goFOODyourself

BBQ Yourself!!!!!!!!

S: Well well well if it isn’t yourself again. It’s been a while since I put my feet up and started the process of verbally vomiting but here goes nothing! Life has been as crazy as ever but I’ve been finding time to both cook and taste the treats of what’s on offer in Dublin’s fair city. I had the pleasure of hosting a lovely tapa inspired dinner for my partner in crime Mister P. MACKER and WACKER were there, along with Wacker’s unborn twin bambinos (we are very excited to become uncles but once they start crying …….TAXI). I fired up the ovens and didn’t cook just one but FIVE different dishes – Tortilla Espanol, Garbanzos de Espinacas, Pollo y Chorizo skewers, Butternut squash and fennel salad  y Albondigas (jeepers I’m wrecked just thinking about cooking all that food). I have to say I ran a very tight ship and managed the challenge with surprising efficiency.

So, after all that slaving over hot pans I was ready to feast on someone else’s master pieces. I think I love eating out so much because I don’t have to do the washing up! I have been a very bad friend lately to many of the good folk who put up with me so I met MARIAH (he is a giant fan of the diva!) in town for a spot of lunch. I’ve passed the Bison Bar on Wellington Quay many times and have been meaning to venture in on several occasions. It adjoins the Workman’s club and oozes salon bar theme from its fresh exterior. It stays true to its theme with saddle type seats, bovines donning the walls and has most recently added a BBQ food menu to compliment the array of whiskeys that line the back of the bar. Everyone needs a BBQing now and again so I decided to get my Bison on!

The staff are friendly, well trained and eager to lend a hand when selecting the right food and drink. The menu offers a choice of plates ranging from Pulled pork to ½ a whole chicken. MARIAH and I decided to go for the half Pork Ribs and the Brisket. All plates are served with a choice of two sides and we opted for the French fries accompanied by chipotle mayo and onion rings served with garlic mayo. Both plates looked delicious when they arrived to our table and in true Homer Simpson style I had to wipe the drool from my hungry chin. We didn’t spare any time in tucking into our hefty lunch, however, although the meat exploded with taste it was a tad cold. I am a big fan of piping hot food and this was on the lukewarm end of the spectrum (teething problems I’m sure).

The food is served on old school plastic trays and every table is equipped with sauces and kitchen roll. The ribs were juicy and had plenty of meat to sink our teeth into. The Brisket was moist and full of smoky flavour but I’m afraid the ribs served up a knock out performance. They were definitely my favourite part of the meal and something I can see myself craving from time to time. If you are more of a health conscious eater then you should pop by this place on your ‘day off’. It is definitely more boozy beer boy than gym bunny calorie counting lettuce munching man kind of eatery. Bison Bar offers a choice of Peach Cobbler with ice cream or Chocolate Brownie in hot fudge sauce but we are both watching our Aussie Bum bodies so decided not to go for the sugar rush on offer (we feasted on some Yogism in George’s Street Arcade after instead. SOOORRRYYYY but it’s so good there).

Bison Bar are definitely on to something here. The quality of the food is good they just need to crank up the oven. The food is very much in keeping with the theme of the establishment but for lunch it’s a little pricey. All plates are between €12.95 - €13.95 but they do come with two sides so I suppose that’s pretty good. If you are of vegetarian persuasion this is definitely not the place for you as its carnivore crazy. I’ll be keeping a close eye on this place food wise but, if whiskey is your poison of choice, you need to get down there ASAP as it will be right up your street (no chaps required to prop up the bar on one of their saddles).

goBisonBBQyourself soon folks!!!

Follow us on twitter: @goFOODyou2

Fire up those ovens !!!!

S: Hello fellow readers! It has been a whirlwind month with the celebration of my birth 30 years ago (I don’t look a day over 25…). I was extremely apprehensive about having a party and making a big deal about it but being the understated person that I am (yeah right) I decided to shine the spot lights on me for an evening. I can honestly say that, once the sickening fear of ‘OMG no one is going to turn up’ subsided, I had the best night of my life. My family surprised me with gifts and videos, friends surprised me from Spain and my mates just made sure I had a fantastic night getting me extremely inebriated on gin and tonics. Unfortunately, my sister couldn’t be there as she had just given birth to my new niece the day before. I had warned her in my best Twink impersonation ‘If you drop that baaaaaastard child on myyyyy big night, I’ll kill you. Zip up your micky’…and all that jazz and she didn’t let me down. She gave birth the day before, phew, close call!  Ok enough about me I sometimes forget that this is a food blog!

So, we here at goFOODyourself towers have been up to some very fun and interesting things in the kitchen and I decided that instead of dining out we would roll up the sleeves and produce some culinary delights of our own. It is the season of thirtieth birthdays for me and what better way to mark such an important milestone in my good friend Mister K’s life than cook for him and his fiancé. I was under strict instructions not to present any fishy friends or veggie options as part of the menu which for me is a big challenge as I like nothing other than a good helping of fish and a crisp salad to tickle my taste buds. I dusted off some of my cook books and set to work. I received a Spanish inspired cook book for my birthday from my housemate and was determined to try something from it. I’m a big fan of tapas and having lived in Spain, dated a Spanish person for many years and have many Spanish senoritas y senors for friends, I feel like I have a little bit of Spain running around in my blood, VIVA! After long consideration I chose a board of Lemon chilli chicken and chorizo skewers to start washed down with a bottle of crisp prosecco. This was followed by Jamie Oliver’s Jools’s favourite beef stew served with creamy mash and washed down with a lovely bottle of  Conde de Valdemar red rioja (I could devour gallons of this stuff). This was finished off with shop bought birthday muffins. I know I should have baked something but I’m a working girl and time was against me this week, so, it was a last minute dash to pick up something sweet.

The skewers were amazing and really easy to make in three simple steps. The preparation time was around 15 minutes, refrigeration time 30-40 minutes and then another 10-20 minutes to prep and cook. The joy of them is that you can prep the mix a few hours before, go off do your bits and bobs and then just before your guest arrive you prepare the skewers and cook them once they’re in the door. BINGO!

LEMON CHILLI CHICKEN AND CHORIZO SKEWERS

(serves 4)

·         400g chicken breast fillets ( I used five fillets)

·         2 cured chorizo sausage, cut into generous pieces

·         Large pepper (yellow preferably but I used red)

·         12 bay leaves

·         Finely grated rind of one lemon

·         Juice of half a lemon

·         ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil

·         2 cloves garlic, crushed

·         1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

·         ¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1.      Combine ingredients in large bowl; season. Cover; refrigerate 30-40mins.

