Brunch in Dublin: Whitefriar Grill vs San Lorenzo’s

Last weekend Mark and myself went into the Travel Health Clinic to get our jabs for Thailand. We decided we might as well make a bit of a day of it so I booked Whitefriar grill for brunch. Since it’s been named the best brunch in Dublin by Lovin Dublin I was really excited to give it a try. I booked a couple weeks in advance as I assumed it would be busy and it was. If you want to try it out definitely book in advance to avoid total despair. Too dramatic?

A couple of months ago I went to San Lorenzo’s with a few girl friends so below is a bit of a comparison. Who will be the winner?? Read on and find out!

The Staff

Anyway, jabs done and lollypops awarded, we headed over to the restaurant. The first thing I have to comment on is the WFG staff. I had been here for the early bird before also and both times the staff have just been so nice. I think it makes such a difference to the meal, especially for me, as I enjoy a bit of random banter. The staff in San Lorenzo’s were perfectly nice but I think in this case WFG steal the point!

The Décor

On the interior both places are really nice. San Lorenzo’s is much brighter which is great for brunch but I’d like to see how they set the mood in the evening. WFG is pretty dark which is perfect for evenings and I guess it’s good for cosy winter brunches too. I’m going to call a tie here.

The Food

 

On to the important business – the food. In WFG I ordered chicken parmigiana on ciabatta with sausage, melted mozzarella, rocket and fries. I find I always go for poached eggs or huevos benedict so I’m trying to broaden my horizons. The first thing to mention is the waitress laughing at my look of sheer horror when the food arrived. My sandwich was MONSTROUS! I don’t know how everyone else feels about this but I really think if there are sandwiches or burgers on a menu they really should be small enough to fit in your mouth! A big stretched jaw bite kind of size is perfect but this was so big I couldn’t even eat it with the top piece of bread taken off. And my mouth is not small! On the taste side of things it was fine. The sauce was good but it kind of reminded me of an Italian pasta sauce. The chicken was nothing to get excited about and the chips were pretty plain without a sauce. I ended up giving the end of it to Mark. He had gotten toasted sourdough w/ tomato fondue, smashed avocado, asparagus, chilli jam, poached eggs and said it was nice but nothing to lose your shit over!

 

In San Lorenzo’s again I tried to break from my norm and I got brunch tacos – Jerk chicken with avocado salsa, fried chorizo, red pepper mayo, iceberg lettuce, coriander, chili and lime. Straight away when the tacos arrived they looked so gorgeous and colourful! The meat was juicy and the toppings were perfect. It had a good kick, which is exactly what I wanted. I hate when you order a spicy dish and it’s got sweetness to it but this was just fiery perfection. The avocado worked really well too. Is it just me or are avocados suddenly totally en vogue? You’re no one if you’re not eating avocado at brunch! Everyone was really impressed with their dishes so we left very full and happy!

All in all it’s clear to see that San Lorenzo’s have won this round and, as the food really is key, they have won the battle! Really there is no competition, San Lorenzos’s wins hands down! The food is just absolute perfection and is probably the best brunch I’ve ever had.

I, by no means, want to shit all over WFG. The food was nice and I think I ordered wrong. I would try it again and get the heuvos rancheros but, with so many other places to try such as 777 and Taco Taco, I think it’ll be awhile before I’m back.

What’s your favourite brunch spot? Let me know in the comments below, follow me on Twitter – @Shlawlor and add me on instagram – @lovefoodbaby

48 hours in London – What to do!

Last weekend I went over to London to visit my friend, Aoife. I had such a great weekend that I just had to get back to blogging so I could tell the Internet all about it! It was my third time in London and although I would never live there I really do love the buzz and vibe of the city.

In April, when I last went to London, my friends and I missed our flight because we were in the bloody bar! Like one minute away from the gate! So I went directly to my gate this time round, after a quick stop off in duty free to treat myself to some perfume! Aoife and I really wanted to make the most of the weekend and visit a few different markets and restaurants so I was on the ball and did my makeup and hair on the train into the city so we didn’t waste any time!

