Celebrity chef and entrepreneur, Dylan McGrath has opened his sixth restaurant, Shelbourne Social by Dylan McGrath, on Dublin's Shelbourne Road and what challenged him most about this project was how the dining experience is changing.
"The customer experience has grown so much. From the days of pulling away from just the pub to the restaurant. We believe that customers, and how they are eating, is slightly different and while we love fine dining and we love that experience, to do something that is turned down, while also creating something that is created on excellent produce, delicious marriages, in terms of flavour, and food for everyone."
The ethos of Shelbourne Social is "to be accessible and affordable, which is crucial and to deliver food that is simple but sourced well and delicious".
In order to deliver on this ethos, McGrath brings together "seasonal, local Irish ingredients", with "hand-picked" Irish beef and "brilliant lamb", from small farmers and some of the "best butchers in the country, who age and smoke the meats, before they are cooked to perfection over coal in the kitchen and carved at the table. Crucially, this is done without it being overly precious.
"We try to bring in the best consistency food that we can, but also not to be like other restaurants. You always have to come to the dining scene with something different, and I think that the testimony of the other restaurants that continue to run, show that continually bring something different."
McGrath and his business partner employ 350 people in their solely Irish-owned business. Speaking about "the incredibly committed hard-working team" behind him, he is full of praise as they manage "to feed over 4,000 people a week".
Hoping to increase that number, Shelbourne Social opens for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which presents "a unique challenge", as they like to offer something completely different for each time of the day.
"We try our best to produce food while also being still creative, still delicious, still well-sourced and consistent, which is absolutely paramount in Ireland in the restaurant scene today."
- Words and video by Niamh Hogan
