Lists, Studios, AI icks
And The Kitchen Press Live is back
Coming to you from the back of a bus en route to a very exciting lunch - might share on Insta if you fancy a nose. It’s been a good week: I watched Lily Allen singing on a cake at the 3Arena (whole show was sublime, ignore the naysayers). Then there was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Substack notification placing The Kitchen Press at #20 on a ‘Rising in Ireland’ list!!! I cannot for the life of me find the list, but it was on Substack, so we’re taking it. What a buzz. As ever, thank you for reading, sharing and sending bits my way; it all helps. Delighted also to say The Kitchen Press Live is back this summer, more on that below. As always, excuse the typos. Slán, Ali x
It’s that time of year - The Kitchen Press LIVE is back, happening as part of the lineup for All Together Now in Curraghmore Estate in Waterford, Friday 31st - August 2nd. Basically, I have a stage in a tent where I’ve programmed a weekend full of Kitchen Press bits, talks, panels, food, drink and chats. Champagne! Nostalgia! Live podcasts! Rom Coms! Strong opinions and strong drinks! Think of it as finding the kitchen at a house party: you come for a sit down and stay for the craic. The festival is sold out, but if you are coming along, I hope you’ll make time to pop by. See more here.
Chef Mark Moriarty was flat out this week promoting the long-awaited opening of his new space, Mark Moriarty’s Studio and it seems to have been very effective. Bookings for August opened on Wednesday, and he was already on the radio that morning to tell us they were full for the first six-week stint. Listen back to that chat with Oliver Callan here. The Studio at Wilton Park, Dublin 2, is not a conventional full-time restaurant but a studio cooking space that is open to the public every Friday night, serving a set tasting menu across two evening sittings to just 20 guests per sitting. Mark has quite the cooking calibre behind him and a very strong fanbase from lots of TV shows, so it’s no surprise spaces here will be in demand, including the private dining options. Find out more and try for your booking here.
Monty’s in Temple Bar is running a week-long soft opening for their new wine bar from July 2nd to 9th with a complimentary glass of Arras Sparkling Wine and small bites on arrival.
While I’m looking forward to this and very happy for Monty’s, why oh why have they used such a horrible AI poster? They are not alone. I keep seeing these everywhere and they just give me the ick so bad. Can’t we just use AI to help design and not hand over the design completely? Learn a bit of Canva? I would fully welcome back 90s MS Word posters over this generic AI ick any day. I am fully in support of the Thomas House on its stance on AI posters.
Musashi has opened in the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. I also keep seeing their Hana Izakaya Sushi Push-Pops all over socials, too. Has anyone tried them?
I was full of hope a few months ago when I saw something was finally opening in the space that was once The Greenhouse on Dawson Street. The new spot opened this week and is called Dawson 19, which doesn’t give much away - but the Instagram does, and not in a good way: another ick AI-generated poster and a video from Conor Ryan front and centre. It’s not exactly sending me running to book a table.
The Morrison Room at Carton House has a new chef: Killian Bowen, formerly of the Oak Room at Adare Manor. One to watch.
The newish Barebone on Wexford Street has launched a new summer menu from Head Chef Brian Spain, with Konro-fired dishes like koji-glazed pork chops and bavette steak, plus folklore-leaning cocktails such as the smoky “Cú Chulainn” and strawberry-coconut “Tír na nÓg.” Looks promising.
Lots of lists and announcements this week. First up, ‘50 Best’, who are best known for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, released their inaugural Europe’s 50 Best Bars 2026. Very disappointing and a bit wild that there isn’t a single Irish bar on there. Ireland is a world destination because of our bars and our hospitality. I know cocktails are a big focus for this list, and maybe we’ve only started to up our game with them more recently, but come on, how do they overlook somewhere like Bar 1661, not to mention the rest? Patrick Dooley sums it up very well here on Insta.
The Financial Times, however, is much more aware of how great we are when it comes to beverages. This week, they published a list of the best independent coffee shops in the world in How To Spend It, and two brilliant Irish cafes made the cut - Bean in Dingle and Coffeewerk & Press in Galway. An excellent list, it has to be said.
The inaugural New Zealand Michelin ratings were announced this week to mixed reactions, as plenty of people thought they were doing just fine without the tyre company’s opinion, but the restaurants included on the list all seemed to be very happy they’d made it. I’m lucky to have eaten in a few of them already, the now one-star Mudbrick on Waiheke, Ahi in Auckland and Sherwood in Queenstown and am delighted for all of these well-deserved wins.
Across the pond, Australia has opted out of bringing Michelin in, deciding against the significant investment typically required, often backed by tourism bodies. As Michelin continues to expand, which it will do, it’s big business; you can definitely feel an increased wave of cynicism behind it. And real ones know that you should always take the opinion of a marketing scheme for a tyre company with a pinch of well-sourced sea salt.
Huge congratulations to Eunice Power, who has joined the Irish Examiner as their new recipe writer. Eunice’s recipes are excellent, always delicious, always beautiful. I’m looking forward to following along.
Container Coffee are running a fundraiser today in aid of Venezuela 💚
Flavours of Fingal is on this weekend at Newbridge House and Gardens with a great food element, including chats with Dee Laffan, Shane Smith and Erica Drum. See more here.
Tiger Balm Club at Saint Francis Kinsale this weekend!
The Centre of Food Culture Ireland’s Meet the Maker series continues with farm walks and tastings at Coolattin Cheddar (July 18), Tory Hill Farm (Aug 8) and Leitrim Hill (Aug 23).
Esk Mountain in Glengarriff opens for summer with nature-led stays, immersive food experiences and a ‘Taste the Wild’ guest chef pop-up series.
Irish drinks writer Oisín Davis is headed to London to host a one-night Irish Cocktail Party at The Dawn Seal, London (July 17), showcasing some excellent Irish drinks. Book tickets here.
Four Hands Studio are hosting what sounds like a brilliant cookalong later in July at Relick Farmhouse. Details here.
Rekindle: Festival of Lost Skills from Common Knowledge returns to Clare (Aug 14–16) with exhibitions, heritage walks, workshops, céilí and live music across Ennistymon and Lisdoonvarna. See more here.
Great sounding online event - Serve it Forth Food History Festival 2026 is happening in October, but you can sign up now. Plenty of time for them to come up with a better poster, perhaps?
This is a bit mad - what’s next for Tesco Club Card.
This is when you know something has peaked, dirty martini soft serve. Nope.
Food joke of the week
Q: What is the easiest way to make a banana split?
A: Cut it in half!
Great roundup. Go raibh maith agat 😃