Takeaway Food Photography Tips

Quarantine is a strange experience. There’s a comforting aspect of being at home the whole time, but the novelty does wear off, and you soon want to be free from the 2km chains. (Anyone reading from outside Ireland, we currently cannot go past 2km of our homes due to COVID-19 until further notice).

While the number one thing I miss about regular life is eating out in restaurants, I have embraced the opportunity to turn aspects of my food blog into a restaurants-at-home experience.

In conjunction with this change, Deliveroo approached me and asked would I pull together some top tips for food photography at home while we are all confined to our houses. I for one have ordered a lot of takeaway in my lifetime, and always want to take the best picture possible, so I worked on collating my top tips.

So if you’re like me, and just love to take photographs of your food, check out my tips below:

1. Take advantage of natural light
2. Take this opportunity to try out new restaurants at home
3. Presentation, presentation, presentation
4. Choose the right background
5. Personalise it

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1. Natural Light

The most highly recommended of all, but the most valuable, is choosing an area to shoot your food imagery with natural light. Using artificial light can lead to the creation of a yellow hue over your food. Natural daylight optimises colour and illuminates the food in the most flattering way possible. It is also the cheapest light source available. While the evenings begin to stretch as we head towards Summer, the opportunity to capture every meal in natural daylight arises. I almost always shoot my food imagery by the window in order to capture the best lighting.

2. New Takeaway Additions

Since restaurants have been forced to close their sit-in services, a large number have turned to takeaway as an avenue to keep the wheels of the business turning. As a result, many restaurants that never previously offered a takeaway service have now set one up. Use this opportunity to order from these restaurants and experience their top-quality restaurant food from the comfort of your own home. A number of Michelin star restaurants have even entered the takeaway scene. Now is the time to create unique food content at home, while supporting local businesses.

3. Presentation

Food presentation is the key to creating captivating imagery. Unpack your takeaway food from its packaging.  Arranging your food in beautiful dishware such as plates and bowls can hugely improve the aesthetic of the image. Cardboard delivery containers take from the beauty of the food and can be unflattering. Focus on complimentary colours such as pairing an orange tikka masala curry with a matte black bowl, bringing out the bright colour of the food.

4. Background

When choosing your food photography background, focus on non-distracting, neutral colours. White or wood is generally my go-to. Avoid busy backgrounds that will take away from the focus of the image. Using a white tablecloth or large wooden chopping board as your background can create this look if your countertops and tables are too busy.

5. Make it Personal

Include part of yourself or another person in the shot. Whether that be a hand holding the bowl, or including yourself in the image holding the food. This would be suitable for something such as takeaway pizza photography. Holding the slice of pizza in your hand gives your followers a personal insight into your life and story. Attaching a face to your creative platform gives a broader opportunity for personal connection and growth.

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My Montenotte Experience

This Saturday, on February 1st, I ventured down to Cork for a weekend break in the picturesque and beautifully modern, Montenotte Hotel.

As they say, January is the only month with twice as many days as the rest. Maybe it’s the post-Christmas, back to reality, dark at 4pm aspect, but January really does drag. The first day of Spring was the perfect time for a trip away. Matt drove and we arrived to check-in at 2pm, bringing the total journey time to just under 3 hours.

THE ROOM

Room number 325, better known as The Merchant Suite. Known to me, as the most beautiful hotel room I’ve ever stayed in! Though it’s not enough to call it a hotel room. The Merchant Suite is bigger than myself and Matt’s apartment, which is hilariously amazing. Never was there a time when I felt more like a Queen, than when we opened the door into this haven.

The Merchant Suit Living Room

The Merchant Suite opens onto a living room with two plush velvet couches, a large flat screen tv, a table and chairs, a coffee table, bookshelves filled with cool and interesting reads, and the most amazing views of Cork City.

The Merchant Suite Bedroom

The next room is the bedroom. Kitted out with a King sized bed, a coffee station, another flat screen and views from every window, it was beautiful. The bathroom and toilet are separate rooms. The bathroom has a luxury shower, a bath and his and hers sinks. Two robes and slippers hung on the back of the door, one of my favourite things about staying in a nice hotel. Robes can’t help making me feel luxe and fancy!

THE PANORAMA BISTRO & TERRACE 

The Panorama is where we spent most of our time while staying at The Montenotte. It is in the most beautiful location. On Saturday afternoon, we sat out on the terrace having a hot chocolate and a coffee. Wrapped up in blankets,. looking out over the bustling city below, it was serene. We sat here watching the sun go down, it was wonderful.

