Here's What I Had For Dinner - Part III - Don't quote pics!

sporina

wow those of you with the BBQ's out, where are ye? No sun here in the rebel City

Dizzyblonde

It's very warm and humid in Dublin these days, even though it was cloudy on and off today and very windy.

sammyjo90

You under exaggerate sporina! It was raining too dont forget that!


Ended up having my egg and beans for brekkie so I made carbonara for dinner whilst attending an online lecture, gotta get those priorities right :pac:

igCorcaigh

awec wrote: »

Green curry is supposed to blow your head off. I am always so disappointed if I order it somewhere and it's more aromatic or coconuty than spicy.

Yeah, nowhere serves it spicy enough.
But Thai birds eye chillies are really hot; they are red but tiny.

Tesco sell them whole and dried in their little spice jars on the rack.
I grind them down in the coffee grinder, pop the dried powder back into the little glass jar; just a sprinkle of that dust will give a real heat (I won't say you can't smuggle it into restaurants!).

Ryath

If you ever get to Kin Khao in Athlone they serve it the proper way. They're in Maynooth now too but I haven't been to that one.

I've had some terrible imitation Curry's in pubs and hotels over the years and I've pretty much sworn of having them bar in proper ethnic restaurants. I understand they need to dial back the spicyness for Irish tastes but some of these barely have a hint of chilli.

Ish66

I nabbed a pork streak in Tesco for a fiver and dont really know what to do with it. Slice it lengthways and stuff it with something ? Idea's welcome ? I actually bought 2 on inpulse.

tscul32

Ish66 wrote: »

I nabbed a pork streak in Tesco for a fiver and dont really know what to do with it. Slice it lengthways and stuff it with something ? Idea's welcome ? I actually bought 2 on inpulse.

In the current climate I would just marinade and bbq.

Shenshen

A quick mid-week dinner - I welcomed 5 foster kittens on Wednesday and didn't have much time for cooking.

It's a burrito filled with fried peppers and onions, mashed kidney beans and quinoa topped with guacamole, with a side of air-fried sweet potato chips with some cajun seasoning on the, and a bit of garlic mayo.

awec

igCorcaigh wrote: »

Yeah, nowhere serves it spicy enough.
But Thai birds eye chillies are really hot; they are red but tiny.

Tesco sell them whole and dried in their little spice jars on the rack.
I grind them down in the coffee grinder, pop the dried powder back into the little glass jar; just a sprinkle of that dust will give a real heat (I won't say you can't smuggle it into restaurants!).

Aldi have started doing a chilli pack in the veg section that has spicier chillis in it (compared to the usual ones you can buy here).

Our local Thai takeaway (Camille) does a great Green Curry and it's pretty spicy!

Ryath wrote: »

If you ever get to Kin Khao in Athlone they serve it the proper way. They're in Maynooth now too but I haven't been to that one.

I've had some terrible imitation Curry's in pubs and hotels over the years and I've pretty much sworn of having them bar in proper ethnic restaurants. I understand they need to dial back the spicyness for Irish tastes but some of these barely have a hint of chilli.

A lot of the pub / hotel curries are the chinese style curry rather than spicy.

A curry without spice makes no sense to me!

zerosugarbuzz

Ryath wrote: »

If you ever get to Kin Khao in Athlone they serve it the proper way. They're in Maynooth now too but I haven't been to that one.

I've had some terrible imitation Curry's in pubs and hotels over the years and I've pretty much sworn of having them bar in proper ethnic restaurants. I understand they need to dial back the spicyness for Irish tastes but some of these barely have a hint of chilli.

Interesting, what else do you recommend from Kin Khao, I'm close to Maynooth and haven't tried it yet.

Snowcast

Steak (cooked on the griddle) with wedges and salad here tonight! Love the flavour of the steak when cooked on the griddle pan!

Dizzyblonde

I had rigatoni with bolognese under a blanket of grated parmesan

Mystery Egg

zerosugarbuzz wrote: »

Interesting, what else do you recommend from Kin Khao, I'm close to Maynooth and haven't tried it yet.

The pork belly is great

Mystery Egg

We ordered pizza after a long and lovely day on the beach!

Ryath

zerosugarbuzz wrote: »

Interesting, what else do you recommend from Kin Khao, I'm close to Maynooth and haven't tried it yet.

