Hollywood sauce, hot openings and festival fun
Summer is in the air...
There were a lot of new eyes here last week - very interesting to see how many people were interested in my take on the honest influencing story! And if that’s what brought you here, you are very welcome and thanks for subscribing. The general gist of the Kitchen Press is that I put together all the news, info, bits and pieces of food, drink and hospitality news I come across during the week, and you get a digestible version in your inbox. If you enjoy it, please spread the word to any hungry or nosy pals. I’d love to hit 1,000 subscribers soon 🙏🏻
Fresh ingredients:
News & stuff I’m excited about
Love to hear of a Dublin new wine bar opening and, even better, that it’s from the brilliant Two Pups team who also launched their own bakery Bold Boy, not too long ago. Notions is their latest venture, a ‘Bistro style neighbourhood restaurant and natural wine bar’, open after hours at Two Pups Francis Street, Wednesday to Sunday 5 pm to late.
Dublin 1 added another great bar to its arsenal this week with The Sackville Lounge, just off O’Connell Street. The paint was barely dry as well-known names from the drinks world, media, influencers, and industry pals piled in for the opening bash on Wednesday fueled by free-flowing Crémant and Green Spot whiskey highballs. Inside, it’s gorgeous. The cocktail menu (see below) is more succinct than its sister Bar 1661, but early reports of the chic martinis and Belfast coffees have been excellent.
Where did everyone (including me) end up eating before, after and during the Wednesday opening bash? King Skewers, a Northern Chinese bbq skewer spot on Cathedral St. A very worthy stop-off that happens to be open till 2 am. See Marcus O’Laoire’s love letter to it here.
It’s closed doors for another Dublin cocktail bar and restaurant, Farrier and Draper. The Currency reported that the South William Street venue gates were padlocked shut when they should have been open. It's owned by Frank Gleeson, whose nearby restaurant The Green Hen went into liquidation earlier this year.
Meanwhile Gleeson’s old business pals, the Mercantile hospitality group, are busy with news of re-opening The Mercantile Hotel in May. The revamped building will boast 105 bedrooms, a restaurant with a menu curated by chef Stephen Gibson and a bar and café. They are currently recruiting and hoping to bring 80 new hospitality jobs to the capital.
Now, when will the long awaited Dublin Hoxton Hotel be open?
Move over tequila, are condiments going to be the next big Hollywood side hustle? This week, Golden Globe-nominated actor Glen Powell entered the food world by launching a line of condiments, Smash Kitchen. His range of fairly basic looking sauces garnered plenty of very positive headlines, and good for him, he seems to know his way around a grill. My favourite take, however, was from one of my favourite people on the internet, Blakley Thornton. Roll Credits.
The Guinness Storehouse is hosting a one-day conference, Everyday Women: Irish women in archival sources, on Thursday, the 10th of April, bringing together archivists, historians and enthusiasts to share female experiences in Irish history, both home and abroad, across the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Book your free ticket here.
Love this idea - absolute beginners wine tasting in Rathmines.
The Wine List guy meets Peter from The Beach House/ Bar Pez.
PSA: You can now get the Dough Bros slow fermented Neapolitan Pizza Bases in Dunnes Stores.
The Insider Series is a new programme of online ‘lunch & learn’ events from food writer Dee Laffan and PR & marketing expert Sharon Noonan. It’s a chance for food and drink producers and hospitality businesses in Ireland to strengthen their interactions with the media. Find out more and sign up here.
The Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2025 competition is now open for entries for professional chefs under the age of 28. The theme of this year's competition is Forgotten foods: honouring Ireland’s larder. More details here.
For readers in the drinks world, Slow Food is offering a Negroni scholarship…
Lilly Higgins is giving away a brilliant hamper of Palestinian goodies over on Instagram for a great cause.
Dates for the Diary:
Tasty things to book ahead...
If you are thirsty this weekend The Polish Wine Fest is happening this Sunday at The Fumbally Stables.
