Forde’s of Wexford, Top 100? Not even close
Posted on August 7, 2005, by Conor, under Food, Ireland, Restaurants, Reviews.
We had our week down in Rosslare. I’d call it a holiday but there were 8 kids in the house. My lovely sisters and parents gave us the night off on Wednesday so we had to pick where to eat. Catherine wasn’t in the mood for Italian so it was no to Dolce Vita. Heaven’s Above sounded good. Dunbrody House was too far. Lobster Pot doesn’t take bookings in the summer. A few reviews later and we settled on Forde’s. But we left the house with my Ma warning us that they had an awful meal there a while back.
Service wasn’t unfriendly but not exactly effusive. Focus was obviously on fish but the meat mains were a bit odd with multiple variations of steak. Catherine got prawn spring rolls to start. Rolls themselves were fine but the “salsa” was brutal. Crunchy veg and overwhelming taste of courgette. Salad was mediocre.
I had Duck Leg Confit. The duck was fine but again the saucing was pretty cack-handed. All I could really taste was pepper.
For main, Catherine had sole fillet. They did them as little roll-mops which unfortunately meant they were over-cooked on the outside and “rare” in the middle. Nasty and pretty tasteless. Came with a basil sauce. Now I adore basil but I’m not sure what it was doing in a sole sauce. I went for brill which was fine if a little bland.
The highlight had to be potato in a spring roll casing. What? I was only disapponted that it didn’t have chips right in the middle with maybe a rice coating and spaghetti tails.
Desserts were parfait for Catherine and semi-fredo for me. What came out were two things of identical frozen texture. My semi was really just fredo. I could bitch about espresso coming in cappucino cups but that would be just mean.
So John McKenna thinks this is one of the top 100 restaurants in Ireland? Doesn’t surprise me - the Bridgestone guide is good for addresses and telephone numbers only. I have read reviews in there which don’t actually mention food at any point.
Of course Tom Doorley recently listed it as a must-visit in Wexford in the Sunday Tribune. I used to think Tom was one of those very bright people who feign bumbling cluelessness a bit like Boris Johnson. But the more I watch “The Restaurant”, the more I realise that it isn’t an act. This is a guy who reviews wine on afternoon TV but who doesn’t seem to have correctly identified one grape variety in this entire series. His laughable attempts to guess origin and price are reason enough to watch the programme. So I don’t think I’ll be taking restaurant advice from him either.
So a meal for two with two drinks and a cheap bottle of wine in Wexford. How much? €126! They really are relying on never-come-again tourists aren’t they? These guys are charging Tannery level prices for Coopers level food. A fine business head running the show there. Avoid.
5 Replies to "Forde’s of Wexford, Top 100? Not even close"
conor on June 10, 2007
Unfactual? I reported our two experiences exactly as they occurred. Why would I be biased? I gave them a second chance and they totally screwed it up.
If you had a good meal, then I’m thrilled for you but it doesn’t negate our bad experiences (plural) there or any of the other reports of mediocrity we have heard.
David on September 14, 2007
I completely agree with your review,
I began working in Wexford over a year ago and took my parents there for a meal
after reading all the reviews. We were given a nice table and we wordered our food. I ordered a steak that was supposed to be medium that was served extremely overdone and though I waited for 5 minutes to return it no waitress appeared so I had to leave it. I can’t remember what my parents ordered at this stage but they weren’t happy. However, the most worrying part of the whole meal was my father spotted the waitress filling up the wine bottles with wine that had been left in peoples glasses when they left their tables - to say say the least this was not a good sign of a place. Will never be back. one experience was one too many.
PS: It’s good to find someone that is finally willing to write a review on a restaurant based on how it is and not based on reviews that haven’t changed in the 10 years when clearly the food has.
Jason Regenald. on October 9, 2007
I diecided to make another booking with Forde’s, solely because I wanted to see if they are good on some day’s and bad on other’s. I see by your comments and from other people, that there is a very mixed emotion’s with this restaurant. Myself nd my wife booked a table just a couple of hours in advance on a Sunday night. When we arrived we were greated with an extremely nice young man, who was working with another man also that night, which in itself was a little odd, to see no female staff in a restaurant. We were allocated a nice window table and proptly given menu’s, water, bread and told the specials of the evening. I do agree with you however that the menu doesn’t seem to change at all wiitch is a little dis-heartening but not a huge problem for me personally. We ordered the same as each other, spicy beef salads and dover sole for main courses and the waiter seemed to have extensive knoweledge of the wine list and the industry itself odd for a waiter so young, and chose a fruity muscadet witch was everything he said it would be, the food was fine, nothing spectacular but did as it was suppose too, fill us, once again I would have to say, the food wasn’t exactly thrilling, but the service was unbeatable, and I would go back again.
conor on October 10, 2007
Glad to hear it Jason. Hopefully they are upping their game.
Whilst I hate the new series of Hell’s Kitchen USA, Ramsey did make the good point that _consistency_ is the skey feature of a great restaurant. I wish many Irish restaurants would heed that.
Jason Regenald on June 10, 2007
I have to completley dissagree with your quite possibly biased and unfair review of this particular restaurant. Recently myself and four friends had a four cours meal, and it was fantastic, the service second to none, the food unbeatablem the only thing I could possibly say about the entire experience would be I wanted to sit in the front room, but we had to take a table in the second room, I fnd your review unfactual because from our point of view, we would recommend it.