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itsa… not just any cup of Joe!

2 May

Press Release - April 23rd 2012
itsa… not just any cup of Joe!

Over a year has past since Domini and Peaches Kemp embarked on their mission of bringing their own signature coffee blend into their itsa… stores. Along with their team of ʻCoffee Lunaticsʼ – a group of coffee obsessives who assisted in the sourcing, selecting, roasting, cupping and re-cupping the beans, the finished product is now being enjoyed in all itsa… branches. “We want our coffee to be just as much a part of the culinary experience for our customers, a culinary beverage, as such…the origin and treatment of the coffee beans are shown respect, with a focus on preserving the integrity of the selected beans”, says Domini.

The itsa… espresso is a blend of Grade 1 Arabica beans from Peru and Mexico. This dark roasted blend has an oaky and chocolaty aroma which is harmonised with a hint of caramel and vanilla – akin to the fragrance of a freshly made crème brûlée. The recently opened itsa… Ranelagh branch (located on the Triangle in Ranelagh village) is also paying homage to retro and low-tech brewing techniques with their Bru Bar facility. The beans for the Bru Bar are a single origin Grade 1 Arabica from Haiti that are ground specially to order. The two-pour drip phase process means you wait an extra minute, but coffee connoisseurs will endure the extra time for a taste of this superbly well-made java. This blonde roast has a lively acidity but is well balanced with a nutty lingering mouth-feel, perfect for the discerning coffee drinker and ideally enjoyed without milk.

The sophisticated coffee experience now available in itsa… branches with its suite of unique roasts and blends are also available to enjoy at home. Beans can be purchased instore and drank at home as an espresso-based drink or French press. “Our aim is to begin introducing guest roasts and limited edition blends throughout the course of the year with distinct flavour profiles for our coffee-loving customers”, added Peaches.

Until the end of May, itsa… customers can enjoy double points on their coffee loyalty cards as well as a range of additional coffee promotions and competitions in-store and on their Facebook page. A series of specialty coffee evenings and events will be commencing in itsa… branches from June 2012. Those interested in attending can sign-up in any of itsa… branch or send an email registering their interest to info@itsa.ie

For further press information please contact Josh Whelan at itsa…
087 664 2986 / josh@itsa.ie

Notes for editors:
DOMINI & PEACHES KEMP, Founders and Directors
Domini & Peaches Kemp created the “itsa” brand in 1999 with the opening of the first itsa…, gourmet bagel store in Dublin 1. Since then, the sisters have used their respective
fine dining and catering backgrounds to expand the itsa… food company to encompass six itsa …gourmet bagel stores, an itsa… café in IMMA and Sandymount village (formerly itsa4 restaurant), a recently launched ʻDubh Linnʼ Tea Rooms in Dublin Castle as well as operating the restaurants in Brown Thomas Dublin and Cork.

Domini is a member of the Taste council, a Euro-Toques chef and is the main food writer for The Irish Times. Her third cook-book will be published by Gill & Macmillan in Autumn 2012. Peaches holds a post graduate diploma in Public Relations and has recently completed the advanced level WSET Wine Diploma in the Irish Wine Board.

La Sirena 1st Anniversary in Conjunction w/ Taste Of Mexico

9 Nov

What: La Sirena 1 Year Anniversary / Taste of Mexico in conjunction with the Embassy of Mexico in Ireland

When: Saturday 19th November – Friday 25 November

Where: La Sirena, The Green, Malahide

Websites: www.embamex.ie/tasteofmexico and www.lasirena.ie

La Sirena’s Week of Offers and Celebrations:

Saturday 19th:

All Day from 1pm: 2 for 1 Tequila Sunrises

Sunday 20th:

All Day: €20 Jug of La Sirena Margaritas,

6pm – 8pm Live Latin Guitar with Jayro Gonzalez

Monday 21st:

All evening from 5pm: 2 for 1 La Sirena Margaritas

Tuesday 22nd:

All evening from 5pm: All You Can Eat !TACOMANIA! €15 (pp),

€20 Bucket of iced Mexican Beers

Wednesday 23rd:

12pm: Cookery Demo by Chef Mr. Claudio Hall Van Beuren (By invitation)

3pm: Mezcal & Tequila Tasting, by Mr. Sergio Inurrigarro & Fernando Cano (By invitation)

All night from 5pm: All you can eat !TACOMANIA! €15 (pp)

Thursday 24th:

All night from 5pm: €8 Plate of Nachos and a Bottle of Mexican Beer

Friday 25th:

All night from 5pm: Fiver Friday Returns! All Desserts €5

Plus a few surprises to be added soon!

 

A Summer of Lunches, Week 6: Itsa… (Bagel Stores)

22 Jul

Living up to our name, this summer we’re going to ‘enjoy’ a season of Friday afternoon lunch outings in Malahide. We’ll take some pictures and let you know what we find. In the meantime, please let us know other places where you recommend we should visit….

