Eggcellent Easter

We'd booked brunch at Beef and Lobster but got into town early so we started off at Piglet Wine Bar on Cows Lane in Temple Bar.

We grabbed a table outside and ordered wine.

I chose Sangiovese rose which was really nice.

Want to return for food for sure!! 

Then we made our way in the sunshine to Beef & Lobster for food. 


The Beef & Lobster brunch menu:

I ordered the beef burger and lobster roll mash up with sweet potato fries. Absolutely huge but I scoffed it all!!!

Sean had the black pudding benedict.

For dessert I chose the profiteroles.

Sean had the apple tarte tatin.

We both had bottomless mimosas.

The food at brunch was excellent BUT I have to be honest.
The first time I ate here I left underwhelmed and didn't bother blogging about it cos while I enjoyed the Beef Wellington and the slaw the service let it down. Its professional but lacks warmth. In comparison I adore Cleaver East, the staff there are so much warmer and more attentive.. My bottomless mimosa seemed less bottomless at Beef & Lobster than at Cleaver East. I noticed that they do a deal for bottomless cocktails and two courses from the light and big brunch options for €35. That doesn't extend to dessert. Maybe it should? Last time i was at Cleaver East they applied the offer. Maybe they weren't supposed to? One more thing... Sweet potato fries are €1 more as a side but €2 when you substitute them?!

I've been twice now. I don't think I'll be back :(

After here we went to Against the Grain as it was a while since we'd been here. I chose to try their 
Prosecco on tap. It was v nice. 

Last stop of the day was Alfie Byrnes. I chose to have a white wine (New Zealand Sauvignon) rather than mix grain and grape. Really decent size glass! 

All told it really was an eggcellent Easter :) 

Steak and craft beers

We needed to find a place for dinner after Sean and his brother spent the afternoon at Whiskey live and we settled on the newest spot on Dawson Street, Featherblade. 

The menu is simple but don't let that fool you. It can be hard to choose but whatever you choose I think you'll find that the food is delicious. The starters & dessert change weekly so keep an eye on social media!The only constant menu item is their namesake, Featherblade. 

As you can see from the menus we had a choice of two starters then Featherblade or Flank steak with a number of sides to choose from and three sauces then a choice of two desserts. 

Main menu

Drinks menu

Specials menu

To start I had a berry fizz cocktail. V nice way to start and then I had a glass of their wine special, Rioja, which went v nicely with the steak. 

Sean's little brother and myself both chose the sesame crusted salmon with avocado purée and Asian slaw to start. Very tasty, lovely tang from the Asian slaw dressing. 

Sean went for the crispy lamb and he let me try it - it was like a Bon Bon. V yum. 

For my main I chose the Featherblade cooked medium rare with Bearnaise sauce. The meat was tender, melt in the mouth yumminess. I liked the Bearnaise because it wasn't over powering. Sean's little brother ordered the same thing. 

Sean ordered the marinated flank steak with garlic & chilli sauce. 

We shared the roasted sweet potato, truffle mac n cheese and there was also an order for the courgette, kale & carrot salad which we let Sean eat by himself :) 

The mac n cheese... OMG creamy cheesy goodness - you could eat it by the bucketload :)

Sweet potato was charred and utterly delicious. I could've eaten far more of them - am sorry we didn't order more! :) 

Dessert I decided to be "brave" and try the beetroot and lavender panna cotta with lime shortbread. I know that doesn't sound like it should work but it did. It was bloody gorgeous.

His little brother ordered the sticky toffee pudding. He let me try some too. It was sooo good!

The steaks are €13 (I know, in Dublin right?), the staff are super nice, the seats are comfy thanks to the chunky cushions on the wooden bench type seats. 

The tables are a little close but given that we were there early on a Saturday evening that was no way an issue. 

I can't find fault as much as I'd like to. A perfect example of keeping it simple and doing it extremely well! Will definitely be back (if we manage to get a reservation!)

After there we walked to P. Macs and I had a couple glasses of Lindeman's Framboise. 

Next stop was Against the Grain on Wexford Street. They still had The Eternalist in the fridge so I went with a bottle of that. 

It was still early so we headed to Alfie Byrne's at the Conrad Hotel. Here I had Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout and some more of The Eternalist and also one glass of Green Spot. We also went through a lot of Tayto Snax :) 

Good beer, whiskey and chats was a really nice way to finish off our night!!! 

Food filled Saturday

Sean's little brother came to stay with us this weekend. Sean and I done some wandering while he was getting his hair cut at The Butcher Barber. 

First stop was Fallon & Byrne. We got some venison haunch steaks, sweet potato and Irish rainbow carrots for our dinner on Sunday evening. We also picked up some Llewellyn's Apple cider vinegar. We had to because the bottle we got at the People's Park market met an unfortunate end :(? 

Then we had our usual stop at The Cupcake Bloke. 

Picked up some cupcakes for us - Oreo, Caramel Macchiato & a gluten free Banoffee.

