Pichet Restaurant - Dublin

Pichet restaurant is famous for a few reasons. Firstly, it featured in the TV3 series "The Restaurant" which depicted the trials and tribulations of setting up a new restaurant in the midst of the recession in Dublin. The team members have worked with many leading lights in the restaurant industry and have now turned their attention to the Pichet venture.

We arrived for our pre-booked table on a very rainy Saturday. You can enter the restaurant via the cafe from Trinity Street, or more directly from a door on the adjacent side street. Inside the decor features French gray walls with comfortable blue leather chairs with white piping detail.

We decided to go for the shortened lunch menu where you can enjoy 2 courses for €20 or 3 for €25. As it was a diet-free day, 3 courses was the order of the day. For starters, I chose the country-style terrine with sauce gribiche, parsley puree and brioche. I can't stand parsley, but that aside, the terrine was rather excellent. A decent sized slice was meaty and chunky and well-flavoured. The OH chose the summer vegetable risotto with Portobello pesto and pea shoots. Despite being a little too "loose", it was very tasty and nicely cooked.

For mains, I chose the rare breed pork with caper and spinach cream, tomato chutney and champ mash. What I got was a very substantial pork chop, which was cooked on the right side of juicy, but unfortunately it hadn't been seasoned well prior to cooking and as a result was a little less flavorful than it could have been. The accompanying champ mash was nothing short of delicious. The OH went for the roast cod, shellfish orzo, fine ratatouille and saffron. It was exactly the kind of dish he likes, fish with vegetables and creamy sauce.

For deserts, I selected the Eton mess, which was a light, crumbly pile of lemon curd, meringue, cream and strawberries. His baked vanilla cheesecake came with passionfruit jelly and little raspberries. The separate layers could all be tasted separately in the mouth with lovely clarity.

We added two americanos (excellent coffee too) and one large bottle of sparkling water. This bought the bill to a very acceptable total of €60. I really felt that this represented amazing value for a delicious, high quality lunch. I don't know if I would pay the higher prices for the a la carte menu when there is such good value available on the fixed price menu.

Pichet Restaurant, 14-15 Trinity Street, Dublin 2. 01 - 677 1060

Micka - Frances Kay

Micka has to be one of the most poignant and heart-breaking stories I have ever read.it follows the life of Micka (a poor council-flat child) and Laurie, the disturbing offspring of divorced middle-class parents.

Micka is hungry, cold and frequently physically abused by his older brothers. He finds some refuge in a gypsy camp, in his artwork and dreams of owning a pup. Despite all the nastiness and violence in his life, he is innocent, but powerless to protect himself.

This debut novel from the strong voice of Frances Kay is, at times, downright disturbing and horrific. Yet, it is clear that such events are real and happen to children on a regular basis. It shapes their lives, and drives them to do things that appear perfectly normal due to the warped dimensions of their world.

Micka is not a happy novel, it is not a pleasant read. It is very very good.

Gartine - Amsterdam

I recently had two days to myself in Amsterdam as I had decided to take two days annual leave and take a break from the hectic project on which I am currently engaged. I woke up on Thursday morning with a determination to find a nice spot for breakfast. 

Five minutes later, after a browsing session on the iPhone and I had selected Gartine (near Spui) as my candidate for the day. It's located down the small Taksteeg alleyway, between Kalverstraat and Spui). It's a small restaurant with several tables on two levels inside, with a further few tables located outside. Breakfast is served from 10.00-12.00 and the menu is brief. I chose the French Toast (made from the very sweet Dutch sugar bread) which came with apple and cinnamon butter (€4.95).

What arrived were two delicious pieces of French Toast. The sugar bread had carmelised and become wonderfully crunchy. The accompanying apple puree was refreshingly tart when served with the toast. The dish was served on wonderful old delph with creaky cutlery - making it the whole thing feel rather eclectic and boho. Delicious.

Gartine, Taksteeg 7 BG, 1012 PB Amsterdam, The Netherlands. +31 (0)20 320 4132

Soulless - Gail Carriger

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Miss Alexia Tarabotti. Gentlewoman, spinster and a supernatural (or in layman's terms, a soulless person). However, being soulless is not the cause of stigma for Alexia. It's more to do with the fact that her father was Italian and is dead. London society is a tough place.