2.      Thread chicken, chorizo, pepper, bay leaves, alternatively, onto skewers.

(I bought steel skewers in a Chinese €2 shop)

3.      Cook skewers on heated oiled grill plate, grill, barbecue or George Foreman until chicken is cooked (you don’t what to send your guests home to spend the night on the toilet) and the chorizo is browned lightly and voilá!

The stew is so tasty, packed with flavour and perfect for a cold evening. I served it with brown seeded sour dough bread but be warned that a lighter, less filling starter would be much more appropriate. The finishing touch of rosemary, lemon rind and garlic is a MUST as it really brings something new to an old favourite. This stew is the best I have come across!

JAMIE OLIVER’S- JOOLS’ FAVOURITE STEW

(serves 4)

·         olive oil

·         1 knob butter

·         1 onion, peeled and chopped

·         1 handful fresh sage leaves

·         800 g quality stewing steak or beef skirt, cut into 5cm pieces

·         sea salt

·         freshly ground black pepper

·         flour, to dust

·         2 parsnips, peeled and quartered

·         4 carrots, peeled and halved

·         ½ butternut squash, halved, deseeded and roughly diced

·         1 handful Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and halved, optional

·         500 g small potatoes

·         2 tablespoons tomato purée

·         ½ bottle red wine

·         285 ml organic beef or vegetable stock

·         finely grated zest of 1 lemon

·         1 handful rosemary, leaves picked

·         1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Put a little oil and your knob of butter into an appropriately sized pot or casserole pan. Add your onion and all the sage leaves and fry for 3 or 4 minutes. Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with all the vegetables, the tomato purée, wine and stock, and gently stir together. Keep the vegetables nice and big!

Season generously, bring to the boil, place a lid on top, and then cook in the preheated oven until the meat is tender. Sometimes this takes 3 hours, sometimes 4 – it depends on what cut of meat you’re using and how fresh it is. The only way to test is to mash up a piece of meat and if it falls apart easily it’s ready. Once it’s cooked, you can turn the oven down to about 110°C and just hold it there until you’re ready to eat. (I cooked it for around 2 ½ hours and the meat was lovely and tender so judge for yourself).

To serve mix the lemon zest, chopped rosemary and garlic together and sprinkle over the stew before eating (DO THIS ITS GREAT). Just the smallest amount will make a world of difference – as soon as it hits the hot stew it will release an amazing fragrance.

I’m never one to blow my own trumpet but I have to say I really enjoyed the food. The feedback was great and there were no left overs. I was conscious of not doing anything with fish and decided I would make a carnivore picnic packed with meat. However, on reflection the starter was way too filling. If I had ran with a tapa type dining style, making two more dishes to compliment the skewers that would have been sufficient (you live and learn). 

Both dishes are extremely easy to prepare and wonderful to eat. Roll up those sleeves and start up those ovens. Enjoy!

SUNDAY GARDEN FEAST

S: Ok so I have turned into quite the twitter whore when it comes to competitions. Luck has definitely not followed me around but I seem to be on a winning streak at the moment. I’ve won tickets to concerts, DVD box sets, dinner and most recently lunch in the fabulous Mulberry Garden in Donnybrook. Now I would hate for you to think that just because I feasted for free that I would be in any way biased. I am devoted to being both honest and dishing it out when it needs to be said. 

So after a very lucky retweet on twitter I was contacted by the very helpful staff of Mulberry Garden and confirmed my table for four on Sunday afternoon. It’s funny I suddenly got messages from friends asking what I was doing for the weekend, but it wasn’t a difficult decision who would accompany me for my outing to delve into the delish treats on offer and all for the very reasonable price of nothing. P, THE DOCTOR and THE COUNTESS were carefully selected to join me (It was The Doctor’s birthday the following week so it worked out perfectly).

P: Here at goFoodyourself towers we pride ourselves in looking for those good-value, pocket friendly establishments that can be found around Dublin, but now was our chance to try something a little bit fancier, though not so far away from our value loving hearts!

S: Mulberry Garden is situated on Mulberry Lane, directly behind the Bang & Olufsen Store in Donnybrook village. They serve a weekly seasonal set menu based around the finest and freshest Irish produce. They offer a three course set menu with a choice of two starters, two mains and two desserts, all for €40. STOP I hear you say! Where is the choice? They change the menu every week which can be found on www.mulberrygarden.ie. Due to the small menu I believe it challenges the staff to perfect what they serve and I was definitely not proved wrong. On a slightly wet miserable Sunday I picked the gang up in my little punto and rocked our way over to settle in for an afternoon of culinary pampering and chat with great mates. I don’t think I was hung-over which is surprising but my sieve of a brain may have rewritten history.

P: Well buddy, isn’t it lucky that I came along to remember those finer points of memory. I do believe we were quite hungover as we had gone out for a few shandies the night before. I do remember feeling slightly cranky and delicate as Stephen’s little punto  rattled around the wet streets of Dublin as we picked up our two lazy passengers, unfortunately arriving a tad late and ever so damp from the pouring rain. The best remedy for this as we sat down was the beautiful platter of warm bread, including soda bread, herb rolls and seaweed rolls! All served with flavoured oil and creamy butter with sea-salt. Yummmm.

S: To start we had a choice of Chicken & Duck Liver Parfait with sherry jelly, ginger bread, pickled onion, hazelnut & burnt apple gel, brioche and sliced apple or Chowder of smoked Cod, Mussels, salt cured egg yolk, seaweed powder, dalkey mustard aioli, cod crackling and wild garlic. It sounds like a mouth full and it was! I opted for the chowder which arrived as a dry helping of fishy friends followed by the warm creamy soup which was elegantly poured by our charming waitress. Silence fell over the table as I savoured every mouthful and licked the bowl clean. The liver was beautifully presented in a glass and as I’m not big on eating organs I was delighted with my choice. However, I didn’t hear any complaints from the duo of liver munching animals. Round one, a blinding success!

P: I do have a small soft spot for liver myself, but I actually wouldn’t normally order it on a menu so I also went for the chowder. Luckily the Countess has less of a longing for liver, but is even less chuffed about chowder, so I got to sample a good portion of his! Well…. My my, it was absolutely stunningly good! Every element just blended so well, especially the crunchy hazelnut and burnt apple gel. My only regret is that I didn’t keep more bread to go with it, as there was just quite a lot of parfait, but God, was it good!

