As One in Dublin

23/04/2026: We arrived for a 7:30pm reservation and were left waiting outside in the cold and dark past our booking time while guests were admitted two at a time—at one point the door was literally closed in my face. Inside, the room feels overthought but not comfortable, with a layout that has diners facing away from the room and dulling any sense of occasion. The tasting menu format now feels dated: long ingredient recitations that are hard to follow and create constant background noise as each table hears the same speech. The food was competent rather than exceptional—an asparagus soup, the lamb, and some chocolate were very good —but nothing approached two-star level, with much of the presentation feeling performative. We're talking bits of food hanging off bronze twigs. Service was inconsistent: Ailish and Johnny were excellent, but elsewhere it slipped. I’d read an interview where Damien Grey said the room can be “whatever you want it to be,” quiet if you want quiet; that wasn’t true. A table who appeared to know Danien were loud, drinking heavily, swearing across the room, and receiving constant attention —you can’t market refinement and then let one connected table dictate the atmosphere; in a two-star setting it reads as amateur. The non-alcoholic offering was also weak, essentially a single unnamed beer unless you opted for an expensive pairing. Overall, this felt closer to a one-star or even Bib Gourmand experience at best, but for this price it's not worth it. You will have a nicer time in Uno Mas or even Kickys.

20/04/2026: The dishes were very tasty. I enjoyed the flavors very much as well as the creativity in each dish. Everything followed an idea, somehow connecting the dishes. However, having dined in other Michelin-rated restaurants, I can say that this experience lacked something. While the food was delicious, I don’t think it was necessarily the most memorable. Some of the dishes missed this refined sense of complexity. I feel like some of the combinations could be a bit more elevated and interesting. However, I really enjoyed the eel mousse, and the asparagus dish, which I found to be the most interesting. On another note, I feel like either a few more dishes should be included in the tasting, or the portion size could be a bit larger. Overall though, the meals are tasty and prepared in a thoughtful manner. The chef is fantastic, and the atmosphere is excellent - it felt very cozy.