Like every food-obsessed person living in Dublin in 2019, we love the variety of different cuisines now available across the city. From Vietnamese to Japanese, Italian to Ethiopian, the city is constantly growing and diversifying its food options and we are 100% here for that. That said, there’s no denying there are certain dishes that are part of Ireland’s culinary story and deserve to be immortalised, and recently we've been seeing a lot of places incorporate some of Dublin’s traditional (and not-so-traditional) favourites into some new and delicious sounding dishes. 1) The Piggy Bag from The Legal Eagle
The humble spice bag gets The Legal Eagle’s signature 1970’s treatment. Their 'Piggy Bag' has chips with bacon dust, battered sausage, smoked black pudding, and a brawn fritter with apple ketchup and piccalilli. Offal may not be something we see on many Dublin menus, but this is a great way to incorporate it into your diet.
2) Confit Potato with Taramasalata from Mamó
Mamó opened in Howth last week and even at this early stage we reckon this is the destination restaurant the seaside village has been waiting for. Jess D’Arcy (ex-Etto) and Killian Durkin (ex Chapter One/Thornton’s/Charlotte Quay) are serving contemporary European food with a solid focus on fresh seafood in a stunning location, and this confit potato topped with taramasalata is their grown-up take on fish and chips.
3) Crab and Grilled Cheese Toasted Sandwich from Klaw
Interesting fact: you’re never more than two metres away from a toasted sandwich in Dublin. Okay, that’s (probably) not true, but toasties have definitely earned their place as one of Dublin’s most iconic dishes. However, familiarity breeds contempt and we’ve all been on the receiving end of a soggy plastic cheese and watery ham number on occasion. Klaw’s crab and cheese version looks like it would restore your faith in the classic.
4) Apple Crumble Hotcakes from Two Boys Brew
Nobody likes to miss an opportunity to eat apple and blackberry crumble and thanks to Two Boys Brew there's now another way to squeeze it into your day. Their all-day brunch menu always features hotcakes and they've just been updated for autumn with this version incorporating everyone's favourite dessert. We need.
5) Peanut Râyu Brownies from The Bakery
A potentially controversial one, but we think peanut râyu deserves a place on our list of Dublin’s favourite foodstuffs. While it may not be a traditional staple, Katie Sanderson’s salty, spicy, peanutty condiment arrived with such a bang when it was launched a few years ago that we will fight to the death that it deserves a place among the greats. While we usually eat it with fish, steak, or eggs (or directly from the jar using a piece of leftover pizza as a spoon- don’t judge us) we’re very grateful to The Cupcake Bloke for combining it with our other great love - brownies. These squares of nutty, spicy, chocolatey loveliness are available in the Cupcake Bloke’s 'The Bakery' in Rialto.
