Photo owned by Jazreel Chan (cc)
What the Sundays said about food.
By Sinéad Keogh
A STARCH REALISATION
In Tribune Magazine, Claire O’Mahony says Atkins is back and talks about the great carbo-loathing diet.They do work, and they also help lower cholesterol, she explains – but it’s all to do with your interpretation of low-carb. Taking this diet is licence to eat chipper-meats every day is nobody’s winning formula. The Trib feature also explains different low-carb diets from the ketogenic Atkins (which starves the body of carbs until it starts eating into its own fat reserves) to low GI (glycaemic index) Zone and South Beach which allow dieters to eat ‘good’ carbs like brown rice.
SAY CHEESE
The World Cheese Awards will be hosted by the RDS, Dublin this week says the Sunday Business Post. 130 cheese experts will judge 2,500 cheeses from 125 countries as the awards take their first trip outside Britain. The winner will be announced on October 1st.
CAT FOOD
Also from the SBP, the Savour Kilkenny food festival will be taking place in the Cat county on the October Bank Holiday weekend, October 24th – 27th. The four day festival includes tastings, competitions and demonstrations from some of Ireland’s top chefs. More here.
CHEAP CUTS
Rachel Allen’s Trib column talks healthy food for credit crunch-ees. Allen recommends stews and casseroles made with cheap cuts of meat and bulked up with lots of cheap root vegetables. For bigger savings she suggests cooking big batches at a time for freezing. Mutton, says the lady, comes into its own when slow cooked, so there’s no need for more expensive cuts for this type of dish.
H20h-My-God
The Trib have the tale behind Bling mineral water – created by Hollywood producer Kevin G Boyd. It’s sourced in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, purified in a 9-step process, produced in limited quantities and sold in bottles encrusted with Swarovski Crystals. It costs €44.99 for a 750ml bottle in Superquinn. Buy one and keep refilling out of the tap. A fiver says none of your mates could ever tell the difference.
FUNKY FUNGHI FUN
Finally, the SBP makes mention of Bill O’Dea’s mushroom hunts which are taking place on Saturday October 4th and Saturday October 11th in Avondale Co Wicklow. It costs €90 to take part and there’s more info here.
FORKING OUT
The food reviews in brief.
TASTE TEST
The Sunday Independent’s Lucinda O’Sullivan tried the new Taste restaurant in Monkstown and was impressed with Jackie Murphy’s new venture. Dishes included pan-seared guinea-fowl and grilled fillet of seabass, with mains generally priced under €20. A 12oz sirloin steak goes for €19.95, a must for recessionistas, while O’Sullivan compliments the owner on her friendly approach to customers.
INTO THE WILD GOOSE
At the SBP, Ross Golden Bannon reviews Ranelagh’s Wild Goose Grill. Describing the decor as like that of a genetleman’s club, Golden Bannon was a fan of The Wild Goose from starter to afters. Dishes included quenelle of crab, baked halibut fillet with tomato herb crust and canon of lamb. Though a side of champ did not impress, the reviewer did want to take a vanilla and buttermilk panacotta home to be alone with it. He describes the offerings as “innovative but not poncy food”.
