There is very little that has not been said about the exceptional food in Etto on Merrion Row. To be honest I don’t really have a lot to add. Many with superior food knowledge to me have sat at its tables and filed newspaper column inches with praise. Continue reading
The Skinny Kitchen was a welcome find on a recent trip to Ibiza. The clubbing capital of Europe had me waving my hands in the air like I just didn’t care (I actually didn’t) until all hours of the morning. Interestingly their tag line is ‘eat clean, rave dirty’, and damn did I rave dirty. After a few days of that my 40-year-old body needed a bit of a break. Continue reading
Tucked away behind an unassuming door on Nassau Street you will find The Pig’s Ear. They also have a sister restaurant called Mr. Fox on Parnell Square East. An experienced team behind the scenes won the restaurant a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2009 and they have worked hard to retain it. Chef Stephen McAllister you may already know as a familiar face on The Restaurant TV show. Continue reading
Sometimes you just need steak. I have a friend who has steak every Friday night. It could be Monday morning and he would be talking about his pending Friday night steak with a glass of wine. Steak and wine are like the Cagney and Lacey of food and FX Buckley has them both. Continue reading
I took a trip to Paris at the end of July this year and pretty much ate and drank my way around the city. A few restaurants I had booked in advance and a few I stumbled upon. Papillon was recommended to me by Nick Munier and I booked myself in for lunch in advance. 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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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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The name Beeftro has been on the lips of many so I figured since they were opening a new branch on Balfe Street I’d make it my business to visit. They opened to the public Monday. A soft opening I’m told with still a few bits and pieces to iron out. I visited Wednesday lunchtime.
I really like the interior I have to say. It’s classy but reminds me of an old style butchers at the same time. It might be the tiled walls that has put that in my head. Either way I like it.
The grill is open for all to see so you know the chefs are confidant in their food. There is a large upstairs with luxurious leather seating around the sides. Downstairs there are two further dining areas which I believe our host said will be available for private parties in due course.
As it was lunch and we only had an hour the focus was on the lunch time specials.
I opted for the open steak sandwich while R went for warm lemon roast chicken.
Mine was served on toasted bread with sauté mushrooms, red onion, rocket, garlic butter and fries. The steak was tender and cooked exactly the way I asked which was medium well. The mushrooms were juicy and the chips a slight crisp which I would expect.
The lemon roast chicken was succulent and full of flavour. It was served on a grilled flat bread with avocado and sour cream. Deliciously light but quite filling.
The service was excellent, the surrounds were comfortable and the welcome was warm. While it was not very busy with diners when I was there I suspect Beeftro will fast become a popular lunch spot once word gets out the doors are open. I don’t doubt that I will be returning to Beeftro and am very much looking forward to tucking into their dinner menu.