Read Week 1: La Sirena - Read Week 2: Leaf & Bean - Read Week 3: Scotch Bonnet - Read Week 4: Duffy’s Bar & Lounge - Read Week 5: Coffee Scene

In the sixth of our weekly series we visited Itsa… (Bagel Stores) at the top of New Street. This little oasis with its outdoor seating really comes into its own on a sunny day like today, but with its covered section and large indoor area, its just as charming on the more typical of Irish days too. This 3 tiered layout offers an eclectic and comfy choice of seating perfect for any day of the year.

Set in off the road, the cobble lined entrance with distinctive gates opens up into a spacious courtyard adorned with flower pots, trees and assorted tables. There’s a choice of low level, couch-style seating under the veranda, with an assorted mix of traditional 2 and 4 seater café tables in the high ceiling interior. The decor is a unique blend of contemporary and retro styles, coupled with the striking roof light, creating an impressive and airy space. There’s even a 3 table snug with a bountiful book-lined wall for those who aren’t in a hurry.

I counted 19 different signature bagels on the menu, all with imaginative names and served jam packed with an alluring mix of ingredients on 6 different types of bagels; Plain, Onions, Sesame, Pumpernickel, Wholewheat, & Poppy seed. Seeing is believing, as it really is an impressive and delightfully explained choice, so don’t be surprised if you see people standing under the menu for a while trying to work out just which bagel they’re going to devour. A clever tip would be to go with a friend and order two different bagels and swap half a bagel with each other.

Some of the great choices include The Club, with homecooked chicken breast, streaky bacon, wicklow brie, lettuce, tomato, mayo, red onion relish & butter. DK’s Delight, on a Pumpernickel Bagel, with streaky bacon, wicklow brie, caramelised onions, crushed avocado, lettuce, tomato, fresh basil mayo & honey dijon, and The Gourmet Veggie, poppy seed bagel, with goats cheese, hummus, black olive tapenade, roasted red peppers, red onion relish, lettuce & butter. For an ingenious and fulfilling take on an Irish Breakfast those that may have overdone it the night before will be really appreciative of the All Day Cure, which comes with a free range egg, sausages, rashers, tomato relish and butter all inside a plain bagel. Reading the menu is like an adventure of flavour and memorable combinations, and waaaaaay to long for us to share with you now, so we recommend taking a trip to the Itsa Bagel site for the full and inspiring list.

So needless to say we went in expecting incredible bagels, and those familiar with Itsa will know that’s exactly what we would get. But for those not so familiar with the menu might be interested to know that they also serve delicious and hearty soups as well as a selection of exciting salads too. So good were the salads on offer I differed the bagel eating to my trusty side-kick and took the plunge and went for the Royal. The Salads also include The Kind Veggie; with hummus, crushed avocado, roasted red peppers, sliced red onion, lettuce, tomato & vinaigrette, and The Ceaser; home cooked chicken breast, ceaser dressing, parmesan, cos lettuce and oven bagel chips.

For starters we had the Chunky Vegetable & Lentil soup and the Soup of the Day; smoked bacon, brie, courgette & thyme. With the flavour and identifiable ingredients it came as no surprise to learn that both soups are made daily in-store.  We initially had a slight disagreement over who would get the incredible sounding Soup of the day, but I soon found out that qualifing for the Vegetable & Lentil soup was no booby prize, its clear why its a cult favorite.

For mains we had the Itsa Ruben Bagel, and The Royal Salad. The Itsa Ruben comes in a pumpernickel bagel featuring the inspired and age old pairing of pastrami and melted swiss cheese, with a delicious caramelised onion and 1000 island dressing. Pastrami and cheese came about through methods created by our ancestors for perserving meat and dairy products prior to the invention of refrigeration; so this combo has a real and proven history, which was evident today. The Royal salad was a generous serving of succulent coronation chicken (cooked chicken with herbs and spices, with a creamy mayonnaise -based sauce), which looked very appealing and impressive served on a bed of lettuce. It came along with a portion of zesty mango chutney, and tomato & vinaigrette dressing on the side, to apply as I pleased. My enjoyment of the salad proved that Itsa has a lot more in its locker than its famous bagels.

For desert we went for the Super Rich Chocolate Cake and Vanilla Cup Cake. The Chocolate cake was aptly named, and came with the choice of being heated to which we duly obliged. It was covered in a gooey chocolate icing and was accompanied by a liberal portion of whipped cream. The Cupcake may have looked a little small beside its chocolate brother, but it was a delightful little treat to accompany my bucket of tea. After my soup and salad I just wasn’t able for the appealing Baked Cheese Cake, or Apple pie… but the I almost succumbed to the impressive looking Super Light Carrot Cake. The clash between its name and its appearance made me suspicious, but Carrot Cake is a personal favourite, so I will be back to investigate.

