So here I am, it’s my third day in Ireland and this is my first taste of true Irish Guinness! I’ve popped into Café en Seine at the recommendation of two strangers on Twitter, and I’m glad I did. This isn’t your average Irish pub mind, they serve alcohol, but the similarities with the others I’ve seen end there. This place is quite spectacular.
Step back in time at Cafe en Seine (Photograph: Kate Arkless Gray)
A high arched ceiling rises up above me, covered in small copper and emerald green coloured mosaic tiles. Huge lanterns hang down from its peak, bathing the place in a warming orange glow.
To my right, two large bronze statues of scantily clad roman men who appear to be holding up the mezzanine floor – which boasts a grand piano. Marble tables, a long dark wooden bar and now the soundtrack to Chariots of Fire all combine to make this place feel pretty epic.
Enormous vases sport tall green plants with their gentle fronds hanging down over you, whilst simultaneously hiding the sound system speakers.
The bar boasts an impressive range of spirits if Guinness is not your thing (anywhere with more than one type of Havana Club rum is good in my book!). As you order your drinks you’ll be lit from above by wonderful art nouveau ladies holding triplets of lights aloft above you.
Stepping into Café en Seine is a bit like stepping back in time. I half expect a gaggle of girls ready to dance the Charleston to spill out from behind the arch opposite me. Yet with this illusion of another age, there’s still the option of free wifi (and if you check behind the huge plant pots, the occasional plug socket too!).
A perfect place to sit back, look up, and gently sup a glass of the black stuff. If you choose your table carefully, there’s even the option to pull your own pint!
You can find Cafe en Seine at 40, Dawson Street, Dublin, Ireland
Kate Arkless Gray is a freelance broadcast journalist, radio producer and social media strategist. Her work ranges from saving the world’s endangered sounds with the BBC World Service’s Save Our Sounds project to writing medical news stories.
She has worked BBC Radio 2, 5Live, Radio 4 and the World Service as well as having produced podcasts for Lonely Planet, Eurostar and 4Talent.
