Review: Berts Jazz Bar

Bert's Jazz bar was so very close to being a perfect dining experience. I'm not saying it was bad, far from it, but there's a few things that could just tip what was a very pleasant dining experience into something worth singing about.

It's set in an handsome room, which, while there's clearly been money spent on the surroundings, is starting to tire a bit - nothing a new carpet and lick of paint won't fix, but it's maybe not as sharp as we'd expect for such a high end eatery.

The menu screams Supper Club, with the usual suspects out in force - Moules Frites, sharing steaks, platters and pies. Classics are classics for a reason, and you'll be hard pressed not to find something to your liking on the menu - as long as you're in the mood for something substantial. Fiddly food is out the window, the kitchen instead choosing to concentrate on a few tried and tested staples; appetising, hearty and with enough twists to keep us interested.

Which is why it's such a shame that the bar, rated by many as one of the best in town, has a beer list straight out of the dark ages, complete with a rare sighting of a bottle of Budweiser, unseen in these parts since the 90's . Yes, it's a cocktail bar, but, as the old joke goes, you'd sooner have no-one in the property than bad Tennents – and the lack of something, anything that's not mass produced lets the side down immensely.

Which is a shame. A shared, baked Camembert alongside a selection of preserves and home baked French bread opens the proceedings and while it's not exactly rocket science to shove a round of cheese into an oven, scratch baking perfect baguettes is - no shop bought, part-baked Cuisine De France monstrosity here - instead it's crisp, cooked throughout and complements the runny cheese perfectly.

Main courses are up to a similar standard - a vegetarian tortellini dish has been put together by a chef who knows that something this rich and wholesome doesn't need to be piled high in a pasta bowl, and murdered with parmesan. There's some baby fennel to lift the goats cheese a bit, but what we're presented with is a very simple, very tasty dish.

Steak comes complete with as good a stab at Café De Paris butter, and we're surprised that there's only this rich and divisive condiment. We love it though - which is more than we can say for the fact that the perfectly cooked slice of ribeye is served on a chopping board. Despite the tiny moat carved into the wood, the butter runs straight off the board and onto the table.

I'm never convinced these things clean well either and thought we'd consigned this practise to the dustbin. Which, again, is a shame, because it's probably the best steak I've had all year.

We nearly don't have dessert, but opt for the Pistachio and Olive Oil cake as there's a very reasonable set menu in operation Sunday through to Thursday and we're glad we did. It's clear that it comes from the same in-house bakery as the bread and we could have eaten it unadorned it was that moist and delicate.

Dinner is rounded off with a well constructed cocktail and an espresso that would have benefited from being served in a smaller cup - losing both heat and crema in the short time between espresso machine and diner.

There's certainly lots to love here at Berts - especially as we've not even mentioned that the entertainment was spot on and at just the right volume too. It's just a shame as there's a few things, that can be easily remedied, that will make this a top flight restaurant.

Shane Horan

Berts Jazz Bar