What the Sundays said about food.
By Sinéad Keogh
CLASS BY THE GLASS
From the Sunday Business Post, news of the new venture at The Atrium Lounge in The Westin Hotel. In conjuction with Dom Perignon, the city centre 5-star are offering rare vintage champagnes by the glass with a range of canapes – available daily from 5.30pm
BLAZING A TRAIL
Dublin’s Blazing Salads has launched a new cookbook and range of breads, says the Sunday Business Post. The shop will also have its next cookery class on November 26th in the Food Co-op on Newmarket Square. At €45 per person, the December class on the 2nd will cover making a vegetarian Christmas dinner. More from info @ blazingsalads.com
BEST IN SHOW
There’s now an accompanying annual for RTE’s The Restaurant, says Tribune magazine. Out on November 24th, the recipe book includes a number of dishes from past celeb participants including Amanda Brunker’s white onion soup. It costs just €4.95, too.
SWEET LIKE CHOCOLATE
Also in Tribune Magazine, Jillian Bolger’s Tried and Tested column sizes up drinking chocolate. Cadbury’s Drinking Chocolate disappoints with just one star and is described as ‘loaded with sugar, but very low on cocoa solids’ with even Tesco own brand drinking chocolate coming in ahead of it, but just, with two stars. M&S Fairtrade Drinking Chocolate gets three stars, with a lot said in its favour but just a ‘tad too sweet’ while the winner is Twinings Luxury Chocolate Drink with four stars.
BLUMETHAL, PLEASE
Chef Heston Blumenthal is holding an event on December 12th in Harvey Nicks, Dundrum, says the SBP. To co-incide with the launch of his Fat Duck Cookbook, a four course lunch will be served and there will be an interview with Blumenthal who will be signing copies of his cookbook. Tickets are €180 including a copy of the book, which will retail at €130.
FORKING OUT
The restaurant reviews in brief.
SO-SO ON MERRION ROW
From the Sunday Independent, Lucinda O’Sullivan tries eating like a tourist for a day to see if traditional Irish eateries are up to much. She visits the newly rebranded Queen Maebh’s in Foley’s Pub, Merrion Row (formerly The Loft). Offerings included stew, coddle and rack of lamb as well as less obvious oysters Kilpatrick and pastry-capped French onion soup. The verdict on the food was generally positive, but the prices in this tourist restaurant, completele with tra music, were almost as steep as the 4 flights of stairs leading up to it.
NOT-SO-HOT TROTTERS
Just two weeks after Lucinda O’Sullivan’s disappointing visit to Nassau Street’s new The Pig’s Ear, Katy McGuinness from the Tribune finds a new set of gripes. While O’Sullivan wasn’t over impressed with the fare, McGuinness found it enjoyable in the main but felt the eaterie needed to work on reducing its portion sizes and with them its prices. With two mediocre reviews in as many weeks, it sounds like Nassau Street’s newest needs to make some changes. McGuinness gave it three stars.
SO-LO
Georges Street’s Soho had a visit from SBP reviewer Ross Golden Bannon who was checking out its new recessionista menu. It was a bit hit and miss, with a bad haddock and a worse appple tart – but other dishes such as donuts and dip (Baileys, toffee, strawberry jam) and garlic prawns impressed. Golden Bannon feels that once this kitchen gets into a groove, it’ll be on a winner. A mixed review, but the theme seems to be that Soho is doing a lot of things right and will get better.