I’m a little late jumping on the My Meat Wagon but better late than never they do say ! I found myself at the Lighthouse Cinema recently for previews of Far From The Madding Crowd and Unfriended and in between I needed a bite to eat. My Meat Wagon just happens to be right beside the cinema so was a perfect location for lunch. Continue reading
Oscars Cafe Bar had been on my list of places to try for ages. I eventually got my act together and took a visit last week to their Christchurch branch. They also have one in Smithfield. It’s a classy joint I have to say. Lots of art work on the walls, high ceilings, different levels and varying types of seating, including old theatre seats. There is a space for every kind of dining experience, whether it be an intimate twosome or a large group of friends. Continue reading
Ku Raud
My good friend Ruby Laine had told me about Ku Raudo a new place on Townsend Street that offered a delicious Bento Box for the bargain price of €8.99. That sounds like good maths to me. Bento means ‘convenient’ (which it is) and apparently they have been knocking around for hundreds of years.
Interior
The restaurant itself is quite small with seating for about 16-20 max. It’s simply and elegantly furnished with pale wooden furniture and red napkins. It actually feels quite peaceful. Not a bit of glitz and glam here, they are all about their food.
Interior
As soon as you sit down you are presented with complimentary green tea which is served ceremoniously from an ornate teapot. A nice touch I thought and allegedly green tea is very good for you.
Teapot!
Chopsticks & Green Tea
I’m not great with chopsticks I have to say so if they think you look like your struggling they will happily give you a knife and fork.
Green Tea
There is a set menu which changes regularly and each has a meat option and a vegetarian option.
Set Menu
I opted for the meat version while Ruby opted for the Vegetarian one. I was the clear winner I have to say, not just because I got meat! She had already been a few times and felt her vegetarian option this time round was not as tasty.
Meat Option
While it may not look that big in the picture, the quantity of food in the bento box was quite substantial. The Kuro Kosho Beef was tender and tasty with a rich sauce packed full of flavour. There was a small salad with pieces of deep fried chicken and two pieces of California roll sushi which were exceptional I have to say. A large serving of steamed rice and for the sweet tooth four little pieces of Mantou, which is like a sweet bun bread.
Rice
Kuro Kosho Beef
Mantou
California Roll Sushi
Miso Soup
The bento box also came with a side serving of Miso soup infused with spring onion. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the dining experience. The food was plentiful and varied and the service was impeccable. While I was dining at least three people stuck their head in to check what was on the menu that day. They seemed to be well known to the staff and regulars who come back time and time again is a good indicator the variety of food on offer is worthy of a return visit. I’ve already been back myself since writing this review !
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Wicklow Street has a new resident, temporary he may be, but he is making quite the impression. Mr. Tayto has opened his very own pop up shop, which will be in situ until March 17th. You can buy a whole host of branded products in the store. Everything from cuddly toys to mugs to pencil cases.
More importantly however you can buy a Tayto sandwich for the bargain busting price of €2. Tayto will donate €1 of that directly to the Dublin Simon Community, a group who campaign tirelessly for the homeless or those who are at risk of it.
There are four options on offer, the Cheese and Onion Classic, the Salt and Vinegar Sarnie, the Smokey Bacon Butty and a Prawn Cocktail treat. It’s hard to make a Tayto sandwich look very attractive, but we all know they taste great, so don’t let my pictures put you off supporting this great cause.
While you are there you can stock up on your Tayto merchandise. The store is jam packed with quite an array.
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I’ve written before about a visit to The Westin for A Most Peculiar Afternoon Tea. This time however myself and Ruby decided to treat ourselves on a Friday afternoon to the option of takeaway afternoon tea. Priced at €19.95 each it comes in the branded three tier carry box you can see in the picture above. It needs to be ordered 24 hours in advance, especially if you want to avail of the gluten free option.
