COMPETITION: Win Food & Sake from Yamamori Izakaya

Stitch and Bear is running its very first competition, and it's all thanks to the lovely team at Yamamori Izakaya. They had read my recent review of their cool downstairs Japanese bar and they wanted to offer one of my readers the chance to experience Izakaya for themselves.  

Downstairs at Yamamori Izakaya

Izakaya's bar has been one of Dublin's hidden secrets for a while now, but I suppose you can't keep a good thing down. Izakaya is a pretty relaxed spot, offering good value Japanese food, a fine selection of Japanese beers, sake and cocktails, along with good music and even movies. I love their cocktails, spicy squid and burgers, and I'm willing to bet that you will too. 

The Prize

The prize is simple. Izakaya are offering the lucky winner 5 dishes from their extensive 5 for €25 menu, along with a bottle of sake. 

How to Enter

Simply answer the following question, by leaving a comment on this blog post. 

Izakaya is located at 12-13 South George's Street, but who were the original occupants of this famous Dublin building? (click here for a hint).

This competition will close at 18.00 GMT on Friday, June 15th. The winner will be randomly selected from all correct entries. Please don't leave anonymous comments, as I won't be able to contact you about your win. Good luck!

The Details

If you are the lucky winner, then you will need to notify Izakaya in advance, and you will have three months in which to redeem the prize

Yamamori Izakaya, 12-13 South Great George's St, Dublin 2
Tel: +353 (0)1 645 8001
URL: www.yamamoriizakaya.ie/
Twitter: @Izakaya_Dublin

The Wild Boar Pub, Stepaside, Dublin 18

Writing about restaurants is a pretty tough job. It takes some dedication, and a lot of my weekends involve planning for both lunch and dinner. Mind you, food blogging is not as hard as my real job, which has me visiting the US for yet another 3 weeks. It's tough being away from home and family for 3 weeks, compounded by the fact that an ocean separates you. The plus side, as a food blogger is getting to eat at a whole new range of restaurants.

Tonight, I found myself at the Cheesecake Factory. Love it, or hate it, the simple fact is that they do turn out decent, tasty food. Tonight, I ordered the beef burger, topped with sautéed mushrooms and melted cheese. Sounds simple, but the beef was juicy and tasty, cooked medium rare as requested, and those sautéed mushrooms turned out to be dark-skinned, wild mushrooms. This delicious burger, served in a restaurant that caters to literally thousands of people, got me thinking about a recent visit to a Dublin gastropub, where the burger was definitely not up to scratch.

The Wild Boar Pub shares premises with The Box Tree restuarant in the village of Stepaside. Both locations come from Eamonn O'Reilly, the chef behind of one Dublin's favourite restaurants, One Pico.  I visited The Box Tree for lunch before Christmas and enjoyed a very competent, well priced meal. Following that good experience, we had promised ourselves that we would return to this lovely venue for a more casual meal in the adjoining pub.

We returned on a cold & blustery February Saturday, when the pub was about half full. The  menu is simple, featuring variations on pub staples, along with a selection of soups and sandwiches. A chalkboard also lists some daily specials. I really like the clean, fresh look that runs throughout the Box Tree and Wild Boar. It's a pub alright, but with a really smart interior, and I especially liked the art deco style lamp shades.

The lovely clean interior of the Wild Boar pub

Himself chose the crispy fried chicken wings with blue cheese dip (€8.95), bulked up with a portion of skinny fries (€2.95). I chose the meatier option of the rib burger, aged Dubliner cheese with basil mayo, tomato relish and more skinny french fries (€13.95).

Burger with Dubliner cheese, fries and tomato relish

Crispy chicken wings with celery, blue cheese dip & fries

Presentation was quite attractive, with both dishes served on wooden boards, his plain and mine with an inset sheet of slate (I bet you that waiters are thankful for that). Sticks of celery stood to attention in a little holder next to the chicken wings, while the skinny fries came in little galvanised buckets.

But the dishes just failed to impress. The chicken wings had a nice crispiness, but no bite or spiciness. They tasted somewhat like they had been tossed in a sweet chili sauce from which the chili had long been departed. My burger had a dry, grainy texture, with the meat crumbling into small pieces as I cut it with my knife. There was no meaty juiciness and no flavour.