Our meal in full:

Starter:
Chunky Vegetable & Lentil Soup, €4.25

Soup of the Day, €4.75 – Smoked Bacon, Brie, Courgette & Thyme

Add a buttered warm/toasted bagel for .50c

Main Course:
The Royal, €5.35 – Coronation Chicken, lettuce, mango chutney, tomato & vinaigrette

Itsa Ruben Bagel, €5.75 – Pastrami, Swiss Cheese, Caramelised Onions, 1000 Island Dressing, Butter in a Pumpernickel Bagel

Desert:
Super Rich Chocolate Cake, €4.95  - with a medium Americano Coffee, €2.40

Vanilla Cupcake, €2.96 – with a large Tea, €1.90

Itsa… (Bagel Store)

Address: New Street, Malahide, Co.Dublin, Ireland

Telephone: +353 (0)1 845 6744

Itsa’s Opening Hours:

  • Monday – Friday: 8.00am – 6pm
  • Saturday: 9am – 6pm
  • Sunday: 10am – 6pm

A Summer of Lunches, Week 5: Coffee Scene

15 Jul

Living up to our name, this summer we’re going to ‘enjoy’ a season of Friday afternoon lunch outings in Malahide. We’ll take some pictures and let you know what we find. In the meantime, please let us know other places where you recommend we should visit….

Read Week 1: La Sirena - Read Week 2: Leaf & Bean - Read Week 3: Scotch Bonnet - Read Week 4: Duffy’s Bar & Lounge

In the fifth of our weekly series we visited Coffee Scene, an attractive and lively village favourite on Main Street. When we arrived, there was a small queue at the door. However, this merely served to show the popularity of the café as it cleared quickly and we were seated within a minute. We had a choice of outdoor or indoor seating, but we picked the indoor tables so we could get a good feel for the place.

The decor is is elegant and stylish; pretty chandeliers adorn the ceiling and the wine shelves, open kitchen and wall mural lend a real Parisien feel. The café is hopping, a good mixture of employees of local businesses popping in for their lunch, mom’s with kid’s and more languid customers enjoying a glass of wine. We arrived at 1.30pm, and by the time we left over an hour later the café was still full. The tables are all two-seater, but the friendly staff happily push them together to accommodate families and larger groups. There’s an intimate feeling to the café, with friendly greetings shared between the tables, and between the customers and the staff.

The menu is concise, and split into Morning 8am-12pm, and Lunch from 12pm – till close.  Our waitress Gabriela  took us through the specials, but in a nice touch, she also highlighted dishes on the menu, recommending her favourites. We duly obliged and went with her recommended selection and were thoroughly impressed. The breakfast menu has a full breakfast, plus a mini one. There’s also a unique take on a breakfast roll, the Ciabatta Breakfast, and Scrambled Eggs, French Toast, Bacon & Sausage Toasted Sandwiches, and a Breakfast Panini or Wrap. They also have a selection of Bagels with various toppings, and Quiche and ‘Savage’ Sausage Rolls.

The lunch menu has a range of generous salads; Grilled Chicken, Thai Chicken, Goats Cheese, Tuna and Chicken Caesar. There’s Soup of the Day, with homemade bread, plus signature sandwiches. The sandwiches are served either as a Panini, Ciabatta, Focaccia, or in a Wrap, including the following; Pesto Chicken, Baked Ham, Goats Cheese, Sweet Pepper Chicken, Cajun Style, Tuna & Vegetarian.

The deserts were calling to us from the beginning, the display cabinet is front and center on arrival, showing off a wonderful array of delicious looking cakes; including chocolate, apple and carrot, plus assorted homemade scones and pastries, and some impressive looking homemade Mar’s, Crunchie and Rocky Road squares.

For drinks the barista serves a range of well made coffees; Espresso, Macchiato, Cappuccino, Latte & Mocha. There’s a choice of various soft drinks and water, including our personal favourite, traditional lemonade. Plus there’s a choice of beers, including Heineken, Sol, Moretti & Paulaner and red & white wines, and even some Prosecco, which we’ve taken a note of for our next visit.

For starters we both had the Homemade Minestrone Soup, as with our previous destinations, we were pleased to find the soup was piping hot. Served with a lovely raisin bread, the soup was thick and flavoursome and was very much a meal in itself.