Three Tiers
I ordered the standard one and Ruby ordered the gluten free option. I have to say my finger sandwiches were fresh and tasty however hers were a little on the dry side. Apparently its quite common to get below par sandwiches when opting for a gluten free option. Despite that set back there was more than enough food to feed us. A mix of sandwiches, scones and an array of mini desserts.
While I wouldn’t be ordering it very often it is quite nice to do it as a special treat. The only draw back was that we had to carry our takeaway afternoon tea round the corner to a coffee shop to buy some tea to go with it. The Westin don’t provide any take out tea or napkins or even a disposable knife to prepare your scone. Not ideal if you were picking it up and planning to head straight to the park for a relaxing afternoon.
None the less we did enjoy it and there’s some pictures below to give you an idea of what its like.
Raspberry Jam
Clotted Cream
Finger Sandwiches
Finger Sandwiches
Salmon, Cream Cheese and Dill
Fresh Scones
Strawberries
Salted Caramel and Chocolate
Red Velvet Cupcake
Macaroons
Scones with Jam and Clotted Cream
Baked Tart
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I remember going into Walton’s music store many years ago looking for sheet music. I had a notion that I could learn to play guitar and after two sets of lessons it became clear to me and my instructor that a life of music was not for me. I should have known in advance. I played a leper in our school musical of Jesus Christ Superstar and the only lines I had to sing, were actually dubbed, by a class mate standing in the corner with a microphone, while I mouthed the words as best I could. Apparently I was graced with the ability to look like a leper but not the vocal cords to sing like one.
Walton’s moved their North Frederick Street store to Blanchardstown back in August 2013. The premises has banished its musical past and embraced a cooking future instead. All that remains of Walton’s are the letters which spell out its name on a wall over seating in one section of the restaurant which has taken it’s place.
Waltons
The Old Music Shop restaurant is part of The Castle Hotel on North Frederick Street. I took a visit on a Friday evening at 5p.m. and it was virtually empty, but I did see a few tables with reserved signs on them. I’m not quite sure what to make of the setup, or if indeed the restaurant is as confused about it’s identity as I felt it was. It’s part restaurant, part coffee shop/café and appears to be where breakfast is served for the hotel it is joined to.
Café Counter
The cafe counter runs along the right hand side as you enter the restaurant. The main seating areas are then to the back and off to the left of it.
Seating Area
There is a mix of comfortable blue velvet chairs along with the more tradiational wooden table and chairs.
Seating Area
Towards the back you will find another seating area, again with a different feel to it. Long and narrow it has a row of seating along the wall with a mix of coloured chairs. The space here feels very bright to be a restaurant.
Seating Area
Off this area in another section of the restaurant you have what feels like a hotel breakfast area with large windows looking out to the street.
Seating Area
The surrounds are well appointed it has to be said. I can’t help but feel that using such an amalgatmation of styles, it became more disjointed and doesnt really have that cosy feel where you can imagine yourself deep in conversation over a couple of bottles of wine. It presents itself as having much more of a hotel vibe than restaurant to me.
The menu is diverse enough not to be limiting and has a mix of fish, chicken, steak, salads and pastas. Neither of us were overly hungry when we visited so knew we would concentrate more on the main course than a starter or dessert. As a result we opted to share a starter of breads and dips (€4.50). A selection of fresh baked breads with a trio of dips. Sundried tomato pesto which was rich and flavoursome. Rapeseed oil which was bland. Incidently rapeseed oil was used in the 19th century as a lubricant for steam engines and there is a question over whether it is good or bad for us due to the level of eruic acid in it. The last dip was a black olive tapenade which had a smoothness to it but I’m not a fan of olives. My fellow diner however is partial to black olives and spread it generously on his bread.
Bread and Dips
Bread and Dips
For the main course I opted for the fried buttermilk chicken breast (€15). It came with wilted greens and fries and a horseradish dip. The greens I’m happy to say were not wilted so they were soggy and retained their flavour, colour and some crunch. The buttermilk crust was non oily and crisp and the chicken was succulent. While very enjoyable it probably could have benefited from being marinated in the buttermilk mix for longer to really enhance the flavours and have them seep into every shred.
