Chez Max
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Location:
133 Baggot St
Visited:
about 1 year ago
Reviewed by:
Martin McKenna
Rating:
Most reviewers aspire to a certain degree of objectivity in their work. It’s hard to be honest about the work of a friend, for example, so it might be better to get someone else to do so. Certainly here on LunchBlock I try to focus just on the food, price and atmosphere, and not on the loveliness of the French waitresses in Chez Max with whom I fall instantly and hopelessly in love every time I visit.
Ever since I was taught French in school by native speakers, I’ve been afflicted by Francophilia. After enduring the motorway system of south west England, I feel a palpable sense of relief arriving into that petrol station just outside Calais that sells Martini next to the antifreeze. So a place like Chez Max, with Orangina and tartines and lovely French waitresses, instantly evokes a sense of Pavlovian contentment in me. My judgement therefore clouded in imaginary Gitanes smoke, you might rightly wonder if I’d be able to honestly appraise their croque monsieur (€7.90). I thought the thick slab of toasted sourdough had a good balance of lightness and heft to stand up to the generous mix of ham, bechamel (rich and with a dose of nutmeg) and tangy grilled Gruyere—but honestly, who knows? I was in the throes of a doomed love affair at the time.
The smoked chicken salad with poached pears and walnuts (€7.90) was equally good, I think. The chicken was edged with a dark hue and a deep smoky flavour. The pears were yielding and not too sweet, and the fresh and crispy cos leaves were well dressed in the right amount of a mayonnaise dressing with a restrained undertone of blue cheese. It was a light and summery dish, though I would have liked a larger portion.
French onion soup (€5.90) and pâté de campagne (€7.00) are dishes I’ll be coming back for in the autumn, though I’m also likely to be tempted by a roast quail (€9.50). Chez Max also serve platters of jambon, saucisses, rilettes and cheese all day, dinner in the evening, and on Saturday a brunch special. It’s something of a mini empire on Lower Baggot Street; the shop above the café also serves take-away coffee, pre-packaged sandwiches and salads and a Danish pastry described by sometime LunchBlock contributor Catriona Gray as “life-changing”. At the back of the café, there’s a two-story outdoor sun-trap with tables and gas heaters.
Chez Max serve well-chosen lunchtime food at café prices in what is really a restaurant, which means that you’ll enjoy service normally reserved for the evening, and the prices that go with it. If you’re anything like me though, you won’t enjoy the inevitable ennui that always follows each visit’s hopeless love affair.