It's all good to me! I like to try new dishes all the time my wife nearly always just gets the green curry! Of the regular ones I really like the duck curry, duck salad, Tom yum soup and Penang Curry.

Maynooth seem to have a Charcoal grill option that's not in Athlone and they both have a few dishes that the other doesn't. It's usually just take away we get now though and when we could eat in often just the early bird. Both menus are bit more limited so actually a good few dishes I still would like to try! Most stop in the Maynooth one on the way back from Dublin some day when we can again.

zerosugarbuzz

Ryath wrote: »

It's all good to me! I like to try new dishes all the time my wife nearly always just gets the green curry! Of the regular ones I really like the duck curry, duck salad, Tom yum soup and Penang Curry.

Maynooth seem to have a Charcoal grill option that's not in Athlone and they both have a few dishes that the other doesn't. It's usually just take away we get now though and when we could eat in often just the early bird. Both menus are bit more limited so actually a good few dishes I still would like to try! Most stop in the Maynooth one on the way back from Dublin some day when we can again.

Thanks, I’ll try it out over the next few weeks and let you know how it goes.

Black Sheep

I wasn't quite sure where to put this... I'm surprised there isn't a dedicated restaurant reviews thread (Or was there one, and it fell out of use?)

I was lucky enough to do a tasting menu at the Cliff House (Waterford) since restrictions allowed it again.

The Cliff House has had a Michelin star for a number of consecutive years, and when the original head chef, Martijn Kajuiter, was there it was one of the first places that really opened my eyes to how enjoyable fine dining could be.

This was my first time eating there since Ian Doyle replaced Kajuiter... Not sure if Doyle is actually in the kitchen, he's the executive chief and I think there's possibly a different head chef in there most of the time. Doyle came back to Ireland from Stockholm restaurant Oaxen Krog, which actually has two Michelin stars. I had high expectations.

They've eliminated any a la carte options, now everyone is on the tasting menu, which remains 8-10 courses depending on how you count. The price has dropped, but perhaps to facilitate that the course sizes have dipped.

In terms of the food, I felt it was a little disappointing. Like Aimsir they have really opted to put Irish ingredients to the fore, which is wonderful in many ways, but several courses felt a little like it was more a case of showcasing their flexibility and creativity versus putting the absolute best plate of food they could on the table. Although Kajuiter had a reputation for being a bit of a wild man in terms of what came out of the kitchen, I think it was predominantly in a visual sense, his ingredient choices and flavour combinations were quite classical. It was still Michelin starred food, but there were no stand out courses and a general lack of the "wow factor" that you expect with a tasting menu from a Michelin starred chef. Probably the closest I came was the duck course, where we were served a phenomenal sliver of Comeragh mountain duck. Probably the best prepared duck I've ever had.

To an extent it's a question of my personal preferences, but the wine pairings were also frustrating. In an effort to be a bit different I think they stretched too far. There was a gin-based mixed drink early on in lieu of a wine, then two light red wines in a row, one of them with a fish course, and the dessert courses' pairings were also a bit too maverick for my taste... An aged cider from Stonewell for one, and a Riesling for the other. Maybe I'm becoming a bit staid in my tastes but I guess I'd suggest they went a bit too far out there in their choices.

I would suggest those who have eaten in JP McMahon's Aniar (Galway), and in Aimsir (Kildare) might get the most out of a meal like this, in terms of which other Michelin starred Irish restaurants it was most akin to.

Planet X

Pork ribs, fried rice and Pak Choi from the garden. The homegrown Pak Choi is obviously far superior to shop bought. Juicy and relatively tasty.

Gloomtastic!

^ Homegrown Pak Choi. Impressed!

^^ Restaurant reviews. Rather than running a dedicated thread here, there are regional threads I believe.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=77

For a fine dining experience like yours, you're also welcome to post here. If you do, I believe an indication of the price paid for the meal - per head or in total will keep the readers entertained. :P

Dave_The_Sheep

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

^^ Restaurant reviews. Rather than running a dedicated thread here, there are regional threads I believe.

Not to derail the thread, but what's the rationale there? I'd have thought a dedicated restaurant thread would be right up there with a foodie interest. I know I've looked for one in the past (feel free to reply privately if you want, rather than cluttering up here).

Black Sheep wrote: »

I would suggest those who have eaten in JP McMahon's Aniar (Galway), and in Aimsir (Kildare) might get the most out of a meal like this, in terms of which other Michelin starred Irish restaurants it was most akin to.