Buttermilk Chicken
Buttermilk Chicken
H went for the 10oz Sirloin Steak (€20) which came with fries. He likes his steak blue, so it was far too bloody for me to even attempt it. I tend to avoid anything which might walk again with a couple of shots from a defibrillator. The sauce on the side of this was smashed peppercorns and Hennessy cognac jus. It was thick and had a fire from the peppercorns which was constrasted by a smooth silkiness from the cognac. It was devine. Most of my chips went into it and I’m tempted to email them for the recipe.
10oz Sirloin Steak
10oz Sirloin Steak
Fries
As we were both off the booze for January there wasn’t a glass of wine in sight and it was a round of water.
I wouldn’t rave about The Old Music Shop to be honest. The food was very decent. Not so great that I would go out of my way to visit again and not unpleasant that I would deter anyone else from visiting either. For sake of a better word and not wanting to appear negative, as far as food goes it was just ‘grand’.
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For 2015 I decided I’d try my hand at including a few recipes on my blog. A while back I took a class in Dublin Cookery School and made a whole host of delicious desserts. One of the recipes included on the night was friands. A friand is like a small muffin only about a million times tastier. Having given up booze for January my weekends have been so much more productive. Apparently there are people who do get up before 11 a.m. on weekends.
So a hangover free Sunday morning inspired me to dig out Lynda Booths recipe for Lime and Coconut friands and give them a go. So here’s what you need to know.
Ingredients for the Friands:
180g of butter, plus extra for greasing the tin.
160g of sifted icing sugar
90g of ground almonds
45g of sifted plain flour
5 egg whites, unbeaten
1tbsp of lime juice
2 limes, finely grated zest
45g desiccated coconut
Raspberries to garnish (optional)
Ingredients
Ingredients Prep
I find when baking it’s easier to measure out all the ingredients in advance so they are ready to throw in when needed. It does of course give you more dishes to wash up but sure that’s what dishwashers are for. Steps as follows:
1. Pre heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. I have a fan oven so set it slightly lower at 180C.
Combine in a bowl
2. Melt the butter slowly over a low heat. You don’t want it to boil or burn.
3. Combine the flour, ground almonds and icing sugar in a bowl, which basically means mixing them together with a spatula.
4. Lightly beat the egg whites until they are slightly frothy and add the lime juice.
5. Add the egg whites to the flour, almonds and icing sugar. Mix together using the spatula or a whisk. No need for an electrical mixer.
6. Add the butter and mix well until you have a batter like picture 3 below.
7. Fold in the lime zest and coconut so its even distributed throughout the batter.
Steps
8. Grease the tin with butter. I found using my fingers was the easiest way to do it.
Mini Muffin Tray
9. Fill each section to very slightly below the rim. I actually poured the mixture into a jug and used it to fill them. Much easier to control and easier than trying to spoon the mixture in.
10. Add a Raspberry to each one and push it down gently. You can use blueberries here either if you prefer.
11. Bake in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes. This will vary slightly depending on the oven you are using.
Topped with a Raspberry
While they are baking in the oven you can now make your lime syrup.
Ingredients for the Lime Syrup:
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp water
55g of castor sugar
Zest of 2 limes, finely grated
1. Add lime juice, sugar and water to the saucepan.
2. Bring the mixture to the boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar.
3. Add the lime zest and let it boil until the mixture reduces and becomes more of a syrup consistency.
When the friands come out they should be golden on top and have raised. Use a skewer to check if they are done. If they are it should come out clean. If not give them a few more minutes.
Spoon the lime syrup over each individual friand and allow it a few minutes to soak in while they are still in the baking tray.
Baked
Move them to a wire rack/tray to cool completely or begin eating straight away while still warm like I did, they are bloody delicious that way.
