What food would kill Gwyneth Paltrow?
And did you know there's more than one way to cook an egg?
I hope you’re reading this tucked up safe from the wind somewhere 🙏🏻 cancelling all plans to stay put today has the bang of 2020 about it but thankfully no one has suggested doing an online quiz this evening - remember them? 😆 Right the news, there’s loads this week from egg-cellent business updates and Brigit plans to Beamish poetry… bon appétit!
Fresh ingredients:
News & stuff I’m excited about
Delighted to hear that Edizemi Onilenla of Mama Shee has opened her own restaurant. You can now find her delicious Nigerian cooking in Tallaght, see directions and more here.
A new restaurant called Fawn has opened at The Chancery Hotel on Ship Street led by head chef Ashvind Candhye serving a modern European menu, “showcasing Irish ingredients with references to the neighbourhood’s Italian-quarter backstory”.
Monkstown has a new coffee shop from Pine Cone Coffee that looks delightful.
Speaking of Monkstown, I told you last week that Sprout & Co. were opening there soon and it seems there will be no stopping their expansion with news that Geoff Read, the founder of Ballygowan, has invested an undisclosed sum in Sprout & Co. The next opening looks to be a new headquarters and product development space on James’s Place off Baggot Street.
Reports this week about Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, creative Seanad campaign have been egg-cellent… both the Business Post and the Journal featured stories on his unique gift of disposable egg poaching bags sent with his campaign literature, featuring the tagline: “A New Voice for Seanad Éireann: Because there’s more than one way to cook an egg.”
Speaking of Cummins, his tireless campaigning to reduce the hospitality VAT rate has finally paid off with the government committing to cut the rate from 13.5% to 9% in the next budget, but is it too little too late? According to Grainne OKeffe, chef proprietor of Mae in Ballsbridge, it could be. While she welcomes the news she predicted in an interview in the Business Post last week that she could see “a lot more closures happening before then”.
I shared the news last year about Alan Clancy’s NolaClan, the hospitality company behind 37 Dawson Street and House, taking over the top floor premises at One Central Plaza with plans to open a rooftop bar. They had been working away until recently when their fit-out company Pure Fitout entered into administration which stalled progress (Pure Fitout has done a lot of hospitality properties including many of the Press Up venues…). Anyway, the good news work will resume later this month on Clancy’s new venue. And hopefully, Pure Fitout are out of the weeds now with news that they are being bought over by a Dublin-based real estate firm Tetrarch Capital.
If you’ve been wondering what chef Jordan Bailey, formerly of two-star Aimsir, has been up to and hoping to try his food again you might need to pull a Housewives move and book a private jet… he announced this week on Instagram that he’s been working on a new project Odyssey Dining, a private aviation dining experience currently based in London and with plans to launch in Paris and the U.S.
Our lovely new bank holiday for Brigid is on the way next week but celebrations are kicking off already this weekend in Leixlip with This Wonderful World – A Day for Wellness & Joy at The Wonderful Barn (except they’ve moved locations because of the wind! It’s now at Leixlip Innovation Campus very close by). It’s a free all-day event with food, talks, kids fun etc. Catch Dee Laffan hosting A Scoop and a Yarn at 12 and I’ll be chatting Fab Food & Nourishing Nutrition at 1 pm with Darina Allen, Cass McCarthy (Lúnasa Farm)and Nutritionist Laurann O'Reilly.
And a reminder next weekend The fourth edition of Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women returns from Friday, 31st January to Monday, 3rd February with lots of events including one I’ve dreamt up ‘Brigit’s Table’, happening at the Imbloc Fair at Meeting House Square . I’ll be joined by Santina Kennedy to take you through Brigit’s many food and drink connections, from sacred cows and spring lambs to nettles and craft beers (with tasters). Brigit’s Table will run from 12 – 4.30 pm with bookable spaces for the tasting talks happening on the hour. Tickets €5. To book click here.
Burns Night is coming up this weekend, a Scottish celebration honouring the life and works of Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet. If you fancy celebrating in Dublin, L. Mulligan in Stoneybatter always puts on a good show and this year is no different. They are hosting Burns Night dinner on Saturday 25th and a night filled with Irn Bru, haggis, cranachan, lashings of whisky and a blast of bagpipes. Dinner at 6pm is €75 book ahead via table@lmulligangrocer.com
Looking for plans for the upcoming bank holiday weekend? The Leonard’s Corner lunch I mentioned last week has unsurprisingly sold out but there’s another great eating option that day at Coppinger where they are hosting a one-off Brazilian celebration cooked by their chef Leticia Miranda. Tickets & booking here.
Their sister restaurant Orwell Road in Terenure is going international for their next event, welcoming Croatian chef Katarina Vrenc, who was recently named the best young chef in Croatia; on February 9th, she and head chef Tom Donohoe will create a six-course tasting menu for €65, paired with natural wines, showcasing the fusion of Irish and Croatian cuisines. Details & book here.
Did you know there’s a Guinness, Oyster and Music Festival happening in Howth? All Shucked Up is running from Feb 28th to March 2nd with a busy lineup including a not to be missed Oyster Shucking Master Class with Sarah Browne of Oysome on Sunday, March 2nd at The Sky Bar in Wrights. More details here.
Boyles in Kildare has announced a lineup of wine tastings starting in Feb and hosted by the always brilliant Judith Boyle.
Below Deck fans might be interested in this home-based supper club pop-up from Aideen White an ex-yacht chef. She’s celebrating Brigit for her Land Lover Dublin 7 dinner on January 31st.
There is now an Irish version of the viral Dubai Chocolate Bar. If you don’t know what that is, well done for not being on TikTok. If you want to know it’s a chunky bar filled with a combination of crispy kataifi pastry, pistachio cream, and tahini, encased in milk chocolate. Mullingar-based Sugar Plum Sweetery has created its own version that does look very good - available to order from their website.
Petit Fours:
Sweet bits to watch, listen, read or obsess over etc.
Spread the word - we need some of these posh butters in Ireland, please!
https://www.ft.com/content/ca534f98-eb61-4dbb-bc12-80e3422abcab
Anyone interested in substack especially if you share recipes should listen to this Cherry Bombe Radio episode with Caroline Chambers of “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking”.
If you are looking for recipe inspiration everyone's favourite DJ / Cook / Professional Eater / Good Time Guy Marcus O’Laoire has been sharing a stellar selection of doable recipes on his Instagram recently including a very apt ‘Storm Chicken’ today.
Is this London’s equivalent of our old man’s pubs?
Thanks for reading. If you want to read more of my writing check out my book, A Compendium of Irish Pints. I’d also be so grateful if you subscribed or shared by Substack. GRMA x
Googles croissant butter
Love it! Thanks so much for the feature :-)