Is it even April if we don’t get orange weather warnings after an extremely hot and enjoyable Easter weekend? In the same way that everyone micro-plans their escapes to warmer climates when looking out the window at dreary weather, this time of year makes us think about all of the summery food we want to eat, even if dining al fresco in Ireland means needing both a jacket and SPF50.
1. Brother Hubbard's Ginger Bear
Like most of the cold drinks on their menu, Brother Hubbard make this non alcoholic ginger beer in house with fresh ginger, lime, spices and honey. Ice cold fizzy juice on a hot day can cure anything. Anything being overindulging in wine late into a warm summer’s evening.
2. The Kilkeel Crab Roll from Loose Canon
No addressing the elephant in the room here, so in other news, we’ve got our eye on Loose Canon’s crab roll with lemon aioli, slaw and sunchoke chips. Looks much better than a toastie anyway.
3. The Salads from Groundstate Coffee
The yoga classes they hold in Groundstate Coffee in the evenings further add to the summery vibes that they give off. They know how to work with flavour, and their roasted beetroot salad with quinoa, goats cheese, blueberries, pomegranate, walnuts and a citrus dressing is case in point.
4. Asparagus, Courgette & Strawberry Salad from Tiller + Grain
Tiller and Grain is turning into one of our favourite places for a light meal in Dublin. The yellow brick road theme and salads like this one with charred baby gem, strawberries, yellow courgettes, asparagus and watercress will trick you into thinking that it’ll be sunny once you step outside. It probs won’t be.
5. Poke from Akaka Poké
There’s a 99.9% chance of rain on any given day in Dublin, so the best thing for it is to eat some poké and pretend you're in Hawaii. Akaka Poke’s ‘Beet It’ bowl with beetroot, carrot, wakame, mango and balsamic looks dazzling enough to have you reaching for the sunnies, but there's plenty of fish options too.