On Friday night we went to Dalston Yard Street Feast, which is a night market that runs over the summer in 3 locations. The place was buzzing when we arrived around 10pm and there were a lot of people who had clearly been out since 5pm! I immediately loved the look and feel of the place! We started off with a cucumber G&T in the Gin Store while we tried to figure out what we wanted to eat. I wasn’t too hungry so I decided to get a cheeseburger slider and some chili fries from Slider Bar. The guy taking the orders was fucking everything up and it REALLY annoyed me! The slider wasn’t even that great and the fries were average so it was pretty disappointing. Aoife on the other hand got an amazing brisket burger and Cajun fries from Smokestak. They cook their meat in a 4.5 tonne custom fabricated smoker train! The meat was crazy tender and the Cajun mayo was TDF as Aoife would say. TDF – To Die For. Serious order envy on my part!

The market closes up at midnight so afterwards we nipped into Farr’s School of Dancing for another G&T and some people watching. The bar has a really cool vintage theme and is definitely worth checking out if you’re in the area.

The next day we were up bright and early to seize the day! We rented the London bikes, which are only £2 for the day, and cycled to Victoria Park. Once we got there we had brunch at the famous Victoria Park Pavilion. I opted for bacon and egg on sourdough bread and Aoife got eggs florentine. The food was really good and it was so nice to be sitting outside on the picnic benches beside the lake. The lake was so nice in fact that Aoife decided we should rent a pedal boat and have a little tour around it! I’m not sure if we got a dodgy boat or what but it was REALLY hard to get the thing moving and turning! We ended up getting stuck in some weeds and at one point I honestly thought we were going to have to be rescued! We eventually got back to the pier though and I was happy to be back on dry land. I don’t think I ever laughed so much!

With legs like jelly we got back on our bikes and cycled through the park and towards the Olympic stadium. We got off the bikes at the back of the stadium and had to walk the entire way around it to get to the entrance. Aoife is not the best tour guide. She wanted to go to the man-made Beach East to check it out and once we got there we went straight to Pub Tropicana for a drink and to cool off! It was gloriously sunny and about 24 degrees!

Next up was a quick train ride to Greenwich for a look around the naval college and a cup of coffee. I really liked it here. It’s much more laid-back and European than the other spots we visited. I guess I’m just not much of a city girl! We headed back to Aoife’s apartment then to chill out and rest our feet!

Once we finished our episode of ‘come dine with me’ (seriously, I’m always either eating, thinking about what to eat or watching programs about people eating!) we got ready for our night out! We had decided we were going to go to Brick Lane for an Indian so I had done a bit of research to choose the best place to go. I found this blog really helpful when making the decision!

So, we ended up going to Cinnamon! It was BYOB so we brought two bottles of wine with us. Classy ladies! The trick to getting a good deal for your meal is to know where you are going and then act really interested in the restaurant beside that place! We ended up getting 20% off our bill. I wanted to hold out for a free drink too but sure what are ya gonna do?!

I got the bhuna and Aoife got the butter chicken. We shared some poppadums, garlic naan and bombay aloo too. It was A LOT of food! We both enjoyed our meals but I would have like if the bhuna was a bit spicier. There was literally no kick from it. Aoife also said that, while the butter chicken was nice, it wasn’t like any other she’d had before and it was more yellowy than red. The highlight of the night was when the waiter informed us – AFTER we had eaten our meals – that eating rice at night makes you fat! He then proceeded to tell us he was a personal trainer and whipped out his phone to show us a picture of his bicep. So weird!!

After dinner we walked up to Shoreditch high-street and ended up in Dragon Bar. Having eaten so much Aoife was convinced that we would not be able to get drunk. Let’s just say we proved her theory wrong! It was a great night just dancing around drinking more wine. I have to say, I just love the music in the bars in London. There was a lot of RnB and rap which is right up my street and which you don’t really get in Ireland so I was having the time of my life! It also helped that no-one knew me so I didn’t have to be self conscious about my hella-cool dance moves! Girl got SWAG!