For main courses we went with Gabriela’s recommendations and we found they were her favourites for good reason. The Pesto Chicken Panini was filled with chunky roast chicken, Coffee Scenes delicious homemade green pesto and Parmesan cheese, and came with a pepper and onion salad and chunky crisps on the side. Its a really good sized panini, the grilled ridges were nicely toasted, and the ingredients were gently melted together, with a delicious flavor and texture. The Thai Chicken salad was a beautiful blend of colours and flavours to thrill the taste buds! The generous strips of chicken breast are marinated in a satay sauce then served over a bed of summer greens, with peppers, pine nuts & spring onions all tossed in a sesame oil and vinaigrette dressing. Altogether it was light, but filling, flavourful, crisp and delicious. The salad was served with a plate of raisin bread along with Coffee Scenes ‘star of the show’, their homemade Green Pesto. Its really fresh tasting with a powerful flavour and consistency that I find is often missing from off the shelf versions. I must make a mental note to pop in and see if its available to buy.

Then it was time for desert. As usual we really thought we couldn’t, but then Gabriela, noting our indecision (or maybe our eyes gave our true motives away) drew our attention to the glass cabinet again, and once again our resolve melted like the chocolate topping on the chocolate cake. We had the homemade Apple Pie, served with a generous portion of cream, and yep, you guessed it, the Chocolate Cake. The Apple Pie was warm and constructed of succulent wafer-like layers of apple encased in an icing sugar topped pastry, along with a good sized crust. The chocolate layer cake, was chocolaty and layered with more chocolate and lashings of cream. By this stage our pleasure was clearly visible and we wore the chocolate on our face with honor.

Our meal in full:

Starter:
Soup of the day, €4.50 – Homemade Minestrone Soup, with homemade raisin bread

Main:
Pesto Chicken Panini, €7.50 – Chunky roast chicken, homemade green pesto & parmesan cheese

Thai Chicken Salad, €8.50 – Tender strips of satay chicken, pine nuts, mixed peppers, spring onions served with seasame oil & vinaigrette.

Desert:
Homemade Apple Pie, €4.25 – with cream

Chocolate Cake, €4.25 – with cream

Coffee Scene

Address: Main Street, Malahide, Co.Dublin, Ireland

Telephone: +353 (0)1 845 7175

Coffee Scene’s Opening Hours:

  • Monday – Friday: 8am – 8pm
  • Saturday: 9am – 8am
  • Sunday: 10pm – 8pm
Visit:

A Summer of Lunches, Week 4: Duffy’s Bar & Lounge

8 Jul

Living up to our name, this summer we’re going to ‘enjoy’ a season of Friday afternoon lunch outings in Malahide. We’ll take some pictures and let you know what we find. In the meantime, please let us know other places where you recommend we should visit….

Read Week 1: La Sirena - Read Week 2: Leaf & Bean - Read Week 3: Scotch Bonnet

In the fourth of our weekly series we visited the newly refurbished Duffy’s Bar & Lounge on Main Street, and what a difference a refurbishment makes. You notice the change the moment you walk into the bright and airy lounge. While many may have already sampled a night out in the new Duffy’s, the day-times have clearly created a vibrant and enticing personality of their own.

There’s a lively cafe atmosphere; the clinking of cups, chatter & laughter, coupled with the smiling waitresses you’re right at ease. The interior is an eclectic mix of antique and modern creating a stunning location, with generous roof lights, high ceilings and open plan layout. There’s lots of space for a group of friends, or a buggy, but also comfortable spaces with low seating for an intimate meal.

Watching the plates as the staff take it to the adjoining tables, its clear from the start that the kitchen turns out good, honest, and freshly cooked food, and at keen prices too. There’s the buzz of an establishment that has hit the ground running and created its own crowd in the face of plenty of other offerings. So it came as no surprise to learn that the new manager has spent some of his time working in the service industry in New York. Duffy’s is alive with new confidence, and it clearly has a lot to offer.

They’ve broken the week up nicely with the menu. With coffee, tea and pastries served from opening, the ‘Seafood Buffet lunch & more’ is available from 12.30 until 3pm, featuring Fresh Poached Salmon, Smoked Salmon, Boston Prawns, Crab Claws, Roast Sirloin of Beef, Honey Baked Ham, Smoked Chicken. Plus hot dishes such as Oriental Duck Wrap, Homemade Beef Burger & Beer Battered Cod & Chips with a range of sides.

The Coastal Dining á la Carte is a more extensive evening menu and is available from 3pm until 8pm, featuring Escalopes of Poached Salmon, Jumbo Tiger Prawns, Roast Cod & Crayfish, Marinated Chicken, Rib Eye Steak, Pasta, Buffalo Mozzarella Salad and a choice of sides. Plus a range of starters including and Paté, Brie, Soup & Deep Fried Prawns.

Sunday Brunch, from 12.30pm – 3pm  is certain to be a real favourite during the football season, and a fun little treat throughout the summer. The menu looks really appealing for a lazy Sunday afternoon with a Eggs Benedict, Traditional Breakfast, French Toast, Eggs Florentine, Omelettes, Granola, Smoked Salmon, and Steak & Eggs, all with a choice of either a Beer, Guinness, Red or White Wine, Homemade Smoothie, Bloody Mary or Mimosa on the side.