Did you know the brilliant Monty’s of Kathmandu on Eustace Street hosts regular wine evenings? Their next one is on Tuesday the 15th of April, featuring Californian wines from three different estates – J Vineyards & Winery, Orin Swift Cellars & Winery and Louis M. Martini Winery. Five course dinner with wines is €95, book here.
The Big Grill made their first restaurant announcements for their August 14th-17th festival in Herbert Park, Dublin 4, including two new Michelin-starred chefs from Texas, John Bates and Ali Clem, cooking in Dublin for the first time. They will also welcome back sustainable London smokehouse From The Ashes. Homegrown restaurant talent will include Irish-Filipino food duo Richie Castillo and Alex O'Neill of Bahay, Hera, Achara, Hang Dai, Bah33, PItt Bros, Reyna and Chiya.
The Big Grill team (which I am a part-time member of) is also launching a new space very soon in Dublin 8, See more about Scorchio here.
WellFest health and welness festival is back in Kilmainham May 10th & 11th with a big foodie lineup including Erica Drum, and Dublin dumpling guru Janet Li, Dee Laffan, Kieran Clifford of Fat Baby Bakes, Trisha Lewis, gut health expert Ciara Turley, Conor Spacey, Alistair Jeje of Socafro Kitchen, Bahay and lots more. Find out more and book tickets here.
The International Liteary Festival Dublin returns to Merrion Square from 16th - 25th May with a mammoth lineup that includes some gorgeous food and storytelling chats with Dee Laffan hosting. Check out Nadia L Hohn, editor, The Antiracist Kitche, on Saturday 24th, and Sunday 25th, Kristin Jensen, Facundo Rodulfo & Pam Neumann of Tango Food, chef Gráinne O'Keefe and Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire. Book tickets here: https://ilfdublin.com/whats-on/festival/
Bord Bia Bloom, happening May 29th – June 2nd in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, is always a good day out with plenty of food and drink bits to discover. There’s demos from Donal Skehan, Darina Allen, Neven Maguire, Rory O’Connell, Aishling Moore and Shane Smith on the Dunnes Stores Quality Kitchen Stage and on The Sustainable Living Stage, look out for food writers Caroline Hennessy, Aoife Carrigy and Suzanne Campbell. See the schedules and book tickets here.
Chef Mark Moriarty is heading to Donegal on Saturday, the 24th and Sunday, the 25th of May, to cook alongside Ciaran Sweeney at the Olde Glen Bar.
Great news for Cork, much loved Iyers Cafe is back, sort of. You can know get Iyers delicious South Indian flavours every Monday at O’Sho from 4pm.
56 Central in Galway are hosting a Wine Tasting Dinner Party to celebrate a decade of incredible flavours, community and creativity in Galway on April 18th.
Fans of Hell's Kitchen US will be delighted to hear that Cork man and season 22 winner Ryan O’Sullivan will be cooking a dinner on 28th April at the River Lee Hotel. For more details and to book, click here.
Beag Cafe in Kilrush announced its first supper club with chef Anna Flood on Saturday, 19th April.
Petit Fours:
Sweet bits to watch, listen, read or obsess over etc.
I’ve already recommended Vittles print magazine but seeing the snapshot of it is making me recommend it again. My issue is ordered.
I know everyone is busy with Severance, but what I’m really looking forward to on Apple TV is Carême, a French-language culinary drama based on the life of Chef Antonin Carême, starring Benjamin Voisin as the world’s first celebrity chef.
Wishing Mary Berry a very happy 90th birthday - the culinary legend has launched a new cookbook to celebrate her 90 years. Side note: I remember celebrating her 70th birthday on the set of the TV show Market Kitchen, where I worked as a producer. We ordered her a lemon cake from London bakery Konditor & Cook, which was the same cake I requested when I celebrated my 30th birthday 🍋
Crispy Dreams and Cotton Candy: why are there so many new kinds of grape?
Want - to eat these Magnolia Buns
Want - to drink these martinis
Very early St. John at The French House in 1992
If I had a car
Pub lasagne
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, you might like my book, A Compendium of Irish Pints. I’d also be so grateful if you subscribed or shared my Substack. Your support makes all the difference. GRMA x