For dinner, our table sat opposite a grand piano where live music ensues every Saturday night at 7.30pm. The restaurant was buzzy and full of diners from the time we arrived at 6.15pm (Early due to our cinema booking at 8pm). If you are headed to the cinema like we were, the Cameo Dinner & Movie Package is the ideal choice. It includes both a dinner served from their set menu and a Montenotte Cameo cinema entry. There are two choices; A 2 course meal for €35 or 3 courses for €40. We also added a bottle of Montepulciano, because it’s February, and (almost) dry January had come to an official end. 

To start, we chose goats cheese tartlet and chicken liver parfait, and for our mains, sirloin steak along with potato and chestnut gnocchi. The sirloin was an 8oz steak with caramelised onions, portobello mushroom, chips and for sauce, I went with garlic & herb butter. The gnocchi came with roasted red onions, wilted spinach, aged parmesan cheese, stilton and tarragon cream. By the time dessert came around, we were almost too full, so decided to share a lemon curd tart. I absolutely love anything with lemon curd, so our choice was obvious. Garnished with raspberries, toasted pistachios and clotted cream, it was divine. Overall, the dinner in it’s entirety was marvellous.

THE CAMEO IN HOUSE CINEMA 

One of the most unique aspects of The Montenotte Hotel, is it’s in-house Cameo Cinema. Situated to the right of The Panorama, it’s the perfect dinner-and-a-movie date night spot. If you’ve ever been to The Stella Theatre in Ranelagh, the Cameo is a dead-ringer. With spacious red velvet chairs and no rules on bringing in your drink from the bar, it makes this hotel experience one-of-a-kind.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days was Saturday night’s movie of choice. Chick flicks are my all time favourite, so I was thrilled. It wouldn’t necessarily have been Matt’s number one choice, but due to the comfort of the whole cinema experience, it was an enjoyable 2 hours for both of us.

Upon arrival, we were offered freshly popped popcorn, which we somehow managed to eat, despite being stuffed following dinner. It was free seating, and when we got there, plenty of seats were still available. Each chair had it’s own table for drinks and snacks, and we filled these with wine and popcorn. The evening was extremely enjoyable, I would definitely return to The Cameo.

BELLEVUE SPA

Both myself and Matt booked into the Montenotte’s Bellevue Spa early on Sunday morning for The Botanical Facial Experience. It was a personalised facial, customised to our skin, with a neck, chest and face massage. The spa was comfortable and serene from the moment of entry. We sat in the stunning relaxation room before and after our treatments, in our robes, feeling refreshed and chilled out.

The most lovely therapist called Rachel did my facial. She was so helpful throughout the initial consultation, speaking to me about my skin type, in order to establish the best practices and products to employ. The experience was rejuvenating and highly relaxing. Following the facial, Rachel recommended a skin-specific cleanser and moisturiser, which I then purchased in-spa. My skin has genuinely never glowed brighter!

In the relaxation room, we then enjoyed a 10am mimosa (Why not?), fresh fruit and a cup of herbal tea. Myself and Matt chatted about the facials, and it was interesting to learn our experiences had differed, despite the treatments being the same. Our skin types are different, and this was reflected. One example, is in the form of our under-eye treatment. Seaweed was used on my face and kiwi was used on Matt’s. By the sounds of it, both were equally as revitalising.

Full Facial Breakdown:

• First cleanse with rose gel cleanser
• Second cleanse with clay cleanser
• Enzyme face polish on neck and face
• Lavender and vitamin E face mist
• Face massage using geranium and rose hip face oil
• Eye mask
• Seaweed applied to eyes
• Clay mask applied on neck and face
• Eye cream applied
• Intense renewal moisturiser applied

BREAKFAST

Our final experience before heading into Cork City for the day, was breakfast in the Panorama. I love when a hotel breakfast offers something a little extra. The Montenotte offers a full breakfast buffet, along with a few menu extras that can be ordered for an additional €3. Matt went for the classic Irish breakfast from the buffet, while I opted for an on-the-menu choice in the Eggs Benedict. The hollandaise sauce was homemade and extremely tasty. 

What makes this hotel so special is its views of Cork City. Eating our breakfast looking over the city was spectacular. Everything from the moment we arrived to the hotel was perfect. From the room, to the food, all the way down to the cinema popcorn. Every aspect was memorable and something I would recommend to anyone seeking a weekend away.

As always, if anyone has any questions regarding the stay, please do let me know. I am always happy to answer!

All my foodie love,

Fifi

This hotel stay and review was in collaboration with The Montenotte Hotel. The collaboration does not include the promise of a positive review, just an honest one. Which in this case, was off the charts! 

Supervalu Christmas Preview

Hello Foodie Friends,

It’s Fifi, from @fifisfoodblogdublin!

