great eats: dublin
By Kathleen M. Mangan
Gallagher’s Boxty House
It doesn’t get any more Irish than
boxty, a potato dish that is boiled like
gnocchi, fried as a pancake or baked
like dense bread. There’s a long
preparation process, so it’s rare to see
boxty on a menu. At Gallagher’s, all
three types are served with an extra
helping of innovation. Owner Pádraic
Óg Gallagher was the first to highlight
boxty on a menu and use the pancakes
as a wrap.
Try boxty dumplings in Cashel
Blue cheese sauce, followed by Gaelic
Boxty, the house specialty, a boxty
pancake filled with Irish fillet beef
medallions in whiskey and portobello
mushroom cream sauce. The humble
spud elevated.
L. Mulligan Grocer
At this gastro pub, dining is a double-
layeredexperienceof local ingredients-
inspired food paired with handcrafted
beer or whiskey. Each menu offering
has a recommendation from their list
of 120-plus beers, and 150-plus Irish
and Scotch whiskies.
The Scotch egg starter is paired
with Widmer Brothers Hopside Down;
the free-range chicken Kiev with
Inishowen Whiskey butter is paired
with Goose Island IPA; and the
Hofblues chocolate mousse is paired
with Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or. Food
purveyors are named in the menu. The
chunky wood tables here fill with
chatty, jovial friends.
L’Ecrivain
Be prepared to spend an entire glorious
evening savoring the spectacular
10-course tasting menu at l’Ecrivain.
This oh-my-God restaurant owned by
Chef Derry Clarke and wife Sallyanne
has had a Michelin star since 2003.
Clarke prepares his signature
dishes with first-rate ingredients and
classical French technique, and
presents them with colorful flair. There
are many elements on a plate for a
complexity of flavors highlighted by
d r i p s o f s a u c e a n d l e a n i n g
constructions. Martina Delaney, one of
Ireland’s top sommeliers, explains the
undiscovered wines paired with each
course that enhances the experience
of the food, as if that is possible.
Hatch & Sons Irish Kitchen
This cozy restaurant has the feel of
your grammy’s kitchen with a big
kitchen table fronting the open
cooking area. The food here is honest
and flavorful; the kind of food-without-
fuss you’d serve good friends.
With a central location beneath
The Little Museum of Dublin, it’s a
handy spot to meet for breakfast or
nosh on a gourmet cheese board after
shopping in the afternoon. At breakfast
go for baked eggs, sausage and bacon
served in an iron skillet with brown
soda bread; for lunch try a blaa, a soft
white roll, with spiced beef, Coolea
cheese and onion relish.
The Westin Dublin
Located by Trinity College, The Westin
is the place for afternoon tea. Here the
standard tea service is transformed
into “A Most Peculiar Afternoon Tea.”
Instead of a pot of Earl Grey, a
Hendrick’s Gin teapot contains a
Victoria Mojito made of Hendrick’s
Gin, mint, lime and fresh-pressed
apple juice.
The three-tiered server is also full
of quirky delights—confit of pork
cheek with Stilton cheese and honey
aioli; prawn cocktail filled charcoal
cone; oak-smoked Irish salmon,
caviar and cream cheese blini; and
popcorn panna cotta. Purists can
have traditional afternoon tea. Book a
table by the fireplace in the glass-
roofed Atrium Lounge.
Gone are the days of stew or corned beef and cabbage on Irish menus—nowadays you’ll see free-range
Skeaghanore duck with vanilla-infused rhubarb coulis, wild-caught John Dory, foraged mushrooms and artisanal
goat cheese. A foodie culture has taken over in Ireland; the emphasis on locally sourced ingredients is so strong
that many restaurants list the fishing boats, farms and other suppliers.
Dublin is the cultural heart of this sociable country, so it’s no surprise that the city hosts a vibrant restaurant
scene, from Michelin-starred establishments to trendy bistros with celebrity chefs, gastro pubs and restaurants
with new twists on traditional fare.
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JOURNEYS magazine
Volume III, 2014
