It’s a bumper time for Doyle Hotels Group, which saw its turnover in 2015 grow by 18% to €133m and its net profit jump by 56% to €31m. The Irish-owned group operates three hotels in Ireland, four in Britain and one in the US, and a policy of strategic capital investment among them is clearly paying off.
In Ireland, Doyle Group’s hotel portfolio comprises the River Lee Hotel in Cork, the Croke Park Hotel and the five-star Westbury Hotel. Between them, they accounted for one-third of Doyle Group’s 2015 turnover, a 19% year-on-year improvement.
As part of a portfolio-wide €200m investment programme, Doyle Group completely revamped its Westbury Hotel flagship restaurant, Wilde, which reopened in October 2016. The results are impressive – more so if you’re the nostalgic sort.
The idea was to present Wilde drenched in a 1930s aesthetic, so you get a deco style design, with panelled walls, lots of mirrors, brass and black-and-white tiled flooring. The new-look restaurant also boasts a covered garden terrace and greenery abounds in the venue, with the aim of giving it an al fresco feel, albeit without the sub-zero temperatures and snow flurries currently caressing Dublin.
The result is a successful one; the restaurant is comfortable and airy, while the design flourishes call attention to themselves without being bombastic. Service is attentive and excellent, and the ambience is relaxed, although the background music can be somewhat anachronistic, given the 1930s vibe.
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Wilde’s menu has also been shaken up, with a seafood selection added, a better lunch menu and interesting Eastern influences among the other menu choices. It's a non-fussy type menu too, modest in its layout but with plenty of delicious dishes hiding in plain sight. Among the starters, the beef carpaccio (€14) is worth a try, with melt-in-the-mouth slices and an earthy truffle dressing.
Steak is a speciality in Wilde and several choice cuts from Irish stock are offered, including a 500g Porter House steak for €54. Seafood dishes include juicy lobster (€36 for main), seafood risotto (€26) or daily catches that include fresh trout. Desserts too are varied and appetising, including the Valrhona white chocolate and tonka bean panna cotta, with sour cherry jelly (€9).
From Monday to Thursday, an express three-course lunch special can be had for €25. A three-course festive lunch menu can be enjoyed for €49, or you can opt for a festive dinner menu (three courses) for €62.
The restaurant also houses a cocktail bar, again infused with a 1930s style. It sells a very good selection of gins and cocktails, while Wilde's wine list is suitably expansive.
More info on The Westbury’s new-look eatery is available here.
