G for Gueuleton… or gullible?
When L’Gueuleton opened on Fade Street in Dublin a few years ago, I loved everything about it except the fact that they didn’t take bookings (and it was invariably jammed). These days it’s a good deal quieter – three-quarter empty, in fact, on a recent lunch-time visit. The food, although not as impressive as in the early days (and definitely not ‘young and daring’ as described on the website) still combines simplicity with boldness of flavour at a reasonable price. But what on earth has happened to the wine list?
Fine to offer eleven wines by the glass (at between €5.20 and €8). But how is anybody supposed to make an informed choice when there is no mention of the vintage or – by far the most crucial yardstick of quality – the producer? To describe a wine simply as ‘Rioja’ or ‘Pinot Gris’ when there are hundreds of each, from glorious to ghastly, is utterly meaningless. Are wine-loving customers so gullible that they swallow this unprofessional approach and come back for more?
