Finally it comes the time for me to share with you my favourite seafood place or shack in Dublin Ireland. Here comes the renowned Klaw by Niall Sabongi. I would call it more of a seafood shack rather than a restaurant. Happening, hyped and cosy, these are the terms that I would use on Klaw! Located right in the Temple Bar area, this little cosy restaurant or shack serve up the freshest lobster rolls, oysters, chowders & crab of all kinds. They are a group of funny passionate people that strives to serve up the best sustainable seafood in town. Even the name is a playful twist from the crab claw! This place have constantly been named as the best place in Dublin.
Super popular among the locals, whether you are able dine here depends on your luck! On my very first try, the place is absolutely packed to the brim, after all there is only seats for 21 people in the restaurant. It is a super small place! We could not even get on the waiting list since there is about an hour of wait and then the restaurant close after that. They do have a sister restaurant on the next street, The Seafood Cafe, which is full as well. This has got to be Dublin tiniest seafood restaurant. Thankfully on my next visit, I had better luck and got a table in the afternoon. Tip: Come in the afternoon or at weird hours. You can have awesome seafood at any time of the day! Nice shack with an open kitchen concept.
Located right in Temple Bar area the shack had equally good vibes as well. Simple rustic decor with yellow lamps and wooden high tables it is very comfortable to dine here with the view of the open kitchen as well. There are no menu at this place with options simply chalked on the wall right in the restaurant. While Klaw have a couple of specialties such as their Klaw Oysters, Crab Mac’N’Cheese, Grilled Prawns or the Famous Lobster Roll. Dishes changes everyday depending on market conditions. Here is the dishes available when I was here. The Grilled Fish of The Day was mackerel The prices are right beside there as well. I will not say that this place is super affordable but rather the pricing is fair for the quality of seafood.
Staff are super polite and everything is made to order. We are super famished and got lots of stuff. We got the Grilled Fish of the Day, Klaw Chowder, Lobster Roll, Grilled Whole Calamari as well as a side of Irish Potatoes. There was a little wait for the food since everything is made from scratch. First up was the Grilled Mackerel which cost 16 Euros. It came with a Salsa Dressing and a side of toasted bruschetta. I love how delicious it is even though it is prep simply. The fish was fresh and tasted divine with just a simple squeeze of lemon. The portion is a little small though.
Next up was the Klaw Chowder which is one of my favourite from all the dishes that I tried here. It was thick and packed with ingredients. I love that it is not overly creamy as well. Expect mouthful of crab in very spoon, inside you can also find huge chunk of white fish as well as salmon or trout. Must order when you are here. Dip the crispy bruschetta in the chowder. Coming at 10 Euros, I find it to be one of the more worth it dish. I do apologise for the quality of the photos here since it is rather dark inside.
Seeing that the Lobster Roll were high raved online and on their website, we also gave it a try. Costing 20 Euros it is one of the more expensive items on the menu. Chunks of lobster were mix with mayonnaise before generously sandwiched in the buttered roll. It came with a side of tortilla chips. However it just tasted normal! The lobster was fresh, roll were soft and buttered. However it doesn’t taste like 20 Euros. I have had better ones elsewhere. Kinda regret ordering this since I could try other dishes.
The last dish that we got was the Grilled Calamari. This is another star of the dish. They had forgotten about order at first but I am so glad that we still order it. the squid was super fresh and tasty. It was simply grilled to perfection. You get the briny taste of the sea, the char from the grill as well as a hint of citrus from the squeeze of lemon. Literally the best squid that I ever had in my life. Similar to the Lobster Roll this also cost 20 Euros. You know how good it is when we didn’t even take a picture before finishing it. I do apologize for that. Well here is some Irish Potatoes instead!!!
Everything is well executed, dishes are done with simple cooking and pride on the freshness of the ingredients instead. My favourite and the must order here would be the Klaw Chowder as well as the Grilled Calamari! We spend a total of 72 Euros for the 3 of us and left satisfied. While not the cheapest lunch I will definitely recommend everyone to come here for a try especially if you are a seafood fan. Worth it!
Seeing The World In Steps 