On the plus side, I did really enjoy the skinny fries. I'm sick to my back teeth of "chunky chips", particularly in establishments where thick solid wedges masquerade as chips. So well done to the Wild Boar for serving proper French fries. 

The Wild Boar has been feted as one of the new generation of gastropubs, but to be honest, I didn't find anything here that I couldn't find in any generic Irish pub. In a gastropub, I'd expect the burger to be epic, not dry and crumbly. I'd expect zingy American-standard wings, not their wishy-washy cousins. For me, the Wild Boar was a let down, particularly given the standard next door, where we could have enjoyed a two course lunch for not a lot more money (€18.95 each to be exact).

The Wild Boar Pub, Stepaside, Dublin 18
Tel: +353 (0)1 202 5208
URL: www.thewildboar.ie
Twitter: @TheWildBoarPub

L. Mulligan Grocer, Stoneybatter

L. Mulligan Grocer opened its doors in Stoneybatter last year, describing itself as an Eating & Drinking Emporium. Although I was based in Amsterdam at the time, I followed their initial trials and tribulations through their engaging Twitter feed @LMulliganGrocer. Soon after opening, a family member by marriage tried to make a reservation, only to find that the person on the phone wouldn't believe him when he said that his name was L. Mulligan (it really was!).

Roll forward to April this year, and I had heard enough about Mulligans from other sources. It was time to go and sample their delights for myself. I visited on a Friday evening, when it became apparent that a delayed flight at Dublin Airport meant that I would be dining on my lonesome.

Mulligan's is a traditional pub when you enter, but the back opens out into a dining area. On that Friday evening, just about all seats were taken, but I was able to procure a small table in the bar area. One of the staff dropped off the drink and food menus, which come as pages inserted into a selection of old books. The food menu is broken down into starters and mains, each with a suggested beer pairing. I'm a sucker for belly pork, so I chose that along with a glass of the recommended Metalman pale ale. 

The pork came served with mash, cabbage and a balsamic and rum gravy. Portion size was decent for the money, but I found the pork to be only average. The skin was cooked to a kind of plasticky finish and although the flesh was moist, I couldn't find any really flavour in the pork. I found myself using the gravy to add flavour to the meat. (I couldn't help but contrast this to the fantastic pork that I had recently enjoyed at the Exchequer, which was effectively the same dish, but executed with much more aplomb). The accompanying Metalman ale was fantastic, with a light and tangy taste that I enjoyed much more than the pork.

After I had finished my pork, I sat back, releaxed and watch the crowd pour into Mulligan's. The place was turning a brisk trade, with many people enjoying the selection of craft beers on offer. It's definitely enjoyable to see an establishment offering an alternative selection. At this stage, I was offered a dessert menu, and I decided to try the Apple Crumble, served with Murphy's very delicious Sea Salt ice-cream.

My apple crumble came as a single serving in a little ramkin. The sides were warm to touch, but when I eventually managed to punch through the compacted top, I found the inside to be cold. This was a pity as I had looked forward to warm apple crumble with melting ice cream. The apple filling was too sugary which when mixed with the sweet crumble, meant that the whole dessert was just saccherine overkill.

Total damage came to approx €25 (sorry that I can't remember precisely). I am a fan of the virtues that Mulligans espouses and I wish them all the best. Perhaps I chose the wrong menu items, but I left feeling very "meh" about the whole experience. I wish I had felt otherwise. 

L. Mulligan Grocer, 18 Stoneybatter, Dublin 7. Tel +353 (0)1 670 9889

The Exchequer, Exchequer Street, Dublin

One of my common laments is the fact that pub food in Ireland is generally of a fairly lamentable standard. Take the newly-opened & allegedly beautifully designed Copan Bar in Rathmines. They go to all that effort, but they still offer Chicken Goujons on their bar food menu! Why??

Living in Amsterdam for the past year has really provided me with an insight into how basic pub grub should be. Kitchens in Ireland are limited with riduculous Health & Safety rules on food prep, which results in a fair amount of pubs having to buy in pre-prepared veg and meals. How this is supposed to help the consumer eludes me.

