Dublin’s Tasting Trail

If anyone has ever told you that Ireland does not have great food, they clearly didn’t know where to look. Or perhaps they just haven’t visited the country in the last thirty years. According to a brief history of Irish food that I was given while visiting Dublin, it is only in the last few decades that Irish people have been able to enjoy food rather than simply eat to survive. This is because of the potato famine of the mid-nineteenth century which caused people to flee the country and many others to starve to death.

Because of this, the foodie revolution in Ireland has been a bit behind. Just recently, compared to a lot of other countries around the world, the excitement around the food culture in Ireland has exploded. Currently the Irish are really into the Slow Food Movement, which is a recognition and celebration of the connection between plate and planet, or to put it simply: eating food that is in season and grown and purchased locally.

sheridans That being said, I started my weekend in Dublin off with one of Dublin’s Fabulous Food Trails – the Tasting Trail. This was a tasting tour of Dublin, which doubled as a walking historical tour of the city. I would recommend this to any foodie visiting Dublin. I got a great sense of the area, learned a bit of Irish history and tasted some delicious food.

Luckily for us, it actually wasn’t raining in Dublin. In fact, it was a sunny Friday afternoon and we started the tour with a stop at Sheridan’s Cheesemongers. Right in line with the slow food trend I had heard so much about, their shops reflect the seasonality of food, and they advise on which cheeses are at their peak at a particular time of year – how convenient. They are retailers and wholesalers of quality Irish food and they also sell quality artisan products that they bring back from their trips around Europe. If you’re in the market for cheese in Dublin, this is the place to go. I was honoured to be the guest of a dinner party the following night where we had five different kinds of Irish cheese which were all just as delicious as English cheese and of course one million times better than any of that American junk.

Next we went to a local food store called Listons, which also doubles as a café/salad & sandwich shop. They aim to deliver healthy food to locals and this is definitely a foodie’s dream shop. They source from local producers with plenty of Irish products and offer a range of international goodies. When we visited, we ate a delicious onion quiche made with a pastry recipe which was passed down through the family that owns the shop. Liston’s is simple with a delightful bit of character and it reminded me of many of East London’s food shops.

cakecafe2

Another memorable spot on the tasting tour was The Cake Cafe which is tucked away in a courtyard filled with beautiful trees, tables and decorated walls. It was quaint and colourful, and I was surprised to learn that it is such an eco-friendly establishment that even its toilets are flushed with collected rainwater, and the underground heating is powered by solar panels on the roof. Definitely a hippie joint. The cakes we were offered were yummy, but have you ever met a cake that wasn’t? Nothing that blew my mind but if I lived in Dublin I would frequent this café for coffee and cake quite often simply because of its charm.

We then visited a butcher (raw meat is of little interest to me) followed by one of Dublin’s oldest and most traditional Irish pubs called the Swan. This pub still maintains its original woodwork and atmosphere, and it was a nice break from the loud, obnoxious pubs in Temple Bar area pouring with drunk men on stag weekends. We were all offered a shot of whiskey, which I tasted, but this only confirmed my hatred for the stuff.

baldbarista

The next stop was quite a treat. We walked into a café with a very tall bald man from New Zealand standing behind the counter. Within ten seconds I could sense his arrogance but also his passion for espresso and making proper coffee. The café, called The Bald Barista, is named after the owner Buzz who, you guessed it, is bald, and a professional barista. He really knows his stuff and he says his café is about coffee education. You can talk to him about what you like and don’t like and he usually has the answers and the perfect drink to suit your needs. Just watching him make my skinny cappuccino and listening to him talk so lovingly about espresso and his café was a fun experience. My coffee was great, made with “FIXX” beans, the Bald Barista’s own blend of coffee developed in conjunction with Café de Cuba. I think there is definitely a market for his café to open in London.

sausagerolls

We then moved on through some covered markets and tasted what was deemed ‘The Best Sausage Roll’ in Dublin from a little stand called Lolly and Cooks and we finished at a food store called Fallon and Byrne which covered three stories: a wine bar in the basement, a food hall on the ground and a fine dining restaurant on the top floor. The owners of this shop wanted it to mirror the gourmet eateries and shops in New York City and I have to say they hit the nail on the head. Downstairs amongst the shelves and shelves of wine at Fallon and Byrne we ate smoked salmon and brown bread and rested our feet from the two and half hours of walking around.

smokedsalmon

For a foodie visiting Dublin, especially for the first time, I highly recommend the Dublin Tasting Trail for a mix of lovely food, a bit of education and a nice walk around the city.