Ice Cream Ireland

 The ice cream man has headed North - Sligo, Donegal, Antrim, Belfast. I will post photos and high points when I get back. There have already been a few of the latter…

Technorati tags: Ireland, Northern Ireland, travel

One of the new developments in the Irish gourmet food world is the emergence of off licenses with a selection of gourmet foods. The new Castle Off License in Castle Street, Tralee is a good example of this. Besides a good range of booze, they sell local smoked salmon, Irish cheeses, chocolates, and our ice cream among other things. It’s definitely worth a visit.

I think this trend makes sense, especially if the off license specialises in fine wines or upscale spirits, for those customers would tend to be interested in unique foods as well. There certainly are other off licenses around the country that are doing the same - the Celtic Whiskey Shop in Dublin was one of our first customers…

Technorati tags: Dublin, Tralee, off license, gourmet, Ireland

 With all the excitement of going to Paris, I forgot to write about a new development in the Dublin food scene. The most excellent Sheridan’s Cheesemongers have taken a space on the lower ground floor of Arnotts department store, and I visited before I flew out. As well as their tantalising cheeses, they have a great selection of tasty treats (including our ice cream!) Anyone on the North side should have a look in…

Technorati tags: Dublin, Sheridans, cheese, Arnotts, Ireland

  Yesterday my brother and I went to the Taste of Dublin at Dublin Castle. The idea was to be able to sample some of the dishes of Dublin’s best restaurants, including Roly’s Bistro, L’Ecrivain, Chapter One, Diep le Shakar. In addition, there were food producers handing out samples or selling their wares, and cooking demonstrations by chefs.

The afternoon was sunny, and a huge crowd turned up. The wine flowed, the music pumped, and the various restaurants churned out small portions of their dishes on paper plates.

We met some friends there and had a good time, although it was a bit disappointing to see many big corporations such as the ubiquitous Starbucks along side the small Irish producers.

Today, on a damp, cold morning, we visited a few of our customers in the city and then headed home. As I crossed the border into Kerry, the weather improved, and it struck me as always just how lucky I am to be living in such a beautful place. I headed out the Dingle peninsula toward the sun listening to John Kelly’s Mystery Train and very happy to be out of the city and back home.

Technorati tags: Dublin, restaurant, food, taste, Kerry

I have taken another day in Dublin, and it has been quite a bit of fun! A bit of business and a bit of pleasure. It started with a visit to the new Donnybrook Fair on Baggot street, where I was happy to see our ice cream in the freezer and bought a bar of Godiva chocolate for breakfast.

Off then to the WB Yeats exhibit at the National Library and then brunch at Fallon and Byrne. Their salmon blini topped with an egg hollandaise was supurb, and the fresh orange juice was delicious.

Next stop in my rather haphazard tour was Mortons, where I picked up a snack of organic chocolate by Vivani. Now I will follow the advice of Caroline and eat at Ho Sen before heading to the Gaiety for a bit of Kerry theatre with John B. Keane and Year of the Hiker.

I love a (mostly) free day in Dublin!

Technorati tags: Dublin, restaurant, food, tourist, ireland

I am in the Big Smoke after dropping ice cream to the Great Taste Awards. They are being hosted by Fallon and Byrne, a customer of ours with a new shop on Wicklow Street. Rather than go for a wide range of goods, they have chosen carefully and have a limited but tasty selection of foods. I would give you a link, but it seems their website is down…

My brother had signed us up for Bord Bia’s International Specialty Food Forum, and since ten companies including Tesco and Jurys Doyle expressed an interest in meeting us, he asked me to hang around in Dublin for couple of days and help him out. I didn’t need much coaxing. The meetings are not until tomorrow, and it is fun being a tourist in the capital.

Last night I ate at Dunne and Crescenzi, nestled in next to the Piedmont wines, and it was a tasty, light option as I had gorged on juice at the aforementioned Fallon and Byrne, and did not have a huge hunger. For people complaining about value in Ireland, this restaurant chain certainly would not bust the wallet, and a simple but delicious insalata caprese made with buffalo mozzarella and a nice orvieto went down a treat.

Then it was off to the Abbey to get a bit of culture. Aurelias Oratorio was the offering, performed by Charlie Chaplin’s granddaughter Aurelia Thierrée. It is a visually stunning piece and quite a bit of fun.

I am still disappointed with the coffee around the place, but more on that later, and if anybody has any recommendations…

Tonight I think we will head for Rolys Bistro, and who knows what else!

Technorati tags: Dublin, restaurant, food, tourist, ireland