All posts tagged: dublin 2

Italian restaurants in Dublin

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I love Italian food precisely because it is that, Italian. It is beautiful, delicious, simple, coveted and nurtured, and spoken of with the same passionate pride as parents of a newborn baby. It is love. From the water that quenched thirsty hot tomatoes that grew to turn into passata to the cows that grazed in the fields of Lombardy to make milk for Taleggio cheese or the pigs that were reared to make us prosciutto to the olives grown for silky oils to make salads glisten. The food is grown, prepared and eaten with love and, importantly, with respect. I revel in seeing Italians and their unabashed excitement for their food. They seem to have an inherent, magical understanding for the absolute joy that can be had from the table, the things that are laid upon it, and those they love around it. Here are some of my favourite spots for Italian food in Dublin. Mamma Mia President Michael D. Higgins adores Mamma Mia, and rightly so. I discovered the joys of this restaurant while …

Recipe – Earl Grey Tea Cured Salmon by Stephen McAllister

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This elegant starter recipe is a signature dish in Stephen McAllister’s restaurant ‘The Pig’s Ear’ in Dublin. He has kindly shared the secret to getting the beautifully delicate balance of the tea infusion just right in this recipe. Stephen said: ‘This salmon recipe has been on The Pig’s Ear menu in some way, shape or form ever since we opened in 2008 and has always been a big hit with our guests. It’s also a great dinner party starter as all the work is done ahead of time leaving you free to mingle with your guests.’ Earl Grey Tea Cured Salmon, Apple, Cucumber, Yogurt & Dill Ingredients : (serves 4) 500g organic Irish salmon, skin off & pin boned Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon 70g sea salt 90g sugar 30g dill or fennel Tea from 2 Earl Grey tea bags 100g yoghurt strained in a muslin cloth over night 1 Granny Smith apple, sliced into crescent shapes 1 cucumber, one half sliced thinly length ways, seasoned with salt to soften The other peeled and …

Cocktails and bar bites in Dublin city centre

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Dublin and cocktails are in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. It’s all ‘no you hang up, no you hang up’ and cocktail lovers are making the most of every last Whiskey soured matcha mojito grenadine gimlet golden-flaked minute of it. It’s not that long ago when the sexiest cocktail you could get (read: afford) was a mix of long life cranberry juice, a thimble of turpentine flavour vodka and a splatter of nasty orange juice, stirred and sold as the most exotic thing we’d ever tasted. But those were our Singapore sling salad days. Now it’s all fresh fruit, ice bombs, posh herbs and spices, homemade syrups and Ferran Adria style mixology taking over the best cocktail bars. And Amen to that. I’m yet to be convinced about the trend of matching food with cocktails, but I’m all for delicious, good value bites to go along with them. Here are some spots in the city centre that are doing just that. The Meeting House The Zombie cocktail at The Meeting House is one of my favourite cocktails in Dublin …

Restaurant Crush: Isabel’s

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When restaurants are called by a girl’s name, I like to imagine it must be in honour of the heroine of a magnificent love affair, or an ode to a romantic encounter or some other grand and heart breaking tale where  you can almost hear Maria Callas sing ‘O Mio Babbino Caro.’ Isabel’s is so called, indeed from love, but not from any heartache. It is named after the owner, Ian Keegan’s daughter, which is immediately heart warming. It’s on the corner of Lower Baggot Street and after taking the few steps down to the basement entrance, you find a softly lit, warm and sensuous  restaurant and wine bar that’s tiny and perfect. I often have misgivings about wine bars with food, as  the menu can sometimes present a world of shocking misunderstanding. Cajun wings and a delicate Pinot? Yum. Thankfully, Isabel’s are tiny and perfect with their menu too. Ian and head chef Niall O’Sullivan have created a delicate, exciting, and delicious menu whether you want to nibble on lighter bites, a cheese board, …

Birthday at ‘The Greenhouse,’ Dublin 2.

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Oh, I do love birthdays. I’ll cheekily stretch it into a week. And this year, into a month, between my beloved Donegal home and Dublin. It’s a day for you. Your candles, your cake and your presents. If you’re lucky. As mine falls in June, it’s a nice comma halfway through the year to take stock of my annual sentence. Undoubtedly, there will be the inevitable assessment of how many more grey hairs have appeared, how I still haven’t bought the dream house on Shrewsbury, passed my driving test or learned Italian. But after a few splashes in that paddling pool of self loathing, the realisation of the positives of the year far outweigh nipping to Boots for a box of Nice N’Easy. My favourite part about my birthday is lunch. I love to flirt with the decision on the destination for a few weeks before hand. This year, I settled on a date with’ The Greenhouse.’ By the time my birthday came around at the end of June, the restaurant had already been open …