04/04/2024: Intro Summary:
Restaurant and Pub in Historical Former British tax Excise Buiding, presumably for the boats.
Relaxed attitude, good food upstairs and downstairs restaurants seating areas, with free do it yourself karaoke in the bar lounge area, often attended by small groups. Stars removed for lack of bar staffing and security, as well as the lack of substantial smaller options in the bar menu.
Popular spot for food in the restaurant Upper as well as Restaurant Lower areas.
Seating was visibly 80% full one Saturday night. Which beat the other restaurants on the street.
The bar is quieter though and could be improved and more popular, if there were more bar staff, floor staff cleaning tables and door security. At over €15 for any main meal, the bar menu could be more reasonably priced for casual bar and lounge dining, with more protein and carb €12-15 main course options and an option for a substantial protein based burger equivalent at €6-€8 - with currently only chips in sauce at around this price point. A new bar menu would also take advantage of proximity to the NCI college. Larger chicken wings and chips platters are available. (Avoid Chilli sauce on chips option, which as a stirfry condensed sauce is too strong, with negative consequences for days.)
Beer is average to reasonable in price, from 6-7 euro. .
Security is too laid back at times, with no security bouncers. People walking in off the street. Only one bar staff downstairs who is stressed stretched, trying to be security as well by keeping an eye out, as well as this one staff even trying to act as floor table cleaning staff. Whereas the Harbor Master pub up the road, has three or four bar staff for the same size place, with three ir four floor staff servers and cleaners, as well as a door Host monitoring people entering. There is a difference between the Harbourmaster's quality Western standards and an over emphasis on under staffing for maximum profit in the Korean restaurant bar, at the expense of customer safety, staff happiness and customers' table needs in the lounge, which would help general atmosphere. There is more profit and popularity for any place, if basic levels of staff are maintained.
Conclusion:
The focus of this place is on the restaurant, with less staff given for the large bar Lounge. A quite fun place which supports live karaoke that gives an opportunity to mingle between groups and meet new people.
31/03/2024: One of, if not the best Korean restaurant in Dublin! The food is just amazing, many options to choose from. I’ve been there 2 times, whereas one of them, we ordered main dishes, and the second time was to try the unlimited BBQ! 35 euros was totally worth it! Although the staff did take a bit long to take our orders and help us settle down.
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