Extra Sensory Confection
Pro An unforgettable experience.
Con It comes with a price tag.
Pay
€€€€+
★★ Michelin
Per Person The 15 course tasting menu, with a beer, water & bottle of wine: €140-150
Find
Website https://www.dstageconcept.com/
Access Small step in, toilets downstairs.
In Short
Hopes. Culinary discovery.
Reality. A multi-sensory experience.
First Impressions. Classy brickwork, subdued spotlights, friendly waiting staff in denim.
USP? The owner's vision, personality and style.
The offer in three words. Eclectic, excellent, evocative.
Service! Absolutely first class. One course was a couple of minutes delayed, we thought.
Friend friendly? All requirements or preferences are catered for as required.
Rating for dating. Very high potential, but be aware of long booking lead-ins for evening service.
Tip? 8%
Change one thing? 15 dishes is a lot of food for a shorter menu.
Revisitability. Sky high.
Compare & Contrast
Half the number of stars, half the dishes & half the price at Lua.
In Pictures
The restaurant on Google images. We really recommend not looking at too many food photos in advance of visiting.
What's the story?
If you're new to this sort of thing, an evening in DSTAgE will open your mind to what all the malarky about fine-dining and Michelin stars is about. In short: sensory intensity.
Simply, you'll try things solo and in combination you've never seen, smelt, tasted or even heard of before. The next morning at work you'll be quoting Roy Batty as played by Gordon Ramsay in Bladerunner: The Masterchef Cut. I've eaten things you people wouldn't believe...
The thing is, the right way to review DStage is not to review Dstage. A vital part of that sensory experience is another sensation built in to many of the dishes: surprise. It's an over-used word, but this is a journey. You're going to discover things. It doesn't feel fair to spoil that. So, a compromise. We're going to recommend a trio of dishes. Look elsewhere for exhaustive - and possibly exhausting - detailed commentary and photos if you must.
One understandable question. Is it worth the money? That needs a bit of maths, You're paying an average of about €9 a course before drinks, etc. On that basis we'd say it's a yes. One suggestion for a bit of added value: ask for a table opposite the kitchen if you want to watch the culinary equivalent of a virtuoso conducting his orchestra (in apparently near-silent tranquility).
Practicalities? Water and wine are kept off the table, but served consistently and silently, with almost telepathic anticipation, showing the finest customer awareness. Each dish is explained and described in your choice of English or Spanish. Table spacing is generous, meaning lots of privacy. With a set number of covers per sitting, couples are often allocated enough space for foursomes, meaning lots and lots of room. The atmosphere, with a candlelit glassed-in patio plus Van Morrison and Dylan in the background is just right. A menu card, with a little souvenir to remind you of the owner's love of guitars, arrives with the bill.
But, to the food. One note we'd like to mention: we were impressed that around a two-thirds of our menu avoided seafood or meat as principal ingredients and a fair number of that proportion seemed not to use any dairy products at all.
Stop here if you don't want any spoilers and, like us, want to experience all the dishes as intended. For the rest, we'll be back after this. Yes, chef?!
Aaand here we are. We'll talk you through three dishes we suggest you ask to try when they check your preferences.
One bit of orientation: there's a bit of travelling involved here. Your first aperitif is served in the bar area. The second means a walk to the open-fronted kitchen where the second is prepared in front of you. And that's where we start today.
Vieira Vegetal
If it's on your menu, a friendly expert will complete the final stages of this dish in front of you at the pass. Prepare some boletus in a pair of infusions. Then marinade on a block of pink salt crystal. Add some of the liqour and some micro herbs with some toasted seeds. An entirely vegetable-based seafood dish that tastes as good as the real thing should.
Maya
An example of the sensory experience. and maybe the savoury highlight of the night. Prepared by the man himself, the visual and flavour impact of this dish is outstanding.
This is a mole and yucca combination, with that array of toasted seeds adding an extra level of texture and flavour, the chance to add your own touch of lime and coriander leaf adds the familiar hints of Mexican cuisine you'd expect. An absolute triumph that has to be tried.
Maiz
Every sense going gets a work out here. Even touch - this dish is a hands-on eating experience. A crazy, silly, hilarious dish, there's a halo of warm candy floss surrounding some chilly sweetcorn-influenced ice cream.
That description sounds like it might be oversweet, but this cooking is all about creating contrast and balance. And it's the world-class garnishing that makes this as good a dessert as we've ever eaten anywhere. Nuts. A spicy, citrusy, jammy paste. You'll be mopping up the remains of the sauce with what's left of the candy and hoping for more. Textures, flavours and temperatures all combine. It's fun. It's delicious. You'll want that warm towel. And another helping.
And that's Dstage in a dish. The smells, flavours, temperatures and textures, even the sounds, will keep you busy, not least searching for adjectives, all evening. You'll laugh at the candy floss. You'll refresh your palate with a beautiful melon and beetroot amuse bouche on a monogrammed ice cube. You may gasp at powdered frozen garum (yes, garum) and get a surprise as it sublimates (yes, sublimates) up your nose when it hits your spoon (yes, spoon).
Dinner to smell, taste, amaze. Go & enjoy, You'll not forget your visit.
