Top notch restaurants serving delicious holiday-inspired food right here at home …
The darling of both critics and diners alike, Shouk is vibrant Middle Eastern restaurant which manages to combine excellent food with a fantastic atmosphere at a reasonable price. The whole roasted cauliflower is worth the trip alone but the arayes also make it worthwhile. The cocktails make the whole experience complete with the Green Martinis being exceedingly popular. We suggest you order extra as there is rarely leftovers to take home, which believe me, you will want. @shouk_dublin
Should you be dreaming of summers in La Belle France, the terrace at La Maison on Dublin’s Castle Market is open and the food here is quite simply exquisite. There is a selection of freshly baked French breads available to order, along with French rustic favourites such as salade niçoise, Coquille St Jacques and traditional coq au vin.
For those of us with a taste for authentic Spanish tapas, Las Tapas de Lola is the place to visit. Prepare to gorge on delicacies such as acorn-fed Ibérico ham or bomba de la Barceloneta, a traditional Barcelona bomba of spicy beef with mashed potato served with brava and aioli sauce. For dessert, there is crema Catalana or churros con chocolate. Tucked away on Montague Street, just off Harcourt Street, Las Tapas de Lola’s sister restaurant La Gordita opened its doors earlier this year to much fanfare. With a menu offering mostly Spanish bodega style delicacies, dishes change with the seasons. Images of the organic and sustainable caviar served with potato chips (probably not Lay’s) and crème fraiche have been doing the rounds on social media, as has the fried lobster with potatoes, Padrón peppers and fried eggs. This is bodega cooking 2.0.
Oh, La Dolce Vita – like us, you might be spending a lot of time daydreaming about the Italian riviera right now but in a pinch, you could do a lot worse than spending an evening in arguably Dublin’s finest Italian restaurant, Rosa Madre. Tonnarelli pasta with half local blue lobster served in a fresh cherry tomato sauce is delightful or perhaps keep it simple with the fish of the day, either grilled, oven baked or salt crusted with a simple salad. The flavours are fresh, vibrant and perfect summer food. Desserts include classic cannolo Siciliano, tiramisu or the intriguing lemon ricotta pillow.