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I'm getting this to you nice and early because I'm headed to Bloom for the day, hoping for some sunshine. After that, it's a weekend of DIY jobs—how very bank holiday of me—before seeing Countess Luann at Vicar Street on Monday. RHONY fans know this is a big deal!
I hope you have great plans too. Speaking of plans, I'm thinking of expanding 'Dates for the Diary' and sending it separately from the news bits. This way, you'll always have a handy list of events for the week and the coming months and I’d hope it becomes a useful resource for subscribers. What do we think of that?
But that’s still to come, so for now let’s talk about what’s happening this week…
Fresh ingredients:
News & stuff I’m excited about
So let's start with Bloom because that’s where I’m headed! Bloom in the Phoenix Park is on this weekend and it’s always a good time. The Food Village is fun to explore with almost 100 food and drink companies to taste and shop from. Check out The Quality Kitchen Stage for demos from Darina Allen, Neven Maguire, Erica Drum and Shane Smith. Some interesting chats are happening at the Sustainable Living Stage and the National Dairy Council’s show garden ‘Nourishing Dairy – From The Ground Up’ has a stage too with talks and demos from Chef Lisa Davies, and food writer Dee Laffan across the weekend. I’ll be hosting a chat at the National Dairy Council’s show garden today at 2 pm all about our Irish food journey over the last 60 years with a very knowledgeable panel including food historian Regina Sexton.
The Irish Times Summer Food & Drink Magazine is out with the paper today. Grab a copy to see Corrina Hardgrave and Joanne Cronin’s 100 Great Places to Eat and to read my piece on the evolution of festival food in Ireland.
The brilliant bakery boom in Dublin continues with some big news from Niall Wynn’s No Messin and Proper Order Coffee. They will be opening their brand new sit down cafe space in Smithfield on 10th June 🤞🏻 he’s been teasing some photos on Insta and I believe there should be some proper first look photos later today…
Vegan bakery Bear Lemon shut up shop last year in Drumcondra but looks like they will be back soon with Bear Lemon 2.0. The teaser video looks like it's a shipping container and the comments section hints it will be in Drumcondra again…
Simon’s Place in Georges Street Arcade has reopened with new owners and a bit of a face lift let’s hope the sandwiches are still good.
It’s terrace season - this week The Merrion Hotel announced their Garden Terrace is back in action and they’ve got a cute picnic offer around the corner just off Dawson Street FIRE Steakhouse & Bar have opened their Laurent-Perrier Champagne Terrace. The Shelbourne have a Laurent-Perrier Champagne Terrace also but there’s is with a caviar menu and gorgeous blooms from their in-house florist.
The World Class co*cktail Festival happening in Dublin this weekend, check out where you can have a world class tipple over the next few days.
Although it doesn’t feel like the right time of year for it there are two new Sunday roasts in Dublin. The wonderful Woodruff in Stepaside hard launched a very impressive looking plate on Instagram. - the Yorkies 😍 meanwhile in town The Chancery Grill at Radisson Blu Royal Hotel has also announced they are serving Sunday roast. TBF it’s Ireland so it could be beer garden Saturday and roast dinner Sunday.
Last week I shared the news about GIY Ireland’s brand new refill store Larder wishing there was more. Turns out there’s one in Rathmines! The Good Neighbour was originally in Dundrum but they’ve now moved to Castlewood Avenue in Rathmines and they stock over 700 bulk and package-free products.
Dela in Galway, one of my favourite spots, has a new head chef Shannon Di Cola Schiano and I love their announcement on Insta outlining why she’s going to be a great fit.
Two Green Shoots in Glengarriff, West Cork, have launched some new bookable food adventure experiences - ‘Forage, Feast & Paddle’ which includes a guided kayaking tour of Glengarriff Bay, ‘A Taste of Beara’ on nearby Bere Island and ‘Taste The Wild’ Woodland Workshop Series with Cork-based chefs, food producers, and educators, Caitlin Ruth, Sally Barnes (Woodco*ck Smokery), and Terra Ignis. It all sounds very exciting and tasty - find out more here.
Ballymaloe Foods has finally done what we’ve all been doing at home and mixed Ballymaloe Relish with mayonnaise! Their new product is called MayoLish and is in shops now. I’ve tried it and I’m giving it a very enthusiastic thumbs up.
Speaking of sauces - the brilliant Arán in Kilkenny have launched a retail version of their stunning Magic Sauce and it’s just landed in select Super Valu’s.
To celebrate its 10th Anniversary this year, Elbow Lane Smokehouse & Brewery in Cork, the country’s smallest brewery has created a new series of Tutored Beer Tastings.Tickets for each tasting session are €55 pp and include a sustainably sourced, limited-edition Elbow Lane T-Shirt illustrated by a local artist.
Congratulations to Dr. Darina Allen! Darina has been appointed as Adjunct Professor to Adult Continuing Education and the Department of Folklore and Ethnology at UCC, reported by Kate Ryan in the Echo.
The Seafood Cafe in Temple Bar are back doing their ceviche loco (fish marinated in citrus served over crisps) this time with Tatyo.
I love Cloud Picker’s new window heading into June, Pride Month ‘We’re here, we’re queer, 365 days of the year’ 💚
Blasta Books are having a summer sale and there are so many cute food bits with 20% off.
