After just three weeks in business, it’s bon voyage for now to steak restaurant Entrecôte, which opened its doors in Dublin on September 25.
Excuse our French, but the eatery was embroiled in nothing short of a s**show during its brief stint in business, with its owner, Irishman Paul McGlade Jnr, having to clarify that the Dublin spot was not part of the popular French chain, Entrecôte, despite generating buzz about its supposed arrival in Ireland.
The restaurant, which opened shop in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, has quickly been shuttered again, and is now listed online as ‘permanently closed’ on both Google and OpenTable.
In a statement shared with the Irish Independent on Friday, the venue clarified what’s happening and said: ‘We are now closed for a brief time for some maintenance and to revamp our menu. We will reopen soon with a new and improved offering. We look forward to seeing our customers again soon.’
So, as the restaurant closes for a ‘brief time’, what the hell happened?
Entrecote Entrecôte, on Clarendon Street, Dublin 2. Pic: Conor Ó Mearáin/Photocall Ireland
On September 24, media outlets across the country received word that Entrecôte would open its doors the following day, September 25.
At the time, the announcement read: ‘Beloved French institution Entrecôte today announced it will open a Dublin restaurant tomorrow on Clarendon Street, Dublin 2.’
The restaurant’s official website still reads: ‘Since its inception in 1962 in Toulouse, inspired by the original Le Relais de Venise in Paris, this classic French brasserie concept has expanded to cities like Paris, Tokyo, London, and New York, and now Dublin marks the group’s next opening.’
Entrecôte Dublin. Pic: Supplied
We now know that this is not the case, and that Entrecôte was never affiliated with the French chain, rather ‘inspired’ by it.
In a statement, Paul McGlade Jnr clarified: ‘Entrecôte Dublin is a new independent restaurant offering a French-inspired dining experience, no bookings, high-quality steak, unlimited fries, and so on.
‘Entrecôte Dublin is not associated with similar L’Entrecôte / Entrecôte restaurants around the world. There are many separate operators inspired by a similar concept, which originated in France.’
Relais de l’Entrecôte in Paris. Pic: Supplied
‘We would like to clarify that while we were keen to convey the influence of the well-known concept on the offering, Entrecôte Dublin is an independent business and looks forward to continuing to provide this concept to Dublin diners,’ the statement concluded.
If you read the – original – announcement above, you’ll have spotted that this was a huge U-turn.
Following the clarification, the PR firm that organised the opening of Entrecôte Dublin released a statement saying they had ‘terminated its relationship with Entrecôte Dublin effective immediately’.
Not quite a rave review
Entrecôte Dublin. Pic: Supplied
Lucinda O’Sullivan of the Irish Independent appears to have been the first food critic to have ventured to the eatery, with her opinions shared with the Irish public on October 14.
Much less than a rave review, the headline of Ms O’Sullivan’s review reads: ‘The food was so-so and the service slow-slow at this Dublin ode to a French classic’, with its standfirst underscoring: ‘The food failed to impress and the service was painfully slow.’
Her closing line, which quotes Paul McGlade Jnr, reads: ‘“If you struggle to get a table, bear with us. I can guarantee every forkful will be worth the wait,” McGlade told Dublin Town. It wasn’t!’
Within a matter of days, Entrecôte bid au revoir, or rather, slán (for now).
What are people saying?
Pic: Reddit
Social media is abuzz with the news of Entrecôte’s apparent closure. One Reddit user questioned: ‘Wait a minute, is that the place that only opened a month ago?! What the f**k? What business genius dreamed that idea up.’
@jasminewherever Wtf #entrecote #entrecotedublin #dublinfood #dublinfoodie #dublindinner ♬ original sound – jasmine
Someone else spotted an unusual notice on the door of the establishment, which read: ‘Closed for private hire. Please note temporary closure. We are currently closed for a private event and will not be open to the public at this time. Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to welcoming you back soon!’
Pic: Instagram
Elsewhere, the restaurant’s one and only review on Tripadvisor reads: ‘Stringy meat, frozen chips, and pepper sauce from a catering bucket. About as French as the baguettes in the Lidl shop in Fair City.’
EVOKE has reached out to Paul McGlade Jnr for comment.
Dining and Cooking