Go Fork Yourself: Bobo’s, Dame Street, Dublin
Overview
Type: Eat inPros:
Red Lemonade by the pintCons:
Burgers not as special as they could beHoly Cow they’ve only gone and opened a second Bobo’s. Editors Sinéad and Lisa got together to check it out.
In a rare display of ‘being in the same city at the same time’, myself and fellow Ramp.ie editor, Lisa, found ourselves in town on Wednesday. With a couple hours to spare before going along to new Irish flick Grabbers, we took ourselves over to Dame Street for a late (3pm) lunch to check out the new Bobo’s.
Dubliners will know Bobo’s on Wexford Street (beside Whelan’s) as the cream-fronted burger joint that seems like it’s been there forever. Known for their decent fare, lying a little more upmarket from fast food joints, they’re ranked 180 on Lonely Planet’s list of 649 things to do in Dublin and I wouldn’t pass their flagship restaurant at the end of a night, so was enthusiastic about trying their newest outlet.
Much more spacious than the original, Dame Street’s Bobo’s maintains the original cow-hide-chair decor and Irish green fields painted on the walls. Their menu is largely the same as that of Bobo’s Wexford Street – with the notable absence of the Portobello Burger.
We took a table at the window and a waitress arrived fairly promptly to take orders. Opting for curry chips (they can be a daytime food, alright?!) I was told that there might not be any curry and went for the chips with peas instead. “Ohh, there are definitely no peas…” we were told, quickly getting the feeling that Bobo’s had been eaten out of house and home in the lunchtime rush. “Chips then,” I settled for, “And curry if you have it,” along with a ‘Colm’ burger (guacamole, cheese, onions and relish) and a pint of Red Lemonade. Editor Lisa went for the skinny chips and a Falafel burger and matched my pint of Red Lemonade as well (sure how could you pass it?)
Service was prompt (“you’ll be pleased to know we have everything you ordered!” – curry and all) and we tucked in after I had batted Lisa away from her own food in order to take pictures of it. We noted that it was a little ominous to have hand-painted cows staring down at you from the walls when you had your jaw around a beef patty, but nonetheless the ‘Colm’ was tasty and a good-sized offering. Lisa mentioned something about not liking burgers that are too big to get your mouth around, but for my own money I don’t think there’s anything wrong with taking a knife and fork to a gourmet burger. Both were demolished.
It was the curry chips that really stood out though. I tore through them, with a mere whiff of their aroma being enough to have Lisa stretching across the table to dunk the skinny fries. Weapon. This must be how men feel when girls say they’ll ‘just have a salad’ and then munch their way through your food with an ill-procured second fork. I glowered at her uncharitably for most of the meal.
Finishing up, we took another quick sconce at the menu but none of the desserts appealed to us so we settled up (€33 and some change for 2 burgers, 2 fries and two drinks) with the checkout guy telling us that the till was being a “total mare”, and remarked that Bobo’s deserved a solid 3.5 out of 5. Being as new as they are they have some teething problems, but you can’t beat a decent round of chips and an Irish person who could pass by a glass of Red Lemonade isn’t worth knowing.
We hiked five minutes up the street (if you consider a gradual incline to be a hike – and I do) to Queen of Tarts for coffee and cake (Victoria Sponge for myself and Raspberry Tart for the lady) and took a table outside to watch the world go by for a few minutes. Or, in Lisa’s case, comment dryly that they must never wash the cups:
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