Blair's Bistro

It's fitting, somehow, that the last meal we have in Ireland is at the same place in which we had our first meal: Blair's Bistro, located within the Park Inn, a perhaps five-minute walk from Shannon Airport.

I started with chicken satay, which was rather oddly served
atop what tasted like lo mein. I'm not sure if this counts as
fusion food.

I also had the spaghetti and meatballs.

Supermac's

Due to some flight issues, my husband and I staying in Ireland an extra couple days; not only that, but we are flying out of a different airport altogether, which required us to drive from Dublin to Shannon Airport, in the west of Ireland. On our drive across the country this afternoon, we stopped off at a rest stop - Junction 14 Mayfield - for lunch. I got my lunch from a Supermac's.

I had some chicken strips.

Also, I had a chicken sandwich, which was good, except
the breading didn't stay attached.

T3 Bar & Restaurant

My husband and I attempted to fly home today, but it looks like all the flights out of Dublin to anywhere in the States is overbooked, so we'll be in Ireland for an extra two days and departing from another airport instead. We're staying at a Dublin airport hotel - the Radisson Blu - and had dinner at T3 Bar & Restaurant, located within the hotel restaurant.

I started with some rustic garlic ciabatta.

I also had the Irish lamb stew.

The Oliver St. John Gogarty Bar

Tonight was our last night in Dublin (in fact, it's our last night in Ireland altogether), so when my husband and I discovered that The Auld Dubliner serves traditional Irish fare, and has live music pretty much all day every day, we knew it was a good way to end our stay. (Ed especially had wanted to hear some traditional live Irish music at a pub, something we had previously failed to do.)

However, we din't actually wind up staying at The Auld Dubliner; the music being played was rather loud and a bit more contemporary than what was wanted, so we went next door to The Oliver St. John Gogarty Bar.

I started with some smoked salmon.

I also tried to Dublin Coddle, which was a type of stew with
sausage, potato, carrot, and barley.

And I ended with some strawberries and cream.

Cafe Deli Gold

Once again, my husband and I got some lunch before heading out to do some sightseeing on our last day here in Dublin. We had lunch at the nearby Cafe Deli Gold.

I had the chicken tikka on white bread, and toasted. It was
very, very delicious.

Gallaher & Co. Bistro & Coffee House

My husband and I headed to Gallaher's Bistro for dinner tonight - it was close to the hotel and we were able to make reservations (which were probably not necessary, but one never knows).

I started with chicken wings with sweet chili sauce; it also
came with Cashel blue cheese dip and celery sticks.

I had the homemade Hereford beef burger with Cashel Blue
Tipperary Cheese, rocket leaves, and caramelized onions.

It came with chunky chips.

And to finish things, two scoops of maple walnut ice cream.

McCabe's Deli

Before going sightseeing this afternoon, my husband and I decided to stop off for lunch first; we went to the nearby McCabe's Deli, which was a short walk from our hotel.

I had half a beef burrito.
(I wasn't surprised that it came with potatoes.)

I also ate a tuna sandwich, which was grilled, and was good.

Mourne Seafood Bar

When my husband and I were in Belfast, Northen Ireland, last week, we had tried to go to Mourne Seafood Bar for dinner, but the place was full up. The good news was that there was a Dublin location, so over the weekend I made reservations for us to have dinner there tonight; the bad news was that I was still so full from lunch, I couldn't eat more than a few bits of my dinner (half the soup, and maybe a quarter of the entree).

We both had the smoked seafood chowder.

We also shared some salt and chill squid.

The Thai prawn risotto was very good, but I didn't have
enough of an appetite to eat much of it.

My husband had the linguine with cockles and mussels.

The Bull and Castle

Between bouts of sightseeing today, my husband and I stopped off for lunch at The Bull and Castle. They had an excellent selection of cocktails, beers, and other interesting-looking drinks, as well as a menu that looked fantastic, but we kept it fairly simple.

We started with wild mushrooms with truffle oil on brioche,
with pancetta.

We also each had a small Caesar salad.

