The Woollen Mills

The Woollen Mills is a quintessential local Irish eating house that overlooks the Ha'penny Bridge and the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. The building is over four floors and is (almost) literally on top of the bridge, with double aspect windows and a roof terrace onto the ultimate Dublin cityscape. An in-house bakery and large take-out retail offers those that pass by an opportunity to buy fresh breads, pastries, cakes, sandwiches, and salads each day.  We had reservations, but the place was slammed when we arrived.  The tables were squeezed together and it was so loud that our server could barely hear us.  The vibe truly exuded a popular local favorite.

We were pretty hungry, so Keith started with Pat Mac's Pastrami with poached pears and a roasted hazelnut salad with Crozier Blue vinaigrette.  The meat slices were thick and plentiful, and the dish gave him a slight inkling to corned beef, which he'd been craving this entire trip.

I started with something a bit lighter - Half Dozen Oysters with lemon and pickled spaghetti seaweed.  The oysters were Sligo native or Dungarvan Hartys, I didn't catch what the server stated as she had both varieties that evening.  Regardless, they were very briny and tasted of the cold sea.  They paired perfectly with the Gewürztraminer wine I ordered.

For his main dish, Keith ordered the Roasted Monkfish Tail with curry butter, samphire, sautéed sweet potato, roasted almonds and pickled white radish. Since, it was the tail, there was not as much meat and Keith had to cut around the bone to get a substantial bite.

For my main dish, I wanted to break up all the seafood I had been eating, so went with the Cornflake-crumbed Chicken Breast with buttermilk baby potatoes, purple sprouting broccoli and bacon dust.  This dish was delicious, homey, and satisfying; I cleaned my plate!

Though full, I was tempted by the desserts and convinced Keith to share the Bread & Butter Pudding served with creme anglaise.  It was dense and the cream was perfectly sweetened. He had told the staff we were celebrating my birthday, so they topped it with the obligatory candle.

Overall, we had a great meal at The Woollen Mills.  The buzzing atmosphere carried with us as we walked across the Ha'penny Bridge after dinner to check out the bars on the other side, which had music inviting us in.

Total Rating: 4.18
Food: 4.5, Price: 3.5, Service: 3.5, Ambience: 4, Accessibility: 5