Fresh culinary guide to eight new and modern food places to eat and drink in Ireland
DUBLIN: If a nation´s cuisine is the key to its heart, then new food is arriving the soul of Ireland. There is a good reason why The Seafood Café in Dublin and Abbey Tavern in Howth has received the very best reputation, awards and reviews. Both serve excellent seafood.
The west of Ireland has the country´s best oysters, and those harvested in County Galway are known the world over for superior taste. Lovers of seafood should try to make it to the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival at least once. This is part of the new Good Ireland.
New Chefs.Traditional Irish food is still on the table, and no full Irish breakfast without a slice of black and white pudding. However, new trend reveals Ireland want to deliver its modernised gastronomical gift to the world. Thanks to the country´s rich green grasslands its beef and lamb are widely regarded as the very best, and they have some young chefs doing exciting things.
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Irish chefs have ambition
Super-fresh oysters, mussels and scallops from Atlantic waters, fish, country butter, grass-fed free-range beef and some dynamic chefs all over the small island. This is all part of the new Irish food and the Irish chefs have big culinary ambition. Some restaurants, such as Cliff House Hotel in County Waterlord, has been awarded a Michelin star. Other restaurants, country houses and small hotels serve modern Irish with focus on local produce mixed with pure imagination. After changing times Food Heaven has moved to Ireland.
Advice: Here is our guide to eight excellent places to eat and drink in the New Food Ireland
Abbey Tavern is a great choice
Abbey Tavern. My voyage of discovery leads to Howth, a lovely fishing village just half hour north of Dublin City. Here fish and seafood are on the menu at each and every of 40 restaurants and oyster bars. Abbey Tavern was a great choice – in particular the Fisherman Pie made of fresh salmon, coley, fresh cod, creamy and with mashed potato as topping. Price 16,50 euro. Address: 28 Abbey Street, Howth. Travel here by train.
Prawn Festival. In March, the Dublin Bay Prawn Festival is the ultimate foodie experience offering seafood and craft beer, wine tastings, cooking demos, music and entertainment in the heart of Howth.
World class. The Seafood Café in Temple Bar area serves world class Irish seafood at reasonable prices. Seated in high bench booths and bar stools, I tasted sustainable Irish seafood, fresh oysters, fish and chips and delicious prawns. What works so well here is the personal tasty touches on every small dish made by owner Niall Sabongi and his staff. My favourites; East Coast Crab on Toast and Salt Cod Croquettes.
Address: The Seafood Cafe, Unit 11, Sprangers Yard, Fownes Street Upper, Dublin
Surf & Turf in Dublin
My favourite. Combination of seafood and meat, Fire Restaurant located in central Dublin is my choice. Here they serve Surf & Turf, a beef added wood fired Tiger Prawns with any steak. Another signature dish that will set you on fire is Dublin Bay Prawns cooked in garlic butter and olive oil and served with brown soda bread. This is a multi-award winning restaurant with a dining room originally built in 1864, and features gorgeous stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings.
The food profile is simple: They take Ireland’s finest raw ingredients and use original recipes to create exceptional dishes without getting too complicated. Couldn’t taste better as New Food Ireland
Pornoburger. After a Food-safari I like to add two other excellent places: Cleaver East Restaurant at the Clarence Hotel, serving some modern dishes and offer a large selection of dry aged beef cuts. Irish Chef Oliver Dunne has worked in some of the world´s best restaurants before he returned to Dublin and placed Pornoburger on the menu. “#Pornoburger stems from my love of simple food that you just shut up, eat, and bloody enjoy”, Oliver declares.
Guide to Food Heaven
Ely Bar & Grill, in Dublin´s Docklands, is located within beautifully restored wine venue. The original 1821 cellars have been transformed to become the architecturally stunning venue serving the most delicious food.
The Legal Eagle is a gastro pub with a good choice of craft beer and some food speciality. Address: 1-2 Chancery Place, Inns Quay, Dublin
Food halls. No food-safari without visiting some of Dublin´s interesting food halls, such as Dollard Food Hall on Wellington Quay and Fallon and Byrne located in Exchequer Street. And one finale advice; Book a food tour of Dublin City with Ketty Quigley, Master in Gastronomy. Ketty is French by birth, Dubliner at heart, and the person who follow the news from Food Ireland as the new Food Heaven.
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Read more: I just call to say #LoveIreland