Me being me, I left my phone in the bar but the lovely barman kindly text MY DAD to tell him they had it so I had to drag a very poorly Aoife back to the bar the next day to retrieve it and immediately delete many embarrassing Snapchat story entries which, thankfully, had not sent yet! Once we’d gotten that business out of the way we stopped off at Shoreditch Urban Street Fest for a feed. I got a pepperoni pizza, which was crap, and Aoife got an Argentinean steak sandwich, which was delicious. Second bout of order envy of the weekend!

Having put Aoife through enough, we parted ways at Liverpool street station. I was tired, a bit peaky and pretty emotional at this point with the thought of a flight home but it was so worth it for such an amazing weekend!!

So, what do you like to get up to when you’re in London? Leave a comment if you know of any places, restaurants or activities I should check out next time! Follow me on Twitter – @Shlawlor and add me on instagram – @lovefoodbaby

Review of The Gourmet Kitchen, Irish Village Markets

Yet again I found myself walking towards Merrion Square last Thursday afternoon for the Irish Village Market. I brought my lunch in specifically to avoid this but it’s like my belly takes over from my mind around midday and when I woke up from my hungry trance I had eaten an entire bread roll and a pile of chips!!

I went early this time, at 12pm, and the place was very quiet! I’d say this has a lot to do with the sudden change in the weather which has everyone staying indoors and thinking about buying their winter coat rather than their lunch! However,I was happy with the peace as I strolled around looking at what the market had to offer. I was having curry that night so I stayed away from those stalls, even though they all smell so good! I eventually landed on The Gourmet Kitchen. The smokey barbecue smell just called to me!!

 

I opted for the Flame Grilled 28 Day Dry Aged Sirloin Steak(Cooked Pink) – Served on a toasted Ciabatta with fresh rocket, red onion and a choice of Sauce. I’m a traditional gal so I went for pepper sauce. I actually don’t think I have enough words in my vocabulary to explain how good this was! The steak was pink, juicy and tender with no grizzle or fat. The sauce was amazing too, it had a great kick but didn’t over power the meat. It also wasn’t poured on so thick that my bread turned soggy. It was literally the most perfect steak sandwich I have ever had in my life, it could even have been the best steak I’ve ever had in my life. I find more often than not when you order a steak it just doesn’t hold up to your expectations but this is not the case with the Gourmet Kitchen.

 

For the steak sambo and chips (which were perfectly nice too) I paid €9. I’m pretty sure it was only meant to be €8 but I only noticed afterwards and to be honest after eating the sandwich I really wasn’t that miffed! My only complaint about the Gourmet Kitchen is that it doesn’t have a Bricks and Mortar store because I want to eat there, like every day!

 

Please, please, PLEASE try these guys out ASAP. Maybe even tell them I sent ya, I might get a free steak out of it 😉 Let me know if you visit them! Leave a comment, find me on Facebook and add me on instagram – @lovefoodbaby

They are currently operating at the following markets…Every Tuesday located at the Stillorgan LUAS Station from 11.30am – 2pm

Every Wednesday behind the convention centre at Spencer dock from 12 – 2.

Every Thursday at Mespil road on the grand canal from 12 – 2
and at Merrion Square Market 12 – 2

Every Friday 11.30am to 2.00pm  on the banks of the Grand Canal at the junction of Northumberland Road and Percy Place, Dublin 4. and in Sandyford at the junction of Carmanhall Road & Ravens Rock Road in Sandyford industrial estate from 12 – 2

They also recently started trading at Howth market every Saturday and Sunday from 11-5! Its just opposite the train station!

Review of Angel Park Eatery, Lower Mount Street

Last Friday I went to Angel Park Eatery to grab lunch to go. A friend in work goes here a lot and her food always looks amazing! Thanks for the recommendation Laura Jane! Angel Park eatery is a  wholly Irish owned company who pride themselves in using locally produced Irish produce. They do not use any processed bouillon, sugar or fillers, they just use pure and natural ingredients! It is located on Lower Mount Street Just beside Merrion Square in Dublin.

