With Paddy's day done for another year we're hoping brighter days and warmer temperatures are in our near futures. Until then we plan on warming up with fried chicken, cheese-stuffed sandwiches, and smoky lamb belly, all new to the capital's menus...
1) Haddington Fried Chicken, Oliveto
Oliveto in Dun Laoghaire are veering slightly from their Italian anima to join the premium fried chicken ranks. Their HFC sees boneless free-range chicken thigh marinated for 24 hours in buttermilk, then coated in a crispy crumb, flash-fried and finished in the oven, before being drizzled with hot honey (which improves absolutely everything). There's also some ‘nduja and peperoncino mayo on the side, and between that and a brisk walk down the pier, any cobwebs will be well cast off.
2) Spiced lamb belly, Green Man Wines
We love a wine bar, and we love when their small plates are big and bold enough to stand up to all the wines we want to drink. Never one to expect customers to exist on cheese and charcuterie alone, Green Man Wines in Terenure are constantly adding to the menu, and their newest addition is this slow-cooked lamb belly with cannellini beans, sesame broth, and pickled Guindilla peppers. They promise it goes with practically all the wines by the glass, and that they've done copious research to make sure. Find it in the wine bar from Thursday - Saturday.
3) Smoked halloumi melt, Tír Deli
Few people make veggie sandwiches look as sexy as Tír Deli, whose commitment to Irish ingredients is a citywide benchmark. Their "celeriac and hallou-mi" has left the building, to be replaced by the new "smoked halloumi melt", with Toonsbridge cheese, roasted Abercorn Farm greens, fermented hot honey, wild garlic pesto, pickled Irish mushrooms and toasted pumpkin seeds. It all comes on Oaksmoke Bakery ciabatta, and sounds like yet another knockout.
4) Orecchiette alle Cime di Rapa, Osteria Lucio
Osteria Lucio has all the quiet confidence of somewhere that's not here for the Tiktok trends. This is classic Italian cooking letting prime ingredients do the talking, and this orecchiette alle Cime di Rapa with Italian sausage ragu, turnip tops, chilli, and Felsina 1st press extra olive oil looks like a case in point.
5) Belfast coffee Basque cheesecake
How Elliot's keep coming up with one banger after another is more than our tiny brains can process. This weekend saw them join forces with Bar 1661 for a Belfast coffee Basque cheesecake, spiked with Ban Poitin, cold brew coffee, dark panela sugar and freshly grated nutmeg. Paddy's weekend saw its first debut, but if demand is there we can't see why this wouldn't be a permanent addition to the menu. Tell them we sent you.