S: This Garden was delivering a knock out performance. We sat waiting full of anticipation for what was to come our way as the best was yet to come. We got stuck in to some Sunday chit chat surrounded by rugby jersey wearing folk as rain trickled down the window (holy lord I shocked myself there with such poetic lyricism…..or not!). Low and behold the mains arrived and no one at the table was disappointed. I opted for the ‘Sunday’ roast served with organic vegetables, mulberry pudding, mushroom duxelles, creamy mash and caramelised pearl onion. YUMMY! I wish I was tucking into this bad boy again as the meat was cooked to perfection while the accompaniments supported the dish with just the right crunch. The portion size may look a little on the scabby side but it was just right to settle the hunger (Thankfully it was a case of being pleasantly full and not resorting to the top button release technique). THE DOCTOR was the only one who cast her net and selected the roast hake served with parsley risotto, garlic puree, scallions, smoked Knockanore cheese and Jerusalem artichoke crisp. This hard working super woman was full of smiles and had nothing but warm words to report. Mulberry Garden is a very special place and we were delighted that we had the pleasure of sampling their fine fodder.

Once all the plates were licked clean and we stopped gushing about the food our lovely waitress stopped by to take our dessert order. We had the difficult choice between white chocolate cheesecake or a selection of hand crafted Irish cheese. Now, I’m not one to give out or point the finger but this one is an easy one for me …..chocolate chocolate chocolate. However, since everyone at the table was of the same opinion I decided to take one for the team and order the cheese on the condition that we share. Silly me! There is no bargaining when it’s chocolate v’s cheese and let truth be told I had a lot less chocolate then they had cheese (I’m not giving out just laying down the facts ……devo!).

P: Now S, I was pretty impressed that you took that one, cos let’s face it you’re not normally one for selfless acts… There was some consolation as our waiter arrived to the table with something that I was pretty blown away by! A pre-dessert Amuse Bouche!! Dropped to our table were four dainty glasses filled with rich, orgasmic chocolate mousse and a cool mint jelly. It was like they looked into S’s pain filled eyes as he mouthed “Cheeeese, pleeeease” and said to themselves, That handsome young man needs some CHOCOLATE!

S: All in all it was a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon. The food was to die for and the company, well, it was nice to hang out with me mates.

P: Ah cheers mate. I have to say the staff were extremely good too. It’s been a long time since I remember my water glass being topped up quite so diligently; it was like a self-filling glass!!

S:  If you are looking to treat someone or just spoil yourself then you should definitely hit this place up. Mulberry Garden you were super folks.

goMULBERRYyourself asap or you’re a fool.

Laters!

Follow us on twitter: @goFOODyou2

Munching Magic at The MEZZ!

S: It feels like an age since I have sat down itching to let you know about what I’ve been stuffing down my hatch. I do apologise for the lack of blogging going on at goFOODyourself towers but we have both been extremely busy. However, this week I came across a little gem that I wanted to share with you. If you are looking to experience something a little different and be transported out of dreary Dublin, look no further!

A group of friends of mine decided to abandon me and head of to Brazil for the biggest party of the year, CARNIVAL, and leave little old me at home. I am practically turning myself inside out with jealousy but I’ve had to get over it and make do with what I have. If I can’t go to Brazil, Brazil will have to come to me! Over the past number of years there has been a surge in the number of beautiful people roaming our streets from all corners of the world. This growing number of human spice means that the choice of where and what you eat has increased, helping to breathe life into the somewhat lacking cuisine of our very own island of Eire. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a Sunday roast and a nice helping of meat and three veg but sometimes my taste buds yearn for something a little more exotic. If you are with me look no further my foodie followers!

The Mezz in temple bar has teamed up with some very enterprising colleagues to bring you traditional Brazilian food every lunch time for the mere price of €5. I did not have to be told twice and off I went on Thursday to see and taste for myself. I was told to expect a queue as this place was popular, although there wasn’t a huge line when I arrived. However, the place was thronged with hungry Brazilians looking for a taste from home. It was like a national soup kitchen! Imagine hundreds of Irish queuing up to get an Irish stew or lamb chops and mash somewhere in China or Japan. I joined the fast moving snake of people and waited patiently with my ticket that I purchased for a fiver off a very friendly gentleman.

Brazil’s staple food items consist of feijao, or black beans, farinha, which is similar to what we know as flour, and arroz, or white rice. These are typically served with protein such as fish, red meat, or poultry. Brazil is a melting pot of people from several different ethnic backgrounds and this is reflected in the food cooked by its people. They are passionate about their country and having had the pleasure of getting to know many who live on our shores, food is always something they miss and mention when conversation moves to their country. When I saw a Brazilian restaurant open on Parliament Street I was delighted and eager to go and try the food first-hand. I didn’t manage to eat on my first visit to this establishment as after over an hour waiting for my food to arrive the pleasant waiter, who was running around like a headless chicken, asked me what I had ordered as the chefs had lost the docket. After a long wait I got my coat and left and have never been back. So, when I was informed about what was going down at The Mezz I didn’t waste any time and went for lunch super solo!

When I reached my destination, plate in hand, a lovely woman took my ticket and placed some succulent beef on my plate and told me to help myself. There was no sign of a horse and I was hoping what was on my plate hadn’t been galloping around last week! The table was strewn with rice, beans, potato salad, fresh salad and farinha (flour). I filled my plate with a healthy helping of everything and began looking for a place to rest my legs and enjoy this taste from beyond the Pale. I was bowled over by the number of people that were there. I found a spot and settled in for a Brazilian feast.

The meat was beautifully cooked, tender, juicy and packed with flavour. The only problem was I wanted more but for €5 you only get one serving of meat but can help yourself to the buffet table as many times as you like. The beans, salad, flour were not incredibly different to anything I have stuffed into my gob before but it was a nice break from the lunch time sandwich club that haunts our city. I licked the plate clean and sat back and thought about my friends who were partying hard on the other side of the world, living it up surrounded by colourful Portuguese, carnival costumes and caipirinhas.

Lunch is served every day at The Mezz with a big FEIJOADAO on Saturdays. Feijoadao is a stew with beef and pork, white beans and other vegetables. It is all they talk about when food is a topic of conversation and I know where I will be next Saturday. In 2014 and 2016 all eyes will be on Brazil and if you are one of the many lucky people traveling there then I HATE YOU (only joking I just dislike you a lot). So, If you are looking for something a little different this lunch time that packs a bunch for a very reasonable five yoyos this is the place for you. With so many of these wonderful people living in our city, it’s time we got to know them a little better.

goFEIJOADAOyourself soon!

www.feijoadao.ie

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Food hall heaven!!!

P: Here at goFoodyourself towers we have always been big fans of Fallon & Byrne of Exchequer street and on many of occasions you may have spotted us sipping on a frothy cappuccino and perhaps nibbling on one of their wonderfully tasty cakes or tarts, and by nibbling I mean inhaling… and by one I mean TWO!

