Dublin’s food ‘scene’ is impressive but it’s not because the Irish are world renown for their food; it’s because Dublin has become an international European city that is continuing to draw talent and innovation from around the globe and so its food had better impress to keep folks there…..and, it does.
It’s not just the quality of the food itself, but the fact that many of the restaurants incorporate some of Ireland’s local favorites but in a creative cosmopolitan way. Secondly, there’s the ambiance – there were so many places not on my ‘recommended dining list’ I was drawn into because of the perceived ambiance from the street alone. And so I ventured into many of them, okay, nearly all of them.
Fallon & Bryne combines an organic, healthy food hall and restaurant all under one roof, the food hall downstairs as you enter from Exchequer Street. In the food hall, you can also find an array of wines, fresh breads, cheese and chocolates. Upstairs is a sit-down restaurant that is perfect for business lunches, since it is quiet and their waiters are attentive. (no wifi though, so make sure your demos and presentations are in cache :-)
A few things worth noting: the goat’s cheese and caramelized onion tart with rocket and balsamic reduction, the deep fried calamari with sweet chili sauce and the leek, blue cheese and walnut quiche served with mixed leaves and balsamic reduction. I’d give the Roast Butternut Squash and Rosemary Soup a miss since it lacked ‘bite’ and was a bit on the bland side.
Their salads are worth trying as are their pastas. €6 for a small salad and €10 for a large serving and they include: Fennel, beetroot & spinach salad, honey roast pecans with raspberry dressing (I got mine with chicken, see below), Caesar salad with bacon lardons & Parmesan cheese, Rocket, sun dried tomatoes & feta cheese, balsamic dressing and lastly, Portobello mushrooms, roast pumpkin, cherry tomato & red onion salad, coriander & lime dressing.
Bleu Restaurant along Dawson Street takes a modern style bistro approach to french cuisine with an occaisional nod to the french classics. Apparently, the beef in all their restaurants is dry aged, fillets 21 days & ribs 28 days, their fish comes from mourne seafoods, hanlons & garrett doran, and they have their own small farm in Kilternan where they get their organic salad leaves, herbs and vegetables. Below, the Grilled Morteaux Sausage with Potato & Red Onion Salad appetizer.
Crisp Sea Bream with Celeriac Puree Potato & Confit Fennel
Chicken Liver Parfait with Pear & Vanilla Puree served with Chutney
Cauliflower Veloute with Chive Cream
Duck confit with carrot & star anise puree with potato rosti, hazlenuts and orange sauce
Balzac Brasserie recreates the ambience and glamour of the best Parisian brasseries, from the entry-way to the main dining room which is nestled in the back. In the center, there is a Victorian-styled decadent round table with a 4 foot tall vase filled with earth-toned flowers and above it, a chandelier. Its bar is listed as one of the top bars in the world and one of the most decadent in Dublin. Its dining room on Dawson Street has also been called one of the most “handsome dining rooms” in Dublin.
Terrine of Game with Pistachio, Prunes & Cornichons
Lentil and Fried mushroom soup with black olives and basil
Lemon & Green Tea Posset with Roasted Plum & Sable Biscuits
Below, dessert #2 at Balzac: Chocolate Pot with Espresso cream & chocolate brandy snap
Dessert at Saba, an award-winning Thai restaurant in Dublin’s city center. It also boasts amazing ‘cocktails’ and Irish food produce and artisan producers.
A sneak peak of the Polish Bakery on Capel Street – will write up a separate blog post dedicated to them alone later this week.
I was surprised to find so many French restaurants and cafes in Dublin. Fafie’s Creperie on Lower Kevin Street has been around since 2005. I stumbled on the place as a result of needing to escape a downpour, one of many during my recent visit. They specialize in organic savoury galette crêpes made from a special blend of buckwheat flour which they import directly from Brittany to Dublin.
It’s managed by a husband-wife team (she’s French, he’s Irish) although I learned that they’ll be heading back to France soon. (hopefully the place will still be around on my next trip to Dublin and still serving fabulous coffee and buckwheat flour crepes, the French way). It’s also a great place to get an authentic cappuccino on a cold wet afternoon.
A handful of individual write-ups on restaurants, cafes and pubs in Dublin will follow, so be sure to check them out, including Johnnie Foxs in the Dublin mountains, John Kehoes, Cafe en Seine and Sam Sara on Dawson Street, the Guinness Storehouse, Iveagh House (was catered), Hugos and Rustic Stone — all in Dublin. Other restaurants I didn’t have time to do more in-depth reviews of but are worth mentioning and visiting in Dublin include:
- Fire Restaurant – charming ambiance as well
- Winding Stairs – also a book store so there’s a literary look-and-feel to it (also in a funky neighborhood)
- Dunne & Cresce – based in the city center, a great place for businesses lunches (they have an extensive wine list as well)
- Nonna Valentina on Portobello Road
- Chez Max – more French in the heart of Dublin (they have two locastions)
- Carluccios – reasonably priced Italian food on Dawson Street
- Cobblestones in Smithfield and Hughes on Chancery Street for great music
- Venu
- Pichet
- Camden Kitchen
- Cliff Town House (this was recommended by at least six people, apparently if you want a reservation on a weekend, you need to book weeks in advance)
- Pinnochios in Ranelagh
- Chapter One (another one which was recommended by several people. On the pricey side, but apparently well worth it. It is near the top of O’Connell Street).
- Westbury Hotel (lobby) for a pot of tea. Go for the ambiance though – this is why people show up. Warning: a pot of tea is 5-6 euros, so a wopping $10.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
