Located on Dublin’s Lemon Street, Hyde is a new four-storey space comprising a slick café bar, lavish cocktail bar, contemporary Asian restaurant, chic terrace, and stylish rooftop bar
November 2022 It’s finally here… Hyde – Dublin’s coolest new hotspot opens this week, providing a full 360 offering, including a stylish daytime café bar; a sleek bar where guests can enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail or light snack with drinks; an Asian-style restaurant headed up by award-winning Chef Karl Whelan; an indoor-outdoor terrace for those looking to meet up with friends over drinks and a yakitori sharing plate or to host an event for up to 100 guests; and a stylish rooftop bar (due to open in spring 2023) serving up a yakitori and canapé menu and providing an events space that will cater for up to 200 guests.
Jamie Belton, Director of Operations at Hyde, says, “The desire for a traditional higher-end dining experience has well and truly dwindled, and we are now seeing far more new lifestyle destinations opening rather than fine-dining establishments. These days, guests are looking for simple and elegant, premium cuisine infused with a luxurious and lifestyle-inspired touch. Michael Stafford and I saw a place in Dublin for this and we knew if we put our resources behind us and created a business centred on people, both employees and guests, then we would bring an Irish destination venue that you could otherwise only enjoy abroad. We wanted to create a 360 space that allows our guests an experience that invites them to spend their whole night, whatever the occasion, with great service and accessible prices. We spent a long time getting our team together and believe we have some of the most forward-thinking and talented people in the industry.”
One of the highlights of the Irish-owned venue is Gekko, a contemporary restaurant on the second floor serving up Asian-inspired dishes created by award-winning Chef Karl Whelan using premium Irish produce. On the first floor is Suki, a sleek bar serving up cocktails and light snacks. On the ground floor is a welcoming French-style daytime Café Bar, while on the top floor guests will discover the tropical garden paradise that is Tanuki Terrace, an indoor-space that will serve sharing plates and cocktails until late.
Karl Whelan, Executive Chef at Hyde, says, “Developing the menus for Hyde has been really exciting. We are so lucky in Ireland to have access to such amazing produce, which is the inspiration for everything we do in the kitchen. We use simple techniques, sauces and seasonings to frame the natural flavour of these ingredients. The team and I are really looking forward to welcoming guests to Hyde where they can enjoy the fruits of this process.”
The interior design for Hyde was carried out by Dublin-based interior architecture and design studio Think Contemporary, co-founded by Joanne Kelly and Anthony Buggy. “We wanted to design something unique and different, creating an experience for Hyde’s clientele that would change as they moved from the ground floor to thebeautiful roof terrace,” says Joanne Kelly.
Think Contemporary’s approach to the design was to create acontemporary space with Art Deco undertones, using unexpected colour palettes and contrasting materials not widely used in other Dublin venues. “Working with the unusual layout of the space, the concept changes as youmove up through the building, with each floor having its own unique design.If you choose to take the stairs, youreye will be drawn up by the bespoke wallpaper on the ceiling that takes you right up to the third floor. Each landingwill have a talking point, whether it’s artwork or neon lighting. Every space was carefully considered.”
The inspiration for the ground floor was a French-style café. While the space is bright and airy, the materials used lend themselves to a more luxurious feel, including the large brass canopy over the bar and blush pink and burgundy banquet seat. The focal point of the café is a horseshoe-shaped bar with reeded timber detail in mint green. The second floor is the largest floor in the building and is home to Suki Bar and Gekko Restaurant. Suki is dark and sultry with detailed timber panelling and beautiful pink, burgundy and navy banquettes. The feature bar has a graduating marble-effect tile that goes from white to mid-grey and is complemented by a burgundy and brass canopy above. Gekko has a similar feel to Suki but has a lighter colour palette and is more open and airier. Banquettes and booths in rich velvets run around the perimeter of the room, complemented by rich timbers and marble tables. The bar is central to the space, clad in pale timber and offset with brass complements. The third and final floor is home to the Tanuki Terrace, which was designed to feel like a tropical garden. This indoor-outdoor space has a very different feel to the rest of the venue, with a graduated herringbone floor running from white to black, offset with green and pink tones. One of the outdoor terraces has a wall of booths and banquettes with plants and greenery. Planting is a huge part of the concept for this space which brings the area to life.
The artwork was a key element to the success of the design and was curated by Hang Tough gallery. “We want the artwork to contrast the style of the interior, creating a juxtaposition,” explains Joanne. The collection features pieces by Irish artists including Lola Donoghue, Emma O’Hara and David Booth. And in Gekko, three paintings by Dublin based French Artist Claire Prouvost illustrate the menu and hang on the walls of the restaurant
The extensive, Asian-inspired menu at Hyde includes dishes like Iberico pork, ginger and fig glaze, shiso and puffed rice; steamed cod, miso and cockles; and BBQ beef sirloin, umami hollandaise and black garlic. Starters and small plates include crispy pork cheek with pickles and galangal buttermilk; hamachi, ink, lime, togarashi and burnt kombu; squid bun with chilli crisp; and king oyster and shiitake, miso butter, bean sprouts and shoots. Sharing plates, meanwhile, include grilled whole turbot, coconut and langoustine bisque; rib of beef, black bean brown butter and glazed Jerusalem artichokes; and whole wild seabass baked in seaweed, salt and chilli.
Hyde’s extensive cocktail menu features creative drinks such as the Just Say Yes, a blend of Don Julio tequila, infused Japanese chilli sake, chilli, lime, pineapple, and a black salt ring; the Tokyo Drift featuring Nikka Japanese whiskey, Disaronno, Orgeat, orange, lemon, Angostura Bitters, and egg white; Moonlight Over Monaco, with Malfy Blood Orange Gin, Campari, Sweet Vermouth, Rosemary, and Amaro Montenegro; and Sweet Dreams, a deliciously smooth mix made from Ketel One vanilla-infused vodka, Baileys, salted caramel, and coffee.
Hyde will offer late-night bars throughout with ambient lighting and DJs spinning energetic tunes as well as impressive event spaces that reflect the Dublin of today – modern, diverse and unlike anywhere else.
Hyde will offer late-night bars throughout with ambient lighting and DJs spinning energetic tunes as well as impressive event spaces that reflect the Dublin of today – modern, diverse and unlike anywhere else.
Hyde is open seven days per week with Gekko open daily for both lunch (12pm-4pm Monday to Friday; 11am-3pm Saturday and Sunday) and dinner (5pm-12.30am Sunday to Wednesday, 5pm-2.30am Thursday to Saturday), with brunch served Friday to Sunday; Tanuki is open from 8.30am-12.30am Monday to Wednesday, 8.30am-2.30am Thursday and Friday, 11am-2.30am Saturday, and 11am-12.30am on Sunday; and Suki is open 3pm-12.30am Monday to Wednesday, 3pm-2.30am Thursday and Friday, and 11am-2.30am Saturday and Sunday; while the Café Bar is open 8.30am-4pm Monday to Friday and closed on Saturday and Sunday.
Hyde opens on November 11th. To book, visit hyde-dublin.com or phone 01 572 5950. Follow us @hyde.ie on social media.