A new café focused fully on sustainability and starting a "culinary movement" opens in Dún Laoghaire today. It's from FoodSpace, who up to now have only operated contracted catering facilities in workplace and colleges across Ireland, but wanted to spread their ethos further and wider by opening a site that the general public could visit.
Despite only being set up in 2016, FoodSpace was awarded three stars by the Sustainable Restaurant Association in 2018 - their highest award - and to date are the only Irish catering company who've achieved it. Their focus in the new Dún Laoghaire café is on local suppliers, farmers and fishermen, and seasonality, with the majority of the food coming from within 50 miles of the site, and 85% from Ireland. All meat is Irish from FX Buckley, all fish is landed in Dublin, and menus are written depending on what vegetables are available that week. The only imported items are things not produced in Ireland, like coffee, tea and spices. Wine and prosecco comes from sustainable vineyards, and beers and ciders are Irish and from small brewers.
They're also trying to completely eliminate waste, with all fresh food delivered in reusable crates, no single use plastics (including clingfilm), and menus are pinned onto cardboard from deliveries. That goes for food waste too, with fruit skins and cores fermented to make vinegars, vegetable skins dehydrated and turned into powders for seasoning and sauces, and overripe fruit used to flavour kombucha. Used coffee grounds will be used to make a FoodSpace version of pastrami, and as compost for growing their own herbs and salads.
INK in Dún Laoghaire opens this morning. They don't have a website but you can keep up with them via their Instagram account below.
INK
dlr LexIcon, Haigh Terrace, Moran Park, Co. Dublin
Mon - Sun 09:00 – 17:00, Supper Club Fri - Sat 18:00 - 21:30
