Irelands best dining guide as reviewed by you Bec ome a mem ber ww w.menupage s.ie Eat Out 4 Free! Make every meal a great one...y ...look before you book With over 50,000 restaurant reviews on MenuPages.ie, from all over Ireland, you can be sure your steak wont be tough as old boots! Avoid that dinner disaster and log onto MenuPages.ie today metro Arts & Entertainment Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir In Town Tonight They may hail from Calgary, Canada but their backwoods folk takes its inspiration from the American South. Imagine an experimental bluegrass outfit with a fondness for Tom Waits and youre almost there Tonight, CrawDaddy, The Pod, Harcourt Street D2, 8pm, 12 to 15. Tel: 0818 719 300. www. theagnostics.com Sinad Farrell Join Sinad Farrell (piccolo) for a lunchtime recital presented by Eileen Dunne and featuring excerpts from Vivaldi, Rossini, Britten and Cherubini. With the National Symphony Orchestra Today, National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace D2, 1.05pm, 10. Tel: (01) 417 0000. www.nch.ie The Confessions, The Truth And The Lies Of An Old Reprobate A selection of writings from Mountmellick-man Joe ONeill (pictured) tracing the highs and lows of smalltown life and some harsh truths regarding his own alcoholism, performed by Shay Flannery Until Sun, The New Theatre, 43 Essex Street East D2, 8pm, 10 to 15. Tel: (01) 670 3361. www.thenewtheatre.com life Restaurant Review Quay West Caf Going Out Food & Drink The world is their The fleshy oysters sent a divine shiver down my throat, giving my epiglottis a welcome kick GIG Hockey 12 metrolife Tuesday, September 22, 2009 ts often difficult to get a table at Quay West, its proximity to Howths Dart station making it a natural pit stop for daytrippers. Youd assume, then, that it wouldnt be very good a magnet for undiscerning tourists tempted by a coffee or a 99 before they find somewhere fancier and cosier to rest their tired posteriors following a blustery pier-side stroll. But Quay West is actually a little gem. Its not much to look at informal marble-top tables, bright lighting and patterned floor tiles. The black and white wall mural is ghastly and the wall tapestry featuring different fish species would look better below the sea bed, far, far out of sight. But fortunately Quay Wests food outshines its visual eccentricities. Having recently moved to the vicinity, Im familiar with their daily meal deal 50 for two people for three-courses including a bottle of wine and fancied dabbling in the la carte menu for a change. (Also, having had a merry knees-up at the Fringe Festivals Spiegeltent the night before, we just couldnt face a whole bottle of vino). I had never tried oysters and Guinness together before, so in a premature nod to this weekends Galway International Oyster Festival, I dared marry the black stuff with the sexy bivalves. I chose well. Four indecently voluptuous molluscs arrived on a bed of ice set in a pleasingly rustic black pot. The fleshy articles sent a divine shiver down my throat, the generous dash of Tabasco giving my epiglottis a welcome kick. Yum. His calamari were similarly fresh tasting though they couldve done with a crispier batter they got a bit soggy in the sweet chilli sauce. His whole roast baby chicken was a triumph on the other hand. Nicely browned and succulent (his words), it was bolstered with creamy basil mash and perfectly crunchy steamed vegetables. The birds gaping cavity pointed right at me, spewing gravy almost threatened to put me off my roasted aubergine hot-pot. But I persisted with the piping-hot and winningly rich mlange of ricotta, semi-dried tomatoes, spinach and bchamel sauce, its surface expertly crisp and golden. The side salad was a bit flaccid but I needed to leave room for dessert anyway... an unusual trifle; thankfully jelly-free but abundant with fresh rhubarb, custard, a biscuit base and lush vanilla ice-cream. There was not one smear left on the glass dish. S ervice was efficient but unobtrusive, friendly and sympathetic our waitresss announcement that the tiramisu, fudge cake and posh hot chocolate had run Named after a mildly dull sport involving people politely tapping a ball to each other while crouching in a slightly silly stance, Hockey are at pains not to live up to their moniker. Incorporating snatches of 1970s funk, MGMT-style frat pop and white-boy hip-hop, the Oregon natives debut album Mind Chaos is at times a dazzlingly eclectic affair. Above all, it is tremendous fun nothing Hockey do is terribly original but they arent in the least precious about the fact. Rather, they focus on coming up with as many sing-along hooks and catchy riffs as possible, notwithstanding the fact that, occasionally, they start to resemble Passion Pit jamming with Flaming Lips. Clearly, its an approach that has started to pay off. One of the few new bands around to be backed by a major label, theyve sent critics into a tizzy on both sides of the Atlantic and caught the ear of TV producers, who have been busily incorporating their music into shows such as Greys Anatomy. Meanwhile, a slot on Later...With Jools Holland has done wonders for their profile in this part of the world. A tad too zany to go properly mainstream, perhaps but, as well kept secrets go, Hockey must be one of the most gossip- worthy around. Eamon De Paor Tonight, The Academy, 57 Middle Abbey Street D1, 7.30pm, 16. Tel: (01) 877 9999. www.hockeyband.com I index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html