All posts tagged: food

Brunch in Dublin

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I adore brunch. It’s the lovely comma after breakfast and before lunch that usually means it’s the weekend. I certainly didn’t grow up with it, and only heard fabled tales from my Mom (she grew up in New Jersey before moving to Ireland) of such things as diners and eggs and breakfast dishes that weren’t a heart clasping fry, and that were served after 12pm. We’ve now cottoned on to the sheer joy of eggs benedict of a Saturday afternoon and brunch is now an important part of the tapestry of restaurant menus in this fine city. Dublin has got some wonderful options for brunch, here are some of my favourites: Whitefriar Grill They had me at ‘anti fear potion’ on their drinks menu. The Whitefriar Grill  is a perfect Sunday brunch spot with a menu that has all the egg dishes you can dream of plus a few little gems like Jack McCarthy’s black pudding waffle with whipped foie gras and plum chutney if you feel like indulging. They have great cocktails, the staff are friendly and …

Cheese Revolution

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This was originally published in The Sunday Business Post a few years ago. Sadly, the wonderful cheesemaker and person David Tiernan who I interviewed for this piece has since passed away. He is much missed. Food Special: Cheese Revolution CHEESE, and particularly Irish cheese, is one of the great loves of my life. It’s been there on my soggy school sandwiches. It’s been there at supper time, when I decided to get adventurous with spaghetti bolognese. And it’s been the only thing I could stomach during the glory and heartache of falling in and out of love. My parents instilled an appreciation of this wonderful food in me from an early age, but in the last few years it has become a passionate pursuit and daily obsession in my cooking, eating, discovering and learning. I have it with marmalade with my toast, I’ve used blue cheeses with bacon and chocolate, and I’ve been known to swoon on sight when a restaurant has a cheese-board, or the ultimate – a cheese trolley – on its menu. …

Westport Festival of Music and Food 2013 – delicious in every way

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Oh I do love a good summer music festival. Where I can panic buy ridiculous wellies from Dunnes, wear some kind of flower hairband and get burnt with a hot shock of pink on my forearms. Some of my loveliest music festival memories are sipping on a warm pint of beer, while listening to a band I’d never heard of with people I love, and thinking ‘Sure, isn’t this bloody marvellous altogether?’ That’s what I love about them. What I love even more is the food. The very fact that Westport Festival of Music and Food has food in its title puts a little joy in my heart. The food stalls are always my favourite bit of festivals, they colour my plans for the day, the strategy for where to go and who to see. What will my next meal be? My next tub of noodles? My next burger? And my, haven’t the festivals grown? Not just your curry chip in a plastic tray that’s thrown out a tenner a pop. No, no. Now we seek out Pad thais …

There once was a trip to elBulli

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I was recently reminded of how lucky I was to get to dine  in elBulli restaurant. Although it was over three years ago, I can still taste every dish. It was one of the most spectacular nights of my life. Here are some words I wrote about it shortly after returning: elBulli Some people are so determined to eat in Spain’s elBulli restaurant that they’ll book a table four years in advance – like a chap I met last year who planned a table for his wife’s 40th birthday. Others, like me, create 11 new email addresses and enter the annual lottery for reservations. Since there are around 400 applicants for each available cover, we usually don’t hear anything back. But there’s always the chance of a Christmas miracle. In late December 2008, my friend Ciarán called me, breathless. “Guess where we’re going next October 17th?” I had bullied (pardon) him into entering the lottery too; if either of us got in, we would take the other person. elBulli is housed in a plain, unassuming …

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, …