I got the chicken and satay peanut noodle salad – Sautéed chicken, grilled peppers and onions served on a bed of satay peanut  noodles and mixed leaves. The portion size is perfect. It comes in the same size silver chinese box you get your drunken 3in1 in of a Friday! At €6.50 it’s a bit more expensive than your 3in1 but it really was worth it. This salad was really fresh and tasty and I felt satisfied after it! They also do gourmet sandwiches, wraps and hot dinners. This picture really doesn’t do the salad justice! I immediately regretted my decision to take it our of the box to photograph it as all the good stuff is on the bottom, at least it gives you an idea of size! That’s a dinner plate.

I ordered my lunch using the ‘downthesofa’ app which Chopped use also. Unfortunately when I arrived to pick up my lunch I was told their app was broken at the moment which was disappointing. An email or text to let me know this earlier would have been appreciated. However all the staff were really friendly and made up my salad in a heartbeat. I have used this ordering app before with chopped and it was great so I would recommend using it with Angel Park Eatery in future as it can be very busy and you don’t want to waste your lunch queuing! It also ensures you’ll get what you want as when I arrived at 1.45pm they were pretty much cleared out! You just need to order by 12.40pm online (12pm for chopped).

There is a basement seating area if you want to sit in although I chose to go back to the office. I definitely recommend Angel Park Eatery as a different and healthy alternative to the Deli roll from your nearest Spar for a healthier and tastier lunch! Visit http://www.angelparkeatery.com/ and click order online to sign up to the app. While you’re at it, don’t forget to find me on Facebook and add me on instagram – @lovefoodbaby.

Review of BóBó’s, Dame Street

On Wednesday myself and my sister met for dinner. After a quick trip in to Abercrombie to spray perfume all over ourselves we were ready to head to bóbó’s on Dame street.

Finally I’m hitting somewhere from my list! To be honest I’m broke this month because I got a little over excited on payday and did ALOT of online shopping so I’m paying the price now. I actually won a free burger by commenting on one of BoBo’s Facebook pictures with my personal profile which is why I could afford to go. Anyway! Back to the food!

The place was much bigger than I expected, the walls are all painted with cows and the green tile floor is cool. I nipped straight to the toilets to wash up before ordering. No soap! This is pretty much my only negative comment about the place so fear not, it’s all sunshine and roses from here on out!

I decided to go for the Emancipator – tomato, lettuce, bacon, cheese, onion rings and deli mayo. Shin got the Colm – lettuce tomato bacon and guacamole. We shared a skinny chips with rosemary. Shin got a glass of red wine and I got a pint (!) Of TK red lemonade. I thought it was great when I saw it. It’s so Irish and it reminds me of my nanna who always had it in her house.  She was a fan of Jameson, red lemonade and TWO ice cubes, no more, no less.

Dear Lord when the burgers came out I was a little scared. They’re massive!! Julia Roberts would have difficulty getting this thing in her mouth! The chips portion was massive too, thank God we decided to share! After cutting it in half I attempted my first bite. Ladies be warned, it’s a messy meal. I do not recommend this as a first date! It really was good though! The bun was really light and fresh and the burger was cooked to perfection. I usually enquire about sauces or ask for them on the side but I decided deli mayo sounded harmless enough. This was a bit of an error on my part. There were obviously gherkins or something in it which I wouldn’t be a huge fan of and I found it was so strong I couldn’t taste anything else but once I scraped most of it off it was much better. The chips were nice, I couldn’t really taste the rosemary but there was a gorgeous paprika spice mix on the table which was lovely on them.

All in all I really enjoyed the meal although I would have liked a slightly bigger plate to work with. The staff were nice but not in your face and the selection was great. I particularly like that they have things like half chips/half onion rings and chips with coleslaw on their menu because these are things people want but wouldn’t always ask for or, if they do, the waiter doesn’t know what to charge and it turns into a huge deal.

I recommend this place for a casual get together with friends, it’s chilled and unpretentious.  Maybe just up the music volume a bit BoBo’s, I’m not even sure I heard any and it could definitely add to the atmosphere if it keeps with the tone of the place.

People! Let me know if you head to BoBo’s! Find me on Facebook and instagram – @lovefoodbaby.

