Well, its good to see a tangible Brexit bonus at last… And the Irish Government and Law Society are not sitting on their laurels with a very active ‘Ireland for Law’ campaign, chaired by former Toiseach Enda Kenny, successfully promoting the Republic as the only English-speaking common law jurisdiction in the EU.

We’re lunching in Peploe’s, a restaurant named in honour of the Scottish colourist that sounds like it should be in Edinburgh and we’re in high spirits. Our morning visit to the National Gallery of Ireland was a real pleasure – so nice to visit an important European gallery that is not overcrowded. I’m celebrating too – not falling asleep during the previous night’s three-and-a-half hour performance of An Ideal Husband. Staying awake was a real feat of endurance — I am definitely not wild about Oscar.

All this culture has given us an appetite and Peploe’s is an old favourite. I love its buzzy atmosphere, its decor celebrating the colourists and its classic brasserie vibe in a basement setting on St Stephen’s Green. The food is always great and so is the service. We’re looking forward to this.

Surveying the menu, I’m sorely tempted by the ‘Dublin Lawyer’ – the Irish version of Lobster Thermidor with a whiskey cream sauce. But it sounds a bit too rich, in fact, it gets its name from being as “rich as a Dublin Lawyer”. I decide to give it a swerve but as I do, I hear a loud American at the next table placing an order for it. He is definitely the noisiest American tourist I have ever heard. I hope all of our new would-be lords and masters are not so noisy and vulgar. He sounds like a graduate from the Pete Hegseth school of charm and diplomacy.

My starter of two oysters, smothered in some form of creamy concoction, is well presented but only the thinly sliced olive is discernible taste-wise. Described as the garnish of the day this is a dud. Ireland’s excellent oysters don’t require clever-dickery and would be better served natural with a mignonette of red wine vinegar and shallots. Doreen fares better with her starter of smoked aubergine dusted with tahini and sumac and yoghurt and lentils.

For my next course I choose John Dory, known as St Pierre in France as it is supposed to bear the thumb print of St Peter on its side, it is a fish that doesn’t appear on menus very often. Mine is served with samphire, ‘sea herbs’, mussels and a cucumber and a Buerre Blanc sauce. The fillet is substantial, fresh, meaty and perfectly cooked. It comes on a bed of small cubes of potato which are too hard – a tad overly ambitious. But this dish is a triumph and our wine of choice, a Vire-Clesse, goes so well with it.

Vire-Clesse is a relatively new appellation, around 30 years old, from the Macon area of southern Burgundy. This version is superb, buttery, honeyed and well-rounded. If it came from 50 miles further north, the price could easily be doubled.

Doreen is equally pleased with her main – another starter – of Burrata from Puglia with bitter leaves and a citrus and herb dressing.

I finish with a trio of ice creams. The usual vanilla, salty caramel and strawberry sounds boring but these boules of home-made creamy, flavourful intensity take ice cream to a different level. Once again, Peploe’s is a hit.

On my way out, my noisy neighbour is complaining about the lobster — its not to his liking and he has had lobster all over the world. Nonetheless, he wishes me ‘a nice day’ and I respond by congratulating him on his country’s 250th anniversary celebrations of the Declaration of Independence when America threw off the shackles of corrupt autocracy. The irony is, of course, lost.

Verdict 8/10
peploes.com