Captain Fantastic – Movie Review

..a modern-day Swiss Family Robinson..

Every so often a film comes along which is completely unlike any other you have seen. This is very much the case with Captain Fantastic. Viggo Mortensen leads the cast as Ben a father of six who is effectively living off the grid in the Pacific Northwest. His wife is suffering from mental health issues in a hospital.  He and his children are a modern-day Swiss Family Robinson. Continue reading

Sometimes You Just Want Soup – Medley by Andrew Rudd

Sometimes for lunch you just want a bowl of soup and some bread.  I was sitting at my desk today thinking where is close and serves good food.  Medley by Andrew Rudd is only a few minutes walk from my office. I had been before for an event with the Spanish Tourist Board and the food and service was impeccable.  It has long been on my list to return to so today was the day. Continue reading

Burger Porn At Bread and Bones

Let me start by saying that I would go back to Bread and Bones for the superb level of customer service alone.  They are a business who know exactly how to speak to, engage with and give an experience to their customers.  I’ve chatted with them on the phone, over Twitter and via email and they consistently go the extra mile. It just so happens that they also make some FILTHY GOOD BURGERS. Continue reading

Wolf Blass Black Label – Vertical Tasting Through The Decades

It’s funny how things change in the course of a life. I’m starting my WSET Level 2 in Wines and Spirits in September, but…….

One of my earliest memories of drinking wine was back in 1999. I was 21 and up until that point wine was really just something that my aunties drank so I usually stuck to beer. In November 1999 I headed to the land down under and spent a year travelling around Australia.  It was there I discovered the back packer joy that is 5 litre boxes of wine. Yes boxes !  Over time I traded in the boxes for bottles and of course Wolf Blass was among those bottles. Continue reading

Sourdough Sharing Bread with Melted Cheese & Spring Onion

This recipe for a sourdough sharing bread is quick, easy, tasty and you can substitute the ingredients easily to vary the results.   All you need is a loaf of bread (unsliced).  I went for brown multigrain sourdough bread.  120g of butter (creamy Irish butter), about 4-5 spring onions sliced thinly and 450g of cheddar cheese (Rathdaragh).  I opted for a low-fat mature white cheddar. Continue reading

Nordzee – Superb Seafood in Brussels

I’ve been to Brussels twice this year already. I often think it gets over looked in favour of the more ‘flashier’ European cities like Paris, Rome and Barcelona.  Brussels however has quite a lot to offer its visitors. It has beautiful architecture, museums and parks. What really gets me excited however is the abundance of incredible food and beer that the city is serving up.  Seafood at Nordzee is top of the list ! Continue reading

Magee Menswear – A Preview of the AW16 & 150th Collection

While there are some great Irish male fashion bloggers out there like David Cashman and Damien Broderick every so often I dip my toe into the world of menswear.  There are a lot of really great Irish brands and I’m all for supporting our own.  I was invited along to check out the new AW16 range from Magee, a Donegal based brand which has a long and illustrious heritage.  Continue reading

The Big Grill Festival – Herbert Park – WARNING Contains lots of MEAT

The Big Grill Festival is back once again in Herbert Park and is running from 11th to 14th of August 2016.  It is literally a meat lovers paradise full of pork, chicken and beef, marinated, barbecued, smoked, grilled and served up hot, tasty and ready for you to eat. Continue reading