I was in The Algiers in Baltimore a few weeks ago. They've recently (last year or two) turned to doing more food than fish/burgers and chips. I sat at the bar and had a few glasses of wine and some munch. To start with it was some very simple hummus and tortilla chips. There was a decent amount there for not a huge amount of money. The hummus came out of the fridge, which wasn't great. At room temperature it was grand. I never like getting stuff in a restaurant that has been obviously stored away and just pulled out the instant someone orders it. I saw a few people order the hummus as nibbles in the centre of the table, though. There was no bother if you wanted to drink or eat, or both. Take your time.
I decided to go for the mussels after that. As usual my complaint is that Ireland absolutely flahs it when it comes to mussels. What would be a main course of mussels here would be considered a cheap starter in France for the amount you get. Still, they were top quality for what you did get. You could still taste the ocean salt in them. They came with garlic bread that I think was more wild garlic than what I'd be used to, a bit more umami than regular garlic, or something. It was very nice, and I brought some away in my póca and the people who tried it said it was one of the nicest garlic breads they've ever had.
The wine was good. Genuinely good. Some of the best I've had in Ireland and not expensive (although you could spend up to €12 a glass if you wanted.) Some organic wines were the cheapest, which I went for. White and red. A really good sup. They went down very easily and it would have been easy to demolish the whole list if funds and time allowed.
The people next to me got three taco type things, spendy enough, fish, chicken and maybe pork were available? Two for €10, I think, or three for €14. They were small enough, you'd want the tacos and some of the potato bravas, I think they were, for your dinner on your own. They looked very good though. I don't know how something looks "fresh" but they did. Like they were prepared with care and attention.
I'd like if they had a few more nibbley things. If I had money in my pocket I'd be happy to spend a few hours in there sampling wine and going through dishes. It seems like it's halfway caught between trying to get people to come in for a meal and people coming in for a few bites or to spend a few hours ordering drinks and food as the mood takes, with not a full menu for either option. The real thing about the place was it was very relaxed while approaching the quality of booze and food you'd get in a fancy city center place, just without any drama.
A definite recommend.
www.echolive.ie
