Dining in Malahide: Bon Appetit

We heard a buzz about Bon Appetit a while back, and with Oliver Dunne's stance on effectively handing back his Michelin star, we were curious as to why someone would do this?! Was it the necessity to cater for it's Northside Dublin clientele?  Was the pressure too hard? Or was Dunne not fussed about the hype that surrounds a star and his philosophy was to cook just good food? But the reviews after it's handing back continued to be positive and so we were eager to try it out.


Bon Appetit is located in trendy Malahide, its a multiple storey restaurant that features a tapas bar, a brasserie- they also do Brunch, Lunch, Afternoon Tea and cooking lessons.


Maybe we chose the wrong option on the menu. I don't know. We went for the option titled 'Surprise Tasting menu'- and all we knew was that it was six courses long. As a fan of tasting menu's, I expect good cooking, exciting tastes and a flowing rhythm throughout the courses. The Amuse Bouche was lovely- foie gras in a cone with caramelised onions- the bar was set. Bravo. But it all headed South from there. Up next, was the goats cheese and beetroot starter. I'm a huge fan of goats cheese. I love it, but this was very mild- almost as if there was very little cheese within the panna cotta purée.  And it was served on a slate plate. Slate plates do not actually annoy me as much as they do some people, but because the dish was quite purée based, aside from the chunky bits of beetroot, it made it almost impossible to get everything on to a fork. Up next was the black pudding, on a bed of mushy peas topped with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. I have poached eggs at least three times a week. Poached eggs should never be hard. Ever. I was so disappointed because it meant my food was either sitting to be serviced for ages, even though it wasn't busy at all. Or the chef didn't care. Ugh. Next was a surf and turf served with mashed potatoes, a red wine jus and a stem of broccolini. The meat was actually very good. I just would't normally pair a strong red wine jus with prawns. There were two desserts- a deconstructed vanilla cheesecake- which was ok, but again served on slate mean't the biscuit base crumbs went flying of the plate every time I took a spoonful. The cheesecake itself was quite bland. No punch or tartiness from the fruit purée. The final dessert- a coconut brownie served with coconut ice-cream topped with white chocolate wasn't surpirsing either and was quite large compared to the last dish and just didn't seem to flow from the last few dishes. I even left some which is saying something because I never EVER leave food on my plate. I really wasn't wowed. 

Value for money was fine- it was €50 for the menu- but they really couldn't charge any more then that anyway because it wasn't up to scratch with other tasting menus in Ireland. I had a glass of red wine that I asked to be paired with my food, and the waiter failed to introduce what it was. It's little things like this that usually add to a service. I've chosen to eat out instead of eat at home and I expect my meal to be of a certain standard. Our espresso's were good. Overall, it could be so much more. It was very quiet for a Saturday night- max 5 tables in use at 7.45pm, but the tapas bar above was busy. Was that what we should have opted for? The menu itself looked decent with the a la carte options- our table next to us shared a lovely beef cut that smelled divine. There meal came out exactly as I cut into my hard poached egg and I couldn't help but feel cheated...

Did we choose the wrong option? Was it just a miss that day?! I would love to hear about your experience there!

My month in Instagram...

May

Links and details to photos are below- Of to Morocco in less than a week (eeeehhhh!) and wrapping up all my work commitments till then- so too say I'm stressed is an understatement! My bedroom floor is currently covered in sequins and tutus and I have musical theatre songs permanently stuck in my head!!! Not complaining though as I wouldn't have it any other way! Hope to fit in an overdue Fierce Shoe Friday and Holiday Essentials post somewhere in there too lol! Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

Don't forget you can follow me @yasminaaniss if your on Instagram too!

1. Beastmode lol! Ah no, I have started Body Conditioning sessions using weights and have already seen an improvement 2. Did anyone go see Iron Man 3??? Robert Downey Jr is just amazing! 3. My bf- he has a blog too where he writes about cf and his work as a therapist 4. Rocking nike blazers and neon pants 5. Obsessed with THIS fedora I bought from Topshop- it's now my go to hat for bad hair days! 6. You know how obsessed I am with Alex and her HRH Collection brand- well my adorable sister gifted me with the 'Mermaid's Dream'- yey to bling! 7. Obsessed with a Japanese restaurant called Musashi of Capel St, Dublin- by far one of the best Japanese places to eat and incredibly reasonable. 8. An OOTD- love a tee and leather pant combo at the mo. 9. Topshop Gladiators (old) I rocked in the amazing weather we had a while back. 10. Chai seeds are my latest health buzz/fad I have bought in too, lol! Sprinkled on salads and smoothies! 11. We don't get to see the sun very often in Ireland so this was an insta moment that just had to happen. 12. A MAC Cosmetics haul (lipsticks in 'myth', 'angel' and 'asian flower', blush in 'mocha' and skin finish powder on 'shape the future'- 13. A selfie of myself and the bf. 14. Beyonce- I.HAVE.NO.WORDS.TO.DESCRIBE.HOW.PERFECT.THIS.WOMEN.IS. 15. Selfie rocking a Michael Agwunobi 'Line up the bitches' tee. 16. I just love me some am1's

Dining in Dublin

Yamamori...

