A friend of mine (now also a fellow metblogger but in Paris) is coming to visit in a couple of weeks, so it’s all very exciting! I’m trying to figure what we can do the weekend that she’ll be here, and show her the best of Dublin, even if I’m currently the “main attraction” for her trip. ;-)

My first step in luring her was through a rather innocent email, informing her about A Taste of Dublin which is taking place at the Iveagh Garden from Thursday 12 June to Sunday 15 June.

The concept is rather straightforward, and it’s definitely an event for food lovers. A number of top restauranteurs in Dublin, including Michelin-starred Chapter One and L’Ecrivain, will be showcasing their signature dishes - in sample size - and making this a more affordable gourmet dining experience for foodies while they promote their restaurants. There will also be demonstrations, free exhibitor samples, Ballymaloe cookery school (first come first serve basis, not bookable in advance) and cocktail academy.

This event is ticketed and unfortunately, it is not exactly cheap. Entry ticket only costs €25 plus booking fees of €3.50. A better deal is to purchase the Premium package, which includes 20 Florins (worth €20) for the price of €40 plus booking fees of €5. In case you’re wondering, Florins is the official “currency” during the event and they can be purchased from the travelling vendors. The dishes are expected to cost between 5 to 8 Florins each.

So book your tickets now if you wish to take part in this eating event, as there are limited tickets per taste session. On general, there are two sessions per day, one from 12pm to 4pm, and another from 5.30pm to 9.30pm. So four hours each session to explore, to eat, and fingers crossed for plenty of sunshine to make this into a fabulous gourmet picnic in one of the loveliest garden in Dublin.

The recent weather has prompted a good start to barbeque season so I thought I’d take the chance to help you guys out and plug my other blog. My Top Five is a blog where every week I post my favourite songs around a particular theme or scenario. People go to the blog and leave their favourites and after a week I compile 10-12 songs together and podcast them.

This week we’re looking for songs to play at barbeques, so if you have any good suggestions or want to see what others think head over to http://mytopfive.wordpress.com. You can also check out our previous podcasts there or on iTunes

The Barbeque Mixtape will be podcasted Friday 30th May.

I picked up this flyer this morning when I was in Marks and Spencer to do some food shopping, and it simply is just such an amazing offer. The flyer pretty much says it all!

Basically, the items don’t come in a pre-packed package or something like that. Instead, the items are on the shelves like they normally would but certain items are marked to qualify as part of the promotional menu price items. So pick one item for each of the category, put them together, and voila you’re set for a dinner for 2 person.

Only in participating stores (I know Grafton Street branch is definitely one of them) and from today until Monday, according to the small prints. Bon appetit!

There’s one dining tips, tried and tested time and again, to getting great value meals - go at lunchtime rather than dinner. Most restaurants in town have incredibly marked up prices for the evening but keeping the tag low during the day in order to draw in more customers. This is, in a way, promotional work for them. If the punters are happy they are bound to return at dinner for special occassion and fork out just that bit more money.

George’s Wine Bar is definite one of those places. If anything, it’s one of the best kept secret for lunch! I’m even a tad reluctant to write about this, but at the same time, it would be selfish of me not to share. Main courses going at €9 each, and starter with main course going at €13. The price also includes tea/coffee at the end of the meal. Now, are you interested?

Have a look at its lunch menu. And drool over the following images. ;-)

My friends and I have been there several times, and I’ve been working my way trying the different dishes on offer. The smoked salmon (top, right) is light and perfect for a summer day. Pan fried sea trout (bottom, left) is delicate and delicious, and I love the sweet potato purée very much. The distinct flavour of porcini dresses up the sauce for the pork (bottom, right) just so beautifully too. I have also tried the swordfish that is served with an unusual green vegetable purée - I like the pairing of the fish with mango salsa. And oh, we also like asking for olive oil to go with their bread selection (top, left).

Anyone that I have recommended this restaurant to so far had not been disappointed. The quality of food served here is consistent, although for some guys, the portion may be a touch smaller but that’s when ordering a starter (either soup or shrimp salad) makes a lot of sense.

So the next time you’re in the city centre near Trinity College area, why not drop by George’s Wine Bar?

