All posts tagged: restaurant

Avoca Food Market and Salt Café, Monkstown, Dublin

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There is a gorgeous lull between Christmas and New Year where all that matters is what the next meal is. I was lucky enough to have my family come from Donegal to stay in Dublin this year, and after the chocolate comas, and tripping over the puppy one too many times came the, ‘What do we do now?’. We had a fine December afternoon in Dun Laoghaire seeing where James Joyce had once slept in the Martello Tower. Crouched, and with delicate steps, we reached the breezy and utterly lovely view at the top of those unforgiving stairs. Then onwards for lunch. It was my choice; and it was easy. Avoca is always somewhere  I love to go with my parents when they are in town. It’s like hiring a car and being given a Volvo. It’s reliable, trustworthy and you are guaranteed happy passengers and tummies. It’ll never be a sexy MG, but it will never as boring as a Ford. A solid all rounder. Salt at Avoca in Monkstown is one of my favourite …

Restaurant Review: Mishkins, Catherine Street, London

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I love birthdays. I love the delicious fluttery feeling in your tummy on the morning of it. I love the cards, the messages of love from my parents that make me cry, the breakfast, the lunch, the bubbles, the dinner, the karaoke where possible, the candles and the cake crumbs. I’m cheeky enough to stretch it into a birthday week. But this year, my best friend Niamh, knows me well enough to give me a gift that would turn it into a birthday season. While my birthday is at the end of June, she booked us a trip to London to visit our friend a few months later. After a gorgeous weekend trip, the last stop was to meet a friend for lunch at Mishkins, opposite the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane, before heading to the airport. It’s owned by Russell Norman, proprietor of quite a few achingly hipster spots in London like ‘Polpo’ and ‘Polpetto.’ Mishkins describe themselves as a ‘kind of Jewish deli with cocktails.’ It’s not kosher, but the menu is laden with …

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, …

Farewell to Alexis.

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When I remember meals, precious meals worth remembering, I see the delicious glow of the candle on the person across from me. Or the way my father can tell a joke and laugh so hard he uses the posh linen tablecloth to dab his eyes and we are all mortified and delighted at the same time. Or how the waiter would look after the mini people at the table especially well. It’s when you feel loved,and at home. That’s when a restaurant succeeds. I’m saddened to hear that the wonderful Dublin restaurant Alexis, in Dun Laoghaire, closed its doors. This was a place you felt loved. I first went there last summer when my housemate decided to let me know he was moving out. He was French. He had taste. Alexis was the kind of place you sat down with delicious expectation on what could possibly be presented. Eyes widened and hearts swooned on reading of the menu. It was always a conundrum. The wines always soothing and beautiful, and the food then sublime. On …

Falling For Food : Paolo Tullio

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If you know food writers in Ireland, you will know one of its finest, Paolo Tullio. He is best known for his restaurant review column in ‘The Irish Independent,’ but I have come to know him through RTE’s ‘The Restaurant,’ television series, where he is a resident critic. He has, kindly, been a mentor to me over the years, and someone I am now lucky to call a friend. Don’t try talking to him about Italian food though, it’ll make you want to move there in the morning. Here, he shares some of his food memories……………… Falling for Food The first food memory I have is……… In my mother’s kitchen, helping her sort through rice, picking out the black bits. Funny to think that that’s not necessary anymore. The first thing I eat in the morning is…….. A bowl of muesli. I’ve been doing this for nearly a week. Prior to this new habit, breakfast was a cup of coffee. The first food I remember hating………….. Was carrots. I remember my father saying ‘eat them, …