This week, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Supervalu Christmas preview event in Cooks Academy.

Showcased on the night were so many delicious and unique delicacies that will be in store throughout the festive period. Among those on show included a Cheeseboard Cracker Selection, Kevin Dundon’s Traditional Fruit Cake, Cheddar and Shallot Crisps, Sea Salt and White Wine Vinegar Crisps, White Chocolate and Cranberry Bites, 6 Month Matured Pudding and many more.

Though what impressed me the most was their range of Christmas puddings! The four that stood out above the rest, were the Chocolate and Salted Caramel Pudding, Caramel and Pecan Sponge Pudding, Belgian Chocolate Sponge Pudding and Jewel Topped Champagne Pudding. Each one as interesting as the last, and the perfect post-Christmas dinner dessert!

To kick off the evening, there was a wine tasting! Currently, I’m on an alcohol-free vibe so I gave it a miss. Although it was enjoyable to listen to the history and origins of so many fantastic wines on offer in Supervalu this year. Currently they have a Christmas promotion which gives the buyer 10 euro off when purchasing 6 bottles of wine.

The main event of the evening was in the interest of food sustainability. As most of us know, both a Turkey and a Ham are served for the beloved Irish Christmas dinner every year. For the majority of families, neither are ever finished and can often end up either in the bin, or in Stephen’s Day Turkey & Ham sambos. If this sounds familiar, the below could be the perfect food waste solution for you! Leftover Turkey Thai Curry!The recipe was so easy to follow and to make. All you need is a bit of veg, your leftover turkey, curry paste, stock, coconut milk and rice. So this year, wherever you may be for Christmas dinner, either keep or take home the leftover turkey and make this very easy anti-food waste recipe!

To finish off the evening, we of course made a dessert to accompany our dinner. It was a Christmas Cake Roulade! The meringue would’ve taken too long to make and set, so this was pre-prepared and each group focused on making the filling. The filling was made of cream (which I whipped myself by hand!), mascarpone, vanilla extract and Christmas Pudding. I then spread it along the middle of the meringue and rolled it up!

Overall, it was a fantastic night set up by the Supervalu team. I learned a lot about food waste along with some tips and tricks on how to be a better chef by their great ambassador, Kevin Dundon.

Do let me know if you liked this kind of blog post and if you end up making the Leftover Turkey Thai Curry or the Christmas Cake Roulade!

All my foodie love,

Fifi

@fifisfoodblogdublin

 

 

 

 

Bloggers Brunch

Hello Foodie Friends,

It’s Fifi, from @fifisfoodblogdublin!

Bloggers Brunch September 2019

A few months ago I embarked on a change of career. This big change resulted in less WordPress blog writing. While I have remained consistently active on my Instagram Food Blog, my non-social media side of the blog has not had a look in! So here I am. A few months into the new job and ready to write again.

I often choose a recently visited restaurant to share with you all, but today I want to share an insight into a wonderful community I have become part of since joining the blogging world. This community is Bloggers Brunch.

Bloggers Brunch is a community that was set up by Sabrina’s Style Blog in October 2018. Every couple of months, Sabrina sets up a brunch for Ireland-based creatives with the aim for attendees to learn from each other and develop a support system.

Bloggers Brunch October 2018

For many aspiring bloggers in Ireland, joining a community such as Bloggers Brunch has endless benefits. It provides each person with the opportunity to share information and promote their own blog, all while gaining knowledge from others that they may have been seeking.

I personally, have met some of my closest friends through Bloggers Brunch. It is a chance to enjoy some brunch and cocktails, while chatting about shared interests. From Fashion Bloggers to Food Bloggers, there is always something to learn from someone else and it’s a safe and welcoming atmosphere to do so.

Bloggers Brunch April 2019

For anyone reading this who is blogging in Ireland, or would love to start blogging but you don’t know where to start, this is the perfect community for you.

Sharing some background on @fifisfoodblogdublin

Above all, Bloggers Brunch is great craic and is a space where many real and genuine friendships have formed. Tickets generally go on sale a couple of weeks before, and cover the cost of your brunch and drinks. Blogging is a relatively new concept in Ireland over the past 10 years, and no ‘How to be a blogger’ handbook exists! Different things work for different people and Bloggers Brunch allows networks and knowledge to grow extensively.

Since it’s launch, I have attended every Bloggers Brunch. So if there are any questions surrounding it, do ask me and I’ll be sure to answer to the best of my ability. The next Bloggers Brunch will be in 2020, so be sure to keep an eye on their Instagram @bloggersbrunch.ie  for updates, as tickets tend to sell out fast.

Have a fab Sunday and as cliché as it sounds – Do what makes you happy!