Last night I went for burgers to Cafe Parck on Overtoom, Amsterdam. This place serves great burgers and bitter ballen (Dutch deep-fried bar snacks). In fact, the burgers are possibly among the best in Amsterdam. This pub also has a housecat, Shiva, who treats the entire bar as her personal domain (as cats are wont to do). In fact, she spent a reasonable part of last night sprawled out on the bar. I could see the food inspectors in Ireland having a nuclear conniption at this, however the Dutchies just make sure that everything is clean, letting the cat do as she pleases, while continuing to serve great food.

Ranting aside, the Irish pub food scene has taken some very encouraging steps lately. I had eaten in the Exchequer ages ago, soon after it initially opened and I had enjoyed it very much. However, I didn't have cause to return until recently. Thanks to CityDeal, I had 2 vouchers (for one main course, one side dish and one cocktail of the day) which were shortly approaching their expiry date. I may fight against those genes I share with my mother, but just like her, I do hate to throw money away, so I was determined to use these vouchers.

We ended up at a cosy table for two near the fireplace in the back of the bar. The decor at the Exchequer is just lovely and the dining room space was warm and comforting. The waiters were well aware of the CityDeal vouchers and we were quickly offered the option of having our cocktail straightaway or waiting for dessert. No competition really, and we were quickly served with 2 passionfruit caipiroskas. I chose crispy pork belly with a fish sauce caramel, crispy calamari and carrot & chili puree, while himself went for the ling fingers with chips, tartar sauce and pea puree.

Both dishes turned out to be excellent choices. The pork belly was tender, pulling apart easily with the fork. If I had a complaint, it would be that the skin wasn't quite crispy enough for my liking. The carrot & chili puree was an excellent sweet contrast to the pork, while the crispy calamare had a slightly salty and sweet batter. The ling fingers came in a delightfully light beer batter and the pea puree was a vivid green pea experience.

During the meal, himself decided that he would like to switch to the beer and he ordered a bottle from the beer menu. The waitress returned after several minutes with the unfortunate news that they didn't have it in stock, and would he choose another. However, it transpired that the second choice was also not in stock, at which point the bartender recommended a beer personally to himself and provided us the bottle, gratis! Excellent tactic, which completely made up for the lack of the previous beer choices. In addition, the recommended beer was well received.

I like the Exchequer - it serves good food, good cocktails and beers in a comfortable setting. Essentially, I consider it to be the standard that all food pubs should aspire to. Here's hoping that more pubs will take note.

The Exchequer, 3-5 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2 
Tel: 01 - 670 6787

Annie's Gastropub, Cork

When I was a student in Cork, friends of mine lived in a grotty old house in Sunday's Well Cork. Just around the corner was Annie Mac's, a traditional old pub. Well, in 2oo8, Annie's Gastropub replaced the old Annie's. Thing is, I wasn't living in Cork anymore, so I didn't get to see this transformation firsthand.

Well, on a recent visit to Cork, friends told us about Annie's, so we decided to visit for Sunday lunch. It turns out that Chef Zico Ali is an old hand at the gastropub game, having worked at The Lord Palmerston, a leading early London gastropub.

Upon entering we were greeted by a large blackboard featuring the many varied offerings of the day. I wondered how a small pub on the wrong side of the Lee could manage to offer so much choice to diners. The interior is a little chilly, having been painted all creamy white, but some sunshine managed to struggle in. Having decided, we took our seats in the winter sunshine and ordered.

While waiting, the waitress delivered some delicious homemade bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. With excellent oil and bread, we appeared to be off to a good start. The spicy sweet potato soup (E4.95) turned out to be a little more vegetable-y and brothy than I would have liked. I know sweet potatoes can make a beautiful, smooth soup with a sweet flavour. This however, was not that. My starter of haloumi, hummous, babaganoush and warm pittas (E9) turned out to be pretty good with a deliciously smoky babaganoush and rich hummous. I couldn't help however but unfavourably compare the price tag for 4 small dollops and half a pitta with the price for a full-on Lebanese lunch in the Cedar Tree, Dublin.

With our starters cleared, we returned to the Sunday papers while we waited for the mains. About half a dozen local men were seated at the bar, enjoying their post-mass, pre-lunch Sunday pint while discussing sport and other important local stuff. It was clear that these lads were impervious to the gastropub tag. They were continuing to visit their local, regardless of the changes around them.

