The Dubliner
Has Its Very Own Shamrock!
There is something about a really comfortable
pub that you can’t quite put your finger
on that brings you back again and again,
until you finally establish your credentials
as a “regular”.
Is it the ambience, the design or look
of the pub? Or the beer or the food or
the other regulars? Or good music or all
of the above? You never really know, because
that is the secret of a good pub.
The
Irish-owned and managed Dubliner on Sukhumvit,
fixed right on the cusp of Washington
Square is a classic pub on three levels
with pool and a small bar in the rafters,
a library-feel on the second floor, and
a full-on pub on the ground floor. It
has live music three days a week, and
two nights a week features a superb balladeer
appropriately known as Lee Shamrock. And
while I ain’t no folk fan, Lee does a
great job on vocals, acoustic guitar and
harp, and his selection of songs is eclectic
to say the very least. But more about
him later.
The Dubliner is an Irish pub, so on Sunday
afternoons they do have Celtic Colours
who play in relaxed mode acoustically,
attracting quite a following I hear.
And if you want more than just a bit
of music, there is a big screen for sports
and plenty of room to read your newspaper
or shoot the shit with your buddies. All
the beer you could ask for too with Tiger,
Erdinger, Heineken, Kilkeeny and of course
The Guinness on tap! The coffee is great
too!
Most days, especially Ladies Night Wednesdays
and when there is live music, the place
is usually jumping with diners and drinkers.
Not a surprise as the food and beverage
is of a very high standard in my humble
opinion.
Me and the missus stopped by the Tuesday
night when Lee was on, and did our usual
surprise visit and took a table on the
second floor for dinner. The bar downstairs
was actually very busy and we had the
upstairs to ourselves until it filled
up later.
The whole evening kicked off with a pleasant
surprise! The waitress was really helpful
and interested and ready to recommend
a variety of main courses, and even described
some of the starters to my lady and I.
Wow! I was impressed and went to accept
some of her recommendations given her
enthusiasm for the food. I had the awesome
Mushroom and Herb Soup and we ordered
a dish of Prawn Tempura to kick off and
was that ever perfect – Irish pub or not!
Nan had the Chicken Caeser Salad with
bacon and char grilled chicken, and she
was soon swooning over the specially marinated
chicken and the ‘perfect’ salad.
Then on came my monster pork chop and
apple sauce with all the trimmings and
was that ever a meal. But cooked to perfection
and almost mouthwatering in its preparation.
Succulent pork and very easily digested
too despite its generous proportions.
We were washing all this down with Erdinger
beer and Kilkenny before we, or rather
my lady, moved on to the Long Island Teas,
and while the mood was very pub-like downstairs
for a while, we had a very restful dinner
and a great evening before the live music
kicked in at 9pm. Then we demolished the
sticky pudding and ice cream and that
was the real icing on the cake. What a
feed, and not a bill to scare you away
either hovering around the 1200 baht mark
which can’t be bad for food of this quality
and such great service.
As I said Lee Shamrock supplied the live
music that night, while plenty of great
CDs kept us up to date before he got going.
And who else but Lee can switch with
ease from ‘Stairway to Heaven’ to ‘Bohemian
Rhapsody’ to ‘All Along The Watchtower’
to ‘Irish Rover’ all on acoustic guitar,
harmonica and voice? Like I said, eclectic!
Johnny eat your heart out!
Lee has been in Bangkok for nearly two
years after establishing a great rep in
Phuket as a solo artist, and he swings
over to Singapore once a month to play
at the Dubliner there, he tells me.
He is well worth a visit in either city
as are the Irish combo on Sunday afternoons,
Lee reckons.
Lee Shamrock plays Tuesdays and Fridays
from 9 pm until midnight.
Celtic Colours play acoustic on Sunday
afternoons.