For starters we had the Fresh Soup of the Day, which was Potato & Leek, hearty and thick, and served our favourite way; piping hot with homemade brown bread on the side. It was a good size portion in a deep bowl that maintained the temperature of the soup throughout. For mains we had the Duffy’s Homemade 6oz Burger and the Oriental Duck Wrap. The burger came in a good sized  floury bap with Sweet Tomato Relish, always the piggy’s we added Bacon & Cheese, and why not, its a Friday. The burger also came with lovely chunky hand cut chips and a nice sized salad with peppers and onions, to put in the burger or eat on the side. The tortilla wrap contained Marinated Duck bursting with an Asian infusion, which in our own words we’d call it a thick and tasty Asian sauce with slices of juicy peppers & onions. The wrap came with a salad garnish and a bowl of those delicious hand cut chips.

We plumped (no pun intended) for desert, but only so we could give our readers a complete review you understand. A bird can’t fly on one wing etc etc. In truth, one of us is a sucker for Stawberry Cheese Cake, so when it arose in the run-down of deserts, the stars had clearly aligned, the world made sense, and there was only going to be one outcome, “Strawberry Cheese Cake and an Apple Pie on the side please”. The Apple Pie was warm and came with cream and ice-cream and was the perfect compliment for my pot of tea. The Strawberry Cheese Cake came with cream, it was firm, well sized and didn’t disappoint. In fact both deserts were a fair sized portion, so needless to say we left with a smile on our faces and a waddle in our walk.

Our meal in full:

Starter:

Soup of the day, €4 – Potato & Leek, with homemade brown bread

Main Course:

Duffy’s Homemade 6oz Burger, €7.50 – Served on a floury bap with Sweet Tomato Relish & Hand Cut Chips. with added Bacon & Cheese for €1 each.

Oriental Duck Wrap, €10.95 – Marinated Duck with an Asian infusion served in a Tortilla wrap, with a Salad Garnish and Hand Cut Chips

Desert:

Apple Pie, €4 – with cream & ice-cream
Strawberry Cheese Cake, €4 – with cream

Complete with the most modern & environmentally friendly beer cooling & dispensing system in Ireland, Duffy’s also serves its own filtered water on draft and features a complete & comprehensive wine list too . You’re sure to find the perfect spot with their new open plan ground floor, Steeple lounge upstairs & spectacular roof garden. At night the bar comes alive with an evening atmosphere that you would expect within any cosmopolitan town.

Next Friday July 15th we’re off to try out Coffee Scene on Main Street

Duffy’s Bar & Lounge

Address: Main Street, Malahide, Co.Dublin, Ireland

Telephone: +353 (0)1 845 0735

Duffys Opening and Food Serving Hours:

  • Monday – Thursday: 10.30am – 11.30pm
  • Friday – Saturday: 10.30am – 12.30am
  • Sunday: 12.30pm – 11.00pm
  • Seafood Buffet Lunch & More: Monday – Saturday, 12.30pm – 3.00pm
  • Coastal Dining á la carte: Monday – Sunday 3.00pm – 8.00pm
  • Sunday Brunch 12.30pm – 3.00pm

A Summer of Lunches, Week 3: The Scotch Bonnet, Urban Cafe

1 Jul

Living up to our name, this summer we’re going to ‘enjoy’ a season of Friday afternoon lunch outings in Malahide. We’ll take some pictures and let you know what we find. In the meantime, please let us know other places where you recommend we should visit….

Read Week 1: La Sirena - Read Week 2: Leaf & Bean

In the third of our weekly series we visited The Scotch Bonnet, Urban Cafe on Church Road. Whoa, what can we say, come for the food, and stay for the music …and stay because we just couldn’t move with our full tummy’s. From the moment we walked in we rock’n'rolled to the friendly service and cracking music; Roxy Music, Dire Straits, Paul Young, Fleetwood Mac, Tears for Fear, Talking Heads, and The Beatles to name a few. The hits kept on coming, and that included the food! In all the good ways there’s an American style feel to the place, big smiles, friendly service, and full plates. You have a choice of tables on the various levels throughout the split level, open plan restaurant. There’s high tables with stools & banquette seats, a low couch area with a wide-screen tv, and regular tables in the lower and upper levels, something to suit any occasion. Siobhán, our server, set us at ease straight away, and we knew we were in for a good lunch before we even looked at the menus. She explained the specials, talked us through the menu and had our drinks in front of us in no time.

We knew they had just launched a new menu so we came with minds wide open, regards what we would eat. The menu covered a lot and it took us quite a while to decide because we didn’t want to exclude any of it. The rib’s, wings, prawns, calamari and salmon can be ordered as a starter or main which we really liked, and there is also a choice of Gourmet Sandwiches, salads and soups. Other mains included a half roast crispy chicken, angus beef burger, fresh cod, and jumbo pork, apple & mustard sausages with mash. There’s also a tasty looking puff pastry tart and rigatoni pasta for vegetarians too. While you’re waiting for your food or even while you’re eating, there’s an abundance of games and accessories to play with, Connect Four, Wigs, Hats and over sized sunglasses. The great part about the Scotch Bonnet is that you can really lose yourself in the fun.

