Lucinda O’Sullivan: It’s called September but this new Blackrock cafe/wine bar is the essence of summer by the sea

Sampling both the lunchtime and evening menus, our critic double-dips in Blackrock’s latest hotspot – complete with sea views

Irish scallop crudo with citrus chilli ponzu, blood orange and Velvet Cloud yoghurt. Photo: Lucinda O'Sullivan

Lucinda O'Sullivan

When it came to the opening of September, a small cafe and wine bar near the old Blackrock Baths and Dart station with wonderful sea views, one might say we double dipped. No, we weren’t licking our spoons and dunking them into each other’s food but we did dine there twice over two days, checking out both the lunch and weekend dinner offerings.

While some restaurants open quietly and you can jog along, some are so adept at creating a social media frenzy that they have avid ‘foodies’ practically beating down the doors. For a restaurant critic, even those that doth protest too much to the contrary, it’s about getting in quickly to these places, because they’re what people want to know about — it’s why we do the job. But of course, you make allowances for first-night hitches.