Met Gala munchies, Marée first look and Mr Práta
Plus deep dish pizza, pubs for sale and more smash burgers...
I love it when a plan comes together, like getting this out to you before I close the laptop and head for a lunch I’m very excited about (Find out where over on my Intsa if you’re interested…). I had a busy week judging a bartender competition on Tuesday - such great talent, see a glimpse of that here. On Wednesday, I was on Substack for a live chat with John McKenna about food writing. If you want to listen to or watch that back, you can find it here. Right, here's the news - I hope wherever you are, you can enjoy some sun this weekend! x
Fresh ingredients:
News & stuff I’m excited about
The annual Met Gala took place in New York on Monday, and I for one was glued to the coverage - who was invited, who wore what, who got it totally wrong. I love the fashion, but I also always want to know what they were eating (and also how they sit down in their outfits?!). Thanks to Vogue for covering the menu designed by James Beard Award–winning chef Kwame Onwuachi that sounded delicious - papaya piri-piri salad, Creole roasted chicken and BBQ collard greens with bacon and cornbread with honey-curry butter. The tables were a gorgeous OTT cacophony of clashing prints and colours (below). The best coverage, though, came from Rapper Megan Thee Stallion, who snuck her phone in shared a video reviewing the food, which included cornbread and caviar, white truffle lobster rolls, hamachi fish, and some vegan lox that she described as “funny looking.”
The new deep dish pizza spot on Stephen’s Green has finally opened. GastroGay’s Russell Alford gave it the thumbs up; see his visit here.
A few doors over, K.C. Peaches seems to have had some sort of live fire facelift. No more details on this yet.
In Temple Bar, there is a new smash burger joint going into the space that was Leon/ CrackBird/ The Eager Beaver. Fat Phill’s, “The Netherlands’ cult-favourite burger joint”, will open on May 29th.
Take a look at the new food space from The Big Grill Team in Harold's Cross - Scorchio.
Exciting to see some posts from the Just Chubby’s team - it looks like they are back in the kitchen, but no reopening date yet. Please be soon 🙏🏻
This is not fine, it’s bizarre.
The brilliant Bread Naturally in Raheny are expanding.
JP McMahon is adding another restaurant to his Galway gang, Kombu Ramen and Bao Bar. JP says it’s his “love letter to Japan” and was inspired by his long-standing passion for Japanese food. Due to open in June on Druid’s Lane.
UK bakery chain Patisserie Valerie is coming back to Dublin. They previously had two stores here, but then in 2018, there was a major accounting fraud uncovered that led to arrests, the company entering administration, and the closure of many stores, including Dublin. Read more about the scandal here. I’ve no intel on the location yet.
There is a lot happening this week around pub property and businesses in Dublin. The Workman’s Club has applied for examinership, The Leopardstown Inn pub in Stillorgan is for sale for the first time in nearly 50 years, with a guide price of €7,250,000, and another well-known spot, The Odeon on Harcourt Street, is on the market too for €6.5 million.
I love this - residents in Kinsale are teaming up to raise €1.5m to buy their much-loved local Harbour Bar and run it themselves.
Congratulations to Facundo and Pam from Tango Street Food, they launched their Blasta Books Tango this week - number 14 in this brilliant series!
Maneki Japanese Cuisine & Karaoke Box on Dawson Street have added a new seafood boil to their menu, "Holy Crab," with lobster, crab, prawns, and more, stir-fried in a spicy garlic butter chilli sauce. Gloves are provided for eating.
Wagamama are the first UK restaurant chain to join the Endometriosis Friendly Employer scheme. Would love to see some Irish hospitality companies doing this, or are there any already recognising the issues around menstrual health?
Food and drink producers - the deadline to enter Blas nahÉireann is May 15th, so get applying
Dublin Inquirer Summer School classes sound great, offering skills and knowledge useful to journalists and others trying to make the city a better place. Book here.
Dates for the Diary:
Things to book ahead…
Lots is happening around Dublin 8 over the next while for Culture Date with Dublin 8, including the Spirit of Liberties Tour with Karl Deery on 10th May & 11th May at 2:30 p.m.
Arts and Food: Mr Práta meets Moctezuma from Fondita Mestiza is happening tomorrow, May 10th, at Temple Bar Studios, and there are a few tickets still left.
Sandymount wine shop BaRossa Wines is hosting a Wine Fair of Central Europe and The Ancient East at the Fumbally Stables on Sunday, May 11th. Tickets here.
Ireland’s longest-running slow food festival, The Burren Slow Food Festival, is happening this Sunday, May 11th, in Lisdoonvarna. Find out more here.
Sebastian Skillings is having a launch for his new book, The Hungry Fishmonger, at George’s Fish Shop in Monkstown next Wednesday, 14th May.
You can get a sneak peek at Karl Whelan’s new Boland’s Mill restaurant Marée as part of Dublin Design Week on Saturday, May 24th. Details and booking here.
Fancy a day of foraging and cocktails in North County Dublin? Head to Whitestown House Estate, Naul on Saturday, 24th May.
The Mother Event at Highbank Orchards in Kilkenny on 24th May sounds divine.
Cork on A Fork announced their first round of events for August, check that out here.
Dates for the Diary:
Things to book ahead…
I know it seems like I have a new fave bag every week, but this could be the LOML 😍
Crossy and Donal Fallon talking about pubs. A perfect pairing.
Cynthia Nixon’s kitchen makes me feel better about mine - I wish we saw more busy, loved kitchens like this! We are not all minimalists…
Read all about Malteasers.
The Cut tries Brooklyn Beckham’s Hot Sauces.
What should I think if three people sent me this with the instructions ‘sound on’?
This is how you open those spud bags with strings!
Thanks for reading The Kitchen Press, my weekly round-up of Irish food, drink and hospitality news. If you liked my writing, I’ve got a very fun book out, A Compendium of Irish Pints. You can also follow my eating and drinking, and other writing work over on Instagram and sporadically on TikTok.
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