Waffles!

I've loved waffles since I had a steaming hot one with cream on a rainy, cold day in Brussels last year. So I found myself in Chocolate Soup again, this time with P (holding my phone cos we were trying diff aperture settings on my camera) and decided to try out their yummy waffles this time with two scoops of vanilla ice-cream, caramel sauce and chocolate soup!

Once again I was not disappointed with Chocolate Soup's unique dessert menu: absolutely yummy and sweet but very, very messy (the caramel is sticky-as it should be) and not conducive to conversation at the same time as you have to eat the whole thing quickly before the ice-cream melts!

PS: P asked for a hot chocolate and instead he got a chocolate soup, same thing that happened to J few months back when she ordered a choc sundae and it was the same dude! plus he was just as rude as the last time, when we asked him where the hot choc was, he practically shouted at us pointing out to the big huge bowl of milk and chocolate. How the hell are we supposed to know? last time we checked hot chocolate was a drink and it came in a cup not a bowl. They really need to watch people's orders and their service especially if their drinks menu is so twisted, the least they can do is explain before they pour you a big bowl of sweet chocolate.

CAKE Serendipity

Later on the same day after the Cake Cafe disappointment, we headed for the Epicurean Food Hall after we helped JL buy a pair of jeans. A had left to see some god-awful concert in Malahide and N joined us, poor thing got drenched in the monsoon rain we've been relentlessly subjected to for the past month.

So anyway N bought us cappuccinos and some cake and truly I thought I was all caked out, but I was so pleasantly surprised by what's called real cake in front of me that I couldn't resist). N had the Death by Chocolate, which is what Choc cake is supposed to be like, soft, spongey and gooey in the centre (although I'm not a choc cake fan).


JL and I split the Strawberry Cheese Cake, which, as I always say is not really a cake (it's a cheese-based dessert, with crust and cheese cream filling) but dammit, it was good: soft, creamy and with perfect strawberry-kick. Our cappuccinos were nice and frothy too, with cute designs I didn't want to disturb.

It was by accident that we ended up having these desserts, as Moonstruck Cafe, (I think is what it's called) was not on my cake-hunt review list. The cake was good but these cakes are as ubiquitous in Ireland as the Irish rain and still no comparison to cakes elsewhere in the world.

CAKE HUNT part 1

My Mission (in life?) is to taste and review all the well-known and not-so-well-known cake places in Dublin, (mighty task but someone's gotta do it) so obviously the much-hyped Cake Cafe was my first pit-stop.


JL and I had gone on a search to find this place ages ago and it's hidden away in a little alley off Pleasant's Street which is another alley off Camden street. Very surreptitious, it's kinda like being a member of a secret-club. Quite a well-known secret at this stage though. But I'm not sure exactly why. Loved the cuteness of it, the mismatched china, the secret location, the artsy decor outside, the tea-party feel and the 'cake speciality' since it's called Cake Cafe n all. But how disappointed was I.

(JL looking smug with his arms crossed in front of the sandwiches)

The most "exotic" or unique cake they had on the cake menu was apple and cinnamon cake which they unfortunately hadn't baked that day. JL and G split an orange cake, A went for the chocolate cake and I reluctantly went for the lemon slice which I'd heard lots of good things about. The rest of the stuff on the cake menu was brownies-which they hadn't got that day either, cupcakes (which I'm not crazy about as they are loaded with icing) and scones (which are NOT cakes and hence should not be put on a cake menu)

Now I'm adamant that citrus and cake don't mix and should never be mixed...orange cake? please....lemon slice? is that even a cake??

No it' wasn't. It looked like french toast, was of minute proportions, and tasted like a slab of lemons loaded with sugar. I didn't even finish mine. A's choc cake was dry and the orange cake was nothing special. Needless to say none of them were finished off and for people like A, JL and I, being true cake-lovers that we are, that is bad form.

Although the guys had some unique sandwiches there and those seemed to redeem the Cake Cafe. But it's not called a Sandwich Cafe now is it? Maybe they should change the name and look across the Atlantic for real cake cafes. Not good Dublin :(

(JL and G having a fake conversation for the sake of art)

Note: G said the bathrooms were not bad, they used rainwater for toilets which helps save the planet, which can only be a good thing and she couldn't smell anything, which can only be a good thing too. Service was poor though.

Poor waitress was probably run off her feet but she forgot my cappuccino and G had to eat her cake with a knife cos they didn't give her a fork. Dangeorus.

More Nouvelle Cuisine

The gang decided to go for posh food together so we chose Gary Rhodes's Rhodesd7 this time since E was raving about it (after having a taster at the Dublin Tastefest) and I was raving about L'Ecrivain since last week, so we thought why not? and it didn't disappoint. Or atleast that's what I could surmise from the various ooohs and aaahhs round our table. We all had three courses and the value for money was excellent. Of course for maybe a tenner less we could be eating anywhere else in Dublin but eating extremely poor quality food.


