Shades has the wow factor
REVIEW - THE GOOD LIFE
Gemma Good had the pleasure of a girls night out in Shades Grill over the festive period and uses her column The Good Life this week to review the experience...
I don’t often do reviews but this place amazed me beyond belief. I had never been to Shades even though it has been in the town for months now, but I always wanted to try it.
My school friends and agreed on a day and I made the booking via their website. Great! Table for six booked for 8pm - the most seamless online booking I have ever made.
Six people got cut down to four between hangovers from the night before and exams. I was afraid it was too late to reduce the number. As I opened gmail, I noticed I had an email from a woman named Jade from Shades. I explained what happened – absolutely no problem at all, bearing in mind this was only about an hour and a half beforehand. Already I was impressed. Although I was disappointed it wasn’t six, four is a great number to fit into the car. We got dropped in, praying the cocktail menu would be impressive (we were not disappointed).
Can I just say the décor before you even enter the restaurant is sensational. A wooden ceiling contrasts wonderfully with sage green walls with the name of the restaurant surrounded by pink flowers. The opposite wall is made of stone with creeping leaves and flowers making their way around. It’s like stepping into another world, pleasing to the eyes and relaxing, leaving you wondering what the inside is like when the standard is so high before you even take a step in the door.
We entered a foyer area and then into the restaurant, which was warm and inviting, donning Christmas lights and a friendly waitress who checked our booking and brought us to our table. Honestly the power of a smile and a hello as you enter is unmatched, there’s nothing worse than standing there while people run past you.
As we sat down, my friends who are all from Leitrim continuously commented that you would not think you were in Cavan to see the place. Although the degradation of my county stung a little, I let it slide, it was a compliment to the restaurant.
Between talking and laughing, it was a long time before the waiter was able to take our order. To be honest, it was more of a cocktail evening than a meal, and the menu did not disappoint. As someone learning the art of cocktails, I was intrigued reading the menu. One named ‘The Orange Trio’ caught my eye as it contained all of my favourite ingredients Tanquerry Flor De Sevilla (orange flavoured gin) is mixed with lime juice, syrup, Marmalade jam and finished with orange and elderflower tonic. Our cocktails came, the presentation was amazing and the flavour even better. Mine was a perfect balance of bitterness with zesty orange and subtly with sweet elderflower. My friend, who is quite fussy when it comes to cocktails, gave it her stamp of approval.
As a main I ordered the Massaman Mild Thai Curry with prawns. True to its name, the curry was mild and creamy, made sweet with what I am certain was butternut squash. It was served with plenty of vegetables (a sin to some people), which I adored. The rice was soft and fluffy but not sticky, which is important. A side order also came with the dish so I decided to get some chips to dip in the sauce. I have to say it was one of the best curries I have ever tasted.
Overall I would give Shades Grill a 9.5 out of 10. The remaining 0.5 is only because I am one of those extremely annoying people that believes there is always room for improvement. In terms of value for money, the curry was €21.95 and, considering I ordered prawns, I was happy to pay this. The cocktail was €9.95, which I was very impressed with. Cocktails where I worked in Brussels were €14.90 and contained less ingredients. Drinking this one was an experience in itself.
The service in the restaurant was next level, with the friendliest staff who were only too happy to help – very attentive and not once did I get the impression that they were trying to rush you along. I can’t compliment the food highly enough. I always feel pressured when booking meals for other people, there’s always somebody to find fault and complain but this was not the case. We were singing Shades’ praises leaving the place (and not just because of the number of cocktails consumed). I will 100% be back.
* Gemma Good is from Killeshandra and a third year journalism student in University of Limeric