There may just be weekly updates now about The Bear, everyone OK with that? Another trailer dropped this week and ahhhh the anxiety watching it already, particularly when a waiter drops wine glasses in the restaurant 🫣 And a little update on Disney + The Bear activation at Taste of Dublin - Crudo will be a the helm and their restaurant will operate just like a regular Taste of Dublin stall but it will be designed to look like The Bear and crucially the dishes will be inspired by The Bear. Now we just need Carmy and Sydney to show up, please. Oh and Cousin 🙏🏻
Ever heard of Noam beer? It’s been following me (well the ads have) and I’m intrigued. Brewed in Germany with Bavarian hops, their recipe was developed by the Weihenstephan Research Brewery, considered to be the oldest academic training centre for brewing and one of the most modern research breweries in the world. The chic ribbed bottles were designed by Acne Studios in Stockholm and you can order them with bespoke labels for events. Lager than life, eh?
RIP Old Mr Brennan - Joseph Brennan, the founder of family-run Brennans Bread, has died aged 82 in Dublin. Whatever you think of the bread it’s an iconic staple in Irish food. Read more here about how Mr Brennan founded the company more than 50 years ago, baking the first loaves himself, in a one-room bakery in Fumbally Lane, Dublin.
Table Talk:
Where and what I’ve eaten this week
Last weekend I went to CN Dumpling and it’s one of those places that I want to simultaneously tell everyone about because it was so great but also tell no one about it because I want to still be able to get in there easily. I love eating like this, easy, casual, delicious, and affordable. We ordered two sets of prawn dumplings, one steamed, one in Sichuan chilli broth - the broth was the winner. I was dining with a pescetarian so fish was the focus otherwise I would have been straight in for the pork and cabbage snowflake but I was very happy with the Tyhpoon prawns and over the moon with the Maggi Oyster Mushrooms - as was my dining pal who claims not to like mushrooms. She devoured these. All washed down with cold cans of Whiplash. Dinner for 2 with 2 beers each and tip came in at less than €80. I will be back to try the rest of the menu very soon.
I also popped into Una Bakery the latest venture from the Forest Avenue team in Ranelagh on Sunday morning. There was of course queue out the door of eager punters clad in Lulu Lemon and New Balance taking the dogs out for a stroll, but it moved fast. We were early enough so spoilt for choice and went for Bacon & Cheese escargot, Almond Croissant, Custard Tart and a huge sourdough focaccia. The escargot and tart were divine. The croissant was not my favourite but that focaccia - some of the best I’ve had in Dublin for sure. Oh, and the Imbibe coffee flat white was great.
Dates for the Diary:
Tasty things to book ahead
Mexican favourites El Milagro are at Love Tempo this weekend ahead of starting at Roe & Co Summer Garden next week…
Yes, Summer Garden at Roe & Co Distillery is back! I’m delighted to be working with Roe & Co once again to bring a delicious lineup of food to the Power House Garden this summer kicking off Friday, June 7th with El Milagro. Their gorgeous, bright Mexican cooking is going to be so perfect with paired Roe & Co co*cktails 🍸✨ (hoping for some horchata on the list) 🌮. Then in July Street by Sunil will take over serving dishes inspired by traditional recipes from Pickle’s Sunil Ghai and his wife Leena’s childhood in India.In August we’ll welcome back The Salt Project with their unique take on contemporary Irish cooking. The Blasiní are always a big hit.And in September, we’ll close the summer with Socafro Kitchen bringing a fusion of Caribbean and West African cooking to Dublin 8. You can book ahead for all events HERE.
On Saturday, June 1st Hen’s Teeth is hosting IBÍLÈ Restaurant's first ever pop-up - a ticketed dinner & party celebrating West African flavours & sounds.
Benjamins Hot Chicken is popping up at Hang Dai on June 8th & 9th.
Hi Spirits Wine Club are soft launching Ireland's 1st African Spirit and celebrating Hi Spirits' 1st Birthday at Airfield Estate on June 9th.
Blas Cafe in Dublin 1 is launching a summer takeaway series perfect for picnics kicking off with with Hassan’s Moroccan Tapas on June 14th.
Fancy dinner on a farm, local ingredients and live fire cooking just a stone's throw from the city? Check out Old Stonewall Farm where chef Joe Savage hosts dinners.
This one’s in Manchester but sounds very intriguing. Sweet Dreams is a large scale, immersive experience ‘set to redefine the boundaries of immersive storytelling and cinema’. Launching at Aviva Studios, Manchester on 11 July - 1 September 2024, Reggie Watts, Munya Chawawa and Morgana Robinson voice an absurdist ensemble of anthropomorphised cartoon fast food mascots, illustrated by McBess with a script written by Simon Wroe.
Petit Fours:
Sweet bits to watch, listen, read or obsess over etc.
‘An Olive Ash tree fell on our roof. My dad and I started to make chopping boards out of it’https://www.ruairissticksandstones.com/
Do you love roast duck enough to want a bouquet of it?
The knitted seafood I didn’t know I needed in my life but I def do.
Crocs x Pringles. The collab no one needs but I kind of want.
How I like my mortadella.
A pint claw clip. Yes, you read that right. Preorder live may 31st @ 7pm.
Garron is in Italy and he’s reviewing pasta shapes.
‘Easy Sunday Dinner’? Why America, why????
Thank you for reading & subscribing! If you fancy reading more of my work my debut book A Compendium of Irish Pints is out now, available from bookshops nationwide and from Nine Bean Rows.
