In this new series, we explore the rhythms and routines of Ireland’s foodie folk. This month, Alex O’Neill of Bahay shares her ideal foodie weekend in Dublin, the restaurants she frequents and her pantry staples …
One half of the dynamic duo that make up the buzzy food venture Bahay, Alex O’Neill is, as you can imagine, busy. With limited free time and so many food options, where does she spend her hard-earned cash and even harder-earned free time on the weekends, and can we please come?
FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER:
Friday night is probably my favourite night in town, I just think that there is such a fun energy in the city – it’s a really good buzz. Dinner wise, we kind of always keep it around Capel Street or Parnell Street, there are some incredible Asian spots. Our favourite place is probably Kopitiam, a Malaysian restaurant on Capel Street. I love it, I think the food is incredible. It really reminds me of Filipino food from the south, really spicy, and probably the best prawn rendang I’ve had to be honest. It’s incredible food, their roti canai is just banging and they do these seven spice aubergine – I don’t know what they do with it, it’s like fluff, just so gorgeous, like umami marshmallow with seven spice seasoning, so that’s my go-to order.
SATURDAY MORNING COFFEE RUN:
My Saturday mornings are very important to me, it’s usually the only time off I have over the weekend. If we are doing events etc, Saturday morning is either the calm after the storm or the calm before the storm so it’s a bit of time to just chill out. I love pastries, pastries are a big thing for me and I seek out pastries, I travel for pastries. On Saturday morning I stick around town and go to Fable Bakery for their sourdough buns, chocolate buns and cinnamon buns. I might go to Bread 41, but the queues are a bit mental. I like to get up early and getting my pastry is a way to get me out of bed. There’s nothing like a pastry and a coffee on a Saturday morning, it’s something that I don’t have to cook and something I don’t have to worry about. I always get got one savoury and one sweet because life is for enjoying yourself – my favourite all time savoury pastry is probably the kimchi cheese pastry from Bread 41.
FOR PROVISIONS:
I love going to Naomh Olaf market on Friday mornings for Bread 41 and Coolea cheese, there is a guy that makes his own honey and preserves, there’s a fishmongers and organic vegetables, Feisty Ferments make amazing pickles and kombucha. I’m also a big Asian market shopper, I have been to one in pretty much every county in Ireland. I love going out to McNally’s Farm Shop and The Fumbally is where we get a lot of our day to day food, it’s just a handy spot in the city centre. Get Fresh in Rathfarnham is also an amazing shop, it supports lots of Irish brands.
PANTRY STAPLES:
Three products I am never without are Lao Gan Ma chilli oil, it doesn’t really matter which flavour, I like to mix that up – the chicken one is great. The next thing I would never be out of is Pinakurat vinegar. It’s a coconut vinegar from the Philippines, it’s really spicy, sweet and acidic, it’s an amazing product. Lastly, I will always pick up some sort of new pickle or ferment, I will have some with whatever meal I’m having, it can brighten up anything.
SUNDAY LUNCH:
I’m not a big brunch fan but I do like to eat a nice meal during the day. We like to get out of town and go for a late lunch, maybe for dim sum or to 3 Leaves in Blackrock. We tend to gravitate towards Asian food but I do think Sunday lunch is a great way to try out a fancy restaurant because you can get a really good lunch menu. Most of my friends work in the food industry so Sunday is really the only weekend day we can meet, so I’m a big Sunday lunch person. I don’t usually cook at home much, Sunday is a day of rest, it’s a day to eat out and enjoy the spots that are open.
WEEKEND DRINKS:
I don’t drink alcohol but I love kombucha, it’s one of my favourite things. Richie makes kombucha but I also like to buy Irish kombucha, I really like All About Kombucha. I am also really getting into non-alcoholic cocktails. I went to the Bech-Bailey masterclass and Majken just totally inspired me to see what you can create at home. Since then I have been testing out some recipes, making cocktails with a kombucha base, like a raspberry kombucha or a strawberry meadowsweet kombucha and making my own syrups, sometimes with the Pinakurat vinegar which adds a bit of spice.