Review of Dave’s Wood-Fired Pizza

It’s taken me far to long to write my review of Dave’s Wood-Fired Pizza. I’ve been really busy the past few weeks between work and my bootcamp, I have to drive all the way to Glasnevin to do it so it takes up my whole evening! I’m really enjoying getting fit though and when I come back from my holidays in Croatia I’m definitely going to keep it up but maybe in a gym in Skerries! Back to the food. Oh my word, this pizza has to be one of the best I’ve ever tasted!! I ordered number 5 – tomato, mozzarella, fresh chilli and chorizo. The base was super thin, almost like a flat wrap with all fresh ingredients. I loved that I didn’t feel too full or bloated after it because the dough wasn’t too thick or over powering! They also do unbelievable sweet potato fries, which my friend is a huge fan of! HIGHLY RECOMMEND DAVE”S WOOD-FIRED PIZZA!! Dave’s pizzas are around the city, usually with the Irish Village Markets. They are in the following places – Wednesday – Maple House 12pm – 2pm Thursday – Mespil Road & Merrion Square 12pm – 2pm Friday – Sandyford (Carman Hall) 12pm – 2pm Saturday – St.Anne’s / The Red Stables 12pm – 4pm. Marlay Park 10am-4pm Sunday – Marlay Park 11am-4pm. People’s Park Market (Dún Laoghaire) 11am – 4pm.   Find me on Facebook and instagram – @lovefoodbaby.

Review of Stoop Your Head, Skerries

After a rare Saturday night in last week I woke up on Sunday feeling fantastic so myself and Mark decided to go for lunch in Stoop your Head on the harbour in Skerries. I love Stoops, the food is always perfection and the view out to sea is so impressive!

We treated ourselves to a bottle of wine and had a long lazy lunch together. For starters Mark had the soup of the day – vegetable (surprise, surprise!) – It was fine, a little salty perhaps.  I had focaccia with a flat cap mushroom and salad, drizzled with garlic and thyme butter and topped with parmesan shavings. I hadn’t tried this before and I was not disappointed! The focaccia was crispy and hadn’t become soggy at all. The mushroom was cooked to perfection  with just a little bite to it and the combination of garlic butter, parmesan  and balsamic vinegar was ‘melt in your mouth’ amazing! I highly recommend this dish!

For mains we both had the Asian chicken salad. This is the second time I have ordered this salad because it is REALLY good! It is unlike other Asian salads you may have had before which generally have a dark hoi-sin sauce. The chicken is marinated in Asian spices and placed on top of a salad of leaves, red onion, roast red peppers, shoots and cherry tomatoes.  The dressing is a light, slightly creamy mustard seed sauce which complements the chicken perfectly. Incase this all sounds too healthy for you, it is served with a choice of chips, baked potato, baby boils, mash or savoury potatoes. I opted for the savoury potatoes.

Of course it is typical that the one Sunday I decide to make the effort, curl my hair and wear my new white top I would put my knife to a cherry tomato and shoot the tomato juice all over my lovely top and ends of my hair. This could only happen to me!

Ruined outfit aside, I cannot compliment Stoops enough for their food. It never disappoints and at €65 for two starters, two mains and a bottle of wine it is amazing value. When compared to other restaurants in Skerries it is far superior in every way!

Find me on Facebook and instagram – @lovefoodbaby.

Review Of Kitchen, South Anne Street

On Friday night I met up with some college friends and we went to The Kitchen on South Anne Street. I was really looking forward to trying out their early bird menu – €19.95 for two courses.

We sat upstairs in the restaurant. The interior was really nice, clean and fresh. They also have a gorgeous covered outdoor area, which I definitely recommend requesting when you book during the summer. I have only one complaint about the interior – The ladies bathroom was very dark, with blue lighting, and there wasn’t so much a mirror as a reflective black surface. Not so good for checking for wing sauce on the face.

For starters I had the wings. They were AMAZING! The sauce wasn’t your usual buffalo; it was tangy and light. Bonus points for Kitchen – They served the wings with ranch instead of blue cheese or garlic mayo! It brought me back to my days living in Chicago. Altogether a fantastic starter!! Other starters were the salmon and the soup and my friends enjoyed both.

