Post the Roast

Photo owned by angusf (cc)

What the Sundays said about food.

by Sinéad Keogh

EXALT THE SALT

The Sunday Tribune’s regular column from Rachel Allen is all about that scrumptious seasoning – salt. The Ballymaloe blonde says that it is impossible to assess our daily intake because of the hidden salt in processed foods – but adds that the way to deal with this is to ditch processed foods altogether. Meanwhile, it turns out that table salt’s bad name is justified. The refined kind we’re used to shaking liberally over our chips is stripped of magnesium and potassium leading to a mineral imbalance akin to having two hands and only one glass of 7Up. Your average table salt is just sodium and chloride which is apparently just asking for trouble. However, unrefined salt (with a recommended daily intake of about 6g) has all its minerals intact and tastes just as good. Allen says that the right salt in the right amounts has many health benefits and shouldn’t be abandoned altogether – she recommends English Maldon sea salt, Welsh Halen Mon, Cornish sea salt, Sel Gris from Brittany or Celtic salt.

PEA SHOOTS, PEA SCORES

Also in the Tribune, an interesting little piece on pea shoots – the salad leaf that appears to have all but replaced rocket on plates around Ireland. The Trib suggests eating raw or dressing in vinaigrette; steamed or in a stir fry. Interesting fact – they have seven times more Vitamin C than blueberries.

A LONG WAY FROM PENNY APPLES

The Sunday Business Post brings news of a gourmet dinner and cider-tasting event on September 27th in Killarney’s Muckross Park Hotel. Tickets for the event are priced at €85 with everyday ciders, speciality and organic varieties and champagne cider on offer followed by a specially designed menu to compliment the tipples (mashed Lifelines tablets in a bed of cotton wool one wonders?) A special overnight room rate of €100 per person sharing is on offer for cider drinkers and Muckross Park Hotel is on 064-23400 or online here.

ROME-LAGH

Ranelagh’s new Pinocchio Cafe has opened up beside the luas station says the Sunday Business Post. Apparently if the wait staff lie to you their noses grow. They’re serving eat-in and take-away lunches, dinners and snack foods. Cold meats and other Italian specialities are also on offer.

BURGER BITES

Also in the Sunday Business Post, news of the newest wheel on the gourmet burger bandwagon – Gourmet Burger kitchen in Temple Bar square and Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. Using 100 per cent Aberdeen Angus beef, GBK are also after the vegetarian market with five different types of veggie burger. They’re online here.

PIE= 3.1 PHWOAR

In the Sunday Business Post again,the story behind Abbey Street’s Pie Kitchen. Based in the Epicurean Food Hall, husband and wife David and Deirdre Coffey developed their recipes having travelled the world working in the humanitarian aid sector in Asia, Africa and the Balkans. They now sell a range of 11 handmade pies. Steak and stout and lamb and rosemary are the Coffey’s most popular pie fillings. The pies are served with creamy mash, minty peas and red wine gravy while those wanting to avoid pastry can buy the pie fillings separately as stews. The Pie Kitchen range is also available in Superquinn.

INAUGURAL IRISH FOOD AWARDS

Finally in the SBP, news of Blas Na hÉireann, the first Irish Food Awards. Organised by Irish food producers including Kieran Murphy of Murphy’s Ice Cream, the awards will include 17 categories with gold, silver and bronze medals in each. All tastings will be blind and the awards will be judged by experts in their fields from retailers to food writers, chefs and food buyers. To take part, companies must be registered in Ireland and create their products here, and the products must be available in at least three commercial outlets. The awards will take place in Kerry on October 5th as part of the annual Dingle Peninsula Food and Wine Festival. The full list of awards is online here and the deadline for entry is Friday, September 5th.

FORKING OUT

The restaurant reviews in brief.

In the Sunday Tribune, Dublin’s Shebeen Chic is reviewed. The new George’s Street eaterie gets the thumbs up with vintage décor and five different varieties of boxty from chef Seamus O’Connell.

Meanwhile the Sunday Business Post was unimpressed with Dundrum Town Centre’s Siam Thai. Friendly service and a clever wine list complete with tasting notes couldn’t make up for dishes which didn’t quite hit the mark. Though the banoffee was good, Ross Golden Bannon wasn’t happy
with his €150 bill.

Over at the Sunday Independent, Lucinda O’Sullivan was none too taken with The Westbury’s new restaurant – Wilde. If anything, the place was unkempt with chipped wine glasses and prawns so old they had grandchildren. Though the steak mains and cherry sponge desert hit the spot, O’Sullivan’s tale is one of overpriced, unimpressive sides and an unimpressive sous chef who visited their table to defend his honour when the prawns were sent back. No thanks.