A nostalgic sandwich, a classic pastry from the Eternal City, and a polished plate highlighting an under-appreciated piece of meat. Here are the five dishes we want to eat in Dublin this week...
1) Pig's head, pickled shiitake and radish, Note
The basis for classics like brawn and a regular in terrine but often overlooked in modern cuisine, pigs head can be polarising, but for us it's the crème de la crème.
Note are doing their bit to make the poor man's cut beautifully refined, with piquant pickled shiitakes and crisp radish.
2) Caesar salad, Benjamin's Hot Chicken
Sounding Roman in name but from Mexico in practice, there have been thousands of iterations of the Caesar salad but this one stopped us scrolling. If you want the joy of Benjamin's signature fried chicken without the burden of the bun in this heat, this would be the perfect accompaniment to a creamy pint in The Vintage Inn.
3) Fish and chip butty, The Seafood Café
Evoking childhood memories of a chipper dinner sandwiched between two slices of batch bread, but taken up a level with the distinct tang of tartar sauce, this fish and chip butty from The Seafood Café in Temple Bar looks like the type of nostalgia we couldn't say no to.
4) The Dublin Lawyer, Hawksmoor
A dish fit for a king (or a stressed member of the legal profession), no expense has been spared with the treatment of this crustacean. Baked with Micil whiskey, leeks, cream and Cáis na Tíre cheese, it looks perfect for an evening where you need something indulgent to put the stresses of the office behind you - although at €75 a plate, ideally you'd be eating on someone else's tab.
5) Blackcurrant Maritozzo, The Morning Bakery
Ushering in the season of autumnal produce based pastries in Dublin bakeries, this blackcurrant crème diplomat filled maritozzo is starting the month off spectacularly. One of these should ideally be enjoyed with a coffee and plenty of sun if you can grab one of the few seats outside the cafe.
