It's been a while right since I have blogged....and I did think I was going to do more writing once my teaching work died down, but I think I have just been enjoying my time off. Doing absolutely nothing. Serious slothness. But again my laziness didn't last for long, as I usually get itchy feet and urge to do something with my 'me' time (we have a love/hate relationship!- I love the idea of relaxing but then feel totally guilty when I engage in it!), and was blessed with four weeks of camps that will keep me going till my Summer holidays in Morocco in August. Yippee!
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Myself and Ev did a whole vlog of our weekend- so if your more of a visual person then see our youtube video here (click please!).
Taste of Dublin (located in the Iveagh Gardens- see here)
What a load of horse sh***e! I've been wanting to do it for years- it was my idea of heaven. Trying out tapas style meals from places all around Dublin in one venue. Drool! We received complimentary tickets (I think the value of them was €15!) so saw this as a saving and it meant more money towards buying food.... but the weekend's weather (it's currently Summer in Ireland!) was possibly the worst it could be for an outdoor venue situation- and this definitely affected the experience. We were advised to buy florins (a booklet of tickets that you exchange for food at each vendor so there is a cashless environment!). We bought a booklet worth €50. An amount we would usually spend on a brunch sitting. Excuse my french- but we literally pissed through the booklet, I was still starving and that was without having drinks. And I wanted alcohol. We spent another €20 on three drinks with about €3 left over and you couldn't really buy much for €3. Most of the vendor stalls we had tried were places we had yet to go to eat in Dublin- Pichet, Klaw, Amuse to name a few...and we were so excited about the idea of a new place- but what they served didn't necessarily entice me to go book a meal there. Wouldn't that be the whole purpose? There was a lot of dishes that were served purely for convenience- I swear i'd seen brisket about five times over! Boo! The concept is a great idea- but it just cements rip off Ireland and it could be so much more.
Balfes (located just off Grafton Street- see here)
Balfes actually happened on the same day as Taste in Dublin...purely because we were still so hungry and I was dying to try out the Instagram-worthy eatery I heard so much about. Balfes is located just under the Westbury. Think marble tables, chic Parisienne style outdoor tables and a simple (and health conscious too!) menu. We had oysters on the brain, so went for a plate of Carlingford Oysters, the Tuna Tartare and bread basket with dips. Desserts were a parmesan and fig cheesecake (yes you read that right and it was so good!) and a pepper grilled pineapple with vanilla ice-cream. Now that's food. And good food too! We will be back.
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Dillingers (located on the main street in Ranelagh- see here)
It's become a tradition within my family that we all go out once my stage schools conclude. I decided to try Dillingers. It was my first time going- well it actually should have been my second (I won their #Brunchtastic competition which was a free meal including drinks for two- but was busy so I gave it to my parents instead and they didn't stop raving about it...kudos to a brilliant twitter competition!). The food and drinks were amazing- we went for steak and eggs, the nachos, the Scandinavian, the chicken and waffles, a cheeseburger and brioche soft roll filled with Shrimp. All mains came with a generous side of fries, potatoes or greens. The drinks were good and strong too- check out the breakfast stick on the Bloody Mary. We shared dessert amongst the seven of us- creme brulee with clementines, a chocolate mousse with almond ice cream and a baked New York cheesecake. Special highlights were the steak (smokey and juicy!), my Mimosa (I love bubbles obviously!), the Nachos and the chocolate mousse. If I was to be a bit picky, I'd stay away from the chicken + waffles- the southern fried chicken was quite dry- purely because I think they chose fillet pieces as oppose to a piece on a bone (maybe to cater for the majority of people, I'm not too sure!). We will be back- if not for their brunch, then for their steak Wednesday's which sound super. Ps- Ranelagh is one of my favourite places in Dublin- maybe because my mum's childhood home is there, or I love...ok, dream about owning a terrace house there one day!
HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE!