For starters we shared a starter portion of Scotch Bonnet Chicken Wings and Baby Back Pork Ribs. The wings were perfect, hot, chunky and full of flavour. They came with a delicious blue cheese dressing, and just to clarify, that’s real blue cheese dressing, with lumps of blue cheese, yum! The ribs were succulent, soft and the meat fell off the bone. They were also smothered in the Scotch BBQ sauce which at this point I’ll have to admit that I licked the plate when we were finished, though I did make sure to check that no-one was looking …honest!

For mains we had the Skewered Fresh Prawns and the Angus Beef Burger. There was a generous portion of prawns (a quick count showed 16) complete with a full king prawn, on a bed of salad too. The chilli marinade was just the right side of spicy, it added to the flavour with out overpowering the prawns. The burger was big, covered in melted cheese, lettuce and bacon, and was crowned with a big wedge of gherkin. All our sides came in fun metal pots filled with big onion rings, really chunky fries, and classic skinny chips that came with a vast selection of sauces in tow; marie rose, ketchup, blue cheese, jalapeno mayo, sour cream & sweet chilli dip. For desert we went for the generous Tall Boy Sundae, the Scotch Bonnet’s take on a classic ice-cream sundae and the moreish Chocolate Fudge Cake, complete with strawberry and ice-cream.

Our meal in full:

Starter:
Baby Back Pork Ribs, €7 – with Scotch BBQ Sauce
(available in an even bigger portion as a main for €14)

Scotch Bonnet Chicken Wings, €9 – served with blue cheese dip & celery sticks
(available in an even bigger portion as a main for €14)

Mains:
Angus Beef Burger, with Bacon €16.50 – with mature cheddar, beef tomato & fine onion

Skewered Fresh Prawns, €18 – in a chilli harrissa marinade with a mango & soy dip
(available in a smaller portion as a starter for €12)

On the Side:
Onion Rings, €4 – with Jalapeno mayo
Chunky Fries, €4 – with sour cream & sweet chilli dip


Desert:
Tall Boy Ice Cream Sundae, €5 with nuts & cream

Chocolate Fudge Cake, €6.50 with vanilla ice-cream

The Scotch Bonnet is an adventure from start to finish, a fun ride of laughs music and good food. It’s a trip to be remembered. Don’t forget they’re open for dinner, and never forget the Supper Club, open till 1.30am on Saturday’s, Sunday’s and Bank Holiday. Great Music, great food, and great fun, till late.

Next Friday July 8th we’re off to try out the buffet in the New Duffy’s on main Street

The Scotch Bonnet Urban Cafe

Address: 4 Church Road, Malahide, Co.Dublin, Ireland

Telephone: +353 (0)1 845 5033

Scotch Bonnet Opening Hours:

  • Breakfast / Brunch:
    Fri, Sat & Sun:  9am – 12.30pm
  • Dinner:
    Mon, Tue, Wed, Thurs & Sunday:  5pm – 9.30pm,
    Fri & Sat:  5pm – 10:30pm
  • Supper Club
    Fri, Sat, & Bank Holidays till 1.30
…and brand new jars of Heinz Tomato Ketchup too (i’d already attacked this one)!

A Summer of Lunches, Week 2: Leaf & Bean

24 Jun

Living up to our name, this summer we’re going to ‘enjoy’ a season of Friday afternoon lunch outings in Malahide. We’ll take some pictures and let you know what we find. In the meantime, please let us know other places where you recommend we should visit….

Read Week 1: La Sirena

In the second of our weekly series we visited Leaf & Bean on Old Street. The weather couldn’t dampen our spirits in Malahide’s Secret Garden, at first glance when you walk through the door you see a bright and cheery traditional tea rooms, patterned table cloths, potted flowers and china teapots adorn every table. As you follow out to the back you discover one of Malahide’s best kept secrets, a spacious deck (complete with a canopy when needed) and a landscaped walled garden generously scattered with toys to keep the kids busy. Its clear that Leaf & Bean is the epitome of kid friendly, yet still stylish and chic in its decor and presentation. The cafe was nice and busy at lunchtime, but there’s plenty of tables to go round. There’s quite a bit of banter going around between staff and customers. So we’re guessing there are regulars who lunch here, which is always a good sign. Parents chatted comfortably safe in the knowledge that the kids were nicely contained, and occupied on the grass with the toys.