All my foodie love,

Fifi

@fifisfoodblogdublin 

 

 

Eatyard Experience

Hello Foodie Friends,

It’s Fifi from @fifisfoodblogdublin!

This week I will be sharing all things Eatyard with you.

Eatyard is a small food market situated on Richmond Street South beside the Bernard Shaw. It has a variety of vendors selling many different types of interesting and delicious food. From Venezuelan Street Food to 24 Karat gold ice cream, there really is something for everyone to choose from.

On Sunday, I visited Eatyard with some friends, and due to the bad weather, we decided it was a burger and fries kind of day. This choice brought us straight over to Handsome Burger Galway.  Their burger menu was incredible.

There was a choice of four different burgers and three different types of artisan fries. After an extremely difficult decision, we finally ordered 3 B.O.B’s, 1 Handsome Roost Burger, 1 Loaded Fries and 2 Parmesan, Maple Bacon & Aioli Fries.

   

The B.O.B was made up of a beef patty, tobacco onions, crispy bacon lardons, double cheddar cheese and their signature ‘Handsome’ sauce for 9 euro. The Handsome Roost had a buttermilk chicken burger as its base, buffalo sauce, unami pickles, gem lettuce and caesar dressing, also for 9 euro. That was a MESSY burger!

The Loaded Fries were topped with chorizo, fried vegetables, mint raita and garlic aioli for 6.50 euro, and The Parmesan and Bacon fries were as you would imagine with parmesan cheese, maple bacon and garlic aioli for 6 euro.

As we looked around for somewhere to sit, all of the covered seats had been taken except for a funky looking caravan in the corner. We ventured inside as it was freezing. Inside was the cutest and cosiest caravan that looked like it had come straight from the 80s. We sat down to eat our burgers and fries and noticed microphones and a tv….

KARAOKE.

For the next hour or so, we sat in the 80s caravan and sang Karaoke. A great addition to this Summer’s Eatyard.

Before we left, we of course had to have a dessert. We had planned to get two desserts. The first being black soft serve ice creams from MilkBar, but unfortunately their ice cream machines were not working that day! The second dessert being churros from Sweet Churro! Thankfully, they were working!

We got the most delicious churros with hot chocolate sauce. I am still dreaming about them. The hot chocolate sauce was so good I almost wanted to drink it!!

Overall, my experience at Eatyard trying out their new Summer vendors was a success. From burgers and fancy fries, to karaoke, and finally chocolatey churros. I would highly recommend checking it out one of these weekends. They are open from Thursday-Sunday.

If you head down to Eatyard and try out any of their delicious food, please let me know and send pictures. I would love to know what I need to order next time I’m there!

I hope this blog post was insightful and informative for you! Have a great Tuesday.

All my foodie love,

Fifi

@fifisfoodblogdublin 

Dublin’s Ever Evolving Cocktail Culture

Hello Foodie Friends,

It’s Fifi, from @fifisfoodblogdublin!

This week I have chosen to delve in and explore the cocktail scene in Dublin that is more prominent than ever.

We Irish love a cocktail!

Over the past couple of years, Dublin’s cocktail culture has developed and grown hugely. All for the better of course!

Cocktails Throughout the Ages

On Sunday, I paid a visit to Vintage Cocktail Club (VCC) in Temple Bar. VCC has created an exclusivity surrounding it’s cocktail lounge by not letting just anyone in. A windowless, rusting steel door with ‘VCC’ in small print greets you as you arrive. It is then procedure to ring the bell and wait. After 2/3 minutes of waiting patiently outside, a lady opened the door and questioned the number in our group. She then lead us to the upstairs section of the lounge. It is almost completely covered over but has a break in the roof to the outside, therefore it qualifies as a smoking area.

The section is small, intimate and reminded me of the 1960s cocktail lounges you see in old movies with its red velvet chairs and couches, what feels like indoor smoking and mismatched wallpaper covering every inch of the lounge. Opening the menu, it was the most extensive cocktail menu I have seen in Dublin to date. Each section is split into eras. From the beginning of the cocktail in the late 1400’s right up until the present day, the variety is endless. With sections to choose from such as ‘The Golden Age of the Cocktail’, ‘The Demise and Resurrection of the Cocktail’ and ‘The Professor and The Cocktail’, it made choosing a cocktail a difficult task! I finally settled on one of the ‘VCC Signature Serves’; the ‘Weathered Storm’.

