At Last - Rustic Stone

At last indeed! Dublin finally has a stylish evening restaurant with an allergy friendly menu. Rustic Stone just opened last week and I can't contain my excitement at viewing a menu which labels each dish according to it being Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free, Vegetarian, Low in Saturated Fat and/or a Superfood... or even all of them together!
Rustic Stone is a nice smart-casual restaurant with a rustic/wholefood feel. The menu is inventive and the taste is Great with a capital 'G'. Personally I found it a bit expensive for the 'healthy but affordable eating approach' headliner when you take into consideration that almost all of the main courses require an additional side dish to make a full meal but on the whole I'm happy to spend a bit more money when the meals are good, the menu is food allergy conscientious and the setting is of a quality evening standard.
The definite recommendations from my party were the 'Posh Pesto Salad', the 'Fish In A Bag' (which I personally vouch for as fantastic and literally in a bag!), the 'Halibut with Walnut Relish' and the 'Marshmallows with Melon & Lemongrass' (its rare when I can order a dessert, let alone have a choice!). The tastes were full and intricate and the quality was top notch.
A word of warning to food allergy sufferers is to still question the ingredients despite the listings at least while Rustic Stone is finding its feet because our table noticed two errors on the menu (1, the 'Light Soft Polenta with Cep Dressing & Parmesan' is obviously not Dairy free as stated and 2, the 'Superfood Salad' is not vegetarian as it contains Smoked Halibut). We questioned the error and the staff were very apologetic and thankful for the mention but it also serves as a reminder that you as the consumer are responsible for what you eat and it is always important to investigate when in doubt.
Teething issues aside, I honestly hope that Rustic Stone lasts longer than its predecessors on 17 Georges Street and that the food allergy population support this wonderful restaurant and encourage more of the same.

A toast to the recognition of food allergies!

Rustic Stone
17 South Great Georges St
Dublin 2
tel: 01 707 9596
web: www.rusticstone.ie

Opening Times: to be confirmed

For a full list of food allergy friendly dining options please see the 'Restaurant Directory' page located under the main title