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 ;)

Persian Delight

Haven't posted in a long while due to many reasons, but mainly cos FF has been taking up most of my time and I've stopped taking pics of food because I couldn't be bothered anymore (and people give me these weird looks when I whip out my camera to take a picture of my plate) but won't let that stop me. I'll be snapping away soon.

Anyway went to Sufi's last week a really cute, secluded Persian restaurant - more like a cafe (that does Italian food too. It's on Lower Stephen's street, right across Bia Bar) I've been there before and the best thing on the menu no doubt is the Chicken Kebab: "Delicious Mediterranean dish marinated with olive oil, lemon juice, spices, skwered with fresh vegetables, grilled and served with saffron rice and side salad." The saffron rice is the tie-breaker. Hands down. Anyway last week I had their beautiful almond cake and a moccacino. The coffee was sub-par but the cake was really aromatic and nutty.

They also do a range of pizzas, pastas and other Persian/Arabic cuisine. The best thing is the intimate, secluded location and cute, earthy decor. The smell of that rice will get you every time you walk down!