J, A and I got the asparagus soup, JL got the beef starter and K got tuna. For mains J and I went for the Most-Amazing-Salmon-Ever, (having upgraded to being pescetarians now) grilled to perfection on a bed of caramelised shallots, with capers, olives, rocket leaves and a yummy hollandaise sauce (one of the best salmon I've ever had, the other being in that small restaurant opp. the epicurean food hall). J totally agreed.


E got the RD7 Ploughmans: Cashel Blue quiche, baked ham, smoked salmon, Irish Camembert, rabbit & foie gras terrine, just so he could have a taste of everything, A went for the duck: Crispy confit duck leg, foie gras, orange & hazelnut salad. Totally yumallicious while K went for the lamb, so all kinds of animals were represented around the table: fish, duck, sheep, cow etc... We only thought it was fair.


Didn't have the guts to dust off my camera and take some pics being in Rhodes n all, but J insisted, so by the time dessert came, the camera was out and we managed to take pics of the superb passion fruit panna cotta cheesecake, mango & vanilla salad & ginger shortbread (which J and JL got) and the icecream plate which the rest of us got: three scoops of ice-cream, the heavenly Coconut sorbet with (I have to say the best, transport-me-to-Hawaii) roast pineapple (ever!), chocolate ice cream with pear jelly (good but very bitter chocolate however the pear jelly combo was totally unique) & banana ice cream with rum raisins (we were all giddy with delight afterwards. I'd say it was those rum raisins)

One word: AMAZING

Few points to note:
A) Not a great menu for fundamentalist-vegetarians. Maybe like one main option.
B) Service better than what is known to be the usual Irish service but that still doesn't say much in comparison to international standards.
C) Decor and layout pretty bare, industrial-looking. Had some diner-esque seating which is kinda odd for a place like this, and the art was pretty, um, weird with huge cow faces staring down at you while you stick in to your 10 oz rib-eye steak. Our round table was perfect for conversation but quite big for 6 people so huge gaps between each person and still had to lean in to hear what the others were saying. (See K leaning in to get into the frame)
D) Oh and I'm going back for dessert, I had to try the icecream but someone told me their warm almond cake with glazed cider apples & blackberry ice cream is to die for.

Posh French Food

I usually avoid French food and places that serve french food, cos basically, well, I like food in a warm, congenial atmosphere, and I love food that covers most of the plate and fills most of me.
So, when I was told I had to go to to lunch at L'Ecrivain for a meet n' greet with the Cali Tourist Board, it hardly filled me with joy, unlike any opportunity to consume food often does. Although, I was totally psyched to meet the Californians. I feel me and Cali are a kindred spirit.

I would have preferred you're odd mainstream restaurant, I'd even have done with Italian (see my fanatic dislike for Italian food in the post below). Anything to avoid this. But I have to say L'Ecrivain did not disappoint. It is famous for some reason and yes it is their superb food.

I was so busy telling the Californians how much I hearted their state and how I was meant to be born there and live there that I barely would have paid any attention to the tasty morsels going through my mouth if it weren't for ...erm...those very tasty morsels. (See my total obliviousness to food when it comes to conversation. I got my priorities straight. Convo 1, Food 2...)

Anyway here's what I got:
Soup: Wild Mushroom
Starters: Goat's Cheese thingy with mango chutney
Main: Fresh cod with asparagus, and a sweet orange sauce
Dessert: A mocha mousse thing

I'm afraid I can't remember all the proper names and ingredients of the dishes. But I remember the taste. And wow hat's off to Mr Derry Clarke! The soup was delish, the goat's cheese the softest, warmest I've ever had, the cod flavoursome and the dessert just right. Plus the portions were not bad at all, the table we were sitting at was big enough to place the big plates on.

One cool thing I realised was that the sweet sauces for both the starters and the mains added a perfect kick to the dishes, which for an Asian person is a slightly odd concept, as we're used to more savoury dips, hot sauces or tangy yoghurts to bring out (or tone down even) the flavour of food.

Oh and I couldn't take any pics, (which is a shame cos the presentation of the food was so pretty) I thought it may look a bit crazy, me dressed in my best, whipping out my Sony DSC-H5 and taking pics of my plate in front of Arnie's people...

Real Good Coffee

Really, really good latte at Il Caffe di Napoli, cute coffee shop right next to the Pearse train station. Got one on my way to work. The latte was smooth and foamy, the coffee very very strong. So much so I had to put in 4 sugars.

Try it

I'm so sick of Italian

Went to Pacino's at Suffolk St last night with the college gang. I must say I'm sick and tired of Italian, pasta and pizza, pasta and pizza, pasta...well you get the drift. But I relented this time cos hadn't seen the mateys in a long time and it's always such a great get-together that I barely get to taste the food.
I'd been to Pacino's before and got my usual veggie fave: Alla Cubana (Italian vegetable blend with courgettes, aubergine, peppers, onions and mushrooms with Fettucine pasta). I marveled at the fantastic taste and reasonable price the last time (€11.30 for a really good plate) and much better service than any other Italians I've been to (Toscana, Little Caesar's etc)

But for some reason the very same dish this time came soaked in oil. So with spoonfuls of pasta, I was dunking down a whole lots of unhealthy oil. M contests it's olive oil, so that makes it OK. But olive or whatever, oil is oil and you're not supposed to slurp it down with your meal. (Maybe they should provide a straw too?)

