Late January weekend...

Places visited this weekend to escape the house redecoration!! :-) 

Wall & Keogh, Richmond Street, Portabello

Visited here on Saturday for a v quick lunch stop... 

As you can see from the photo below they have an amazing choice of teas... 

Fiancé chose Darjeeling and I stuck with a black Americano coffee..

I chose a tuna melt sandwich (tuna with red onion, cheese and sweet corn on v soft brown bread) 

To celebrate national peanut butter day fiancé chose toast and peanut butter :)

The Bretzel Bakery, Lennox Street, Portabello 

Love this old Jewish bakery! They have recently renovated and have started to serve food in a little cafe area (which I've yet to try but it's on the list!!) 

Picked up some biscuits and cakes

Also picked up some cinnamon rolls for lazy Sunday morning breakfast (went down nicely with some 3fe coffee made with a shiny new Aerobie aeropress!) 

Fallon and Byrne, Exchequer Street

Picked up some Haggis and Tuna Steak for dinner (the tuna steak was for me / Haggis for fiancé!) 

Tuna steak went so so well with the Delheim Chenin Blanc I got in O'Briens. 

I wasn't too sure I'd handle the Haggis but I had a taste and it was actually pretty good!! 

L'Officina - Dunne & Crescenzi, Kildare Village, Nurney

Pit stop in here for caffeine heating and something sweet while outlet shopping (only thing we bought was bed clothes to go in our  bedroom as we're redecorating!) 

Coffee was ok but brewed far too hot for me and not too happy they serve it in takeaway cups when you're sitting in... 

Prob should have chosen to go to Starbucks instead!! 

Coffee!!!

(Picture taken at The Coffee Shot, Sandyford) 

This post is about my favourite coffee places but seeing as it is usually accompanied by cake I figure it's relevant here... 

I know Starbucks are popping up all over Dublin. In fact we have a Starbucks in the building I work in outside of the city centre and at last count there are another four of them in or around the shopping centre that's across the road from the building!!! My caffeine habit runs to two grande Americanos with extra shots a day - it does the job but doesn't remotely compare to any of the following places!! 

Avoca 

I've been to almost all of the Avocas in Ireland at this stage. Belfast and Molls Gap are the only two left to visit. Favourite Avoca for coffee has to be Kilmacanogue (I think I must have over 30 Facebook checkins at this location!) 

I love their breakfasts (particularly their French toast or bacon baps!) but their pancakes in Suffolk St are pretty damn good! 

I do have a terribly sweet tooth so their scones and cheesecakes are most definitely my ideal accompaniment to their coffee... 

Fallon and Byrne 

Exchequer Street, Dublin 2 and People's Park, Dun Laoghaire

Only had take away at People's Park on a very miserable day. Must return to try the restaurant out properly! 

Have eaten at all three floors at Exchequer Street by now. No matter where we went to have dinner in 2014 we nearly always found ourselves at the 

ground floor at Exchequer St for dessert!! 

Love the wine cellar for the charcuterie boards or the house chicken liver pate followed by some fab desserts and coffee!!

3fe

Lr Grand Canal St, Dublin 2 

Was that keen to try there that we sat outside in the rain barely covered by their canopy!! Got the espresso tastings and I can tell you it was bloody worth almost getting a cold for :) 

Roasted brown

Filmbase, Temple Bar

Don't let the fact that it's right in the centre of touristville put you off this lovely airy spot. Great gourmet (!) coffee and cake. They also have great brunch and lunch menus that includes breakfast burritos, pulled pork sandwich and a Reuben! 

But for our first visit we stuck with cake.. 

Two Fifty Square Coffee

Williams Park, Rathmines. Not in the city centre and parking can be tricky but this place does really great coffee & cookies. Be adventurous and get the aeropress! 

Their cookies are perfect for sharing (if you feel generous!!) 

Queen of Tarts 

Pretty sure this is a Dublin institution that needs no introduction or too much reviewing!! Amazing tarts anytime we've visited. Last visit - warm chocolate pecan tart and a lemon meringue tart. 

Kaph

Yes this is hipster central on Drury St but that should take nothing away from the cakes and the 3fe coffee they serve! 

The Happy Pear

Main Street, Greystones 

OK so it is a bit of a trek to get to but if you ever do fancy caffeine heating and healthy cake after completing the Bray to Greystones walk this is definitely the place to visit! 

Hope you enjoy discovering that there is coffee in Dublin other than Starbucks!  

Bison Bar

Awesome BBQ & whiskey cocktails / craft beer at Bison Bar on Wellington Quay.

What can I say beyond the above?! 

Eaten here twice

First visit (I don't count the time we couldn't get a table - it's THAT good!) after a touristy trip to the Guinness Storehouse. Choose your food / drink and order at the bar... 

I couldn't choose what meat I wanted so I got the tasting plate. The Lynchburg lemonade and Calamity Jack cocktails went so v well with it! Everything that was on that silver tray was demolished after being smothered with their house bbq sauce. Knew it wouldn't be long before we visited a second time.. 

Second visit 

Brought my fiancé's little brother when he came to stay with us a few weeks after our first visit... He wasn't too pleased we went here without him as he loves BBQ... We just HAD to go back (What better excuse for a return?!) 

He got the tasting plate this time. 

Fiancé went with the beef brisket & the sausage with sides of beans & potato salad. 

I chose the beef brisket sandwich with a side of coleslaw.. The meat is so tender. Just amazing with their bbq sauce... I was tempted to bring the bottle home but I reckon my bag would have got destroyed!

Drinks...Roisin Tayberries (cross between blackberries and raspberries if you didn't know!) beer, Jameson caskmates & Calamity Jack.

I have to say out of all the places I ate in during 2014 Bison is probably my favourite... For anyone looking for real deal BBQ you HAVE to visit here but if you're anyway prissy you might need to leave your table manners at the door  and just make great use of the kitchen towel rolls they leave on the table... 

Afternoon Art Tea

To celebrate 11 years of engagement my fiancé and I went for Afternoon Art Tea at the Merrion Hotel (Lr Merrion St, Dublin 2)

Afternoon Art Tea is served in the hotel's beautiful drawing room which has high ceilings, a fab chandelier and v squishy chairs :)

The hotel has a massive private art collection which is the inspiration behind art tea. 

Course one 

Savouries include - chicken and pesto on sunflower bread, smoked salmon and horseradish cream on brown soda bread, cucumber and cream cheese on tomato bread, roast beef on white bread and egg mayo on rolls. 

Mini scones - fruit and plain served with clotted cream, lemon curd and raspberry jam 

Cakes - Battenburg, Lemon bread and Porter cake (You should be able to see the Battenburg inspiration in the first picture on this post!) 

Dessert 

Green apple macaroon

Vanilla biscuit with Orange curd 

Raspberry and Passionfruit tart 

And the paintings that inspired the desserts... 

You can choose as many different teas as you want from the tea menu! I'm afraid I was quite boring and just stuck with the one - The Merrion Tea blend. Fiancé tried the Darjeeling and The Irish Malt. 

Cost is €39 per person or €53 per person with a glass of bubbles! 

Definitely recommend you finish work early (maybe on a Friday?) and do this for a special occasion!! 

As fab as everything was I think the highlight for my fiancé was meeting Gay Byrne in the bathroom...