Jan. Elite Event: Vino & Bites!

I’ve eaten in Ely before so once I seen it on the invitation I knew we were onto a good thing. I went with high expectations which I’m happy to say were surpassed with the range of excellent foods, tasty wines and classy setting. The salmon with a dry white was definitely my favorite and the beautiful and historical setting simply added to it all.
The event itself was class and thanks to the friendly staff, along with Cory D, I never knew drinking alcohol could be so educational ;) It was a great way to meet everyone and big thanks to Annie and all the other Unilocalers for being so nice and helping me blend in.
Thanks to both Ely and Unilocal for a great night, I will be back to both again.

I was invited by Maire B, an Elite Unilocaler, and ooo, the advantages of Elite status! The Ely Wine Bar and Restaurant vaults are absolutely beautiful, the staff are consummately professional, and the food and drink are that rare thing in Dublin: delicious and unpretentious. The sommelier, Amelie, was very knowledgeable and genuinely interested in introducing us to the wines, and didn’t mind answering random questions. The food, oh the food! For an omnivore like me, it was a total delight. Salmon gravalax and the most mouth-​wateringly intense basil pesto, served on a small chunk of Guinness brown bread (my only complaint of the evening, the bread was a little too sweet). Scallops, moist and tenderly tasty, oh! Mini-​burgers set off by a lovely sweet tomato relish and the best chips I have had anywhere in Dublin. Topped off by a group of wonderful and weird personalities, it was a great evening, thank you to Maire and Annie, as well as all my fellow Ely travellers!

A quick review to say how amazing this event was on Wednesday night.
The selection of wines were a treat, the food was perfect and the venue really added to the evening.
The staff were extremely friendly and very welcoming. Will definitely be returning to The Ely bar in the near future.
And thanks for a great night Annie you have really set the tone for the Elite events in 2011.

if it’s one thing that will make me go back to a place, it’s classy staff. They seem to really know their wine and I never realised that there was a story behind each type!
The food itself was exquisitely served (with a smile of course) and perfectly proportioned, my personal favorite was the scallops as the wine that it was served with complimented it delightfully.
The venue itself is a little deceiving, as on the top floor it is all glass (and class), which looks really nice, however venture a little bit further towards downstairs and you will find yourself transported to a gorgeous intimate cave like setting, complete with (flattering!) candle lit setting.
I can see myself coming back this gem of a place many many times in the near future.

This event is one of the reasons I enjoy Unilocal Dublin so much, and feel lucky to be part of the Elite squad.
The chance to explore a venue that I would probably never known existed-​the restaurant up top, sure, but the big wine area below? Probably not. I love wineries and wine tours, and this cellar just went on and on and on and…
An opportunity to sample a range of food so I know that if I decide to come and spend my own yo-​yos it’s worth the experience. And OMFG, it would be worth it. Is it wrong to slurp one’s scallops? Bite the hand reaching for the last burger? Challenge somebody for the chips? Too bad.
Best of all, an adventure into the personalities that make up this fair city. From a DJ to a Dominatrix, Bankers to Wankers, intellectuals to indifferent, what a great group of people who like to share their experiences with the world and congregate over a glass of wine and some gravlax!
Bottom Line-​I saw you take the last piece of salmon. I had my eye on it. You’re going on the list, buddy!

This one is definitely… definitely… wine… probably … hic… I’m detecting a distinct bouquet… hic… of wininess… with pleasing. hic… winey… overtones.
oooh look at all the wine… hic

Wonderful event!!!
Definitely my type of party: wine, food, and friends!!! I was happy to try scallops for the first time as well. The cellar atmosphere was really swanky, and everyone there besides us was in suits. Interesting to be in such a classy place, I really enjoyed it. Would love to go here again!

Wow, Annie what a classy event. What can I say, the staff are very professional, experts on their wine, Sharon’s opening briefing on the history of the building — Customs and Excise stores was very interesting, then came the prosecco, dry, thrilling on the palate and that was only the start. Followed by a variety of white wines.
Then out came wonderful melt in the mouth salmon gravalax cured in beetroot served on guinness brown bread that had everyone wowing, crying for recipes, guessing on the secret ingredients. Never fear, the staff reassured us that the recipe for the bread could be found on their website. I’m sure the site will be hit quite a lot today as we all grapple to get our hands on the secrets of such a delicious bread.
But OMG the scallops, what joy, what exctasy for the palate, cooked to perfection, crisp outer layer and juicy meaty centre, topped with clonakilty black pudding. I wasn’t too sure if I’d like the cauliflower purée, not being a fan of said vegetable, but it complimented the dish beautifully.
Then we were given a tour of the cellar selection by Adrian (forgive me if I’ve got the name wrong). and for those of you who like and know wines I would highly recommend visiting this restaurant/​bar.
Unfortunately, I missed the mini burgers but I understand they were delicious, so I will have to leave it up to those who did taste them to tell you all about it.
Again, many thanks to Annie and fellow Unilocaler Sharon for organising a wonderful event. Ely is definately on our list of places to visit and I will be recommending to our Sports and Social club that it would be a great wine tasting event!

As I was walking back from Ely Bar & Brasserie under a dark, cloudless sky and a full moon, I spotted four stars in the sky…
One star for the Spot ! Last night our great Annie had organized a wine tasting event for her Unilocal Elite Squad at the Ely Bar & Brasserie. From the outside the place looked top of the range and I wondered if we were well dressed enough. We came in and were directed downstairs where the event was taking place. I would have loved to spend some more time upstairs, for a little warm up drink at the bar, but we were about to taste wine — I would have a warm up drink there and then :)
One star for the Ambiance ! Downstairs was the cellar. A nice and indirect lighting — it’s gives a nice color to your skin, and makes it a great place for a romantic date ;) — a wine bar as you come in and a restaurant area further. We stopped at the wine bar where Annie was waiting for us arms wide open with a nice crowd of Elites. I must say that Annie is really good at making you feel at ease out of your bubble :) A few drops of wine later and a bit of explanation on what (wine) and where (it came from), and everyone was in a lovely mood, ready to share our (not so) deep knowledge of tasty wine.
One star for the Menu ! We had the great pleasure to taste 3 white wines and 2 red wines. I prefer white by far, and in the selection I tasted I fell for the Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Fruity, a bit sweet, I ended up tasting it to the very last drop ;) It would be a very good wine for desert. Every time I go shopping for wine, I never know what to choose. I know what I like but never remember the names, countries, it’s annoying. This one I will remember, for sure ! Also, to go with the wine, we were offered salmon on brown bread, scallops (to die for!!!) and mini burgers (tasty and so much better than any other burger in the whole wide world!!!).
One final star for the Treats ! A photographer took a few shots — which I hope to see online very soon :) and we were given Sugar-​Free (very important) Peppermints shaped as the Unilocal logo. My lovely French friend and I loved them ! She was so enchanted she wanted to get a dozen little boxes of mints, but then she got distracted and forgot about it. I’m glad she did: D
I want more ! We definitely need to come back to try the restaurant ! After that I will be able to give that last star to the rating. Sounds like a great plan, doesn’t it? For more info, check their website :
PS: See you at the next Unilocal Elite Squad Event ! XD