A while ago I was interviewed under the heading 'Jobs to Die for', where being a restaurant reviewer was described as one of those jobs. There's no doubt that old adages and mottoes become a part of our language simply because they describe eternal truths - the one that springs to mind in this case is 'the grass is always greener on the other side'. It all depends on how you write the job description. 'Man wanted to eat brilliant meal once a week' makes it sound so attractive that I've no doubt half the country would apply in a trice. But let's do some re-wording and see what happens. 'Man wanted to take pot luck weekly eating food never previously encountered' might well get a lot fewer applicants. You'd have to think a moment or two about your immune system and your digestive capacities. No room here for the unadventurous and lily-livered. 'Man wanted to eat a meal once a week anywhere, anytime, all cuisines to be sampled - and you never get a chance to go back to the places you really like' might pull in even fewer hopefuls.

I can think of another job that could easily fall into the same category. If, like my guest this week, you're the film censor, much the same applies. 'Man wanted to spend day watching movies' sounds like a couch potato's dream. The reality of course, is never as green as when viewed from a neighbouring field. When <stet>Sheamus Smith started the job of film censor there were maybe a hundred films a year to see, now there's four times that and a flood of videos as well. When you have this piece of information, the couch potato's dream evaporates and you realise that the job's actually composed of that good old four-lettered word; work.

There was a restaurant that I always intended to visit called Dish, which used to be in Temple Bar. What with one thing and another I never got around to going to it in that incarnation, but now it's moved and has a new premises quite close to Sheamus' office. This little piece of serendipity was enough to persuade me that the portents were now right for me to review it - that and the fact that the I Ching said yes, the Tarot said yes, my inner child said yes and the entrails of the large female goat that I'd sacrificed had entirely propitious entrails. You can't argue with that.

Dish has that kind of brushed steel, polished wood and good lighting that's becoming a look we know in restaurants. Everything seems crisp and sharp-edged, with the exception of the chairs and banquettes which are softly upholstered and comfy to sit on. We sat at a window table, which was handy, since it meant we could watch out for the dreaded scourge of the clampers. Maybe I've been a culchie for too long, but I still find something reassuring, maybe even romantic, in city streets at night lit by the orange glow of the sodium street lamps. There's something pleasing about this light, especially when it's shining on roads and pavements wet with rain, the odd figure huddled against the elements casting soft shadows. Combine that with the late Georgian and early Victorian architecture of the streets outside and I felt that it somehow epitomised Dublin by night.

Both the menu and the wine list continue this theme of crisp and uncluttered. Neither of them is very long, but they are both carefully chosen with enough choices to give even the pickiest diner enough options. The wine list has plenty listed under €25 and very little over €30, which is good to see. It's divided between French and the New World, there are house wines at €17.50 and there's a selection of half bottles as well. We settled on a Gewurztraminer from the Alsace, which was listed at €26.50. To complete the drinks order we ordered mineral water, which in Dish is Nash's, that long elegant blue bottle that holds half a litre. At €4.75 a bottle, that's €9.50 a litre, or more than ten times the price of petrol. Can someone please explain to me why water costs so much?

The menu is culinary eclectic. There are dishes here from many of the main ethnic styles. Starters include Basque fish soup with tomatoes and chilli, Roquefort served with cherry tomatoes and a poached pear, crisp pork and ginger wontons, duck liver Bourguignon, sautéed scallops and white beans and salads including a rare beef salad. There's a variety of pastas and then the main courses, called Entrees, American style.
We found fillet of cod, char-grilled lamb cutlets and organic fillet steak, monkfish, chicken breast, duckling, and a wild mushroom risotto. Sheamus chose the duck livers to start and followed with the lamb cutlets, while I chose the wontons and then the crispy duckling.

When the starters arrived conversation stopped briefly while two hungry chaps tucked in. Of the two, I much preferred Sheamus's starter of the duck livers to my wontons - it was prettily presented and very well flavoured. He did rather well on the main courses as well - maybe his advantage coming from a few previous meals here, giving him fore-knowledge of the menu. His main course of lamb cutlets was very good, presented well and cooked just so. I enjoyed my duck breast as well, and our side order of asparagus with truffle butter went down particularly well.

A couple of decent espressos finished our meal, which came to €108.60 not including service, which had been excellent throughout the meal. I liked Dish, it's friendly and smart, but I can't help wondering if a four-plate meal like ours really ought to break the hundred euro barrier.