I ASKED three suburban colleagues if they’d eaten at Finbar’s Irish Pub in the Sunnyside Mall and all had the same response: “ With Il Mercato right upstairs?" Nevertheless, there we were Tuesday, meeting in Bedford after BJ’s game in Sackville and Kath’s practice downtown and by the time BJ and his teammate Gregory and I arrived, Kath was pouring down the beer. Well, she was on her second. A visitor to Halifax might think the city was populated mainly by Lebanese, Greek and Irish if he were to judge solely by our restaurants and pubs. Sometimes it takes not much more than having Guinness on tap for an establishment to label itself Irish, but when we walked into Finbar’s, the stereo was playing the Irish Rovers. At Finbar’s, there are eight interesting beers on tap, including Guinness, Smithwicks, Harp and Carlsberg. The list of single- malt scotches is even longer, though the wine list is modest, with six offerings, two each from Nova Scotia, South Africa and Australia. There was what seemed to me a pretty good crowd for a Tuesday, in the dimly lit room with a candle on each table and dozens of small framed photographs on the walls. The chairs and banquettes were very comfortable. Finbar’s has a very thorough and professional looking website, so I had a good idea of what I was going to eat before I sat down, which was a good thing because it was dim enough that it was a bit of a strain to read the menu. For appetizers, BJ ordered a cup of seafood chowder, while the rest of us agreed to split the baked brie in phyllo pastry with seasonal coulis. The chowder was made with potato, scallops, haddock and mussels in the shell and BJ said it was so good that it was just one notch below the chowder at Avon Emporium and Kath, who had a couple of tastes, agreed. The brie was delicious but barely above room temperature, which, considering we didn’t wait very long for it, seems like it would be tough to accomplish with something that’s melted. For mains, we went with stuffed breast of chicken with mango salsa, grilled lamb chops with balsamic reduction, fish and chips and a bacon and leek quiche. The most popular wine at Finbar’s is Goats Do Roam, our waitress told us, but my wine consultant had earlier that day recommended the Jost Cabernet Sauvignon Marechal Foch as a pair for my lamb. Jost’s Marechal Foch grapes are grown on the winery’s slopes that overlook the Northumberland Strait, in the same area where most of the province’s lamb is produced, and “ what grows together goes together," he says. The menu says lamb is Finbar’s specialty and “ it is fantastic," so I was disappointed when my chops arrived a bit overdone, with only a tiny bit of the tasty balsamic reduction. A big helping of grilled carrots and green beans was nice and crisp, but for $ 18.99 I had higher expectations for my meal. Kath, too, was very enthusiastic about the vegetables, but her chicken was scorched. The mango salsa was great. The crust on BJ’s quiche was a bit tough, but the filling was rich and delicious and I bet if we had eaten a few hours earlier there would have been no problem with the crust. Gregory’s fish and chips were sensational, with the flavour of the beer that had been incorporated in the batter still in evidence after frying. I had mashed potatoes with my lamb because for some reason I hadn’t thought to ask about the fries. They’re hand cut at Finbar’s ( twice a day, the waitress said), everybody else at the table had them and they were great. The ketchup isn’t Heinz, but two kinds of vinegar are put on the table and I was only able to convince my companions to share a couple of fries each. With a Gleneagle bakery location just down the mall, Finbar’s makes the obvious choice to sub out their desserts. We split two kinds of cheesecake, turtle and Belgian chocolate, and both were very good. Dinner for four, including tax and a 20 per cent tip to reflect the excellent service, was $139. And if I’d had fish and chips and a couple of large glasses of Carlsberg, I’d never give a thought to what’s upstairs. EXTRA HELPINGS If your calendar isn’t filled up for the weekend, check out the new chef at the Five Fishermen, Renee Lavallee, as she joins forces with the Food and Wine Club for the club’s inaugural beer dinner, which will be held at the restaurant tomorrow at 6: 30 p. m. A three- course meal will be devoted to beer- inspired cuisine paired with handcrafted ales. Beers from Propeller, Garrison and MacAuslan Brewing will be featured. The cost is $ 90 per person, including tax and tip, and tickets can be purchased by calling 404- 9463. ( bspurr@herald.ca)

According to the menu, lamb is Finbar’s speciality. But grilled lamb chops with balsamic reduction, served with mashed potatoes, grilled carrots, green beans and a glass of Jost Marechal Foch, didn’t quite live up to expectations at a recent dinner at the Bedford restaurant. (JEFF HARPER / Staff) BOURGEOIS GOURMET

BILL SPURR