Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Local Specialities
It's a wonder the Irish retain their good humour amid the perpetual potato-baiting they en-
dure. But, despite the stereotyping, potatoes are still paramount here and you'll see lots of
them on Dublin menus. The mashed potato dishes colcannon and champ (with cabbage
and spring onion respectively) are two of the tastiest recipes you'll find.
Most meals are usually meat based, with beef, lamb and pork common options. The
most Dublin of dishes is coddle, a working-class concoction of rashers, sausages, onions,
potato and plenty of black pepper. More easily available is the national edible icon, Irish
stew, the slow-simmered one-pot wonder of lamb, potatoes, onions, parsley and thyme
(note, no carrots).
The most famous Irish bread, and one of the signature tastes of Ireland, is soda bread.
Irish flour is soft and doesn't take well to yeast as a raising agent, so Irish bakers of the
19th century leavened their bread with bicarbonate of soda. Combined with buttermilk, it
makes a superbly light-textured and tasty bread, and is often on the breakfast menus at
B&Bs. Scones, tarts and biscuits are specialities too.
Vegie Bites
Vegetarians are having it increasingly easier in Dublin as the capital has veered away from
the belief that food isn't food until your incisors have had to rip flesh from bone, and to-
wards an understanding that healthy eating leads to, well, longer lives. There's a selection
of general restaurants that cater to vegetarians beyond the token dish of mixed greens and
pulses, including
Nude
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(
01-675 5577; 21 Suffolk St; wraps €5-6;
Mon-Sat;
all city centre)
, Yamamori (
Click here
)
and Chameleon (
Click here
).
Solidly vegetarian places include
Blazing Salads
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(42 Drury St; mains €4-9;
10am-6pm Mon-Sat, to 8pm Thu)
, with organic breads, Californian-style salads and pizza;
Cor-
nucopia
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(
www.cornucopia.ie
; 19 Wicklow St; mains €10-13; 8.30am-9pm Mon &
Tue, 8.30am-10.15pm Wed-Sat, noon-9pm Sun; )
, Dublin's best-known vegetarian restaurant,
serving wholesome salads, sandwiches and a selection of hot main courses;
Fresh
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(top fl, Powerscourt Townhouse Shopping Centre, 59 South William St; lunch €6-12;
9.30am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm Sun)
, a long-standing restaurant serving a variety of salads, dairy
and gluten-free dishes, and filling, hot daily specials; and
Govinda's
(
www.govindas.ie
; mains
€7-11)
, an authentic beans-and-pulses place run by the Hare Krishna with restaurants on
Aungier St, Merrion Row and Middle Abbey St.