My main of belly pork with winter vegetables and apple sauce (E20) turned out to be just too sweet. The pork was beautifully cooked, two nice squares falling apart at the touch of the fork. But there was a general lack of salt in the dish, both on the meat and the accompanying piece of crackling. A sweet gravy, combined with the apple sauce overpowered all the other flavours on the plate. The Hereford rib eye steak (E24) was superbly well-aged with a dry texture that wasn't dry! It was well-cooked and rested and came served with potato wedges and aioli.

Overall, I just wasn't impressed by Annie's. The ingredients used are clearly of good quality but the overall effect was of trying too hard, and charging too much. Gastropub doesn't mean a licence to charge large amounts for Sunday lunch. All through the meal, I couldn't help but think of the likes ofOliver 's Eatery in Terenure were you can enjoy good pub food at great prices. It's always been a Cork thing to charge too much - but I don't believe that restaurants in Cork do any less business than restaurants in Dublin.

Two espressos bought the bill to E62! For lunch! Not on lads.

Le Cirk, Dame Street, Dublin 2

I've been meaning to try out Le Cirk for a while now, and we finally called in last Friday evening. We were in need of a quick bite to eat and Le Cirk's advertised offer of a bowl of Creole mussels and fries for E9 seemed very attractive.

Firstly, I really like the decor of Le Cirk. It's a welcome break from the ubiqituous dark-wood, pre-designed pub interior of the celtic tiger. The aluminium-edged tables and rugs on the floors are a welcome flash of individuality, delivering a Parisien-sense of chic to Dublin. Our mussels arrived, served in a bowl with a liqour made from white wine, garlic and paprika. Thick, fluffy home fries came separate. The mussels were fresh, plump and juicy and the broth was tasty. Overall, this was an excellent meal for E9. I'm looking forward to another visit.

Bad Value at Russell's of Ranelagh

After visiting a friend's house party, we called into Russells' of Ranelagh for a late night drink. But ouch, they're charging €5.70 for a longneck bottle of Bulmers. Ouchy...

Pizzas at PantiBar

I like PantiBar, a gay and lesbian pub on Dublin's Capel Street. It's got a really, nice chilled vibe going on, great bar staff and cool decor. Best of all, they now serve pizza. I've yet to try it out for myself, but it's definitely on the menu (no pun intended) for my next visit. The pizza names are homages to famous Irish women from Countess Markievicz to Ann Doyle.

Pubs not pasing on the Bulmers price reduction

An article in today's Sunday Times highlights what I've noticed in recent weeks - pubs have not been passing on the recent price cuts in Bulmers wholesale prices. Apparently just 1 in 5 have passed the reductions on to their customers. C&C had hoped that the reductions would drive the price of a pint bottle to below the magical E5 mark. Given that the majority of Dublin pubs appear to charge E5.5o or more, it appears that publicans are happy to pocket the difference.

Coman's Pub, Rathgar and Bulmers - WTF

I was under the impression that Bulmer's had recently cut the wholesale price of their pint bottle by 10%, and that these cuts were to be passed on to the consumer.

Though Bulmers has cut its wholesale price to publicans by 10 per cent, there is no guarantee that pub owners will pass on all the savings to drinkers. Part of the aim of the advertising announcing the price cut is to ensure pub customers know about it.

Right so. I've heard of places where a pint bottle is costing around the €5 mark, so some pubs are passing on the value, but it does appear that other pubs aren't being so nice.

I've commented previously on the Stout Bar, Rathmines where I paid €5.80 for a Bulmer's pear. Well, I paid the same (€5.80) last night in Coman's of Rathgar. It's a disgrace that publicans are continuing to act as if people still have money to burn. Why are they resisting price reductions, when it's clear that the cost of living in every other aspect is decreasing?

Bad Value at the Stout Bar, Rathmines

The Stout Bar has recently opened where the Rathmines Inn was previously located. We stopped in there last Friday night for a refreshing beverage and to check it out. To be honest, it's a big empty shed with the ubiquitous dark wood of the Celtic tiger and the lack of atmosphere.

I got a bit of a surprise when I was charged E5.80 for a pint bottle of Bulmer's Pear. I don't know if the recent Bulmer's price reduction covers the Pear range but even so, E5.80 is just too much.