Not knowing what was on the menu prior to our visit, we were pleasantly surprised to discover a concise but nicely varied choice, with a hearty house breakfast, generous toasted sandwiches, wraps, exciting salads, tartlets, sensational potato cakes and homemade quiche.  Everything is great value, with Sandwiches starting at €4.50 being the cheapest to the Pan-Seared Fillet of Sea Bass Salad for €9.50 being the most expensive. They also have a black board highlighting daily specials, which true to their word is updated everyday. The service was excellent, considered and attentive, and at one point when a neigbouring diner dropped their knife on the floor and it was noticed by the waitress and promptly replaced without fuss, a very good sign.

From what we were served and what we saw on neighbouring tables everything in Leaf & Bean is clearly home made, hearty and well presented. Smiles were clearly evident on peoples faces when they saw their food arrived, and we were no different. The vegetable soup came quick and was big, and most importantly, it was hot. The chunky homemade bread that came with it was delicious, and it all tasted like we were eating something that was undoubtedly good for us.

For mains we had the House Breakfast (there is a mini one available too) and the Leaf & Bean Club Sandwich, the portions were great, not crazy american size, but perfectly generous. I’ll admit I was feeling in need of some TLC after a friends birthday celebration last night, and the Breakfast took very good care of me. With 2 sausages, 2 bacon, 2 black pudding & 2 white, lots of grilled mushrooms, a grilled tomato and a perfectly cooked fried egg, topped off with a plate full of toast, I was always onto a winner. The club sandwich was equally well-endowed packed with Chicken, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, and melted cheese in the traditional 3 layers of toast and a good pile of crinkle cut crisps on the side.

My tea came in a traditional bone china teapot, accompanied by a china milk jug and cup, the coffee in a good sized mug, and the butter and sauces were served in nice little ramakens, every thing came with a nice attention to detail, with top-up’s offered through the course of the meal.

The cakes were the proverbial cherry on top, homemade, fluffy, and flavorsome with delicious layers of icing on top and throughout, their fame is truly well deserved.  Leaf & Bean has a sister cafe in Newbridge House in Donabate where people come from far and wide to try the homemade cakes, scones and cookies, and the great news is that they’re all here now on Old Street too.

Our meal in full:

Starter:
Soup of the Day, €4.50 – served with homemade brown bread. Today’s soup was lovely thick vegetable, piping hot and just the ticket for a day like today.

Mains:
House Breakfast, €7.95 – Bacon, Egg, Sausage, Black & White Pudding, Grilled tomato and Mushrooms. Served with homemade brown bread or toast and teat or coffee.

Leaf & Bean Club Sandwich, €6.50 – Chicken, Bacon, lettuce, Tomato, and melted cheese in layers and toasted.


Desert:
Homemade Coffee Cake, €4.50

Homemade Hummingbird Cake, €4.50 – similar to a Carrot Cake but with banana & pineapple.

We thoroughly recommend a trip to Leaf & Bean for lunch. Next Friday July 1st we’re off to The Scotch Bonnet on Church Road.

Leaf & Bean Coffee Shop

Address: 10 Old Street, Malahide, Co.Dublin, Ireland

Telephone: +353 (0)1 816 8772

Leaf & Bean Opening Hours:

  • Monday to Saturday: 9am – 5.30pm
  • Sunday: 10am – 6pm

A Summer of Lunches, Week 1: La Sirena Malahide

17 Jun

Living up to our name, this summer we’re going to ‘enjoy’ a season of Friday afternoon lunch outings in Malahide. We’ll take some pictures and let you know what we find. In the meantime, please let us know other places where you recommend we should visit….

We started off our series with an exceptional lunch in La Sirena. Everything in their kitchen is made from scratch and its clear that they are proud to use genuine Mexican ingredients and authentic flavours, offering customers a top class Mexican dining experience.

Our meal consisted of a blend of contemporary & traditional Mexican dishes, the Chicken Pozole, a Lightly spiced Chicken broth was the perfect way to warm up on this dreary summers day. Its hard to explain the taste, suffice to say, it really grabbed our imagination.  The layers of flavors were a delicious journey, not what you’d expect from a broth at all, and the light spicy taste left a softglow in our tummy’s.

We had a selection of delicious Tortas (Mexican Sandwiches) for mains, hearty fillings in Mexican Wholewheat brown Birote (bread). Both came with generous side garnsih and rice. I went for the Chorizo filling, and Brian had the Pork, both were a riot of well presented colour, and flavours.

Feeling particularly naughty we were coaxed into having a desert, and my what an inspired decision that was. We were served up a pair of exquisite traditional Mexican deserts to top off our lunch time treat. Both were creamy but very light, and led by the inevitable excitement on each others faces we quickly halved our plates to share, so neither of us missed out on each others choice.

Our meal in full:

Starter:
Tostada and Soup, €8.95 - Golden Corn Tortilla topped with refried Pinto Beans, Spiced Beef, Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream, and fresh Avocado served with Soup of The Day.

