (when a liquidator was appointed).

* From Old French graal, from medieval Latin gradalis ‘dish’