Nonetheless, I would dismiss this as a once-off hitch as the rest of the gang seemed to enjoy their meals. Pacino's not only specialises in Italian food but they also do you're usual fare of burgers, chicken and steaks too, for the fussy lot among you.


Tiramisu for dessert was OK, but I don't like restaurant Tiramisu anyway. (The best I've ever had is the Marks & Spencers Tiramisu made fresh every day!) The food was good, the place is roomy, the chairs are very comfy (unlike Little Caesars) and the conversation sounded something like recent elections, holiday gossip, old college professors and the wonderful world of media we work in.

Although Pacino's have hitched up the price a bit (The same plate cost me €12.30 this year), their service is much, much better than Toscana's. The waiters don't treat you like something the cat dragged in and there's not a patronising or pretentious molecule in their service. Our waiter patiently went through the description of each and every dessert for me, while I hassled him about whether the Torte Mille Calorie really was a biscuit or a cake, or whether there was any cake in all the other eight desserts. The poor guy didn't flinch, he just smiled and went through the lot. Which in today's Irish service industry is almost unheard of. Oh and he was cute to boot ;)

Gourmet Burgers anyone...?

E, J and I went for the much-talked about gourmet burgers at Bobos on Wexford Street last week to see what the hype was about. And also, because we love burgers.



So J and I being the vegetarians that we are (well, her more devout, my tastebuds tend to wander) went for the "Seanie", a burger with double-seeded buns, portobello mushrooms, big roasted peppers, some onions and lots and lots of rocket. Sounds good we thought. What we didn't know was that, that's all that came with those double-seeded buns. No patty. Just leaves and bun. At €8.20 a pop. Great mushroom, great pepper but a vegetable, or bean patty in the middle wouldn't have gone awry. E got a "Packie" (burgers names after Irish nicknames I gather) a regular hamburger with cheese and all the trappings. He said it was good but not worth the tenner he paid for it. He may be biased because last week he tried another gourmet burger joint in Rathmines called Jo Burger where he got a burger twice the size for almost the same price. So will have to try that out and compare myself.


Redeeming features were J's Mango juice - which tasted fresh and tangy and the chips in a bucket, which according to E were "the least greasiest chips" he's ever had. True, but they were also well-cooked and crisp. Just right. And hey, they came in a bucket.

Also the place is a bit cramped and the tables a teeny bit high. It's probably made for the after-hours revellers in mind who want something more than a dodgy kebab and greasy chips. Although they close at 11pm (what's the deal with that?!)

It may be pricy and a bit tight but it's the only gourmet burger joint you'll find this side of town. Jo's is in Rathmines and Real Gourmet Burger in Dun Laoghaire. Hey, at least it's not McDonalds.

Mmmm...Donut

I had noticed these succulent-looking donuts in the Spar across the road from work a few days ago, and the image stuck in my mind. Damn advertising.

So it was Friday and I felt so deflated that things weren't coming together in my shiny new job and I felt like what the hell, I'll treat myself. So out went all good intentions to never touch sweets again and instead they were replaced by images of Homer and Chief Wiggum munching on sweet, pink donuts and chocolatey coffee. Must Eat Donut. I couldn't resist.

Usually I don't like Irish donuts nor the Cuisine de France ones: stale, hard, and taste of wheat but these I'm sure were Gourmet donuts, cos I think I gulped mine down without a bite. That's how quickly it was gone. That's how soft and fresh it was.

Tim Hortons Donuts (and no wonder they tasted so good, they're Canadian!) for Spar come in seven varities: Boston Cream, Rainbow Ring, Glazed Ring, Chocolate Dip, Cappuccino Dip, Strawberry Fill & Choclate Fill. They even give you a piece of cardboard to make into a box and fill to your heart's content (can only be a North American concept) I got a Glazed ring and got a Chocolate Dip one for E, who also gulped his one down.

Coffee optional.

Soupalicious

Ok, alright I know technically it's summer and social norm says "What?! soup in summer are ya kidding me?!" but I say defy all traditions and go have soup in summer, and anyway it's not like we ever have a proper summer it's always raining and if you want to pretend it's summer and kick your body temp up a notch or two go to the Soup Cafe on Upper Leeson Street. Not only do they specialise in all-kindsa-soup-in-the-world, their menu changes every day! From your usual friends like Chicken-noodle to have-you-ever-heard-of-soups like Tanodoori Chicken? Shepherd's Pie, Italian Lasagne? I kid you not.

Although a bit pricey with chicken and meat varieties leaving your pocket 6 to 7 euro lighter and veggie delights from €4.30 on, they are very mealy and do come in sizeable portions and you can get either a 12 oz cup/bowl or a 16 oz one. I've had the Lentil Potage (which rocks) and a plain vegetable one (which also rocks) They also send you off smiling with a piece of bread. What more could ya ask for? oh and they also serve kick-ass coffee. So says my workmate T.