My experience took a bit of a nosedive when it came to the main course. I ordered the creole Cajun jambalaya with chicken, prawns and chorizo. I love a nice spicy dish but I can only describe this course with one word – BLAND! Even after a generous shake or cracked black pepper it wasn’t great. My friends were in agreement; their food was ok but not amazing, although the presentation was great.

The wine however was fantastic! Service charge was added to the bill so altogether we paid €28 each. I would have been happy to pay this if the main was better but still, it wasn’t bad!

Overall, the wings alone would make me recommend Kitchen. Book a table on the patio, order wings and wine and just sit back and enjoy the people watching!!

We popped into Odessa for some wine on the balcony after our meal which was absolutely gorgeous. I’ve been there for food before but I think I’ll have to go back again and review it!

One final note – I booked the table for Kitchen through Facebook. I think in this day and age most restaurants should have social media presence. If they have a Facebook page, it should be monitored regularly. Kitchen got back to me within an hour of my message which I was impressed with. I know It’s a strange thing for me to judge a restaurant on but I think it’s important that if you have a social media page it should be active and useful for the customers.

The Porthouse and Yogism

While myself and my friend were waiting for our other friend to get into town we stopped off at the Porthouse on South William street and sat outside to enjoy this good weather.  I had a lovely fruity sauvignon blanc and my friend had a home brewed beer. I wasn’t even going to mention it but I had such a lovely experience I had to! Three members of staff were sitting outside either before or after their shift and, even though they weren’t on duty, they were nice and chatty to the small group of us outside. One of them even came to my rescue when a homeless man came up to our table shouting randomly with a shoulder in one hand and a club orange in the other (we’ve all done it!). The staff member kindly took the abuse and moved him away from me. The joys of sitting outside in Dublin! I also enjoyed smelling their potato bravas! If anyone’s been for food before let me know what it’s like. Should it be added to the list??

After dinner we ran around to Yogism to see if we could catch them before they closed. They were closed but they kindly turned on their machines for us to get a cup of frozen yoghurt. I had natural yoghurt with honeycomb, smarties and raspberries. It was delicious!! The girls got peanutbutter and choclate yoghurt which was really good too! Again the staff were really friendly (it makes such a difference!) They told use we had to come back when they were fully open with all their toppings out and let me tell you,  I will most certainly be back for the full shebang!!

Duck, Fade Street

On wednesday myself and two friends went to Duck on Fade street. It has only recently opened and I was dying to try it. I had liked them on Facebook and liked the look of their menu.

We all ended up going for the same thing – the meat deal – a small box, two duck spring rolls and a drink for €11. My bargain sensors were tingling! You choose one or two meats along with rice, noodles or vegetables. We went for duck and sticky bbq pork. Is everyone drooling yet??

The place is very small and the design is pretty funky. I love the logo and the big bench in the middle as seating was novel. It was much more ‘take away’ then I had thought though. The guy who took our order was nice and we even got some witty banter out of him – always a plus! FYI – One of  the girls needed to use the bathroom but, alas, they do not have one so she had to nip into Market bar!

Anyway, back to the food! The duck spring rolls were gorgeous! I had one dipped Into plum sauce and one dipped into this amazing unmarked bottle of some sort of hot chilli sauce that was on the table.  I won’t lie, I was tempted to rob it 😉 . Be warned though – it’s hot!
The small box was far from small. I only managed half the noodles. The pork was gorgeous and sticky! The problem with the duck was that it was still on the bone! Now when I re-read the menu I saw it was an extra €1 to have it off the bone. I know it was my own fault for not reading the menu right but I think considering they’re giving us plastic knives and forks to eat with they could have cut the meat a bit smaller and maybe double checked we didn’t want the ďuck of the bone when we were ordering.

Overall it was an enjoyable experience.  The place was clean and the staff were friendly. After eating there I think the €11 price for the deal is about right but not the bargain I had originally thought it was. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go here but if you’re in the area give it a try!