INTERVIEW with Paolo Tullio, restaurant reviewer with the Irish Independent's Weekend Magazine, by Count John McCormack for The Irish Restaurateurs' Association Newletter.
Q. What is your full name?

A. Paolo Luigi Mario Tullio.

Q. What is your occupation?

A. Writer.

Q. Do you have a restaurant/food background?

A. Yes, 3rd generation. Apart from owning and operating Armstrong's Barn during the 80's my father owned Puffins in Grafton street and The Green Rooster in O'Connell Street, which, curiously enough, was one of the first places in Dublin to stay open after about 9.30pm.

Q. How did you start writing restaurant reviews?

A. I had been doing some feature articles for the Irish Independent so when they started the Weekend Magazine five years ago they asked me to be their restaurant reviewer.

Q. Do you enjoy your job?

A. Most certainly. I enjoy my food and wine and always have. As a writer, I'm more than often confined to a desk and a word processor for long hours, so this allows me to get out and about and socialise.

Q. Do you think you are a fair reviewer?

A. I try to be. It's not really for me to judge but for others. I try to be definitive about things, positive.

Q. What do you look for in a restaurant with regard to -

Décor - it should be in keeping with the style of restaurant, a reflection of what the restaurant is trying to achieve. I don't like fuss like napkins that have been subjected to a fit of origami. I like balance, cohesion.

Food - dependant on the style of place. I don't expect Michelin quality in a pizza parlour. You have to judge according to the style of restaurant. It's all down to balance again.

Service -again, I expect qualified, professional service from those restaurants that class themselves at the top, and competent, friendly, efficient service at all levels.

Value - this is dependant on the mix of above. Value comes at all prices. €100 per person can be excellent value if the quality of food, service and sheer enjoyment are at their best. €15 per person can be lousy value if none of the above applies.

Q. What do you think of the current Irish restaurant scene?

A. There has been a marked improvement in the 5 years that I have been reviewing, caused by increased prosperity, naturally, and the ease of foreign travel for Irish people which has opened up their consciousness to new food ideas and tastes. We are more sophisticated and cosmopolitan as a nation. Also, because of this boom we have more good chefs than before, and more good jobs that keep good chefs in Ireland, so that they, in turn, can teach the younger ones on the way up.

Q. Why do you think Irish restaurants appear to be more expensive than many of their European counterparts?

A. I think a lot of it is historical. Restaurants here were traditionally priced high as it was not the habit to eat out and eating out was a special treat. Small numbers mean high prices. Also, our ingredients seem to be higher priced, something that needs explanation from government as neither the farmer nor the restaurateur seem to be reaping the benefits. And, of course, VAT. In general, our top end restaurants tend to be cheaper than Paris, Rome, London but at the bottom end we are more expensive. Remember, the tradition of eating out was much longer established on mainland Europe, family restaurants have been there for generations, with consequent lower costs.

Q. How do you think we compare with our European counterparts?

A. Most favourably. Our food quality is on a par. Unfortunately, here in Ireland, the art of service is not seen as a noble tradition as it is on the continent so we still have a bit of a way to go.

Q. What is your pet hate in a restaurant?

A. Rudeness. Because it is so unnecessary. Being hustled out before 11.00pm. Being made to feel that I should be gone. "Sorry, coffee machine's been turned off," or "Here's your hat, what's your hurry."

Q. Why do you think organic food is so slow to catch on?

A. There is not enough organic food for a restaurant to be wholly organic without great difficulty. Cost is also a drawback, and customer apathy. Restaurants are in a better position than households to put organic food on the menu than the private household because of cost.

Q. Is there a general failing in Irish restaurants that you come across time and again?

A. No, no outstanding or particular failing.

Q. Given the number of ingredients, so to speak, that make up a dining experience, can a restaurant review ever be entirely fair?

A. I try in my reviews to impart to the reader that what I am experiencing is a snapshot of this particular restaurant - one night - one set of variables. I only make comment on things that are controllable, i.e. behaviour of staff, over pricing of wine etc. If a dish is not right, I send it back. If it comes back correct I don't even mention it. However, how my complaint is handled may lead to comment.

Q. Are reviewers aware of the potential damage they can cause by giving a bad or ill considered review?

A. I am acutely aware. I know how difficult it is to get a restaurant off the ground so I never review in the first two weeks of opening. I like to give it time. I know that theoretically, if the restaurant is charging good money then the customer is entitled to the best from day one but life doesn't work that way. The ones that get it right quickly are the ones that last. I have been accused of putting a restaurant out of business through a bad review but, curiously enough, no one has ever thanked me for turning their restaurant into a success after a good review. Many of the restaurants I reviewed well have since closed. The factors that make up a successful restaurant are too numerous to define and in fact, are often impossible to define.