The Verdict on Irish Cuisine

I am happy to announce that the verdict is in on Irish cusine, and...it's lookin' good for the Guinness lovin' folk!

It is a different world over there in Ireland. Full of rolling green hills, sheep grazing, cows walking on the roads, castles, right side driving (so weird!), photo opps, cliffs with beautiful ocean views, and as I was delighted to discover...delicious food!

My family and friends and I (6 people all together), didn't have one bad meal the entire time we were there!

We had anything from meat and potatoes to salmon with a white wine and butter sauce because the cuisine was so varied all over the island. And it was all seriously good.

But don't just take my word for it. For the past 8 days I have been that loser (connaseur?) at the restaurant who takes pictures of all of her food. Just because I know that a picture speaks a thousand words, and I really wanted to give some great recommendations just in case you ever find yourself in Ireland.

Something important to note, is that most of the places we ate in, received either high recommendations in travel books or through word of mouth. This is the best way to guarantee good bang for your buck. And when you are traveling on a budget (especially when the exchange rate is really brutal), you need to think ahead. At least most of the time! There is always room for impulse when it comes to eating out :)

One of my favourite eats was not all that expensive. In the heart of Belfast was a little cafe called DeanesDeli.

I had a local roast chicken sandwich with sun blushed tomato, baby leaves, and sweet paprika mayo. Just the name makes my mouth water.

I may or may not bring out a recipe that imitates this delightful sammich :)

And I had tomato soup with wheaten bread. (Wheaten is pretty much whole wheat, but it kinda tastes like savory banana bread.)

Along with the really yummy entrees, Deanes had some really appealing deserts. I had an apple cinnamon scone which tasted like a cross between a scone and a danish-- so delightful.


I thought this was really cute:

It's a clock that tells you which meal you can indulge in, according to that time of day.

The restaurant Nirvana was our first official stop.


I had something called pan fried 'John Dory.' I had no idea what it was when I saw it on the menu, but the waiter explained that it was dish featuring white fish. After dinner we saw a store called 'John Dory,' and then saw the name appear on quite a few more menus throughout Ireland. Turns out John Dory was a pretty important guy!

But either way, it was really yummy. The fish, we guessed, was cod, and it was served with braised fennel, crushed potato, and butter sauce. The potatoes in Ireland were out of this world. They had a subtle sweetness that we don't have over here in Canada. I was tempted to bring a bag home in my suit case, but I didn't have room :(

Continuing on in true Canadian fashion, I ordered more seafood the next night (at the Malin Hotel)! Salmon this time, with a white wine sauce. (I'm sorry that this photo does not do the dish justice! I left my good camera at home in the hopes that a little point and shoot would be good enough. Oh bother.)

Here I am at the same restaurant enjoying water out of a huge wine glass. Why not, I said!

Desert was banoffee. We had guesses as to what in the world it might turn out looking like, but in the end:

It was banana and toffee. Not to worry, this is 1/2 of a serving (the other half I shared with my dad), the Irish are not that stingy. Not at all in fact. The meal was only 20 euros and that included appetizers, a main, and desert. Not half bad at all!

My final restaurant of note for this post, which could be so much longer if I went into enormous depth, is Nick's Warehouse in Dublin. They use only fresh, seasonal ingredients, so you can guarantee a great meal here.

We started out with a bread basket which had fresh baked bread (made on site), and muffins. Along with the bread came 3 oils for dipping.

I had free-range chicken with pomegranate cous cous. De-lish!


AND for desert, white chocolate mouse with raspberry puree. Sigh. I would go back to Ireland just to have it again!

Ireland is famous for their whiskey from Bushmills Distillery:

I tried it, and it wasn't half bad! Felt like I had fire in my mouth but...yeah not bad.

And the tea is not half bad either.

But what post on Irish cuisine would be complete without mentioning Guinness? So here you go:

Your welcome:)

P.S. Don't tell, but I actually didn't like it very much. However I am no judge because I don't like beer.

So there you have it! The highlights of my week in Ireland, featuring the most delectable part of the my trip. I would definitely encourage you to see this beautiful island if you ever get the chance. It is full of culture and despite my first assumption, yummy food!