Eat Like Ushi

It is proclaimed to be the best fish and chips in Ireland. I'm not sure where this came from but the high rating and craving for a simple meal for one took me on the 25min walking journey to get here. 

The options for dinner that night were: My Meat Wagon (BBQ), Crackbird (Fried Chicken), The Meeting House (highly rated Burmese), Fade Street Social (Irish) and Camden Kitchen (Irish). SMS won in the end due to it being quite late, well rated and just a craving.

The guy serving the register was very surly and needs to lighten up a bit. Asking for an opinion on cod vs. haddock was met with an indifferent grunt and comment "they are pretty much the same".

Luckily the food was better with a beautifully cooked haddock, crispy seasoned coating and decent piping hot chips topped with vinegar and salt. The crushed peas made me feel healthy balanced and provided some gritty texture but otherwise didn't add much to the meal.

For some reason I thought there were no good breakfast options near The Marker Hotel (grand canal) where I was staying. My online reading had me listing Fumbally, Green 19 and Whitefriar Grill as options but none near me. I was very lucky to find Herbstreet on Zomato, and even luckier that I had been drinking the night before and so needed a later start to the day.

I sat in the warm inside for breakfast looking out over the blue skies and the water. A decorated matcha latte €3.5 was warming with light green tea flavour. They only serve this with cow's milk, unlike the soy/almond/other options I'm used to being offered in Melbourne. Perhaps these other versions would have increased the sweetness and depth, but it's only minor.

As tempting as the Full Irish was, I opted for the unique choice of Breakfast of champions (cassava rosti lightly spiced and topped with a poached duck egg, smoked salmon and avocado, wiith lime and rocket) €12 - an excellent dish of a slightly chewy (distinguishing it from classic potato versions) but crisp surface rosti, smoked salmon lining on top, slightly overcooked poached duck egg, and avocado and lime to complete the flavour and add moisture.

I was so impressed I returned with colleagues for lunch, where the Herbstreet burger (6oz Irish beef with burger sauce, gherkin, red onion, lettuce and tomato and my choice of smoked McCarren Family bacon and jalapenos) €15 was presented with unsalted but nicely cooked chips. The default patty is medium-well, so I specifically asked for medium-rare and it was cooked to this with a beautiful soft beef mince that highlighted the quality of the local produce. This was simply one of the best and most satisfying burgers I've had, comparing to London, Canberra, Melbourne and USA.

I'm glad I found you Herbstreet.

After fish and chips, nearby I had starred Murphy's for ice cream. The city's best, maybe even the country's best, it had to be tried. Seeing the shiny metal containers is always a good sign of a company that cares for its ice cream product.

The Irish Coffee with whisky was as unique as you'd expect, with a strong coffee flavour and whisky aftertaste. I balanced it with black current sorbet for the sweetness, tartness and lightness. The cookies, chocolate and caramelised brown bread beg to be tried next time.

When in Dublin, the tourists apparently go to The Temple Bar. That isn't necessarily a good reason to be there but a French girl I met had it listed in Le Routard, and so off we went. The live music area is very cosy, and it is a nice space to have food and a drink.

I was only after something light only for myself, so the Irish Smoked Salmon & Smoked Trout platter with Guinness bread, cucumber pickle and salad €12.5 had me from the word Irish. In future I think Galway Bay oysters, black pudding platter or an open sandwich may be alternatives.

The fish was nicely smoked and not too strong, although I couldn't discern the smoked salmon and trout since they were heaped together. The bread was nice and moderately dense. The music provided entertainment and the atmosphere was sound. It may be touristy, but I thought it was worth a visit in the end.

After a great brunch at Avoca, there wasn't a lot left to do around town. I have to admit I don't find Dublin very interesting and if it wasn't for the trip purpose of Watch The Throne tour (Jay-Z and Kanye), I wouldn't have gone back there at all.

The Guinness Brewery tour cemented my position that beer is not for me, especially harsh strong bitter dark ones that the Irish seem to prefer. However one of the magics of cooking is that flavours meld and transform.

The Beef and Guinness Stew seemed the most quintessential Irish item on the menu and given I was in a sports pub where everyone around me was drinking Guinness, watching sport, and occasionally looking at me wondering why I was there, it was an easy food choice. It was a dense mix of potato mash balls, vegetables and slightly stringy beef in dark stew. 

All in all it was fine and filling although it definitely wasn't the best Irish stew I've had (I think the best was somewhere else in Dublin back in 2009. I'll have to look it up).

I don't get out for breakfast these days nearly as much as I'd like. Perhaps it is laziness, perhaps it is the weather, or maybe I just don't have as many mornings to myself as I used to. Back in Melbourne I lived near one of the city's top rated cafes, and so a good brunch and fantastic chai latte only required walking downstairs or home from work after a night shift.

London has some great breakfast places which I am going to slowly get around to. But more often I seek out cafes when I travel overseas, considering my mornings are often fast paced and a solid breakfast is the perfect way to fuel yourself for a day of sightseeing.

Avoca has an excellent reputation for being one of the best in Dublin. The shop has a few floors of homewares and cool-looking knick-knacks, but the top floor is where the food action is. Cookies and cakes adorn the benchtops as you pass towards the tables to indulge yourself.

Avoca Full Irish Breakfast (crockers free range scrambled eggs, field mushrooms, crispy American style bacon, jumbo hand-made sausage & roasted cherry & vine tomatoes) was the typical breakfast you'd expect from any cafe. The superlatively crisp bacon and flavoursome juicy mushrooms were the highlights.

Also a namesake, the Avoca Fish Pie (organic salmon, natural smoked haddock & cod in a creamy dill sauce with cheesy mash, baby leaves & char-grilled lemon) had a lovely seafood filling, rich in smokey flavour and dill like an excellent soup or chowder. Lemon and mash topping complemented the smokiness allowing balance.

Pasta of the day was a crab-filled ravioli with tomato in a creamy sauce. What you'd expect - rich, thick, tasty.

We can never avoid the temptation of Chunky Chips (cooked in duck fat and horseradish mayonnaise); whilst Chocolate Meringue Roulade (with vanilla cream & fresh raspberries) and Rhubarb & Apple Crumble (with a custard centre & honeycomb ice-cream) also sounded too good to pass up. I think these speak for themselves.

Next time I would order any of the Irish Breakfast, Fish Pie or the delicious-sounding Herbed Wild & Field Mushrooms (on toasted cheese bread with roasted cherry tomatoes). Cleanse it with a fresh orange juice, smoothie (unfortunately premade only) or coffee and prepare yourself for a day of wandering (although there isn't a lot to see in Dublin...) or a relaxing morning yarn with friends.