Because I am feeling guilty ahem, I mean generous I am posting two days in a row! It’s not like I have any reason to atone… or maybe I do… after all it was only like twenty-something days ago I made my last post. Regardless, here we are – so let’s carry on, shall we?
Our first day in Dublin actually started in a small shop in Maynooth, where Nora is studying at the local university. Because we weren’t very hungry and we wanted to save our cash for the “big city”, we opted to share a breakfast sandwich and grab a tea.
Breakfast & Bus Fare
There is something so special about simple and fresh foods coming together in flavorful combinations. Our breakfast sandwich was stacked with hot and fresh eggs, ham, rich cheese and sliced tomatoes on toasted sesame seed bread.
The same day we stopped in on an intriguing little joint called 37 Dawson Street, which is familiarly called a late bar & food emporium. Although we didn’t ever get a proper look at the right time of day, we still enjoyed the food and atmosphere immensely!
The food was great & so were the bubblies. I was definitely fond of Orchard Thieves and drank it several times while I was over seas. The salad featured above was light and jam packed with flavor. To name a few: Avocado, Cucumber, Feta, Olives & Some Tangy Vinegar and Oil Dressing that was prime.
The other restaurant we were especially fond of was Queen of Tarts! True to it’s name, the patisserie was chalked full of delicious desserts. Nora and I both ate sandwiches, and in the spirit of trying new things I had the house soup! A sweet potato and lime puree that was a major surprise. It was perfectly complimented by the rich notes of goat cheese and pickled beet root in my sandwich.
Take a good long look at that tart! That’s 4 inches (inches!) of meringue piled onto smooth lemon filling. Alright everybody, let’s say it together… “Yum!” There were countless other mouth-watering desserts arranged in the café, but I am not so tech-savvy so the pictures were not so nice. So you’ll just have to take my word for it until you can visit yourself!
Well, it wouldn’t be a proper visit to Ireland if I didn’t try any local fare. Here are the remnants of a traditional Irish Breakfast – the mini version no less, supplied by the lovely and charming The Coffee Mill in Maynooth.
I also tried the traditional Irish Stew. Unfortunately I didn’t get any good pictures of that either, but I will break it down for you. In my opinion, it was like any beef stew: meat, potatoes, root veggies… with one quirk… Can you guess it?
Corned Beef, my friends. Corned Beef.
It was certainly enjoyable, but it didn’t hit the spot quite like the rest of the food we had eaten. Maybe it was because we hadn’t walked ourselves ragged that day, or I had finished half a pint… Either way, it was just not the meal for me.
Now are you ready for Part III?
(Too much rhyming? Too bad!)
Rocky Road Therapy 
You are a brave soul to try so many new foods. I’ve always been a little shy about doing so.
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