I just spent the weekend in Dublin with my Dad [read: spent the weekend being out drunk and out eaten by a pensioner]. The only thing I really knew about Dublin was the reports of abandoned building projects and stags attempting to drink their weight in Guinness. Never has somewhere under-promised and over-delivered so spectacularly. We ended up going on a culinary tour that left me at least a stone heavier in just three days. Serious kudos has to be given to our 'tour guide' of the weekend- Emily Carson, whose blog posts on 10best.com saved us from average-at-best pub food.
We started at Brother Hubbard for brunch which is tucked away on Capel Street and takes its influence from the Middle East, while also having some more classic dishes involving porridge and bacon on the menu. I went for the Berber semolina pancakes topped with rose infused mascarpone, a berry compote and a nutty crumb. It was eye wateringly good- the rose flavouring being an inspired touch in the mascarpone and the berries being bitter enough to stop the dish being sickly. Dad opted for a more savoury start of the day with a aubergine and chickpea concoction, smothered over crusty sourdough, garnished with two coriander sprinkled poached eggs.
We thought the best way to walk off such a massive meal would be to head to the Guinness Storehouse to find out about the black stuff. The tour is spread over 5 floors- ending in the 360 degree glass bar with a pint to call your very own. We dutifully slugged our way through it but had to admit- not really a fan.
We were keen to follow our morning success with another independent foodery so headed south of the river to find The Fumbally. Located at the bottom of a modern block of flats it has managed to create an atmosphere of artsy East London. The kitchen is on full view and fronted with colourful salads. The pulled lamb sandwich with baba ganoush and rocket was clearly worth trying as I saw whole tables muching through the crusty roles. Dad can never resist a fish curry- and this Goan variation came with two, huge chargrilled Dublin Bay prawns and crispy deep fried onion.We even tried some locally brewed IPA. All in all another fantastic meal.
Breakfast day two: The Queen of Tarts. Bordering the Temple Bar area this cute little cafe was dressed to the nines for Halloween and also extremely busy for pre 9 o clock- so we knew we were onto a winner. The cinnamon whirls were superb (not to mention the size of a small house), while the leek potato cakes so light and fluffy they could have floated away.
We headed to the coastal village of Howth hoping the sea air would shift any remaining grogginess from the night before. It's still a 'working' fishing village and we saw crates of seafood being loaded onto lorries, so we knew the restaurants facing the dock would be freshly stocked. We braced the sea breeze to queue for Octopussy's Tapas Bar. The crab claws and prawn tails came drenched in garlicy butter but still retained their sweet-salty flavour.
That afternoon we caught the tail end of the Oktoberfest celebration to watch Scotland finally win something in the most recent sportsball tournament and discover a couple more pale ales (Cute Hoor an I[rish].P.A and Born in a Day A.P.A). On a local recommendation we ate some cracking pizza at the Independent Pizza Company in the north of the city (conveniently near the hotel).Last but not least we visited the old Jamesons whiskey distillery. I'm not sure straight shots of whiskey are the best hair of the dog remedy but the 'Jamesons' cocktail (tasting suspiciously like a long island ice tea) was really quite refreshing.
Basically, go to Dublin. It's ace!
