Situated on Cork Hill., just ten minutes from Trinity, is the aptly named Queen of Tarts. Across the road from City Hall, bright red with large windows and hanging flower baskets, this small café is hard to miss, especially since the doorway boasts accolades of awards. Tarts seems to welcome its customers with a homely embrace.
As I entered I was pleased by the casual, informal friendliness of the décor. The wooden chairs, plain hardwood floor and small round tables, as well as the crates and boxes of fresh fruit and potatoes beneath the counter, give the place a rustic, quaint feel. The counter itself featured a staggering display of sweets and assorted yummies. Cupcakes topped with icing, pavlovas, pies and stacks of cookies in tall jars – Sweet tooth heaven! Signs sprang from clusters of baked goods; blackberry and apple crumble, carrot cake, chocolate pear tarts and fudge cake covered in chocolate ganache.
Yet despite this wondrous feast for the eyes, the cafe is small, bordering almost on cramped. Even with the small rounded tables (that could not have held more than two large plates), you really do find yourself rubbing elbows. Beneath my own chair was the next table’s umbrella, and I couldn’t help but hear the conversation between some American tourists across the room. Cramped… or intimate? Your pick.
The menu consisted of the usual expected fare; a large range of desserts, breakfast meals, sandwiches, soups, etc. A soup/sandwich lunch special is offered but, for me, this seemed almost blasphemous to order, seeing as how it was my first foray into the world of tarts. However, their menu boasts a multitude of items worthy of return visits: the vegetarian breakfast, spinach pie and tuna fish with cottage cheese sound particularly intruiging.
I settled for a roast chicken, red pepper and courgette tart seasoned with coriander (€9.95) and a mocha (€3.50). If you’re looking for a good meal in Dublin then Tarts is the same as most other places price-wise. If you’re playing the frugal game though, there are cheaper places out there.
The chicken tart was served with a light garden salad with Dijon vinaigrette along with Italian bread. There was also this odd pink (slightly off-putting) coleslaw made from some indistinguishable vegetable with red onion and raisins, which was pleasantly sweet and creamy to the taste. The bread was a bit out of place in the dish, but it was soft and went well with the pink stuff (I’m still not sure what it was!).
The savoury tart itself was disappointing; the flavour was mostly chicken alone with only a hint of spiciness. Instead of having courgette and red pepper in the tart they were simply placed on top, adding little to the taste. Put simply, it was dry and it was mediocre. The mocha was pleasantly surprising; there was no sharp bitterness and no sickeningly sweet chocolate flavouring; one of my better caffeine purchases, though the quantity was a bit shortcoming for €3.50.
For desert, I ordered a raspberry cheesecake (€5.50) along with a chocolate chip cookie (€2.50). The cheesecake came with a pot of cream and had candied raspberries embedded within. It was fruity and rich but not deathly heavy, and worked deliciously well with a dollop of cool cream. In all honesty, the cookie tasted just like any other cookie, and I must admit I am more partial to the gooey variant.
I’ll admit that this place is not cheap and not particularly student-friendly price-wise. Though the chicken tart was not inspiring, I’m hopeful it was just a case of a bad choice of tart and am still determined to sample their other wares. Despite the slight space issue the charming furnishings inside more than made up for the occasional claustrophobia.
If you really do have a bad case of claustrophobia, they have a larger restaurant on Cow’s Lane just around the corner from the nearby Arlington Hotel. Opened just last year, they boast a more established feel, sacrificing the casual café feel for a more conventional atmosphere.
All in all, for a mocha, chicken tart, cheesecake and cookie, €21.45 plus €2 tip.