It came in a highball glass, which was stated in the description (something I loved!), and was made up of Micil Poitín, raspberry syrup, plum bitters, fresh citrus, Fentimans dandelion & Burdock top with a raspberry skewer and fresh mint sprig. It, like all other cocktails on the menu, sold at 11.95 euro. The theme of VCC is cocktails throughout the ages, which I loved. Keeping up with cocktail trends is important for bars and cocktail lounges, but having a variety of classic and old school cocktails is a great addition and makes this place uniquely wonderful.

Japanese-Style Cocktails

Something that is becoming increasingly popular within Dublin’s cocktail scene is the rise of Japanese-style cocktails and bars. A variety exist, such as Ukiyo, Izakiya, Yamamori and Bonsai Bar. This week I visited Dylan McGrath’s Bonsai Bar to taste their bespoke Japanese-style cocktails. Bonsai Bar is situated on South Great George’s Street on the second floor between Dylan McGrath’s two other restaurants (both I love!), Rustic Stone and Taste at Rustic by Dylan McGrath. Each cocktail on their menu is wildly interesting and unique. There are seventeen cocktails in total.

Each as extraordinarily unusual as the next. As I read the menu, I noticed one of the cocktails came in a teapot. This is something I have never seen before and seeing as the cocktail sounded sweet and flavoursome, I chose the ‘Bunbuku’. It was a  Japanese-style cocktail made with Absolut raspberry, mozart white chocolate liqueur, coconut purée and coconut blossom nectar with vanilla and lime.

Below each cocktail, there is a short story attached, informing you of where the inspiration for each cocktail was derived from. It became evident that each cocktail had been carefully chosen and created, each with its own individual Japanese influence behind it. The ‘Bunbuku’ arrived in a charcoal teapot, accompanied solely by a small charcoal cup. Slowly I poured myself small cups of the cocktail. In this way, I was provided with more of an opportunity to savour the flavours of this wondrous Japanese creation. It was creamy and had a smooth and silky texture as I drank it. The ‘Bunbuku’ was unlike any cocktail I had tasted before and it was truly delicious.

The second cocktail I chose was one recommended by the bartender. ‘The Sakura Blossom’ is made up of Beefeater Gin, maraschino liqueur, grapefruit liqueur, fresh pink grapefruit juice and is topped with sparkling rose sake. This cocktail really awoke my taste buds with the grapefruit’s zingy kick! It, again, was one of a kind. Spending an evening in Bonsai Bar is an experience. From the buzzy atmosphere to the wonderfully unique bespoke Japanese-cocktails, it is a refreshing branch of Dublin’s cocktail scene.

Interviewing a Beverage Operations Manger

This week, I sat down with Karl Cooney, Dylan McGrath’s Beverage Operations Manager to pick his brain about Dublin’s ever evolving cocktail scene. Karl has been working as part of Dylan’s team for 6 months and runs everything drink related in Fade Street Social, Brasserie 66 and Bonsai Bar. I was intrigued to find out what our favourite cocktail was as Dublin drinkers. Unsurprisingly, Karl informed me it was the classic Espresso Martini. Mixing alcohol and coffee? We must be exhausted!

Asking Karl about what makes a good bartender surprised me. While he informed me that a bartender’s passion, efficiency and mixology skills hold great importance, it is a clean and organised bartender that makes for an effective mixologist and a well-rounded team of bartenders. What makes a cocktail bar unique? Karl believes providing the customer with an all-round experience is key to the answer.

”Taking a customer’s imagination and pallet somewhere through taste, knowledge, stories and images is what makes a cocktail bar unique” – Karl Cooney

Truthfully, this description embodies how I felt about my Bonsai Bar cocktail experience. Through each of Karl’s three cocktail bar endeavours, I believe he has succeeded in creating a place in which the customer is brought on a journey from the moment they walk in the door to the moment they leave.

How has the cocktail culture changed?

‘‘Bartenders are becoming more experimental and the quality is becoming much higher” – Karl Cooney

Dublin’s bartenders are developing a much deeper and extensive spirit and operational knowledge and this is what has resulted in our explosive cocktail scene. Speaking to Karl, I don’t believe our growing cocktail scene will slow down any time soon. Every week there are new cocktail clubs and bars opening. The competition is fierce for businesses and the choice is wide and diverse for consumers. Lucky us!

Check in again next Monday for the week’s must!

All my foodie love,

Fifi

@fifisfoodblogdublin

This Week’s Must: Cleaver East!

Hello my foodie friends,

It’S Fifi, from @fifisfoodblogdublin!

This week, once again, I ate an excessive amount of delicious food in the restaurants of Dublin. (No regrets!) I ate a lot of pizza this week. Pizza from Base Wood Fired Pizza , NKD Pizza and Quando Woodfire Pizzeria.  Maybe this week I should eat a little less pizza? It’s my favourite though….. But this week’s must is not a pizza place. This week’s must is the one and only Cleaver East in Temple Bar!

