Vino Pasta, Greystones.

Vino Pasta is a Meditarranean restaurant in Greystones, Co. Wicklow run by brothers Dave and Jeff Cullen. Hard to believe it’s five years since the lads took over, and three years since we first reviewed it. It was a bit of an institution down Greystones way, so they decided to keep the name, but the menu has been constantly evolving, and it is now more of a good Med fish restaurant than an Italian or pasta restaurant. There are some Italian dishes on the menu, and you can pasta as a starter, but there is more going on here, not least the freshest fish well prepared.

Vino Pasta is at one end of Greystones village, near the public library and the train station. It is a modest building with a large specials board outside. The specials on this Friday evening are mostly fish, and it has to be said they sound good. Fresh Dunmore East mussels, baked hake, whole roasted sea bass – all enough to get the juices flowing. Inside the restaurant is traditional, the room is divided into smaller rooms, beams run across the ceiling, there are check tablecloths and above your head and wine rack runs the length, holding some of the restaurants wine stock. I like that idea, looking at bottles of wine is always a good idea, and some of their Spanish bottles have brilliant labels, as well as being very good wines.

I went along of an evening with a friend who is presently studying food, and we got a table bu the window, she with the view out, and I looking into the room. It was fairly busy, with a mixture of couples and groups taking up most of the tables, and one or two families who were finishing off, having treated themselves to an early bird.

Our waitress brought sparkling water, bread and our menus straightaway, and we nibbled while we chose. The starters are mostly priced between €7 and €9 and you can choose from calamari, pear and gorgonzola salad and tiger prawns cooked in olive oil, garlic and chilli. Next are the pasta dishes, all of which you can have as a starter portion if you want to eat like an Italian, and these are priced around €15, or half that for the starter size. There is a ravioli of the day, as well as staples like aArribiatta and Amatriciana The main courses range from €17 for the chicken dish to €28 for the fillet steak. So while you now have a bit of an impression about the menu, it was the specials board to which I was drawn.

The blackboard lists the fish dishes on that day, and it changes depending on what comes in from their suppliers in Dunmore East. The blonde decides to stay on the menu, with a starter of calamari and the ravioli for her main course, while I stay on the specials board with a starter of scallops with chorizo and monkfish for the main course.

The Calamari is tender, not rubbery and dusted with flour and spice rather than drowned in batter, while the scallops are perfect with roe on, and the chorizo packs a punch. The ravioli in pesto is delicious, with lots of rocket and basil, and the monkfish with mussels is a treat. We force ourselves to share a very good chocolate fondant, and finish with a couple of coffees.

We like Vino Pasta, and often stop for a bite here in the summer, especially after the Bray to Greystones cliff walk. The food is always good, the wine list interesting and moderately priced and service is friendly and efficient. There is a set menu each day offering two courses for only €17.95 and their Sunday lunch is great value at €01.95 for two courses, served all day.