Good to have a review. I've done Aimsir before, and would go back in a heartbeat, and am planning to take my mother to Cliff for her 70th later in the year, if I can. Will have to review that decision now, see if better options are available. Heading to the Lady Helen in September with a few friends, really looking forward to that one. First time dining out since Aimsir last year.

Black Sheep

Dave_The_Sheep wrote: »

Good to have a review. I've done Aimsir before, and would go back in a heartbeat, and am planning to take my mother to Cliff for her 70th later in the year, if I can. Will have to review that decision now, see if better options are available. Heading to the Lady Helen in September with a few friends, really looking forward to that one. First time dining out since Aimsir last year.

Well, if you enjoyed Aimsir then I think the Cliff House might be a good bet for you.

I preferred Aimsir but then again it's harder to book into and a fair bit more expensive. It's a two star, in fairness, and they don't do many covers so not surprising. I like the theatre of the way they served things in Aimsir too, with the kitchen staff coming out.

In terms of a hotel destination the Cliff House is a nicer setting than Cliff at Lyons, that's something else to factor in. You get a more conventional 5 star hotel experience.

Make sure you put up a Lady Helen review here. I enjoyed it, definitely a more classical approach. Although you would find regional produce on the plate they're not afraid to throw in yuzu or whatever else it takes to achieve the impact they want.

Dizzyblonde

We had Thai takeaway tonight, pad thai chicken and sweet chilli chicken from Sanuk. It was lovely

Mystery Egg

Last night we had marinated pork ribs, boerewors and a mixed salad.

Tonight we had spicy Mexican bean salad, burgers with all the trimmings, coleslaw, breads and beautiful dips from the people's park market in Dun Laoighaire.

BBQ season is in full swing!

Recliner

No pics because we're savages.

Friday: pan fried hake, new spuds (I sent my husband into the dining room with them and he attacked them like he hadn't eaten in a week, they were gorgeous), asparagus and fennel. Lemon, butter, chive and cream sauce.

Saturday: lamb cutlets, air fried new spuds as chips (not nice, very chewy), more fennel and asparagus.

Sunday: BBQ, burgers, chicken burgers, chicken, pepper and onion kebabs, potato salad (used the new spuds for this, 100% lovely just from tasting but we forgot to eat it!!), jumbo sausages, BBQ'd corn on the cob, chicken wings, tzatziki, BBQ'd peppers.
I need to learn how to cook for 2 people and not an army when we're doing a BBQ.
SO MUCH FOOD!!

Also it's our first year using a proper BBQ and not a gas one. Very different and difficult to get the coals/briquettes right. Any suggestions would be most welcome.

cubatahavana

Porchetta… delicious

Dave_The_Sheep

cubatahavana wrote: »

Porchetta… delicious

Sploosh.

notAMember

Wowsa, would you look at the crackling on that!

I LOVE porchetta.

cubatahavana

notAMember wrote: »

Wowsa, would you look at the crackling on that!

I LOVE porchetta.

T’was my first

McMurphy

Made the best of the half decent weather, as the BBQ still had some charcoals in it from yesterday that hadn't burnt itself to ash, I filled the chimney starter with them and sparked it up and made the most of it.

Steak and pepper marinated kebabs, marinated chicken kebabs (these especially were absolutely savage) and chilli sausages (my favourite of the lot) everything was bought from the local butchers, they win multiple awards each year for their stuff, and it's understandable why!

Everything cooked indirectly with the lid on, and then finished off over the hot coals.

Served with a simple salad and off camera, the youngest son had a bowl of chips, so I robbed a few of them needless to say! Only thing missing was an ice cold beer!

zerosugarbuzz

McMurphy wrote: »

Made the best of the half decent weather, as the BBQ still had some charcoals in it from yesterday that hadn't burnt itself to ash, I filled the chimney starter with them and sparked it up and made the most of it.

Steak and pepper marinated kebabs, marinated chicken kebabs (these especially were absolutely savage) and chilli sausages (my favourite of the lot) everything was bought from the local butchers, they win multiple awards each year for their stuff, and it's understandable why!

Everything cooked indirectly with the lid on, and then finished off over the hot coals.

Served with a simple salad and off camera, the youngest son had a bowl of chips, so I robbed a few of them needless to say! Only thing missing was an ice cold beer!


edit : <snip photo>

Food looks good but I love your plates 😻