I personally love their downstairs wine cellar where I have often met family and friends for a catch up over a glass of wine and a shared cheese plate. The atmosphere is always perfect and for me I love the surrounding wall of beautifully displayed shelves of wine.

The foodhall in Fallon & Byrne is as popular as ever with those who like their shopping at the slightly grander end of the scale though I must admit that I prefer my shopping at the pocket-friendly end of this scale so I’m more likely to be found perusing the almost-expired shelf of my local Lidl! I do however like to pop into F&B when I’m in need of a fruit or vegetable that simply few other markets can supply and even as a former fruit&veg salesman myself I’m still flummoxed by some of the mysterious and exotic varieties I see here; Kiwano anyone?!

So it was with surprise and some delight that we heard that this great Dublin favourite were launching their brand new range of takeaway meals called Chef’s Corner and let me tell you, the corks in our champagne bottles almost popped with glee when we were kindly invited along to try the range at the official launch on a recent wet and windy Wednesday on that lovely street known as Exchequer.

The range itself is pretty broad with a selection including soups, salads, sandwiches, dips, mains and desserts and we were amazed to hear they are ALL prepared and packaged in their on site kitchen overseen by executive head chef Tom Meenaghan and his team. I couldn’t help thinking that surely this is a big ask if you are also simultaneously preparing food for a restaurant, wine bar, deli and let’s not forget a busy function room. The lovely marketing manager Jennifer King says that in particular they are very popular for civil partnerships and are fully licensed to carry out the ceremony. Telling us of a recent function, Jennifer casually mentioned a recent dinner for 120 where all the fillets of beef were cooked to the guests preferred temperature! Now that may not seem like a big deal but back in my waiting days if 120 beefs were going out it was medium all the way and if the guest didn’t like it they could go FOOD themselves… ahem! So needless to say I was suitably impressed.

The launch itself was held in the gorgeous wine cellar and we were tucked into the corner whilst the waiting staff filled our glasses with wine and carried around samples of the Chef’s Corner range. S arrived fashionably late by about 40 minutes which is good for him!

S: It’s always important not to look too eager and seeing as my schedule is packed full at the moment I think I did pretty well! P would go to the opening of a packet of crisps.

P: I spent the time chatting to Ms. King and had the great pleasure to meet some fellow bloggers; Loving your work DublinDiary! J

Then the real fun started and the next two hours were a blur of sheer culinary amazement and seemingly endless platters of delight where the wine flowed like an endless fountain of liquid manna from gastro heaven! I’m getting the food sweats just thinking about it!!

First up was a sample of the hummus, basil pesto, red pepper pesto, and chicken liver pate served on pieces of puff pastry. The chicken liver pate in particular served with red onion marmalade was really lovely and one I would try again.

S: I’m not really a pate kind of guy. I’m always a little concerned about what goes into them (it’s all mixed to an inch of its life it could be any auld thing!!!!). However, on this occasion I tried it and it was pleasantly surprising.

P: Small cups of soup came out then with a choice of Leek and potato, tomato and mushroom. I am a huge mushroom soup fan and no trip to the supermarket is complete without a can of Baxter’s Mushroom Potage and this one did not disappoint, possibly because it probably didn’t come from a can…! I hope!!

Next we got to try the sandwiches which included a duck wrap, foccacia with feta and a pulled pork sandwich, which I loved. We then got to try the salads of the range of which I tried the carrot which was lovely as I’m quite a shredded carrot fan and the lentil which I must say I didn’t love, but S quite liked it.

S: You can’t beat a good portion of lentils. I loved both of them and would be more than happy to tuck into them as a snack or to accompany a lunch or dinner dish. The duck wrap was divine. I was desperately trying to nab more of those little delights but seeing as my waddling gait is developing pre-Christmas, I better watch those extra portions. 

P: The next array of lovelies that came our way to be shovelled into our salivating gobs were the mains, all of which were served in dainty bite sized pieces or in small plastic bowls or cubes. This was the true test of the quality of this range as I think this is where it will succeed or fail, and judging by what came out I am seeing big success in their future. There was a thai green chicken curry with rice-lovely with a strong hint of a lemongrass type flavour. Fish pie topped with creamy mash- sooo good, we actually had 3 portions. Grilled seabass- fresh and tasty and a real testament to the onsite preparation, you wouldn’t get this in Marks and Sparks! Moroccan Lamb with Tabbouleh- My favourite! YUM! Sausage & Mash- good, but not my personal fave. Lasagne- I have to say this was not great for me, I’m not saying it was poor though. Speaking to Tom Meenaghan he said that there isn’t much that can go wrong with a lasagne, so they just use the best quality ingredients they can find. This is certainly evident, but at the end of the day it’s just a lasagne and it didn’t really float my log especially compared with the fish pie or particularly the lamb.

S: At this point in the evening I was thinking to myself that I had enough wine. I was desperately trying to say no to the lovely waiters but they were so attentive and the wine was too good. I particularly liked the veggie burgers. They were crispy, filled with fresh, well prepared vegetables. If you are looking for a way to top up on those five a day, look no further!

P: Last but not least, to truly push us over the edge into sheer gluttony came desserts, which are traditionally my highlight of any meal, whether it’s a banoffi pie in Yamamori or a caramel sundae in McDonalds! I certainly wasn’t disappointed as we were shown a massive platter of bitesize editions of their Chef’s Corner desserts including chocolate mousse, vanilla bean cheesecake, raspberry mousse, caramel tart and strawberry mousse, all of which were served on pastry bases. There may have been more than this, but by this stage I’d had so much sauvignon blanc, Chateau Turcaud; Enter-Deux-Mers 2011, that the room was beginning to spin a little! The desserts were delicious to say the least and we had roughly 18 portions each!! If I had a brass neck and less dignity I probably would have put a few in my pocket for later, but who am I kidding, I couldn’t really have less dignity…

At the end of a very enjoyable evening I tottered unstably back upstairs and out into the pouring rain thoroughly impressed with Fallon & Byrnes range. It certainly beats other similar Dine In ranges that are all the rage right now from Marks & Sparks, Super-Valu, Dunnes Stores and Donnybrook Fair (Which is surprisingly poor actually, say no more!).

The real test though is whether or not the quality is maintained at home, sooo in the interest purely of completeness I purchased a mushroom soup, lamb curry and vanilla-bean cheesecake in F&B to try at home in my very own kitchen in Bootytown! Needless to say, it was all extremely easy to prepare. The soup heated up nicely and was just as good as when I tasted it on the night, and the lamb was not bad at all, though I did overheat it just a tad, so it suffered in comparison to the tasting. Again, the cheesecake had no prep at all and was even better because I got a large portion this time!

