May 14, 20192 min read

Mount Merrion gets a Wine Bar as Little Mike's Opens Tomorrow

Little Mike's, the neighbourhood wine bar from the team behind southside seafood mecca Michael's, opens tomorrow, with small plates, all the wine, and an interior that's designed to look like the inside of an oyster.

Little Mike's is just a few doors down from Michael's, in what was formerly a café, meaning chef/owner Gaz Smith can split his time between the two. It will also give Michael's somewhere to send customers when the main restaurant is full or there's a wait for a table, and it's a much needed addition to the list of counter dining spots in the capital. The oyster-themed design was done by Kate Hartley Design, who also did the fit out for The Sitting Room bar at Delahunt, and the recently revamped Ukiyo.

Gaz says he wants Little Mike's to be more drinks led, and about small plates of great food. Less of a three course meal experience, and more about "smashing a bottle of wine over a plate of seafood and charcuterie". Michael's manager Talha has spent months designing the wine list, and they've invested in Zalto wine glasses (some of the most fragile and expensive on the market), with the caveat that if you break it, you'll get a plastic beaker next time (tbc on whether they'll follow through on that).

Wines will rotate regularly, and as with the main restaurant, the menu will be focused mainly on seafood, as well as other Irish, seasonal produce. Expect more Lambay crab, Irish Lobsters and Dublin Bay prawns, as well as Inch black pudding, vegetables from growers like Ballymakenny Farm and Drummond House and beef from Rick Higgins butchers. They'll also have Irish cheese and charcuterie platters.

Since Gaz Smith took over Michael's two years ago, transforming it from neighbourhood Italian to Irish seafood destination, it's become one of the most popular restaurants on the Dublin dining scene, with people travelling from across the city to eat some of the freshest seafood in the capital and drink some of the most interesting wines. Now they have a second reason to head for Mount Merrion.