I have not done a Dine in Dublin post in ages, and had actually been meaning to blog about one of my favourite Japanese restaurants- Yamamori. Yamamori is a chain of three restaurants each with their own speciality. I tend to go to Yamamori Noodles (location is suited to me better and I am obsessed with the lunch menu they do...), Yamamori Izakaya is across the road (more geared towards drinkers with its extensive choice on the bar and tapas style menu) and Yamomori Sushi (which I'll admit I have yet to try...). 

Yamamori Noodles is easily one of the best places to go for Japanese in Dublin. With a laid back buzzy atmosphere, the restaurant is always busy! There is a vast choice on the Sushi and Sashimi menu (my favourite is the Norimaki King Prawn with Avocado- pair it with a fiery wasabi and your good to go!), House Specials (Haddock Tempura anyone?!) and the Ramen menu (Grilled Tofu Ramen for when you feel run down...)! I also love the sides they have to offer, the Eda-mame beans and Yasai Tempura are one of my go to staples and the bf is particularly fond of the Beef Tataki.

However, I must say Yamamori's secret weapon are the Bento Boxes, especially the lunch time offer (ten euro!!!) which is absolutely great value for money. If you have never had a Bento Box before, it's a box (duh!) separated into little compartments of sushi, fish, a grilled meat and comes with a bowl of rice and miso soup. Literally a box of surprises. Pair with a glass of Brut and it makes a great ladies day out lunch after shopping in Grafton Street. I love trying little bits of everything and because I am so indecisive when it comes to limiting myself to one item on the menu- the Bento Box satisfies this!

Decent Japanese restaurants are rare to find in Dublin, there was once an awesome one in Castleknock but unfortunately with the downturn it closed. Yamamori is just as good, is reasonable enough and a great way to start an evening. Enjoy this gem!

Yamamori Noodles (Website) (FB Page)

Dining in Dublin...

Picaderos...

For myself and the bf's sixth year celebration together we decided to try out Picaderos in Maynooth, Co Kildare. So I know my post is titled Dining in Dublin, but Maynooth is only about a ten minute drive from the outskirts of Dublin and this Argentinian/Spanish restaurant is well worth the trip!

Picaderos was brilliant. We opted for the tapas menu (but there is also an a la carte and a specialised Mexican menu should you wish....note that restaurants with a dozen menus never tend to be great but don't be put of...), because we love trying everything as oppose to being stuck with the one meal. In fact that sums up most of my dining decisions, I often choose several starters so I can try everything. Some may call that sheer greediness.

We went for seven tapas choices, the typical Bravas, sardines (amazing...), mussels, olive tepenade with a bread selection, croquettes, breaded goats cheese and chicken skewers on bruschetta. I had a glass of proseco (a wee bit flat but that often happens with a bottle that may have been hanging by the bar) and the bf had a soft drink. The whole meal came to under fifty euro, which was very reasonable for a meal that was so filling, meant that we couldn't even try the dessert menu (I spied churros on the menu but my leather pants were fit to burst...).

The sardines, olive tapenade, croquettes and mussels are highly recommended. Tasty, fresh, and all complemented each other really well. The sardines actually reminded me of family holidays in Morocco where on the coastal roads you could stop of and buy the most delicious sardines that were only just caught and fried there and then! Nostalgic yumminess!

We are definitely returning back to try out the other tapas choices that we had to forgo on.  Have you tried out Picaderos ? What are your recommendations?

Dining in Dublin...

Jamie's Italian...

A perfect night for me is good food, good booze (bubbly obviously) and a good atmosphere. Once this happens I am a happy bunny.  
Thursday night, myself and the bf tried out Jamie's Italian. It's only new in Dundrum shopping centre and after trying out Jamie's Italian in Westfield Shepherd's Bush, London and really enjoying it, we couldn't wait to try out this one.  My dad was a chef so I have grown up in an environment where food is the focal point of the day. It's really important to me that my food is fresh and tasty! 
Jamie's Italian in Shepherd's Bush was a great experience (all though there was a 40 minute wait....the bar within the restaurant kept us company).  The food was delicious, fresh and colourful- just like any Jamie Oliver programme. We really hoped the chain in Dundrum would be just as good.
On arrival (5pm...'Arthur's Day'...Late night shopping) the restaurant was moderately empty, so we got a table straight away. No bar menu indulgence for me! Boo! 
I ordered a Bellini and the bf ordered the non-alcoholic Ginger Mojito. Happy! Starters was the mixed meat platter, the bread selection and Italian Nachos (ravioli deep fried). Happy again! Mains were the seaside risotto and wild mushroom panzerotti . We had starter sizes, but still the main prices were reasonably priced. Desert for me was the ricotta cheesecake topped with a citrus treacle and the bf had an americano. I topped of with another glass of prosecco (naturally!).

It's only been open for just over a week so it still has a bit of ironing out to do, but it looks promising. The décor it typical Jamie style and the staff seem to know what there talking about! I'm going to try the restaurant out again in a few weeks at a busier time to see if it will become a firm favourite. Have you been yet? Let me know what you think!