George’s Wine Bar
29 South Frederick St
+353 (0)1 679 7000

View In Google Map

Acapulco is a Mexican restaurant on Georges Street. I haven’t seen many mexican restaurants around city (drop me a line if you know any good one), apart from Burritos n Blues in Ranelagh which is closed for last few months for reasons unknown to me.

We have been meaning to go to Acapulco for sometime now, last week I went with a group of friends. In one line - it was disappointing overall.

We ordered some Margaritas to drink and they were just ok (cheap icy tequilla). And the main dishes (ordered different varieties of Chimichanga’s, Burritos etc.) and again, the food was like it was heated in a microwave, the fillings were sort of cold inside, it was bland, didn’t felt fresh at all and price was bit high for quality of food. Thou I must say, our starter was quite good (Mexican Combo), fresh n tasty. The service was nice n friendly. But mostly, the food n drinks were disaapointing esp. from a place I’d heard about so much and wanted to have some good tangy Mexican. I would avoid going there next.

More reviews here and here.

Last week, was watching Conan, and he suggested some of his favourite recipes; here is one called Conan’s Cold Irish Soup. I thought it was quite funny. Mebbe now I can finally eat some cereals.. Enjoy if you can!!

When you are next in town, and wondering where you can grab a good bite at a reasonable price, give Léon Bistro (website not live at the moment, unfortunately) on Exchequer Street a try. This is one of my current favourite place for some hearty and classic French food that even the French couldn’t really fault.

Or at least I know I wouldn’t. ;-)

I was there recently for lunch with a friend, and upon presentation of the menu, I was soon torn between the different items on the menu. I felt like ordering them all, but of course I couldn’t. The only solution that I can think of in order to stop myself from agonising too much over them was to return sometimes soon.

Given the relatively cold wintry weather, both of us decided to have some French onion soup, to be served with croutons. The soup actually arrived capped with large portions of garlic bread topped with melted Emmental but neither of us minded that at all. It was delicious, and the melted cheese and flavoursome bread complimented the soup nicely. And I definitely love the way they caramelised the onion for the soup. I could never somehow get that each time I attempted cooking the soup at home.

For our main courses, I have chosen roast mushroom risotto with toasted pine nuts while my friend opted for Toulouse sausages with onion jus, whole grain mustard cream and mashed potatoes. These dishes were essentially comfort food, and easily hit the spot as we chatted over the meal.

I, for one, am never the person to resist the temptation of a good dessert. Pain perdu with caramelised apple and caramel sauce caught my attention and soon it was served. It was a very sweet dish, perhaps too sweet for some, but I simply loved it! Definitely something that I will order time and time again, even if the bread made it quite a filling dessert.

The meal - 2-courses and an expresso for my friend, 3-courses for myself, and a glass of white wine each - came up to just a little over €60, putting the bistro as one of the best value mid-range restaurants in town. The same menu used throughout the day, so it also makes the bistro one of the few places that doesn’t have a price difference between lunch and dinner.

Just a word of note - don’t confuse the bistro with the other two flagship cafés nearby (on Trinity Street and on Wicklow Street). Have a look at this Google Map as reference. All three of them are just steps away from one another. The cafés are geared more towards those who wanted some drinks and pastries, or quick sandwiches (French style, bien sûr) or quiches. Handy for afternoon breaks. ;-)

Léon Bistro
33 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2
+353 (0)1 670 7238

View in Google Map

Last night, we went to a Lebanese Restaurant in city center called Byblos on St. Andrews St. And I must totally recommend the place, the food was awesomely delicious and don’t let those small quantities of food in pic fool you :) .. we were pretty much stuffed with starter which comes with Mezze and the main course of Beirut Mezze with lamb and chicken was so so good :); thou the main course for Vegetarian Mezze was lacking a bit in flavor. After stuffing ourselves with it, we couldn’t get ourselves ready to look at the dessert menu so can’t say much about that. But if you are lucky you might get see some belly dancing as a dessert :)

Recommendation - 5 Stars

Newest Guinness Commercial, i heard its one of the most expensive Guinness Commercial, not sure of that but its definitely a cool ad and its made by Weijers Domino Productions from the Netherlands. Decide for yourself:

via Times Online:
Nigeria has overtaken Ireland to become the second-biggest Guinness-drinking country in the world after Britain, thanks to a surge in sales of the famous stout throughout Africa and the company is now targeting India, Korea and China.