The range is not as  cost-friendly as say the Marks and Spencers range but for sure the quality of the food is far superior and well worth a try, so I would say if you are looking for a good dinner option or just want to try their delicious pesto or hummus, get down to Fallon & Byrne and goFOODyourself!!

Fallon & Byrne, 11-17 Exchequer St, Dublin 2.

www.fallonandbyrne.com

facebook.com/FallonandByrne

twitter: @fallonandbyrne

pinterest.com/fallonandbyrne

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH : PART DEUX

S:   Apologies apologies apologies! I have been up to my little eyeballs since the last blog post. I know that is no excuse and I should just get on with it but honestly I can hardly keep up with things. However, you’ll be glad to know that I’ve had a long hard chat with myself and I promise not to let that happen again (I don’t advise having a little chat with yourself in public!).

So, thankfully I was invited along to the second instalment of THE BATTER (aka Stoneybatter) Neighbourhood watch dinner. It’s funny that most of the members of this gathering are  responsible for hosting late night drinks and disturbing the peace (I’m not naming any names). Since THE PRESIDENT is currently away sunning himself in Tel Aviv, THE COUNTESS took the lead in organising this one. I have been meaning to go to Seven Social since it opened in November 2011 (It’s taken me a while!!!).

SEVEN SOCIAL

I was delighted with the choice and couldn’t wait to check out another neighbourhood bistro in and around the batter. Seven Social Restaurant prides itself on using high quality Irish produce in a creative way and the menu didn’t disappoint, for what it lacked in choice they made up for in taste. There was a choice of around 5/6 starters and it was a similar situation when it came to the mains, however, they must have had a busy week as they were all out of soup and chicken. (Grand so as I wouldn’t have ordered either). To start I went for the grilled peach, honey, thyme salad with goats cheese and smoked almonds. It as amazing!!! My partner in crime for the evening and a wonderful addition to the table was a friend of mine, let’s call him BUTCH. We were both channelling each other and ordered the same dishes for the entire evening and he fully agreed with my delight for the primero plate. The peaches were grilled to perfection, soft but held their shape and when combined with the goats cheese, honey and almonds, well, the table went silent for a minute or two (they were probably delighted with a bit of peace and quiet, I can go on and on and on and on and on). I was gagging for a bit  more salad as the portion size was just a little too small for me, but thankfully the service was very efficient and our mains arrived to a rapture of applause in my head!

For mains Butch and I went for Cod with smashed salted potatoes. I wouldn’t normally order cod when I’m eating out, memories of the local chippy and a fat soaked yesterday’s newspaper spring to mind, but this was far from a greasy catch. I was extremely glad I cast my net, bagging myself a dish that ticked every box. It was the epitome of comfort food, and the fish broke away in well-cooked flakes accompanied by crushed garlic salted potatoes and garden peas (They gave Mammy S  a run for her money). I wasn’t alone in my choice as many others at the table went for the same. By the looks on their faces they were either extremely pleased with their choice or something untoward was happening under the table! MISTER TELLY went for the Monkfish, Mussel & Dublin bay prawn bowl and it too looked and smelled divine. This small 22 seater restaurant was delivering a knock out performance and miles ahead of their neighbours WUFF.

The wine was flowing in litres, as usual, and sure it’s rude to say no so I just gulped away. Our poison of choice (red wine) was served in old milk bottles (If it was milk we would all have the healthiest bones in Dublin because I wouldn’t dare tell you how many times the ‘milk’ man did his rounds that night).The toilets in this place are fantastic by the way. I won’t give the game away but make sure you check them out.

I went out with the intention of trying to be a little good and wasn’t going to go for dessert, but seeing how well the evening was going Butch stepped up and offered to share with me. We went for the cherry pie and by god I’m glad I popped my first cherry pie! I feel like I’m just gushing about this place but I really enjoyed everything about the food. The others went for peanut butter fudge sundae and that too was perfection in a jar (love the little touches). All in all a super successful smiley sociable sound spangled spirited evening!! At the end of the evening the bill was presented and I was nominated to act as treasurer. It all went very smoothly until the staff never came back with the change. It’s a pet hate of mine after working in the service industry for many a year. There was a service charge on the bill and don’t get me wrong we were going to leave the change anyway, but It just niggles me when waiters just assume that the change is a tip! Rant over!! You should definitely get your little derrieres down to this place now and do check out their website for their upcoming December Feasting events.

www.sevensocial.ie

GoFooDyourself at SEVEN SOCIAL now peeps!!!!!

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P.S.   The flash box at the top is borrowed from their website (hope you don’t mind)!

Basement JAPAS!

S:  It’s that time of the year again, where I must retire from my life of public duty and return to an existence based solely on books, lectures, library lunches, over indulgent coffee breaks, obsessive checking of facebook and WhatsApp, as I find solace in texting everyone I know. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Last year I decided to return to university and take a slightly different direction in my life. It wasn’t easy turning my back on full time employment and paid summer holidays but hopefully it will all be worth it one day (IT BLEEDIN BETTER BE OR SOMEONE IS GONNA HEAR ABOUT IT). My first lecture was on Tuesday morning and I spent all of Monday cleaning, organising last year’s notes, washing clothes, scrubbing behind my ears, folding clothes, food shopping and batch cooking (MAMMY S would be so proud).

P has been away on holiday for the past week, sunning his pasty white exterior while I got absolutely drenched on several occasions. With the change of the season and the impending doom of the new academic year, I invested in a new pair of rain trousers, rain jacket and a water proof backpack. I’m like a giant walking condom, albeit a dark navy coloured one but ain’t no water getting near me hunny boo boo! Rain gear in order it was time to hit the streets of Dublin aboard my silver bike and do what I do best… meet people for coffee and the like! I was having a slight case of Theatre withdrawal after the Dublin Fringe Festival ended, however thanks to the kind folks at the Dublin Airport Authority (thanks for the free tickets) THE COUNTESS and I headed to The Gaiety to see Cornexchange Theatre Company’s new production of Dubliners starring some friendly faces that I know. It did not disappoint and was such a delight to watch some of Ireland’s most talented actors strut their stuff on stage. Oh sorry I forgot that this is a food blog and I’m rambling about ME again, how unlike myself!!!!!

