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 :) 

Ladies wot brunch

A couple of weekends ago I went with two of the girls for brunch at Cleaver East. I'd been there before but it was their first visit.

We enjoyed bottomless mimosas. They mean bottomless too!!! You get mimosas for two hours for €16. The staff are super attentive and they make sure your glass gets nowhere near empty!

The three of us ordered the same main course. We had the new pornburger which was chicken and waffles with bacon, pomegranate, onion, sriracha and a chilli slaw! I got a side of sweet potato fries with mine. It was lush

For dessert I ordered the Nutella cheesecake cornetto. It was really nice and even had the little bit of chocolate in the end of the cone. Like a cornetto should :)

Had coffee then finished off brunch with a round of cocktails. I had the Flirtini.

Another place that did not let me down when I returned. Banging tunes with great staff and DELICIOUS food. It is an awesome spot and cannot wait for my next visit!

Platform 61 brunch

Bottomless mimosas for €15 !!! But that's not where the goodness ends. Came to Platform 61 for brunch on a Saturday afternoon without reservation and managed to get a table. The idea behind the name I believe is a train station platform under Waldorf Astoria in NYC. Just like a subway platform it is small and functional. It is also perfectly formed.

The service was pretty much flawless. 

I ordered the Stun Bun (what a stun hun name for a dish) which is a grilled chicken fillet in a brioche bun with guacamole, tomato, onion, lettuce and tomato relish. This came with spicy sweet potato wedges. Delicious and perfectly cooked. The wedges are soooo nice!!!

The bottomless mimosas for €15 applies when you order any main course and it lasts for 1.5 hours. They mean bottomless, my glass wasn't empty before a second one appeared on the table.

I also had a dessert which was a white chocolate and raspberry creme brulee. It was lush!

This place is tucked away on South William Street. It is definitely worth seeking out. Sometimes you really are better off underground :)

One last thing to remember... Life is too short for cheap wine!

Boston tourist

Up early on day two of a really quick trip across the pond to Boston! First stop was Flat Black Coffee company. Fab Americano coffee and a chocolate chip scone to kick off the day.

Then we did a trolley tour. We chose Cityview Trolley Tours because our tickets came with a free harbour cruise! We used a Groupon which got us almost 50% off and included a 45 minute harbour cruise with beautiful views of the city. It was fab being out on the water on a glorious sunny (but windy!) day. 

Some of the photos from the trolley tour:

After here we got back on the trolley tour to finish the loop. We got on at aquarium which is their first stop. We stayed on until stop 8 as wanted to go to the Cheers bar. If you stay on the round trip should last approximately an hour. All in all I thought that was pretty awesome.

As I said we got off at the Massachusetts State House stop. We had a wander through there (you enter via General Hooker entrance!) 

Then we walked up the street to Cheers! We got a seat in the set bar.

Of course we went to the gift shop!! Got a couple of souvenirs including a cheers baseball type top and an old fashioned badge. 

We walked back through Boston Common - squirrel!

When we finished off the tour we went to Faneuil Hall to get lunch. We went to the Boston Chowda Co. Of course I got a lobster (lobstah!) roll. I went for the vot buttered roll option. OMG amazing!!! 

I then had a chocolate chip cannoli for dessert. I think it was from Carol Ann's Bakery. 

We then went on the harbour cruise which I thought was such a lovely way to wile away the hour. Spotted this duck house on the way - how cute is this?? 

Went to Macy's for a little retail therapy. I picked up a fab new Patriots top (be rude not to!)

After a shower and change we headed out for dinner. We walked around the city and came across a memorial for the Irish Famine - a nod to the strong presence here if there could ever be one! This depicts the same family before and after the famine...

Now what I love about being a grown up is that if you want to you can eat dessert before dinner and that's exactly what we did. We went to Omni Parker House which is where Boston Cream Pie was created. We had  a piece of pie each with prosecco! Why not?? 

After there we walked to 21st Amendment which is a bar by Massachusetts State House. The size of their glassss of wine!! Definitely get money's worth :)

For dinner we went to Bostonia Public House. We got there around 9pm on a Friday evening and even though it was jammed we managed to get a table for two.

Here's the menu:

We shared the lump crab dip with homemade potato chips (crisps back home) they were delicious.

I had a blueberry cocktail with the starter which I can't recall the name of but it was v good.

I ordered the lobster mac n cheese. The server wasn't wrong when she told me that it was a bit plate! Delicious, creamy, well cooked pasta absolutely jammed with lobster. I couldn't finish it though which was a shame. 

I then had a (large) glass of American Riesling which went pretty well with my main. 

Last stop of the evening was Warehouse Bar and Grille... Clearly staying classy!