Pro An unforgettable experience.
Con It comes with a price tag.
Pay
€€€€+
★★ Michelin
Per Person The 15 course tasting menu, with a beer, water & bottle of wine: €140-150
Find
Website https://www.dstageconcept.com/
Access Small step in, toilets downstairs.
In Short
Hopes. Culinary discovery.
Reality. A multi-sensory experience.
First Impressions. Classy brickwork, subdued spotlights, friendly waiting staff in denim.
USP? The owner's vision, personality and style.
The offer in three words. Eclectic, excellent, evocative.
Service! Absolutely first class. One course was a couple of minutes delayed, we thought.
Friend friendly? All requirements or preferences are catered for as required.
Rating for dating. Very high potential, but be aware of long booking lead-ins for evening service.
Tip? 8%
Change one thing? 15 dishes is a lot of food for a shorter menu.
Revisitability. Sky high.
Compare & Contrast
Half the number of stars, half the dishes & half the price at Lua.
In Pictures
The restaurant on Google images. We really recommend not looking at too many food photos in advance of visiting.
What's the story?
If you're new to this sort of thing, an evening in DSTAgE will open your mind to what all the malarky about fine-dining and Michelin stars is about. In short: sensory intensity.
Simply, you'll try things solo and in combination you've never seen, smelt, tasted or even heard of before. The next morning at work you'll be quoting Roy Batty as played by Gordon Ramsay in Bladerunner: The Masterchef Cut. I've eaten things you people wouldn't believe...
The thing is, the right way to review DStage is not to review Dstage. A vital part of that sensory experience is another sensation built in to many of the dishes: surprise. It's an over-used word, but this is a journey. You're going to discover things. It doesn't feel fair to spoil that. So, a compromise. We're going to recommend a trio of dishes. Look elsewhere for exhaustive - and possibly exhausting - detailed commentary and photos if you must.
One understandable question. Is it worth the money? That needs a bit of maths, You're paying an average of about €9 a course before drinks, etc. On that basis we'd say it's a yes. One suggestion for a bit of added value: ask for a table opposite the kitchen if you want to watch the culinary equivalent of a virtuoso conducting his orchestra (in apparently near-silent tranquility).
Practicalities? Water and wine are kept off the table, but served consistently and silently, with almost telepathic anticipation, showing the finest customer awareness. Each dish is explained and described in your choice of English or Spanish. Table spacing is generous, meaning lots of privacy. With a set number of covers per sitting, couples are often allocated enough space for foursomes, meaning lots and lots of room. The atmosphere, with a candlelit glassed-in patio plus Van Morrison and Dylan in the background is just right. A menu card, with a little souvenir to remind you of the owner's love of guitars, arrives with the bill.
But, to the food. One note we'd like to mention: we were impressed that around a two-thirds of our menu avoided seafood or meat as principal ingredients and a fair number of that proportion seemed not to use any dairy products at all.
Stop here if you don't want any spoilers and, like us, want to experience all the dishes as intended. For the rest, we'll be back after this. Yes, chef?!
Aaand here we are. We'll talk you through three dishes we suggest you ask to try when they check your preferences.
One bit of orientation: there's a bit of travelling involved here. Your first aperitif is served in the bar area. The second means a walk to the open-fronted kitchen where the second is prepared in front of you. And that's where we start today.
Vieira Vegetal
If it's on your menu, a friendly expert will complete the final stages of this dish in front of you at the pass. Prepare some boletus in a pair of infusions. Then marinade on a block of pink salt crystal. Add some of the liqour and some micro herbs with some toasted seeds. An entirely vegetable-based seafood dish that tastes as good as the real thing should.
Maya
An example of the sensory experience. and maybe the savoury highlight of the night. Prepared by the man himself, the visual and flavour impact of this dish is outstanding.
This is a mole and yucca combination, with that array of toasted seeds adding an extra level of texture and flavour, the chance to add your own touch of lime and coriander leaf adds the familiar hints of Mexican cuisine you'd expect. An absolute triumph that has to be tried.
Maiz
Every sense going gets a work out here. Even touch - this dish is a hands-on eating experience. A crazy, silly, hilarious dish, there's a halo of warm candy floss surrounding some chilly sweetcorn-influenced ice cream.
That description sounds like it might be oversweet, but this cooking is all about creating contrast and balance. And it's the world-class garnishing that makes this as good a dessert as we've ever eaten anywhere. Nuts. A spicy, citrusy, jammy paste. You'll be mopping up the remains of the sauce with what's left of the candy and hoping for more. Textures, flavours and temperatures all combine. It's fun. It's delicious. You'll want that warm towel. And another helping.
And that's Dstage in a dish. The smells, flavours, temperatures and textures, even the sounds, will keep you busy, not least searching for adjectives, all evening. You'll laugh at the candy floss. You'll refresh your palate with a beautiful melon and beetroot amuse bouche on a monogrammed ice cube. You may gasp at powdered frozen garum (yes, garum) and get a surprise as it sublimates (yes, sublimates) up your nose when it hits your spoon (yes, spoon).
Dinner to smell, taste, amaze. Go & enjoy, You'll not forget your visit.