The soup today was: Chicken Pozole – Lightly spiced Chicken broth with Hominy (A very special White Corn) and Vegetables, topped with shredded Chicken and served with a couple of warm Tortillas.

Mains:
Choriqueso, €9.95 (Below left) – Chorizo and Cheese: Tangy Chorizo, Roasted Sweet Pepper & Onion Rajas, Monterey Jack Cheese, Fresh
Lettuce, and Avocado Slices

Roast Pork Sandwich, €9.95 (Below right) – Torta Chilorio Verde: Wholewheat brown Birote filled with roasted Pork in Tomatillo and Serrano Chile Sauce, topped with Cebolla Escabeche and Queso Fresco

Desert:
The Tres Leches, €6.95 (Below left) – Traditional Dessert made of Vanilla Sponge then soaked in a 3 Milk Syrup (Cream, Sweet Condensed Milk, Evaporated Milk). The Strawberry sauce is a Strawberry and Lime Coulis, and of course the traditional Marshmallow Meringue.

The Lime Tart, €6.95 (Below right) – A Lime and Tequila Curd over a Salted Almond Biscuit base with Caramelized Meringue, and fresh Mango poached in simple syrup.

We thoroughly recommend a trip to La Sirena for lunch. What a way to start our ‘Summer of Lunches’ Series. Next Friday June 24th we’re off to Leaf & Bean on Old Street

La Sirena Mexican Restaurant & Tequila bar

Address: The Green, Malahide, Co.Dublin, Ireland

Telephone: +353 (0)1 845 66 67

La Sirena Opening Hours:

  • Sunday to Thursday: 12pm – 10pm
  • Friday & Saturday: 12pm – 11pm
  • Early Bird: Monday to Saturday 5pm – 7pm (12pm – 7pm on Sunday)
  • !TACOMANIA!: Tuesday & Wednesday Nights from 5pm

Visit:
http://www.enjoymalahide.com/eating/premium/la-sirena-mexican-restaurant/index.html
http://www.lasirena.ie  

Malahide, The Gourmet Capital of The East Coast

16 Jun

Eating out is an important ingredient, whether you live in Malahide or visiting the area on holiday or business. We are delighted that our Bar’s, Restaurants & Café’s receive the recognition they so well deserve. Despite the current economic trials in Ireland, this year has seen more restaurants open their doors here, attracting diners of every persuasion which clearly confirms that Malahide continues to be the number one food-lover’s destination on the East Coast on Ireland.”

The cuisine offered in Malahide as a whole has changed radically over the past twenty years, the diversity both in cooking styles and in the variety of occasions that can be catered for.  The Bar’s, Restaurants & Café’s blend southern European, Asian & American influences with the richness of Irelands’s natural produce, such as its traditionally excellent dairy products, its quality organic vegetables & fruits and of course, the raw ingredients from its surrounding farmlands and abundant waters.

This transformation has been led by Malahide’s restaurants and what locals & seasonal visitors have known for years, has also now begun to be recognised by food writers, gourmets and gourmands from around the world.

If you look at the details, you can make out an exciting trend in Dublin’s constellation of culinary stars: first-rate cuisine is increasingly breaking away from the large hotels & chains. Leading the pack is Malahide where the dining experience is being shaken up by independent establishments and adventurous chefs tucked away in the traditional village & cobble locked streets.

With all these ingredients Malahide, in North County Dublin, in Ireland, richly deserves its title of ‘The Gourmet Capital of The East Coast’.

Of the many stand out eateries, here is but a taste:

  • La Sirena Mexican Restaurant & Tequila Bar – Authentic Mexican Cuisine with a contemporary twist
  • Siam Thai – A blend of contemporary & authentic Thai cusine, one of Irelands best
  • Silks Chinese Restaurant – One of the heavyweights of the Malahide dining experiences.
  • Sale e Pepe – Contemporary cuisine with a nod to hearty Italian flavours
  • Bon Appetit - Fine dining Michelin star restaurant
  • Scotch Bonnet – American Influcenced experience from the big burgers to the excellent service & part atmosphere
  • Kajjal - Award wining Pakistani food in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere
  • Itsa Bagel - Domni & Peaches Kemp’s imaginative and delicious Bagel wonderland
  • Leaf & Bean Cafe – Perfect for kids, with perfect homemade pastries. Eat in the classically decorated tea-rooms or out on the deck in the garden.
  • Mirchi Indian Restaurant - A hidden jewel, where the service comes second only to the wonderful authentic flavours.
  • Gibney’s – Incredible value pub food in one of Irelands most famous Bars.
  • Beachcomber – One of Irelands best Traditional Irish-Italian Chippers, Burgers & Chips, Fish & Chips, Chicken & Chips, go on….
  • Cruzzo – a modern european restaurant situated on the marina in Malahide.


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