Famous for their bottomless and 2 course brunch menu, I had to check out why Cleaver East was always jammers every weekend! Myself, Sabrina and Bukola (two of the gorgeous girls I met at The Blogger’s Brunch two weeks previous!) had planned to meet for a boozy brunch on Sunday as it was the Bank Holiday weekend, and we definitely made the right choice in Cleaver East!

The vibe in Cleaver East was extremely lively yet relaxed, as the restaurant goers soaked up the bottomless mimosas and bellinis, blissfully aware that the next day would be a Bank Holiday Monday and they could be hungover at home all day with nowhere to be! (We of course, felt the same!)

The restaurant was dimly lit, with a slightly dark and inviting atmosphere. A huge bar sits in the centre of the restaurant where you can sit for a drink before brunch if desired. We sat down at our table and were immediately met with three mimosas. Our waiter was the most lovely and attentive guy possible, never letting our drinks go too low before offering a refill.

The price for bottomless mimosas/bellinis and two courses (starter/main) is 38 euro. In my opinion, this is an amazing price. There are many brunch spots around Dublin offering similar deals but with only one course included. The attractive aspect of Cleaver East’s offer is that two courses are included.

For my first course, I ordered the ‘Garlic and Bacon Fried Potatoes’ which came with tomato salsa, garlic mayo and a fried egg. It was small but so tasty and with the salsa and garlic mayo, it reminded me of a fancy patatas bravas! Without the bottomless brunch deal, this dish costs 9.50 euro.

Both of the girls ordered the ‘Creamy Wild Mushrooms’. This dish came on sourdough toast with a poached egg and rocket salad. It looked absolutely incredible! (I was almost jealous I didn’t order it too!) This dish would also regularly cost 9.50 euro. We all thoroughly enjoyed our starters and as a result, were extremely excited to see what our mains would be like. 

For my main, I ordered the ‘Pil Pil Prawns and Chorizo Chickpea Paella’ accompanied by crunchy sourdough bread. It was extremely good! (But to be noted if you have ever had Pil Pil in Spain it is quite different! It came in a bowl with the prawns sitting on top!) When I got down below to the sauce it was amazing to dip the bread into! (My favourite thing to do!)  Regularly this dish would cost 13.95 euro. Definitely worth it to get the 38 euro bottomless brunch deal!

The girls ordered the Chicken and Chorizo ‘Vol Au Vent’ for their mains. This dish came with a fried hen’s egg and feta cheese. DELISH! They absolutely adored their mains. Regularly this dish would cost 14.50 euro.It is safe to say after the two courses and many mimosas and bellinis, we were stuffed….(But of course not too stuffed to skip dessert!)

We decided to share two desserts between the three of us. We chose the ‘Salted Caramel Profiteroles’ with hazelnut ice-cream and chocolate sauce (7.50 euro) along with the ‘New York Style Baked Cheesecake’ with honeycomb and raspberry sorbet (7.50 euro). Both of the desserts were divine. Although I needed to be rolled home after the entire day out eating!

Overall, the bottomless brunch experience in Cleaver East was wonderful. It was great value, the service was top notch and the food even better. I could not recommend this bottomless brunch 2 course dining experience more.

If you guys have any more bottomless brunch suggestions for me please send them on!

Have an amazing week!

All my foodie love,

Fifi

@fifisfoodblogdublin

This Week’s Must: L’Officina by Dunne & Crescenzi

Hello my foodie friends,

It’s Fifi, from @fifisfoodblogdublin! 

This week’s must is a little further out from my usual Dublin foodie scene. This week the place I checked out and absolutely loved was L’Officina by Dunne & Crescenzi, an Italian restaurant situated in the heart of Kildare Village.

I rarely venture out to Kildare Village but it is such a gorgeous little spot. There are so many fabulous shops with really reduced prices such as All Saints, Calvin Klein, Nike and Swarovski. There is a wide selection of restaurants too, hence this blog post being about one of them!

Myself and three of the girls drove down. (Amazing because I now have food for four to share with you!) Beware of rush hour traffic! We drove down no problem but got stuck in traffic on the way back to Dublin. Nightmare!

Dunne & Crescenzi is an open, bright and warm restaurant. When we walked in, it was buzzy with people out for Friday lunch. We were seated by the window which would’ve been stunning if it hadn’t been lashing rain outside! Though a lovely place to be seated all the same.  We started off with three glasses of Prosecco and one glass of lemonade. (Designated driver!)

