If there was a food that was symbolic of the Celtic Tiger era it was the lowly breakfast roll, synonymous with the building boom. Convenience stores and delis across the city saw queues of sturdy construction workers eager to get their hands on the fat-filled Irish delicacy, which earned its place alongside the chicken fillet roll in Irish food folklore before being relegated to the history books along with the bulging property supplement of the Indo. It still exists, but its popularity dwindled significantly as Dublin became ever more cosmopolitan a city, but recently we're seeing something of a breakfast roll revival. Here are a few of our upgraded favourites.
The Breakfast Naan At Bread 41
A homage to the breakfast naan made famous by London’s Dishoom chain, Bread 41’s breakfast naan offers soakage that's in a league of its own. Cooked to order in their wood fired oven, it takes everything good about the breakfast roll and makes it around 100 times better.
The Breakfast Roll At Gertrude
One for the old school breakfast roll lovers, the team at Gertrude have kept it simple with a crunchy baguette filled with smashed black pudding, bacon, sausage, fried eggs and shakshuka ketchup. Apart from the upgraded baguette, the pimped up ketchup and the infinitely better meat quality, this is as close to the original as we've found, and yet so much posher.
The Encinitas Breakfast Burrito At The Revolution, Rathgar
If the bottomless mimosas are not enough to draw you to Rathgar for brunch then perhaps the breakfast burrito from The Revolution will do the trick. Sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, spiced potato cubes, mozzarella & avocado are wrapped in a warm tortilla and loaded with jalapeno salsa - Mexican vibes with Irish inspiration.
The Breakfast Blaa At The Commons At Moli
One for the more cultured among us, the breakfast blaa at The Commons at MoLI goes back to our (Waterford) roots with a fried free-range egg, sausage, bacon, and home-made brown sauce in a fluffy Blaa. Take a walk around the Museum of Literature afterwards - we're offering a prize to the person who finds the earliest historical mention of the breakfast roll.
The Brunch Burger At Bang Bang
The now legendary brunch burger from Bang Bang in Phibsboro makes the list because although it's called a burger, it is in fact more of a cylindrical breakfast roll. With black pudding, sausages, rashers and a fried egg, topped with cheese, lettuce, mayo and Bang Bang's homemade relish, if this won't cure a hangover nothing will.
The Breakfast Sandwich At Meltdown
Meltdown have nailed the breakfast toastie with this combination of brown soda bread filled with a sausage patty, fried egg, relish and cream cheese, pan-fried until crispy. A very welcome improvement on the original.
The Vegan Breakfast Muffin At The Vegan Sandwich Company
Not all breakfast rolls are created equal, and this one from the Vegan Sandwich Company is for your vegan friend who still has a hankering for all the starch and fat of a breakfast roll without the meat. This one has vegan sausage, vegan bacon, vegan 'cheeze' and a 'freshly made vegan egg'. So many questions...
The California Breakfast Roll From Angelina's Deli
A lighter take on the classic, the California Roll from Angelina’s still delivers on taste. Griddled eggs with bacon, avocado, rocket, cheese, and hot sauce make for a longer lifespan alternative to the usual suspects.
The Breakfast Bap From Five Points
Caramelised onions, Whole Hoggs sausages and fluffy scrambled eggs on a brioche bun result in a breakfast bap of luxury that would make any self-respecting builder swoon. Fair to say that Five Points has nailed it with this one.
Did we miss your favourite upgraded breakfast roll? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.
