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 :) 

Great Granthams

A few visits later and finally writing a blog post about Granthams on Aungier Street. First walked by it around the beginning of February and the window full of sweet treats was so inviting we had to stop. Didn't go in because had already eaten.

Visited a week or two later. Had an Americano and a delicious apple twist.



Sean tried the lemon and pistachio cake.



Bought some Dark Arts Coffee for the machine at home. They always check if we need the beans ground.

Second visit (a week later!) I tried the tuna melt. Toasted sourdough goodness :)









Third visit I had an apple twist and an Americano. BTW how huge are they?





We got the window seat on that visit. A lovely spot to sit and people watch if you can get it.


Was back there this morning (April) with Sean and his parents. They had tea and the grilled cheese. They seemed to greatly enjoy it. Sean had the lemon and pistachio cake again.

I had an americano and a black pudding toastie. Black pudding, cheese and apple chutney on toasted sourdough. Damn good sammich!






The guys are always v nice and there's a lovely chilled atmosphere.

I do quite like the nod to Downton Abbey with the wifi password.



Dublin's "Lord Granthams" of coffee? Perhaps. Its bloody good anyhow.

One last thing... It's dog friendly!!!

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!

Love Luna

Still dislike going out for dinner on Valentine's and this year Sean was going to be away so we booked an early Valentine's dinner at Luna.



Luna is located in a basement beside a car park on Drury Street. You walk down the steps and you are literally transported to Mid-20th century NYC.





Had booked to try the pre-theatre menu (€30 per person for three courses and tea / coffee) but ended up changing to the a la carte menu.

Service was superb! The servers are all suited up by Louis Copeland and in old fashioned velvet jackets.

They do offer to translate the menu but we basically winged it.

Had a glass of cremant bubbly with our starters. We shared a bottle of Nero d'Avola red wine.

I had the tuna carpaccio to start. Was warned it could be spicy but it wasn't overly so. It just melted apart.






For my main I had the fusilli. They grated an ideal amount (lots!) of parmesan over it.





I wasn't sure of everything I was eating (that's what I get for not letting them tell us!) but when our plates were cleared I asked what it was. Turned out it was kale, pork, mozzarella and caper sprouts. Fantastic!

There isn't a dessert menu on the a la carte menu. They bring out an old fashioned dessert trolley and they go through the desserts of the day.







I chose the Luna Rocher which is a giant dark chocolate Ferraro Rocher. Loved the top tip of making sure I held onto it when I sliced into it cos it could've flown off the plate.





Finished with coffee. The biscuit that came with it was so yum!!




As you can see from the photos everything was served on really pretty crockery. On their website it says they were inspired by 1950s Italian restaurants in America and they have it spot on.


I really cannot wait to return.

Tapas and wine date day

Date day started with lunch at Fade St Social for tapas.

It was really difficult to choose but eventually we chose four to share.

Salted popcorn with crispy free-range chicken cooked in tapioca flour, rolled in sumac with truffle butter.

Mini lobster hotdog, lobster meat bound in béarnaise and melted hazelnut butter, brioche roll.

Pumpkin macaroni with spring onion and parmesan.

Fine green beans rolled in cep dressing with mushroom powder, lemon zest and chervil

For dessert chose Praline doughnuts, tonka bean cream, white coffee ice cream

I had glasses of white wine with mine.

It was all fab. I'm just sorry it took so long to pay a visit here.

If you're looking for somewhere to go for a date (and you don't mind sharing food!) You should definitely put Fade St Social at the top of your list. 

From there we went to Farrier & Draper. Had some glasses of Sangiovese. Still a great spot but I noticed the bartenders have lost their Peaky Blinders hats since our last visit.

Finished at Zozimus with glasses of Picpoul de Pinet.

What Sarah Ate in 2016

This year has been a right mixed bag hasn't it? We lost a lot of legends that most of us have grown up with. We also lost our furbaby who had been a massive part of our life for just short of ten years. We then rescued a big furbaby - a Newfoundland Cross we renamed Luna (after the character in Harry Potter)

The food I tried this year was also a mixed bag. A lot of food I loved and some places I didn't enjoy in the slightest!

January 

Foam cafe

Really lovely chocolate chip cheesecake with a decent coffee.

Catch 22 

Came here for dinner (couldn't book) as we managed to get a table easily enough on a Friday evening. Really enjoyed the smoked salmon plate and also the fillet of fish on a burger bun with sweet potato fries.

Cupcake Bloke

Tried out my first (of many!!!) creme egg brownie. Super lush!

Platform Pizza

This was a firm favourite of mine in 2015. Got a takeaway from here and tried the Just Wing It BBQ boneless chicken wings pizza. So yum :)

February 

Coco Bo

This amazing chocolate heaven on O'Connell Street. Tried out the made by me bars. The waffles with cream and buttons was gorgeous. Also I loved that they give you a shot of chocolate with your coffee.

Bow Lane Social 

Came here for a fab fab brunch just before Valentine's Day. I had the Birdwich which came with disco fries. I swapped them for Sean's sweet potato though. I also got great amusement out of how the doughnuts were arranged :)

Accents Lounge 

What a fab cosy spot! Serving up great coffee. I really enjoyed the double sausage roll too.

March

Pepperpot Cafe 

Just love the pear, bacon & cheese sandwich. Had my favourite sandwich here on more than one occasion.

Ugly Duckling 

While it was still there. Had the prawn po'boy for a meat free Good Friday :)

Cleaver East

Fantastic brunch here with bottomless mimosas. Chicken and waffles followed by a French Toast. All super good.