Having looked up the menu prior to arriving (my favourite thing to do), we all had bruschetta on the mind. The girl’s each ordered the classic ‘Bruschetta with Garlic and Basil Tomatoes’ while I ordered the ‘Bruschetta Rustica’. We then ordered a ‘Pesto Pot’ to share. These were just our starters. As you can probably tell, we were starving…..

The drinks and starters arrived and everything looked incredible! Almost too beautiful to eat… (almost!). My ‘Bruschetta Rustica’ was made up of toasted Altamura sourdough with home-made pesto, goats cheese and char grilled peppers for 11 euro. The goats cheese was super creamy and the pesto to bread ratio was perfect. A delicious starter. The girls said their Bruschetta with vine ripened tomatoes, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil (8.50 euro) was delicious too.

 

We then shared a pesto pot for 4.50 euro. We are all obsessed with pesto and were stuck between that and the bruschetta so we decided to get an extra starter of it to share. It came with warm bread to dip into Dunne & Crescenzi’s basil, pine nut and almond pesto. We wished we had ordered two but remembered there were mains on the way…….

The ‘Penne with Prawns’ was my choice of main. The dish was made up of penne pasta with Doran’s prawns, white wine, garlic, cherry tomatoes, flat leaf parsley and a hint of chilli for 16.50 euro. Anything with garlic is heaven to me. The prawns were big and fresh. I definitely made an excellent choice.

The other dishes ordered were the ‘Chicken Burger’ with two Irish chicken fillets topped with tomato, lettuce, provolone and served with home-made rosemary roast potatoes for 15.90 euro, the ‘Spaghetti al Amatriciana’ with pancetta bacon, tomato, a hint of chilli and cheese petals for 15.50 euro and finally the ‘Campania’ signature panini with fresh Campania mozzarella, vine ripened tomatoes and the house pesto which came with a cocotte of minestrone soup for 11.50 euro.

We were stuffed after our mains and debated skipping dessert but of course that is impossible for me! We shared two chocolate fondants and they were melt in your mouth delicious.

All of the food was absolutely outstanding. Our waitress was so lovely and was extremely attentive. Overall the entire experience in L’Officina by Dunne & Crescenzi was amazing. I will definitely be back soon! Possibly even to one of the other branches as they have restaurants in Dundrum, Blackrock, on South Frederick St in town and Sandymount!

Already looking forward to my next foodie adventure! Check out my blog again in a week for the next must try spot.

 

All my foodie love,

Fifi

@fifisfoodblogdublin

 

This Week’s Must: Crow Street!

Hello my foodie friends,

It’s Fifi, from @fifisfoodblogdublin!

First of all I want to thank every single person who has been following my Instagram Food Blog for the past year and a half. Today I hit 15K followers and could not be more over the moon with it’s success! I couldn’t have done it without you all so thank you I appreciate every single one of you!!

This week the restaurant I fell in love with is brand new. It’s only 5 weeks old and is in the heart of Temple Bar. Like the street it is situated on, my restaurant of the week is called Crow Street! 

Crow Street sits directly opposite the famous Foggy Dew Pub in Temple Bar. We arrived in (Myself and Eoin) and the interior of the restaurant was the first thing that struck me. It was stunning. The colour scheme was made up of oranges and browns and it had an extremely relaxing, warm and inviting vibe as soon as you walked inside.

Each table was beautifully set and symmetrical, with a bar taking up the furthest end of the restaurant. You can tell whoever set Crow Street up was a perfectionist when it came to style and interior!

Brunch is my absolute favourite kind of meal to go out for. In my opinion it caters for everyone. Especially Crow Street’s diverse brunch menu. Hungry for breakfast? Have a full Irish. Starving? Have a steak. Looking for a classic? Have the eggs Benedict. Crow Street’s menu was amazing. The brunch dishes were more adventurous than most. Brunch with a twist!

When we arrived, we ordered two non-alcoholic cocktails (I was driving as it was that horrendous day over the weekend where it lashed all day). The bar man made us up two of the most glorious looking (and tasting!) drinks I’ve ever had! It was called the Lemon Berry Fever. Usually it comes with Sausage Tree Irish Vodka, Chambord Raspberry Liquer, Fever Tree Sicilian Lemonade and fresh blackberries for 11 euro. It was delicious!

Myself and Eoin then decided we absolutely could not just order one brunch dish each as we were dying to try pretty much every single thing on the menu, so we chose two to share. (….and a side of course!)

After much deliberation, we first decided to order the Rosti potato, black pudding, chorizo, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. It was as amazing as it sounds and looks!! Everyone knows I am a poached egg and hollandaise sauce fiend, so really that or the eggs Benedict were guaranteed to be one of our options. For 11 euro it wasn’t too steep at all.

