We were having a lovely long weekend away in a beautiful guesthouse (Wicklow Way Lodge) between Laragh and Roundwood. With no restaurants in the immediate vicinity, we both decided to venture a little further afield and treat ourselves to dinner on the Bank Holiday Monday night, which also happened to be St. Patrick's Day. Having consulted our host, we found that the choice of nearby eateries was fairly limited, however we were informed that a new Italian restaurant had recently been opened at the golf club in Roundwood and the food was reported to be excellent. Being in the holiday mood, we decided to hop in the car and give it a try.

Upon arrival at the golf club, we found ourselves in the main bar and asked to be directed to the restaurant. The very welcoming Italian waiter informed us that we were in fact in the restaurant - the room seemed to have the dual function of being both the golf club bar and the Da Bacco premises. It took us a moment to get our bearings as it was a huge, brightly lit room full of about 20 sets of tables and chairs, with only one other table occupied by a large group of diners. This fact would normally put us off a restaurant in Dublin, however we reminded ourselves that it was a newly opened venture, and with the location being slightly out of the way one could not expect it to be packed straight away. The TV was on in the corner but there was an overall air of silence in the room. Our charming maitre d then showed us to our chosen table (which we picked due to it being in a far corner of the room beside a window), and we began to peruse the menus.

We were immediately impressed both by the reception that greeted us and also by the unusual menus, which were presented in the style of a humorous local "newspaper" and offered an excellent choice of Italian dishes from starters to desserts. There was also an extensive lunch menu which I imagine would be very appealing to hungry golfers after a tough day on the course! Complimentary mini bruschettas arrived to our table which we thought was a lovely touch and which really served to kick start our appetites as we got down to the serious business of choosing our dishes. I sipped on the glass of house white wine which I had ordered (Dara was driving) and decided on a mushroom dish for starter with penne alla diavola to follow for main course. Dara chose chicken with parma ham to start followed by beef.

While we waited for our starters to arrive, we took in our surroundings. Although the tables, chairs and leather couches scattered around the room were all modern and stylish (though the only Italian elements were the staff and the menus), the size and brightness of the room really emphasised the fact that it was almost empty of other diners. We found that we were keeping our voices to a low murmur to avoid making any noise! We both agreed that even without many other diners, it would have been a much more pleasant and comfortable ambience had they turned off the bright neon lighting and placed lamps or candles on each individual table.

Despite the lack of atmosphere, once our food arrived we knew after the first bite that we were in for a delicious meal of really authentic Italian food. Dara has family in Italy and has spent many summers there over the years, so is always a good judge of authenticity when eating Italian. The mushroom and chicken starters both melted in the mouth, and the pasta and beef main courses continued in the same excellent standard - the arrabiata sauce spicy and delicious and the beef delicately cooked to perfection. We made sure to praise the food to our waiters as we felt they might have been in need of a morale boost given that night's lack of clientele, and they were so attentive to us that we were keen to let them know how much we were enjoying the meal. The prices were reasonable, coming in at around €55 for 2 although this was without wine save for a couple of glasses of the Italian house white.

By the time we had finished sharing a delicious Tiramisu, the other table had long gone and the staff were eating their own dinner, so we decided to make our departure. Although we left full and satisfied by the excellent food, we were unsure as to whether we would choose to return without assurance that the atmosphere had improved. I'm sure it will do so as word of mouth travels in the area, golfers choose it for their post-round evening meal and the management make some small adjustments to the lighting and layout. The latter would make all the difference if anyone is considering Da Bacco for a romantic dinner for two!

I hope to have the chance to return to the area again soon, and look forward to hearing how Da Bacco is getting on. Simply for the quality of the food and the service we experienced, I wish them every success.