April

The Cupcake Bloke

Peanut butter and jelly cupcake made a reappearance during April. One of my favourites for sure.

Pepperpot Cafe

This time I got my favourite roast pear, bacon and cheese sandwich to take home.

Dublin Doughnut Co at  Vice Coffee / Wigwam

Tried the Kinder Bueno doughnut with a coffee at Vice Coffee on Abbey Street. Love the chocolate bar inspired doughnuts they serve up!

Sweet Republic, Galway 

Fantastic crunchie waffles. So bold but so delicious

May

Platform Pizza 

Takeaway for a very bold dinner. I got my favourite - mozzarella, goats cheese, pancetta, walnuts and maple syrup. Followed up with their nutella pizza for dessert - always great

Klaw

Lobster roll. No other words required.Delicious every time

Taste at Rustic 

Came here for lunch. Everything was super but my favourite was the chocolate soup.

Hatch & Sons 

Came here for breakfast one Saturday morning. Tried the bacon bap. It was so yum!

June

Pickle 
Came here for dinner. Incredible Indian food. Loved it all but favourite was the Tikka and the naan bread basket.

July

Rolling Donut 

Tried a selection from the new spot on Bachelor's Walk. Favourite was actually the blue velvet.

The Cupcake Bloke 

Doesn't sound like it should work but it really did - olive oil, rosemary and blackberry cupcake which I enjoyed just after my birthday.

Shanahan's on the green

Came here for my birthday dinner. Of course the steak was great but I absolutely loved the oreo cheesecake dessert.

August



Mao at Home 

My favourite Thai takeaway. Love the green chicken curry as it has just the right amount of spice.

Bird in the hand 

Had a number of sharing plates here but my favourite was a courgette flower stuffed with goats cheese curd. Fantastic!

Choccywoccydoodah

Visited bar du chocolat. Had a lemonade, chocolate cake and a salted caramel plumpie. The plumpie was my favourite.

Brass rail salt beef bar at Selfridges 

Incredible mac n cheese with pastrami here.

September

Kin Khao Thai, Athlone

Had a fantastic Thai Green Chicken Curry here. Still love the fact they give you extra rice.

Cirillos 

Pupillo white pizza. Amazing. Can't wait to return. 

Crush Pizza, Boston 
Had the bourbon BBQ chicken pizza on my first night in Boston. Freshly wood fired in under three minutes. There's tortilla strips on the top. The sauce was delicious.

Cheesecake Factory, Boston 

Can't really go to USA without a visit to Cheesecake Factory. I usually go for the red velvet cheesecake as its my favourite but this time I tried their new Hazelnut Crunch with Nutella. Mouth wateringly good!

Parker House Hotel, Boston 
Home of the Boston Cream Pie. Just had to pay a visit. Had dessert before dinner that evening. Well, why not? So worth it!!

Bostonia Public House 

Lobster mac n cheese. Huge portion. Just super. 

 Boston Chowda Company 

Didn't have chowda here. Had the lobster (lobstah?) roll and it was superb.

Beef & Lobster 

Utterly delicious beef wellington with sides of sweet potato fries and their v moreish slaw.

October

Sanctuary Bar @ Crowne Plaza 

One of the best things I discovered this year was the joint of the day sandwich at the Sanctuary Bar @ Crowne Plaza, Blanchardstown. Anytime I've been its roast beef with stuffing on a sourdough baguette. It never disappoints. I always get it with sweet potato fries.

3FE 

Came here for breakfast. I chose toast. Sourdough on the prettiest plate I've ever had toast served to me on. I love 3FE coffee but they rock the food side of things too.

The Cupcake Bloke

Clearly a firm favourite. Nicest thing this month was the red velvet cookie.

Sugar sin 
Prosecco gummies. These are non-alcoholic but taste like prosecco. Perfect little gift!

November

Choccywoccydoodah 

Came to the Bar Du Chocolat after a successful meeting. This time I tried the fab white chocolate plumpies.

Platform 61
Came here for brunch. The bottomless mimosas for €15 is fab but I absolutely loved the food. I had the Stun Bun with sweet potato wedges. Delish!!

Honest to Goodness

Came here on a Friday. Had the chicken caesar salad. Huge portion and super good.

Matt the Millers 

Open chicken caesar salad sandwich on homemade brown bread. Utterly delicious. If you're in Kilkenny make this a go to place for sure.

Base Wood Fired Pizza Lucan

Love getting takeaways from here. Haven't had a bad pizza either. This month I tried the tropicana on a white garlic brushed base and it was super

December

Bison Bar 

Haven't been in here in two years. A return visit was definitely long overdue. I ordered the sausage and brisket combo plate with coleslaw and onion rings. Sorry I left it so long. Its still amazing!!!

Fallon & Byrne 

I love most things from here. The festive blue cheese with cranberry and red wine we got from the cheese counter this year was FAB.

Avoca 

Love coming here. My favourite thing to eat is the cheesecake. So I included it on the list.

Revolution Bakery

I have been a huge fan of their doughnuts all year. This time of year I have to add their festive vanilla glaze doughnut as one of my favourite things.

Chapter One

Came here for a pre-Christmas lunch. We had the tasting menu with paired wine. I loved it all but my favourite course had to be the cod with textures of pumpkin. Yeah it was pretty but it was just incredible.

Five Guys

I haven't eaten beef burgers in about 20 years but on the third last day of the year I visited Five Guys in Dundrum. I ordered a cheeseburger with lettuce and mayo. It was FAB