Keshk Cafe

Despite the very nice food they serve, waiting for the food is a killer.
We waited for about 45 mins for the food to be served and we almost felt full as we waited after the appetizers for the mains.

It was to celebrate a 30th birthday that we sought out Keshk for an evening. A celebration indeed was had, but at what cost?

Upon entering the establishment we were made to wait 20 minutes, at a different table before being seated at our own. As a party of 5 we assumed we would be seated at one of the two empty tables already laid out with place settings, but no no, we must wait for our specific table to be prepared.

Not 4 minutes has transpired once we were sat and given menus that we were approached for our orders. "One more minute please" was asked of the service person. Where upon she glanced at her watch, uttered the mournful phrase "sure, OK" and sequestered herself back in the stress-box that was the staff quarters. 

ALL this changed when our food arrived, and what I can only assume was a metaphorical cane being dragged out to pull the aforementioned service person off the floor, as the food and service from then on was nothing short of immaculate, friendly, poised and efficient. 

Chicken in puff pastry to begin was beautiful. Falafel was tasty, but heavily adorned with a lined creamy sauce. No no, falafel needs no such accompaniment.

The chef's choice of leaves needs to be expanded. Cos, arugula, romaine, am I reaching for the stars here? Iceberg is not the only girl at the ball.

Mixed grill with rice for main. Beautifully charred meats with a bowl of rice on the side. Tasty, but awfully dry once one starts to consume. Atkin's would be proud. But some dips or sauces to share, dollop and adorn would raise this dish from off the rack to haute couture.

The restaurant employs a "bring your own vintage" policy which is a welcome addition to the Dublin restaurant scene. However, don't be fooled into thinking this will lower your bill price. Service charge is included and enforced, despite the size of your party. Ice is hard to come by and your table will never be cleared to enough glassware to cause a crashing disaster.

Love this BYO! Staff are so friendly and helpful! Great place to go for a party as they are very relaxed and generally don't kick you out too early! Food is really tasty! One of the best BYOs I've been too!

Keshk is one those Mediterranean restaurants that appeals to the sense almost immediately upon stepping into. The ground floor seating seems a little cramped, though. However, they do have a slightly more spacious area downstairs. The food here is more or less in while with what most Leavantine/Greek/Mediterranean restaurants serve - hummus, baba ghanouj, falafels, vine leaves, and a series of kebabs and grilled meats.

The baba ganouj is pretty good, and so is the hummus. The smokey flavours of the roasted aubergine comes through and blends quite well with the olive oil added in it. For mains, we ordered a chilli mesh we (lamb) and a shish touk (chicken). The meshwe is served in gravy that's slightly spicy, but tastes amazing nonetheless. The shish touk too was grilled nicely and the chicken cubes were still nice and juicy and not dried out. The service was a little slow at our table - all the other tables around us seemed to be getting a priority over us. However, the food was really good and luckily we weren’t in a hurry, and we were in a forgiving mood I guess.