The times they are a changing....

It is the last day of August and time for a season change. Here are a couple of things to look forward to in September.

Emily's brother Anselme is on the brink of opening Le Bal Cafe near Place de Clichy in Paris, with his partner.   Check out their facebook page and 'Like' it.   I cannot wait to find a weekend to go over and check it out. I wish them best of luck in the coming weeks.

Slowfood Ireland are out in force the weekend after next down in Waterford.  They are holding a gathering of members from all over the country at the Waterford Harvest Festival.  If I could ignore the minor detail of working all weekend, I would be straight there.

However, I cannot really complain as Burrata here we come! The last week in September sees myself and Claire heading off to Italy. Based on tales from a recent trip by one of my staffers we are aiming for Puglia, right down the heel of Italy. Marine came back raving about the beaches, seafood, and blue blue sea and by the end of the conversation had me convinced it was the place for the next break. More on Puglian food post-holidays!

Apples in full growth

And, by the end of the month there should be Mum's apple cake, stewed apple with raisins (and cream), and apple tart with blackberries to look forward to. The apples will be courtesy of the orchard at home, which was looking very 'fruitful' over the summer. The local hedges will hopefully provide the blackberries. 

In search of Brunch in Dublin!

After Cathal's stag in Galway on Friday night and Sarah's birthday (21 again) back in Dublin on Saturday night, we re-grouped for brunch on Sunday afternoon in Kennedy's in Fairview.

I have been to Kennedy's Foodstore for lunch or coffee prior to Sunday's recovery session. Although parking nearby can prove a little difficult, it is a great stopping point en route to Dollymount strand or Howth for a decent sandwich or cake.

                                              Breakfast at Kennedy's

Brunch for me however is a real test of a venue. From food, atmosphere and on to service, brunch provides an altogether different challenge. Often the customer has just crawled out of bed, many with kids in tow, and chances are there are a few hangovers too. Most places either do not bother with taking on the challenge of 10 plates of eggs cooked in six different ways, or in contrast decide to offer brunch but forget that people are also in search of comfort and patience.

In fairness to Kennedy's they fairly near nailed it for us. We brought everything from the hangovers to the kids with us on Sunday and they did a fine job providing for us. The coffees were good, the breakfasts were perfectly brunch-like (scrambled, poached, Benedicted eggs), Bretzel toast, and a homemade brown bread that even our French guests were raving about! I would have preferred roast ham to parma in my eggs Benedict but that was a minor detail in an otherwise very pleasant and reasonably priced Sunday brunch.

Other brunch options - Carluccios, Odessa, Gruel, Plan B., and Eden. Let me know if there are any other places I should be trying.

Finding the new hiding in the old!

It has been a beautiful week here in Dublin.  With now 'fiancée-Claire' out of the country, I took the opportunity to catch up with some friends and family in some of the latest food offerings in Dublin and surrounds....like I needed an excuse.  Friday night Tom and I headed for the revamped Mulligans in Stoneybatter. Where I say revamped, I should really probably be saying....slight adjusted.  

The traditional bar holds true to itself in design but has added a great selection of beers - local and foreign.  The restaurant is at the back of the pub and has been kept low-key and unpretentious. We settled on O'Hara's Red Ale for the night and in fairness it did the job quenching Friday evening thirst.  The scotch egg and potted crab starters were both great.... the crab being good and lemony, although a touch cold.  The re-styled bacon and cabbage was flavourful and more than appropriate for the surroundings. Tom's lamb dish however, was a little lacking in support from perhaps some cous cous and needed longer stewing for the meat to loosen up.  Overall though Mulligans is worth a return visit for both pints and grub. 

Today, with sister and brother-in-law in tow, I went in search of an altogether different offering.  Irish foodie Clodagh McKeena has recently set up stall in Lyons Estate, just along the canal in Kildare.  Her very feminine take on food and design are strongly emphasised across the cafe, shop and cookery school. The shop is beautifully laid out but perhaps a little light on stock and heavy on design.  Is there a market for more? 

The cafe was light and airy with a well designed menu.  The Croque Madame - strangely minus the egg.....and surely making it a Croque Monsieur?... had great chunks of baked ham with Gruyère melted on top, was by all accounts very tasty and looked the part.  My baked lemon ricotta cake was very tasty, but unfortunately the cappuccino I had ordered was not up to scratch.  The replacement espresso did the job though.  I am pretty sure it's Ariosa coffee, as it was on sale in the shop too.  For a quick way to step out of the city for some peace and quiet, a stretch of the legs and some good food, it is a recommedable spot!

Tip - Ariosa Coffee is sold and served in Fallon and Byrne & Lilliput stores and is worth a detour for a caffeine hit.

Supporting the West

If I find a new supplier or purveyor of fine foods that I like, I would normally just add them to my list (on the right-hand side of the page).  However, I thought I would give a little shout out to some recent discoveries of food developments west of the Shannon river.   I have been travelling to Mayo since I was one foot tall and although we have picked our mussels, bartered for crabs claws and spun for fish, good quality accoutrements for cooking...spices, herbs, sauces, wine....were always hard to come by!  They had to be transported from well east of the Shannon.

On advice from the parents, I pit-stopped in Cafe Rua in Castlebar for a simple but very effective mozzarella/parma panini.  We were slightly ragged from a day and night last week at the Galway Races and needed some serious grub en route to  Belmullet.  The panini did the trick but it was the rhubarb crumble that I bought for dessert that blew me away later that night.... and then for breakfast the next day...and dessert again. It was fantastic! Note that there are two Rua cafes run by the same people - aim for the one just off the main square for great take-away foods.

Temptation in the Gourmet Tart Company

Galway has Sheridans Cheesemongers & Wine Bar and the Gourmet Tart Company. The latter has a wonderful array of pastries and tarts at dangerously reasonable prices - I don't really need two chocolate & almond croissants in one morning but it is hard not to. Further north in Sligo town is Kates Kitchen.  It is a great little haven of artisan product from Ireland and abroad.  

The search continues for more out of Connaught.