A pretty disappointing week for food, so thankful for this beautiful plate of Annagassan smoked salmon and Clogherhead crab at Dax for the launch of this year's Irish Restaurant Awards. As lovely to eat as it was to look at - Lisa.
A low point came in the form of the pizza slices from Mercato in Howth Market. The one pictured was actually not the worst offender, but was drowned in chilli flakes - a bit of restraint goes a long way when it comes to making food edible. The most offensive was one with black olives, sundried tomatoes and pesto which was like something you'd knock up at home with a few jars from Lidl - Lisa
A more successful experience at BaaBaa in Chapelizod after a few months of low-key Insta-stalking. It’s a beautiful little cafe, serving a small but well thought-out menu. The chai French toast is delicious, topped with stewed apple, blueberries, and pistachios. The only slight complaint is that €9.50 is on the more expensive side for one slice of brioche, and when you add a coffee you’re not getting much change from €15. Also got to taste their pistachio and orange polenta cake which was as good as it looks - Helen
A visit to double 8 on the last day of their Dublin pop-up resulted in very mixed feelings - delight in how lovely everything was, followed by the disappointing realisation that I’ll have to go to Bray for my next dumpling fix. Highlight was the joo-yuk, fried pork and cabbage dumplings - Helen
Back on the disappointment train, a salad from Kennedy's in Clontarf came with 70% rocket and the most anaemic, mealy tomatoes I've encountered in years. The goat's cheese with walnuts and carrot hummus saved it from being a total disaster, but this could have (and should have) been so much better - Lisa
More mixed feelings on a trip to Dingle where there are lots of lovely restaurants, but so few of them open regularly outside of the peak summer season - do Dingle residents not eat? Finally struck lucky and found My Boy Blue open, where the smoked salmon bruschetta with goat’s cheese, beetroot, walnuts, and pickled veg was freshness on a plate and bursting with flavour - Helen
Finally, a rushed toasted sandwich after queuing with millions of children and dogs at Olive's Room in St. Anne's Park on Sunday was surprisingly good. Quality bread, thick cut ham, cheese, pickles and onion marmalade gave us the energy to fight through the crowds to get out again.
