What should we know about The Window Box?
It's a cute little food truck in a yard down a laneway, just off the main street in the somewhat sleepy village of Rathfarnham. There aren't many reasons to come out and eat here (apart from high end chipper Salt & Vinegar), and some of our readers had told us that The Window Box was one of the only things that kept them going during multiple lockdowns. It's owned and run by Robyn Lawlor, who's been working on the Dublin chef circuit for almost 20 years.
What's the menu like?
They open for breakfast and lunch from Monday - Saturday. Breakfast is pancakes, granola or a bacon and egg butty. Lunch is sandwiches and salads. There's also a daily special.
We can never resist a special, so went for the classic pastrami with ruby slaw and Swiss cheese on soft rye bread. The filling was jammed with flavour, with juices from the slaw dripping down our hands, and came with the most beautiful garnish on top of lettuce and pickles. Our only complaint was that the rye bread could have tasted more homemade - even if it wasn't.
We also had the New York grilled reuben which you shouldn't leave without trying.. Shaved pastrami, Swiss cheese and choucroute come on (much better) sourdough, and the whole thing has been toasted. A pretty perfect sandwich specimen.
Never one to skip our salads, we also tried the Lebanese mezze bowl, which had plenty of texture and flavours with Imam Bayaldi (stuffed aubergines), preserved lemon labneh, tender stem broccoli, couscous, spiced roast veg, pickles and hummus, but unfortunately came with a leathery, dry flatbread underneath. A little homemade number would have improved things immensely, or even a better bought in version.
The biggest disappointment here was a scone which the server told us was homemade despite its uniform shape, but as soon as we cut through its dry, powdery middle, we knew it had started life in a freezer. Homemade gooseberry jam helped things a little, but most of it went in the bin and we wished we'd taken the jam home to have on toast.
What about the drinks?
Coffee (from Irish company Fixx) was excellent, and we loved seeing the lesser spotted Cortado on the menu (possibly the most under-rated coffee of all time). Apart from that you'll find the usual suspects of tea and hot chocolate, as well as iced teas and coffees.
Why should I go?
It's a very genuine, tiny business providing much needed breakfast and lunch options in an under-served area. That Reuben would be the ultimate reward after a hike in the Dublin mountains (or to fuel up before going), and although they weren't on when we visited we've heard great things about their tacos too.
The Window Box
21 Main Street, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14