IZAKAYA YAMAMORI

I have been to this place on several occasions and each time I fall in love with it more and more. It is quickly becoming my favourite place to hang out either for drinks or to dine…and drink! It is situated on George’s Street in the old premises of CaféBarDeli. Unfortunately, the folk at CaféBarDeli didn’t have the vision that the guys behind Yamamori do because they have transformed the downstairs of this establishment into a funky, whiskey-fuelled, music-pumping, kick-ass Japanese style basement bar. Whether you are after some post work drinks or you want to fill your stomach full of tasty Japanese Tapas (JAPAS AS I LIKE TO REFER TO THEM) you shouldn’t leave it too long before you check this place out. They offer an extensive whiskey menu, over 20 to choose from, not to mention their AMAZING cocktail menu. Each time I have been there I have tried a few of their cocktails; all in the name of research of course. The results of my extensive study are in: No. 1 cocktail is……………..Lychee Martini. You should drop what you’re doing right now and treat yourself to one of these bad boys.

Izakaya offer a Japanese Tapas menu at a very reasonable price. There are 4 different options on offer- 3 plates for €18, 4 plates for €22, 5 plates for €25 or you can just pay for each individual plate. Each time I have crossed the threshold of this place I have availed of the 5 plate option (MAKING A RIGHT PIG OF MYSELF). I have tried to change it up with regards to my choice of food and have compiled a list of my top 5 to share with you people. So, the food has been eaten, cutlery cleaned, cocktails polished off and votes counted. The results are:

1.     Chilli Squid - I wouldn’t normally go for such a dish but I was pleasantly surprised. Don’t be put off by the name. It is neither too fishy nor too hot. The texture of the fish was just right as it melted away in my mouth. Challenge your taste buds and pick this little prize winner.

2.       Salmon Carpaccio – These 5 pieces of slightly seared salmon are perfection. The fresh salmon is coupled with a bed of daikon with a beautifully pitched ponzu dressing. I’ve been having cravings for this dish all week!

3.       Tempura Prawns – 5 prawn pieces deep fried in a light crispy batter. They were large succulent prawns, the batter wasn’t too greasy and the spicy mayonnaise that accompanies them has just the right kick. You’ll fight for the last one!

4.       Ebi Gyoza – 5 prawn, garlic and chive dumplings. I’m mad for an auld dumpling and these do not disappoint. They are served with soya vinaigrette and it’s a perfect combination.

5.       Pork Ribs – Braised and char grilled pork ribs, glazed with teriyaki sauce and topped with crushed cashew nuts. They’re finger licking good and really hit the spot!

There are a few dishes that didn’t make my top five but are equally worth a look. The Izakaya Burger was great but the homemade bun was little too doughy for me, I’m more of a crispy kind of guy. The seafood skewer was also pleasing to the taste buds, similarly the Chicken Tsukune was one that I would try again.

So if you are looking for somewhere to kick back and experience the best of what Dublin has to offer, get yourself to this place. The underground feel, coupled with the live DJ behind the bar explains why this bar/ restaurant is filled with all the beautiful people knocking around the city.

Gojapayourself now!

http://www.yamamoriizakaya.ie/

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Email:    gofoodyourself@yahoo.ie

The summer of Sushi!

S: HEAR YE HEAR YE! The Absolut Dublin Fringe Festival is officially over today (thank jeepers). It is always great being part of such a diverse and energetic line up but between performing and seeing shows I am pooped. I’ve been running around town trying to see as many shows as possible, some better than others, some that left me wanting more, some where I wanted to walk out (but didn’t) and one particular show that warmed the cockles of my dried up ticker. I now have a MAJOR theatre crush and find myself googling, youtubing and total blatant internet stalking. We all do this from time to time and you shouldn’t be ashamed of such pure, involuntary actions. It’s only natural! (That’s my story anyway). Today is the first day in a number of weeks where I am still in my pyjamas at 3pm and I LOVE IT. I had finally worked my way through all my favourite TV bites on my Sky box and it dawned on me that it was Sunday. What happens on Sunday folks? BLOG POST TIME!!! 

This week marked the third 30^th birthday party amongst my closest friends and mine is not that far away. I’m not going to do the usual ‘OMG I feel so old, I’m nearly 30’. I actually still feel like a spring chicken, an ugly duckling that hasn’t yet blossomed into a swan, a fawn that is still finding its feet in the big city. I should probably GROW UP and quick. I am fortunate enough to be blessed with some fantastic friends and P is one of these. We met when I was 9 or 10, he was 11 I think and since then we have been best friends. Macker and Wacker (we don’t call them by these names in public) are two fantastic ladies that complete the fantastic four. Wacker moved away for university when we were 18 and has been living in London for the past ten years. She was in Dublin for a flying visit for her birthday, so we couldn’t let such a momentous moment in her life pass without some foodie festivities. I took responsibility for deciding where we would stuff our faces with some culinary helpings and I knew just the place.

MUSASHI NOODLES AND SUSHI BAR on Capel Street is one of my favourite places at the moment. I have previously tweeted about their fantastic reasonably priced Lunch Bento Box and was dying to check this place out for dinner. I mistakenly thought that, it being a Thursday night, we might be able to rock up for dinner without a booking but this place has really taken off. When we arrived it was packed out. While I stood there, as organiser of this birthday celebration with no table, my body temperature skyrocketed trying to think of other places we could head to for dinner. Luckily, we put our name on a list and the very friendly host said he would call us as soon as a table became free. This little delay in proceedings meant that we could catch up over a pint in The Boar’s Head across the road while we waited for that very important call.  

Musashi, located at 15 Capel St Dublin 1, prepares and distributes delicious, authentic and fresh ready-to-eat sushi and rolls. They also offer catering services for parties, birthdays, business meetings or corporate functions! The menu offers a wide range of sushi and a variety of different hot dishes. When it came to ordering it was one of those ‘Sorry can we have two more minutes’ as everything sounds mouth-wateringly delicious. P and I went for the eight piece chef’s selection of Futomaki (Fat roll LOL) which was priced at €14. Wacker went for the spicy Tuna roll, 8 pieces for €4.80 and Macker went for the Ebi Gyoza (Prawn Dumplings) for €5.95. The mix of starters facilitated a great feeling of breaking bread with loved ones. Everyone grabbed their chop sticks and got stuck into business and a catch up chat.

Something I have failed to mention is that this place offers a BYOB option with a charge of four euro corkage and kindly chill your wine if you have more than one bottle. Four people, four bottles = one boisterous birthday celebration!

For mains Wacker and I went for the Salmon Teriyaki with seasonal veg and it was more than I had expected. It was quite the portion, tasted great, the salmon wasn’t overcooked and broke away as I attacked it with my knife and fork (don’t tell anyone I opted for the western food instruments or I’d be only SCARLEHHHH!).The Salmon set us back €14.95 each but was worth every penny. P ordered the Musashi Cha Han (€12.95) with a fried egg and it looked and tasted spectacular. I am a bit of a Cha Han whore and can often be found in Yamamori so I am totally biased as I love a good carb over load from time to time. P did mention that he thought it was a tad stodgy and didn’t finish it as it was just too much for the little fella!