Ready to Eat
You can change the recipe to suit your tastes quite easily be substituting ingredients. Blueberries or blackberries instead of raspberries. For my next batch I plan to use Orange juice and zest instead of lime and add a square of dark chocolate instead of a raspberry. You could also add in some mixed nuts or anything else you think might be a good fit.
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Brisket is a cut of meat which comes from the breast or lower chest. Why do we love it? Is it because its primal and inside all of us there are remnants of our hunter gatherer ancestors? Ready to serve, briskets façade resembles the black leather of a perfectly shined shoe. If cooked correctly it resonates with an intense beef flavour and is infused with rivulets of fat which moisten every mouthful.
Over the last few years Dublin has seen a steady stream of outlets serving variants on the traditional All American BBQ. Places like Bison Bar along the quays, Pitt Brothers on Georges Street and more recently in Smithfield My Meat Wagon have proved incredibly popular with Dubliners.
The latest addition to this growing trend is Smokin Bones on Dame Street. The menu is modelled on a typical American BBQ and smokehouse. A mix of brisket, pulled pork, wings and burgers. Salads are also on offer for the more health conscious out there.
Image taken from Zomato website
They only opened their doors in December so are still the new kid on the block. The restaurant stretches from Dame Street back to Dame Court with entrances on both sides. I popped my Smokin Bones cherry on a quiet Monday evening the second week of January.
Wall Detail
The interior is what you would expect. Lots of wood and dark leather with a mix of booths and tables. They also have some larger communal tables which don’t quite work in the space as everyone needs to move to let you out if you happen to be on the inside seat.
Seating Area
Restaurant Detail
Entrance with Open Kitchen to the Left
The kitchen runs down one side of the restaurant and is open for all to see. They actually do all their own smoking downstairs in the basement and one of the chefs hails from New York.
Sauces served in old beer bottles
Myself and H both went for the BBQ tasting platter priced at €14.95 which is great value in my opinion. It had a mix of brisket, pulled pork sliders, chicken wings and a half a rack of ribs. That’s enough to give anyone the meat sweats.
BBQ Taster Platter
Brisket
Despite everything tasting incredible the brisket was the winner on the plate for me. It was meltingly tender with robust flavours and a silky sheen to it. That alone will bring me back to Smokin Bones, and I’ll be having a large portion of it when I do.
Pulled Pork Slider
The pulled pork slider, another success. The bun lightly toasted and the pork dripping in flavour and blanketed in a rich BBQ sauce.
BBQ Pitt Beans
The beans although a side dish, could easily hold their own centre stage. They are cooked in a smoker for 12 hours and mixed with smoked crispy ends, pulled pork, onions and injected with seasoning.
Brisket
Ribs
The manager, who was happy to give us snippets of information about the menu and their plans for the future informed me that the ribs are sourced locally from an Irish butcher and they specifically request them to leave an extra layer of meet on the bone. The result, a much chunkier and satisfying meat feast. The ribs were so tender I suspect that were it not for the sticky BBQ sauce holding them together they might simply fall apart themselves.
I was stuffed after the platter but the waiter sneakily left a menu on the side of the table listing the desserts. Quite frankly it would be rude not to try a couple of desserts, besides it was for research purposes. A smokin’s chocolate brownie and a New York style cheesecake were promptly ordered and delivered.
Smokin’s Chocolate Brownie
The chocolate brownie was served with hot Tennessee Bourbon caramel sauce and a dollop of whipped cream. It was not too rich that you couldn’t finish it and had a texture which was firm while still moist and chewy enough to fill you up. It did however need more sauce on the side and ice cream would go much better with it.
New York Style Cheesecake
A baked vanilla cheesecake with a crisp base and served with a side of cream. While I did enjoy it and finished it all I think it was slightly dry and felt it had more of a chunky than velvety texture to it. Again it needed more sauce with it.
Although you don’t currently see it on their website they do also serve a selection of beers and of course the usual soft drinks. The food was great and the staff were friendly and attentive. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and am certain to return.
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Smokin Bones, 34 Dame Street, Dublin 2