There’s so much choice for places to eat and drink in Ranelagh, to suit whatever your whims desire. Up to a couple of years ago, we lived in walking distance (dangerous) but now that we are a little further away we don’t find ourselves there as much as we would like. We didn’t book and decided to just head for Ranelagh and see what we fancied. We ended up in The Exchequer Wine Bar… and were very glad we did.

It’s at the town end of Ranelagh…otherwise known as the ‘not so busy’ end… places all the way through Ranelagh, from TriBeCa to The Butcher Grill, Dillingers, Milanos were all pretty full but The Exchequer had just a handful of people…but it was a Monday evening.

We took 2 stools at the bar. We are both fans of sitting at the bar in places like this, you can sit close together for chatting, and see all the going-ons behind the bar. When you enter The Exchequer Wine Bar, there’s a large table right at the window, perfect for a big group, then high tables and stools along the right hand side, opposite the bar. This opens up into a wider area with tables. There’s also a  terrace area upstairs, (well hidden away).

Dark wood bar and tables, orangey tan leather stools and chairs, lots of displayed glassware and bottles over the bar, it’s a really nice space.

The menu is in many ways, typical wine bar fare – lots of meats and cheeses and breads, small tapas style dishes like croquettes and chorizo lollipops, salads, an oyster menu and then a few larger ‘main’ dishes such as Risotto, steak, slow cooked lamb shoulder… There’s an extensive bar menu including lots of cocktails and Gins! However we treated ourselves to a bottle of Californian Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa by Rutherford Ranch (€48). The wine was decanted which always makes it feel extra special! I really liked the wine list here at The Exchequer, a nice selection by the glass in 125ml and 175 ml pourings; highlights for me include Prosecco at €6.90, in the whites a Gavi di Gavi €7.50 (125ml) / €10.50 (175ml) and in the reds, a Douro, Sa de Baixo €5.00 / €7.00 or a Saint Emilion Bordeau, Chateau Lagrange at €6.50 / €8.90.

To pair with our Napa red, we chose a few dishes to share, the Irish cheese board (€14.95), the Italian meat board (€16.95) and a bruschetta (€9.95). Each of these were excellent with good selections in the cheeses and meats. The cheese plate contained St. Killian’s Camembert, Coolea and aged Cashel Blue, served with a fig chutney, crackers and grapes.

The Italian meat selection included San Danielle ham, coppa and Milano salami…served with pickles, capers and little toasted breads.

The Bruschetta was loaded with plum tomatoes, soft melty mozzarella, basil oil with leaves and black olives.

We finished up with the dark chocolate fondant, served with a vanilla mascarpone, to share… a decadent end to our meal and lovely with the last glass of our Cabernet.

There’s aren’t enough good things I can say about The Exchequer Wine Bar, not sure how it took us this long to visit. A perfect place to while away some time, nibbling on cheeses and meats, with gorgeous wines. I love the relaxed feel, its not snobby about wine, or pretentious and has wine at all price points. Will be back soon… still dreaming of all the lovely things we ate and drank there!

 

The Exchequer Wine Bar | 19 Ranelagh, Dublin 6 | 01 421 5780 | winebar@theexchequer.ie

www.theexchequerwinebar.ie | @theexchequer