The wine was flowing fast and we were getting progressively tipsier when Wacker pulled out some old photos of us she had found as spotty and awkward teenagers (I had blue hair at one point, it was that bad) and we cackled our way through our main courses. Dessert time was not initially greeted with open arms but after a little persuasion we ordered ice cream and a slice of Banoffee pie. I had been witness to pie week on The Great British Bake Off on Tuesday and this place is not pulling out all the stops to impress with it’s sweet treats. However, with a scoop of ice cream priced at just €1.50 it would have been rude to order one so we went for three different flavours. Now size isn’t everything but the ice cream balls were nothing to be embarrassed about! The desserts arrived with a candle for the birthday girl and it didn’t stop there. The lights were dimmed and to everyone’s surprise the music cut out and suddenly a full rendition of Happy Birthday was piped into the restaurant. Attention was on us and we did not disappoint. We dusted off our vocal chords and so did the whole restaurant. It was quite a moment!

The service didn’t disappoint and my first impressions were affirmed. The staff were extremely helpful, patient and the service time was efficient. I would highly recommend this place for lunch or dinner. Our bill came to €100.30 for four people. A great night of food, friends and Fandango!!!

Don’t miss out Gosushiyourself soon!

www.musashidublin.com

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P makes a 4-tiered DISASTER!!

P: Now, I have to begin this post by revealing that I am a BIG fan of baked goods in general and I’m a sucker for cakes. My particular favourite growing up was a large coffee ring made of choux pastry and stuffed with cream. To this day, I practically tremble with excitement at family events, when I even suspect there’s a coffee ring in the vicinity! However much I love cakes, I can’t honestly say that I’ve had the greatest success whenever I’ve attempted to bake them myself. Luckily, growing up, my mother was and still is a master baker who would give Mary Berry or Paul Hollywood a run for their money and to this day no special occasion is complete without a perfect pavlova, sweet apple tart or a shockingly rich chocolate cake produced by mommie dearest. Perhaps it was from beneath this baking machine’s shadow that the seeds of my future mixed results were planted…(mixed metaphors and all!)
Over the years, I’ve made many an attempt at perfection including some okay cheesey scones,a surprisingly mediocre snickers cheesecake and an eye-wateringly acidic keylime pie. So, when I arrived in work a few weeks ago to find out that our company would be holding it’s inaugural bake-off, my first instinct was NOOOO!!
After some light prodding from colleagues with remarks like “Ah, go on, it’ll be a laugh” and “what are ya, CHICKEN?!” I decided okay, sure what can go wrong…?!
The theme of the bake-off was “Sweet Sensations”which left it open for basically any cake you can imagine and I quite quickly chose my baking project as just the week before I had watched a repeat of Saturday Kitchen presented by Chef James Martin on BBC1. On this particular episode the guest was one of my favourite actresses Celia Imrie, and Mr Martin was making her “food heaven” which happened to be a 4-layered lemon curd meringue cake. Well, let me tell you, this cake looked sooo good with 4 flat layers of meringue divided by layers of thick lemoncurd cream and topped with strawberries and strands of fine spun sugar. Celia Imrie shared my enthusiasm for this majestic meringue wonder and for the first time on Saturday Kitchen I saw a guest eschew the usual fork or spoon and just pick up a huge slice after which she unceremoniously shoved in her gob like she was stuffing a chicken’s bum with breadcrumbs! Needless to say I was sold there and then and this Bake-off was my perfect opportunity to try the recipe out.
It’s often said that the human body forgets traumatically painful events, which is why women go for a second baby and also why I decided that giving baking another shot seemed like a good idea. Forward to the night before the bake-off and I’m off to buy all the ingredients needed and also a hand-mixer which of course I don’t have, plus baking trays and a piping bag. As fate would have it, I could not find a piping bag and ,as I realised later, the €8.95 hand mixers in Tesco are not worth the wafer thin plastic they’re half-arsedly made with. I shrugged off the lack of piping bag as I remembered a YouTube clip I once saw that showed how to make a bag from a piece of brown paper (That was a slow Friday night, let me tell you!!). Right, to spare you falling asleep and this blog going over 10,000 words I shall skip from 7pm that evening when I cracked my first egg to to 6 and a half hours later… The sorry sight before me was the result of poorly beaten meringue, overbeaten curdled cream, too much lemon curd and a crushed spirit. By this point I decided that the spun sugar was a no-go; as much needed as the proverbial lipstick on a pig. I chopped some strawberries and flung them on top and put my creation in the fridge til morning. I considered chucking it in the bin, but decided that after over 6 hours of frustration, there was no way I wasn’t bringing in that bloody cake. I like a good laugh too and I knew my colleagues would get a kick out of it. The next morning I opened the fridge and was actually surprised that it looked even WORSE! Overnight any structure that was present had collapsed into a flat gooey mess.
Needless to say, I didn’t win and everyone had a good titter, though a few charitable souls even said it didn’t taste too bad, almost like a lemony cloud…!! Our lovely cleaner, who had eyed up the array of delights on display asked which was mine and eyes slightly widened, replied…”The one that looks like puke??”. That said it all really.
Anyway, I decided then that I’d make a positive out of a negative and I’d share my baking disaster with you and guess what… I’ve included the recipe!
I would LOVE if someone could take a good stab at it, and let us know how you got on. Just email us at gofoodyourself@yahoo.ie.
Below the recipe, you can see for yourself what my hours of work produced….

Best of luck, now goBAKEyourself!!

ASPIRATION (substitute the strawberries for Lemon Curd)

Ingredients
For the meringue
8 free-range egg whites

200g/7oz caster sugar

For the lemon curd
4 lemons, zest and juice

110g/4oz butter

175g/6oz caster sugar

4 free-range eggs, beaten

500ml/17fl oz double cream

For the garnish
110g/4oz white caster sugar

400g/14oz strawberries, halved

2-3 tbsp icing sugar

Preparation method
1.Preheat the oven to 100C/210F/Gas ¼. Line four baking trays with greaseproof paper.

2.Whisk the egg whites in a bowl and until soft peaks are formed. Gradually add the sugar and continue to whisk until glossy and well combined. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle.

3.Draw 4 x 20cm/8in diameter circles onto the baking trays and starting in the middle, pipe the meringue in a spiral to fill each circle, keeping the mixture as flat as possible.

4.Place the meringue into the oven and cook for 20 minutes, or until the mixture holds it shape. Turn off the heat and leave in the oven for at least two hours. Once crisp, remove the meringue from the oven and set aside to cool.