Also got some lemon and carrot cake cupcakes and one of the Earl Grey, cranberry & orange tea bracks for Sean's parents.

After he was finished getting his hair did I brought him to try out Ugly Duckling in the Epicurean Food Hall. He ordered the Pittsburgh (BBQ pulled pork, coleslaw, tomato and fries on a bun) and I ordered my usual no tomato Prawn Po'Boy... Delicious as always. Sean's little brother had considered keeping some for Sean but he enjoyed it so much there was no left!! I think he was a fan :) 

Got home. Spent some time with the dog then got ready to head out for the evening.

First stop of the night was Oktoberfest Dublin. We got there early enough so thankfully we didn't have to queue too long to get in - about a 20 minute wait. 

The place was pretty busy. Queued about 10 minutes for drinks. Got 2L of erdinger and a German white wine. 

Total cost including the deposits for the glass steins was something like €40. As long as you keep hold of your token and the stein though you get your €5 per stein deposit back.

Not a bad atmosphere but am not entirely sure how traditional Love is in the air as music goes??? 

Like I say we got there early enough but it was already starting to get a bit messy. We didn't stay long and then headed to Brew Dock.  The signs that are upstairs gave me a giggle. 

Here I had a Founders Breakfast stout. Lovely strong coffee flavour. 

By the way to the lads playing Jenga near us I think we've only just recovered from the fright ;)

We had a table booked for Bull & Castle and, as it was a nice October evening, we decided to walk it. Certainly walked up an appetite!! Have been here before but didn't enjoy the experience. What a transformation since our last visit. 

The last time we we're here was on a cold & miserably wet evening. I found the restaurant to be very cold and the seats were hard. I'm so so glad we decided to come back. The restaurant has had a make over. We were seated in a booth. It felt so so cosy and the leather covered seats were so comfortable!! 

 

Here's the food menu... 

I ordered a half bottle of Sangiovese / Merlot red wine. 

We shared the breads n dips and the charcuterie board for starters. That hummus is immense!!! The pesto was really nice but for me the star was the white soda bread. 

For my main course I ordered the steak and seafood - a 6oz fillet steak cooked medium rare with some prawns. Lovely char on the steak from the type oven they use. Perfectly cooked and the prawns were delicious too. Fab Bearnaise sauce to dip them all in too! 

I am not a potato fan and I asked if I could swap the spring onion mash for the Mac n cheese. This was done without issue although the waiter wasn't sure it could be done. Very impressed! 

Sean and his brother ordered the porterhouse for two. This is a double cut t bone steak served up with chips, mashed potato, sautéed onions, sautéed mushrooms, maple roasted carrots and a selection of sauces. 

The Mac n cheese was creamy and had a lovely crust on top. Am sure it was calorific but so so worth it.

For dessert I ordered a French Martini cocktail. Lovely way to finish. 

Brilliant choice of whiskey, craft beer and cocktails. They're serving up great food that is well worth the price tag. Really loved the feel of the place this time. 

After there we walked to Beer Market as Sean was in search of a particular sour beer - Gods Speed. To my delight they had Founders' Rubaeus on tap but not the beer he was after so we only stayed for one and then headed to our last stop of the evening, Against the Grain. 

They had the beer Sean was looking for so they had two glasses of that each while I finished off my evening with a Macivors cider :) 

Wine, cider and Asian street food

Stopped in at Cavern at Baggot Street Wines on Upper Baggot Street after walking in the rain from the beer and cider festival at the RDS.

We didn't have food just had glasses of wine. I chose a Viognier - decent glass size.

The staff are so so nice and were v attentive! Brilliant vibe in a great space. 

You can also buy wine from Baggot Street wines and they charge corkage - I think it's €5 for wine. 

They brought out some popcorn with Parmesan, rosemary and sea salt. They were so moreish!! 

I will definitely be back for more wine and food!

The rain had disappeared when we were leaving so we took a stroll around Stephens Green and then headed Camden Street for food. 

Lots of places to choose from but we settled on Neon Asian Street food.

First off I will say that this would have been an exceptional visit but for the fact I'm not really a fan of communal style food sitting beside people and listening in on their conversations. 

You're brought to your seat, given menus and then when you're ready you go up to order at the counter.

I ordered Pinot Grigio and the Thai green curry with tiger prawns and steamed rice. The curries and rice are brought out in takeaway containers and the bowls are already on the table with plastic cutlery. 

The portions are generous and there were LOTS of prawns in the curry.  The curry had a lovely kick to it. 

The food is AWESOME!!! 

They give you cones so you can make your own soft serve ice cream but as you can see from my photo I'm not very good.

If you're a fan of Asian food you have got to try here!

Last stop of the evening was Against the Grain on Wexford Street. Just had a glass of Macivors Cider (they have it on draft here!) and then headed home! Spotted this on Leeson Street... Don't you just love Dublin sunsets?!