Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Restaurant Revolution
Hardened and tempered by the economic crisis, restaurateurs have learnt (some to their
enormous cost) what works and what doesn't. The result is a battery of new eateries that
combine culinary ambition with a commitment to providing value for money. You'll find
evidence of this in all price categories, from the budget cafes that take greater care in the
breads and fillings they use in their sandwiches to the top-end restaurants that work extra
hard to provide a more accessible cuisine without sacrificing the brilliance that brought
them to the top of the pile.
New cafes such as Clement & Pekoe and Wall & Keogh have raised the caffeine bar by of-
fering a range of loose-leaf teas and specialist coffees served in wonderful settings.
The Marker, the only new hotel to have opened in Dublin since 2011, is a five-star luxury
experience in the Grand Canal Dock, housed in an eye-catching building designed by Por-
tuguese architect Manuel Aires Mateus.
Antique dolls and teddy bears from the last century are attraction enough, but what kid with
a damaged teddy or doll won't need to visit the hospital section of the Dolls Store in the
Powerscourt Townhouse Shopping Centre, where their stricken toy will get the repairs and
TLC it so desperately needs?
A discreet knock on the plain metal door will transport you upstairs into the Vintage Cock-
tail Club, where the cocktails are big and lethal, the food excellent and the atmosphere a
mix between '60s Vegas lounge and Depression-era speakeasy.
The most distinctive way to tour the city's historical and architectural sites is aboard your
own personal Segway, available from Glide Tours.