5.Meanwhile for the lemon curd, place the lemon zest, juice, butter and sugar into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk occasionally until well combined, then beat in the eggs until well combined and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.

6.Whisk the double cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form, then fold in the lemon curd and mix gently. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and snip the end off, to give a hole about 1.5cm/½in wide.

7.For the garnish, heat the caster sugar and 50ml/2fl oz water in a frying pan the sugar melts and the mixture is golden-brown in colour.

8.To assemble the cake, place a meringue disc onto a serving plate. Starting at the middle of the cake, pipe the lemon curd cream in a spiral onto the to cover the entire meringue. Place another meringue disc on top and cover with the cream. Repeat with the remaining meringue and cream, finishing with meringue on top.

9.Drizzle the liquid caramel over the top of the meringue and decorate with half of the strawberry halves.

10.Blend the remaining strawberry halves in a food processor with a teaspoon of the icing sugar until smooth. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a serving bowl and drizzle on top

REALITY !!!!!!!

S: Better luck next time P. I’m kind of glad this was a work thing and I wasn’t dragged in to taste test. I mean I totally would have, what are friends for, but judging from the picture it may have been a night draped over the toilet!

Lunch time fodder!

S:I am always running around with ten million things to get done. No time to eat, no time to sit and take in the city or unwind in one of the many public green areas where idle people lie and fornicate…… or read books (snigger!).  I am a wannabe health fanatic and try my utmost to eat healthily, although I have an almighty weakness for enemy number one, CHOCOLATE. Even saying the word sends a craving through my body, my veins dilate and I have to resist the urge to feed my habit (chocolate is not going to hug me to sleep at night). My busyness combined with my addiction to my sugary friend, makes eating on the go in this city very difficult. Unfortunately I am not keen on those white, stodgy, carb-infused bagels or oil riddled paninis. I know I know you’re rolling your eyes up to heaven thinking GET OVER YOURSELF. How hard is it to find something pleasing to the taste buds but with more nutritional value?! Look no further my friends for it is I, S from goFOODyourself, and we will save you (cue dramatic music and smoke).

The beautiful fair city of Dublin is, as we all know, divided by the flowing tide of the river Liffey. The topic of which side has a better social standing or quality of character has been well debated. I decided to look at both sides of our bustling metropolis! I pounded the pavements looking for somewhere to tickle your taste buds and tone up your ticker, a beacon of hope, a diamond hidden among the Bagel bars that corrupt our diet. So low and behold I succeeded in finding two places (cue applause). I have eaten in both of these establishments on many occasions and rely on them when life takes over and time is against me. So if you find yourself running like a headless chicken through the streets of our city with no time to spare, make your way to either of these places and I assure you, you won’t be disappointed.

North side nom noms!

KOKORO Sushi Bento Bar

S:I have been coming to Kokoro for a number of years now. I know I am not alone in my infatuation with this place as it seems to do a good trade and is well known among my friends.

P: Ahem, May I interject here S, apologies… But I do feel a strong urge to agree with you and say that I LOVE this place. As you know, you introduced me to this little gem just north of the Ha’penny bridge and I’ve been returning here regularly ever since. In my opinion, it’s the best sushi in Dublin and has replaced MacDonalds as my go-to place to eat when out shopping in the city centre!! And that’s one mighty statement, let me tell you…  Liffey Street got a whole lot better with the addition of this place for sure. Carry on S. Pardon me!

S: Anywayyy, I like nothing better than breezing in, picking up a takeaway bento box (chop sticks and all) and heading back to work. Alternatively if the weather is nice, though unlikely, I head to the public area beside Jervis street AKA Junkie HQ!

 Kokoro means heart and bento means lunch box in Japanese and they offer a healthy and alternative option for lunch that is definitely full of heart. It is an Irish owned and Irish/ Japanese managed establishment and offer a variety of different bento boxes from the very reasonable price of €8.90 for their house bento box or MY FAVOURITE the Omega 3 Salmon Superior Bento. It consists of 12 pieces of sushi; 4 Salmon nigiri, 4 Salmon hosomaki and 4 Salmon and pepper roll. All the bento boxes are served with miso soup which I don’t normally get as it’s just not my cup of tea. It tastes like water you have soaked a teenage boy’s football socks in (not that I know what that tastes like!!!!).

P: Em, sorry again, but I think the Miso here is GREAT!  I especially enjoy the decent chunks of tofu at the end of the cup. And don’t lie, we ALL know you love licking teenage boy’s socks…! ;)

S: Cheers P! If you are watching your waist line, look no further, most sushi is naturally low in bad fat, with the fats found in seafood being predominately unsaturated and thus containing relatively high levels of Omega-3. Happy Days!

They also offer hot food with a mix of my favourites, Salmon Teriyaki, Cha Han, Spicy Seafood Rice, Yaki Soba, Beef Curry and Chicken Yaki-Tori. They open 7 days a week, from 11am on week days and 12pm at weekends.  So if you’re in a rush and looking to feed that hunger that so inconveniently comes knocking when you’re on the run, pop by and serve that beast a helping of sushi. You won’t be disappointed!

www.kokorosushibento.com

South side splendours!

BLAZING SALADS FOOD COMPANY

S:I have been in an out of Blazing Salads like an alco in and out of an offie. I just can’t get enough of this place. Mammy S would be so proud to know that I am getting all my greens and stuffing my face with salad. I LOVE SALAD!  This place is perfectly located in the heart of the city centre at 42 Drury Street, which is over on the nicer side of town. I’m sorry to say it folks but even though I live on the North side, the South side of the city centre gets my vote any day! Blazing Salads began in 1982 as a wholefood/vegetarian restaurant. They are an independent, family-run business and in 2000 they decided to open a wholefood/vegetarian take-away, serving high quality, tasty food, full of nutrition to take home or back to the office.

 The Deli stocks a variety of quality breads, salads, delicious soups, veggie and vegan ready-made meals, cakes and savouries. There is so much on offer that on my first visit I left with a bag fit to feed an army. The salad bar, which is where I normally start, is full of beautifully crafted salads. All you do is grab a box (different sizes available), fill it with whatever takes your fancy and the extremely friendly staff will look after the rest. Each box is weighed and you pay according to its enormity! I particularly love the roast veg and hummus. They also cater for punters who can’t handle gluten, with an array of choices all gluten free. If you are a vegan, don’t worry you too are not left out as this place has it all. OR if you are a sugar junkie like me, Blazing Salads is the perfect sponsor to look for support providing sugar free tasty treats. It’s easy breezy lemony squeezy! Get your asses to this place; healthy grub for prices that won’t break the bank.

www.blazingsalads.com

So, when time is a problem goFOODyourself with North Side Sushi or South Side Salad!

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