And of course, I had the fish and chips.

Trinity City Restaurant

My husband and I were feeling rather worn out this evening, so we opted for a late dinner at the Trinity City Restaurant, which was attached to our hotel.

I started with some excellent seafood chowder. 

I also had a chicken Caesar salad.

Brewers' Dining Hall

My parents came to Dublin for the day to visit the Guinness Storehouse with my husband and me. After the tour, we were feeling a bit peckish, so we stopped at the Brewers' Dining Hall for some treats. We shared a scone, some dessert bars, and a mini Guinness and chocolate mousse.

El Bahia

After Mass tonight, my husband and I went looking for dinner, and noticed the El Bahia Moroccan restaurant very close to the church we had just attended.

I started with Harira, a tomato-based soup chic peas,
fresh coriander, and spices.

I also had sardines marinated in spices, lightly fried in olive
oil, and splashed with lemon

entree: Marrakesh tajine
(lamb cooked with fresh vegetables flavored with fresh leaf
parsley, ginger, cumin and saffron)

The Cafe at Dublin Castle

My husband and I went to Dublin Castle this afternoon. Like seemingly all civilized historical places that have been converted into places for the public to visit, a cafe was on site, so we had ourselves a snack.

We shared a little quiche.

We also shared a rather good farmer cookie and an orange
almond bar.

Kuraudo Sushi & Bento

In taking a break from Irish cuisine, my husband and I discovered that a Japanese restaurant, Karaudo Sushi & Bento, about a tenth of a mile from our hotel.

We shared a spicy salmon roll.

I had chicken ramen; it was absolutely excellent.

The Cafe at the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology

While exploring the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology for what seemed like hours, I stopped off at the on-site cafe for a snack. (I generally approve of these things; they seem to have a rather nice variety of soups, sandwiches, light bites, and desserts.) I'm not sure what this was called, but it involved chicken, mushrooms, and pastry.

Trinity City Restaurant

My husband and I arrived in Dublin this afternoon, and decided to stay close to "home" by having dinner at the hotel restaurant instead of going out. We had an excellent meal at the Trinity City Restaurant.

We shared an appetizer of sesame coated calamari, served on
a bed of rocket, ginger, and lime mayo.

We also shared a Charcuterie Board, which featured a selection
of cured meats and pâté, warm ciabatta, olives, semidried
tomatoes, and relish

We both had prawn linguine (tiger prawns, garlic,
chili and tomato concassé,  buttered linguine and garlic bread).

Barroco Tex Mex Bar & Grill

My husband and I stayed overnight at the Westcourt Hotel in Drogheda; the particular package we chose came with breakfast.

I had the smoked salmon with eggs. 

It was my duty to also have some sausage and white pudding.

Garam Masala

My husband and I are spending the night in Drogheda, Co. Louth, which is just north of Dublin. We've been eating some wonderful pub fare recently, but we decided we could use a break, so we had dinner at Garam Masala, an Indian restaurant a short walk away from our hotel.

appetizers: meat samosa and prawn pakora 

entree: Rogan Josh (one of my favorites)

This was one of the two types of naan we had, but I forget
what type it was. Oops.

plain naan

The Market Bar

On our way from Belfast to Drogheda, my husband and I stopped for lunch at The Market Bar in Dundalk.

We started with wings.

I had the hot peppered beef baguette (steak strips in a
creamy onion, mushroom, and peppercorn sauce).

Of course the sandwich came with chips.

The Restaurant at the Fitzwilliam Hotel

My husband and I had plans to have dinner at Mourne Seafood Bar this evening, but when we arrived, we were told that there were no available bookings, so we went back to our hotel, The Fitzwilliam Hotel, and had dinner in the hotel restaurant.

starter: local Irish goat cheese, carpaccio and heritage beets,
pickled oyster mushrooms

entree: smoked Donegal haddock with sautéed new potatoes,
baby spinach, and Rockefeller garnish

side order: creamed cabbage and bacon

dessert: strawberry and elderflower tart, crème patisserie
raspberry and gin sorbet