For our second choice we were stuck between the Kimchi scrambled eggs, kale, oyster mushrooms, smashed avocado (yum!) on sourdough and the slow braised pork tacos. We chose the tacos! They were incredible. Slow braised pork soft shell corn tacos with pickled red cabbage, chipotle aioli and a bowl of fries for 12 euro. We finished it off with a side of chilli and garlic greens for 3.50 euro.

As I am obsessed with dessert, we of course could not leave without trying some! Our lovely waitress offered to make us up a tasting dessert board. It had a bit of almost every dessert on their menu and honestly could have been the tastiest combination of desserts ever. Included on the board was sticky toffee pudding, homemade fudge, salted caramel ice-cream, white chocolate and passion fruit cheesecake, chocolate and orange brownie and vanilla ice-cream.

The entire brunch exceeded every expectation I had for such a new restaurant. Crow Street have really found what works for them already and it was so wonderful to see. I am already planning my next trip back as they also have a dinner menu which sounds YUM.

Would highly recommend Crow Street to all of you, it’s a gem!

Check out my blog again in a week for the next must try spot,

All my foodie love,

Fifi

@fifisfoodblogdublin

 

 

 

This Week’s Must: Las Tapas de Lola!

Hello my foodie friends,

It’s Fifi, from @fifisfoodblogdublin! 

Last week I ate out in so many delicious restaurants and foodie spots such as Square One,  Las Tapas de Lola, Bewley’s, Bunsen, Coppinger Row, The Rolling Donut, Scoop, San Sab and Jamie’s Italian.

Wow listing it out like that makes me realise how much food I actually consume on a week to week basis. Maybe this week should be a healthy week……….. (Odds are I will continue to eat pizza all week as usual though)

It was so hard to choose my this week’s must among all of those insanely tasty places but eventually I decided the place you all absolutely must go and try is……Las Tapas de Lola!

(A very dramatic introduction for what was already written in the title of this blog post!)

Prior to this week, I had never eaten in Las Tapas de Lola before. It had been recommended to me by countless people but for some reason or another, I had just never gotten around to giving it a try.  MY GOD had I been missing out????

If you have ever been here you will understand the deliciousness of every tapas dish on their menu and get me. If you have not yet tried here, add it to your list ASAP.

Las Tapas de Lola is situated on Wexford Street in the middle of town. We went on Thursday without making a reservation and were lucky enough to be seated in their gorgeous alcove of outdoor seating. It is completely covered (so we didn’t get cold!) but looks out upon the busy street it’s situated on due to it being made entirely of glass. It was a gorgeous place to be seated.

Our waiter arrived over with two tasting glasses of Tinto de Verano on the house. I thought this was such a nice touch. I am not sure if they do this every night, but everybody in the restaurant that night was lucky enough to taste their delicious take on the Spanish wine-based drink. Hopefully it is a regular occurrence!

She then recommended ordering 5/6 tapas dishes between us to share. We started off with a plate of olives and ordered 5 more following them.

The first dish we chose was the ‘Patatas bravas y allioli’. This was fried potatoes covered in a spicy tomato and aioli sauce. It was 5.25 euro and incredibly tasty.  The second dish was the ‘Queso cordobés’, which was a grilled goats cheese with house made marmalade. This was hands down my favourite, and for 6.25 euro it was quite reasonable. The goats cheese was warm and melted in your mouth. I am still dreaming about it.  

The third dish was the ‘Chorizo frito y morcilla’. A chorizo and black pudding tapas dish. It was 7.50 euro. It came with two tiny pieces of toasted bread and both the chorizo and the pudding were so juicy. Delicious. The fourth dish was ‘Puntillitas’; fried baby squid tentacles for 7.75 euro. The thought of tentacles might be enough to turn some people off but these were so tasty and really fresh. We both loved them.

The final tapas dish (before dessert!), was ‘Cazuelita de arroz negro’, black rice with seafood, squid ink and alioli for 6.95 euro. This tapas dish was so interesting and completely different to anything I had ever tried before. The squid ink had a sharp taste but complimented the rest of the dish incredibly well. I would definitely order it again!

Finally, I ordered the ‘Churros con chocolate’, because there is always a separate compartment in my stomach ready for a dessert, no matter how full I am! Does anyone else feel this way about dessert…………??  It was AMAZING. The chocolate was warm and the churros were so sugary. The perfect combination.

Overall, my experience in Las Tapas de Lola was amazing from start to finish. The food was incredible, the service was outstanding and the atmosphere was buzzy but relaxed.

This is a must try for any of you who have never been here before, and for anyone who has already been…It’s time for a second visit!

Check out my blog again in a week for the next must try spot,

 

All my Foodie Love,

Fifi