Round My Hometown

Patrick is going to take a little time to show you around his hometown and talk you through the treasures of Drogheda on the banks of the River Boyne in Louth, an hour from Ireland’s capital, Dublin.

Days in Dublin

Sometimes it’s easy not to miss Dublin, and Ireland in general, but there are frequent twinges of emotion that tug on our heartstrings, transport our minds back and tantalise our taste for the homeland. Neither of us grew up in Dublin city, but we  both grew up within short commutable distance. Since our teenage years, we’ve been delving into Dublin, exploring it and carving out our little crannies that we could crawl into and just get lost in for an afternoon or evening. Later we would live in separate parts of the city, before living together in the thick of the city centre prior to our move to London.

Dining in Dublin

Dine in Dublin is now in it’s fourth year, and to say it’s gone from strength to strength is a bit of a weak, meek understatement. We’ve taken advantage of the dedicated dining out week for the past two years. As it happens, one of our very first posts on this blog at the beginning of this year was for Camden Kitchen, where we ate their special DID menu.

Eden Bar and Grill [Updated]

Edited and updated: Eden, what was once a staple of beautiful Meeting House Square in the heart of Dublin’s Temple Bar area, has recently gone through a bit of a shake-up. After a decade of service, the owners closed briefly, while secretly enlisting the help of celebrated, chef duo Yannick Van Aeken and Louise Bannon (formerly of Copenhagen’s NOMA) to develop something unique and new for a relaunch. The restaurant then re-branded as NEDE last year and won applause for it’s facelift.

Then it all came crashing down and quickly closed, while the celebrated chef duo severed all ties with the restaurant. It now lies eerily abandoned in one of the most prosperous and beautiful areas of the city. You only have to take a quick glance at the final few tweets of the restaurant’s Twitter account to begin to understand what was going on behind the scenes.

However, all hope is not lost. Eden had a second guise, within a property located on Dublin’s trendy South William Street, in the fast-growing Cultural Quarter of the city. Though it was created much later than the original Temple Bar location, this second Eden premises (now the sole location) is the Bar & Grill to the former’s Restaurant and is seemingly and unfortunately not as well known or talked about. It’s more casual and informal, but with a precise, and elegant attention to detail, throughout the service, food and design. What’s more, it certainly deserves to be talked about and experienced as completely separate from the  ‘Nede’ entity…

Dublin City Food

Sandwiches are a firm favourite of the people of Ireland, spanning the 32 counties. And what isn’t to love about them? It is a blank canvas to create a mouthwatering snack conjured up in your wildest dreams, wedged between a fluffy frame.

Dublin is awash with bog standard corner shop delis who will do the work you should’ve done at home for double the cost. But thankfully there are some great glutenous gems cropping up – one in particular which you must try.

Camden Kitchen

You would never expect to find such exceptional quality just off Camden Street. The areas of Camden and Harcourt Street hold somewhat of a bad rep as a rough area, which is party-focused on the weekends. Though not littered with late night eateries like Grafton or O’Connell Street, it does leave a little to be desired quality-wise.

In saying that, as new tenants in the D8 area, we have had some exceptional meals on Camden Street during 2012. Special mentions go to Green Nineteen who serve international dishes, in a home cooked style paired with a great tipple selection. We chose some craft beers which were on offer – delicious! Another mention goes to Bobo’s Burger joint who prepare sinful, ultra indulgent burgers using the freshest Irish beef.

Now let’s move a few steps towards the end of the street to a completely otherworldly establishment – Camden Kitchen. Nestled just off Camden on Grantham Street, this little bistro looks like it has been teleported from Paris itself. A large window at the front allows walkers-by to glance in and diners inside to peer out in ultra French bistro style.

But don’t be fooled – you won’t find oeufs en cocette or coq au vin in this restaurant. What’s served is organic and seasonal Irish fare on a wholly Irish menu.