The most telling sign of something new is the amnesia it creates of anything old. For several months now, any conversation I have entertained on the topic of dining in Dublin, has inevitably reverted to talk of a new, small neighbourhood restaurant situated in Ballsbridge. Forest Avenue, the brainchild of husband and wife team, John and Sandy Wyer, fuses elements of traditional European cooking with an innovative approach to the use of Irish produce to create a menu, and experience, that has garnered them significant attention in Irish culinary circles.
After stints working at some of Dublin’s premier restaurants, and having become increasingly frustrated by the lack of creative licence they were afforded, both John and Sandy left successful careers with the aim of offering their own perspective on what fine dining should be. However, it took time to turn their ideas into reality. Uncertain of whether Dublin was ready for the type of restaurant they envisioned, they used their pop-up restaurant, The Supper Club Project, to test their approach to fine dining.
“We could see that people were interested in what we were doing, eating seven course meals and knowing the details of what was on the menu and on their plate. We didn’t think people would be that adventurous with food,” Sandy explained. “We didn’t expect that people would enjoy the buzz of going to a restaurant for the whole night, spending three hours there, having seven courses and things like petit fours and canapes and then us coming out and talking to the guests. That was the incubus for Forest Avenue.”
As the public’s interest and outlook on food has shifted, this new breed of diner, conditioned by travel and broadened horizons, has encouraged and demanded restaurateurs to up their game. Now, a no longer indifferent public tends to ask informed questions of what appears on the menu, displaying more than a fleeting interest in what arrives on their plate and raising the tide of expectations of the capital’s eateries.
“The easiest thing to do would be go down the ‘five starters, five main courses’ route. That would have been easy but it’s not what we wanted to do. We took a chance and thought that Dublin is ready for this style of menu, and it is.”
This new dining public would feel at home at John and Sandy’s establishment. Where dinner at many of Dublin’s “fine dining” restaurants can feel like a day at the library under the supervision of a monk, dining at Forest Avenue is a much more casual affair. Its excellence, aside from the brilliance of the food, involves the removal of the common boundaries between the kitchen and the restaurant floor. Chefs often glide to and from the open kitchen, delivering dishes to tables, conversing with guests and even clearing tables when time allows. The almost kinetic energy of the kitchen moves with a level of fluidity unseen in any Dublin restaurant.
Such an approach was planned from the beginning Sandy explains, laying out the philosophy of the restaurant. “We wanted to give people that kind of food but we wanted to change the atmosphere. We wanted to tear it down, and strip it back so people could come in and have amazing food but didn’t have to have their wine topped up every five seconds or table brushed over. We wanted to create something new and exciting in Dublin.”
Without retelling the dour past of Dublin dining, it’s clear that the food culture in this city has developed considerably in a relatively short space of time with a proliferation of quality eateries throughout the city. However, a general lack of creativity and variety persists among the capital’s restaurants. The public’s hesitance and resistance to change, coupled with the tendency of many of the city’s leading restaurateurs to copy and paste the same tried and tested formulae, has undoubtedly stunted the development of Irish food culture.
Having seen what is popular with diners, and what turns a profit for restaurateurs, were the Wyers not motivated to follow such a path? “We thought if we are going to open a restaurant, it has to be our thing,” John stated adamantly. “We have to do exactly what we want to do. We didn’t want to sell out and worry if people complained about the choice. We took a chance, a total gamble. The easiest thing to do would be go down the ‘five starters, five main courses’ route. That would have been easy but it’s not what we wanted to do. We took a chance and thought that Dublin is ready for this style of menu, and it is.”
Sandy was quick to reaffirm this view. “It’s a scary experience when you’re investing a large amount of money in something that may not work. The easy thing to do is to say ‘OK, this formula works, let’s do that, because that’s restaurant 101.’ It takes a little bit more to go and chance your arm.” John summarised his view plainly with no guarded caution. “For somebody to take that leap of faith it takes bollocks, and a lot of people don’t have the bollocks to do it.”
A mood of mischief appears to pervade the kitchen. Being daring, and challenging themselves creatively, is the guiding principle of the restaurant. “There has to be an edge to things,” John said expansively. “There has to be that element of uncertainty or else we’re not excited about it. Sometimes we put things on the menu, and end up thinking, ‘fuck, how do we make this work?’ We just make it work.” This nonchalant attitude when determining the dishes on the menu pervades throughout our conversation. When pressed to expand upon the approach he takes to creating his dishes, John’s brow furrows, trying to recollect something that clearly has not been the result of a deliberate plan. He emphasises, as he sees it, the pragmatic, working logic behind his work. “Because we’re very focused on seasonality, Mother Nature makes things look beautiful. Mother Nature is in charge. If you are working with the seasons, you are putting things together that, by nature, grow together in the environment. When you put these things on a plate together, they’re going to work. We’re just going with the flow.” This approach gives reign to dishes that may sound complex and over-the-top on paper, but are delicious and seem even obvious when presented on the plate.
Given the pedestal Forest Avenue has been placed upon, I couldn’t help but ask about the industry awards and, dare I say, Michelin star which could come their way. “They don’t motivate us,” they responded instantly in union. Sandy was quick to dismiss any such notions. “We just want to refine things. Keep progressing. Every year we want to be better than the previous year; more polished, more consistent, doing everything sharper.”
This commitment to progression and customer experience represents a commitment to a coherent set of values. “Traditionally, restaurants were run by families and one generation took over after the next. That’s what we want. We want to bring back that old school vibe. This is a family run, mom and pop restaurant. It’s all for our daughter. We’re doing this for ourselves and our family. We’re doing this as it’s our passion, so why not use our craft to support our family? That’s all we’re doing.”
Blissfully unaware of the rising profile of their restaurant and the new lease of life they are bringing to Dublin’s restaurant scene, John and Sandy Wyer may be doing more than they realise. Irish food culture stands at a hinge point, and one can’t help but feel that Forest Avenue is opening the door for a fresh approach.