When a vampire rather gauchely attacks Alexia one night, she ends up accidentally killing the vampire and triggers the unwanted (or wanted, depending on how you look at it) attentions of Conall Maccon, the Earl of Wolsey, and a werewolf to boot. Despite an unfortunate past incident with a hedgehog, Lord Maccon finds Miss Tarabotti most intriguing. However, it appears that dastardly schemes are afoot, threatening the safety of Queen Victoria's empire.

Gail Carriger has entered the vampire/werewolf arena with aplomb, creating a cast of characters that are truly memorable and entertaining. Gay vampires, masculine werewolves and feisty ladies feature alongside side-splitting scenes and action (some of the corset-busting variety). This is definitely a romantic comedy for the gothic lady.

This cookbook is based on the ancient philosophy of Ayurveda - which breaks everything down into 5 elements: ether, air, fire, wind and water. Every person has a unique body type (either Vata, Pitta or Kapha) and by eating correctly for your body type, it is claimed that you can reduce stress, improve your health and sleep patterns. 

The book begins with an introduction and a questionnaire to identify your body type. I found it hard to identify myself as one of the three Ayurvedic body types described in Anjum's introductory text, but I did like the message that she is trying to send. In our western world, with busy deadlines and days, it is all too easy to forget to examine the food that we use to fuel our bodies.

Overall, it's a nice addition to my kitchen shelf as most of the recipes are light and healthy, made from fresh ingredients. I have no doubt that such food would make anyone feel healthier, fitter and slimmer if eaten regularly, but I don't see anything too dramatically different in this cookbook.

Peony Courtt Chinese Restaurant, Bunclody, Co Wexford

Carlton Hotels have been doing some great deals lately, resulting in us spending one night at the Millrace Hotel in Bunclody, Co. Wexford. After driving down from Dublin in some beautiful Friday evening sunshine, we decided to walk through the town and perhaps find somewhere for dinner.

Bunclody is a lovely little town, with the real vibe of a little Irish town. As we wandered around, we came across the local dancehall which promised a teenage foam disco later that night. Truly scary stuff. In fact, as we strolled the streets, we could in fact sense the hormone level rising as gaggles of teenagers started to gather. 

There isn't a lot of dining choice in Bunclody, but we were swayed by a review from Paulo Tullio (link) in the window of the Peony Court, the local chinese restaurant. By the way, a word of warning, Peony Court is located near the most free-for-all crossroads I have ever encountered. 

Peony Court is small and dark inside, but very nicely decorated. The menu is extensive, offering both Thai and Chinese dishes. However, like a lot of small local restaurants, prices are steep. We shared a bowl of thai soup to start (delicious) while we waited for our mains of scallops (with lemongrass and thai herbs) and salt & chili seafood.

The first thing that struck me when the mains arrived was the size - and not in a good way. There were about 6 scallops spread thinly out on a large plate. My salt & chili seafood was only slightly larger. Considering that both courses were costing in excess of €22, this felt more than a little miserly. However, to be fair, both dishes were pretty damn good, with my salt & chili being the best version of this dish that I've tasted to date.

However, any good feelings I had about the food were completely ruined by the bill. One soup, two mains, two portions of rice and a few drinks came to approx €80. The rice portions alone were €4.50! If you are already paying over€22 for a main, being charged another €4.50 for rice really hurts. It's kind of equivalent to dropping a bar of soap in the shower when in prison.

We did ask the hostess why the rice was so expensive but all she could tell us was that the price was the price. Not really good enough.  Given the small portions, I have the feeling that the Peony Court could be economising in an effort to stay afloat. Right now, people just don't have money to spend on €4.50 portions of rice.

Peony Court, 3 Irish Street, Bunclody, Co. Wexford. 053 937 6924

Camden Kitchen, Grantham Street

 I used to really dislike the Havana's tapas outlet that existed on Grantham Street. I can still recall experiencing what was possibly the worst portion of calamare ever created in any restaurant kitchen anywhere. Thankfully, the tapas joint expired a while back and now Camden Kitchen has opened in its place.  So far, press reviews have been positive with both Tom Doorley and the Sunday Tribune giving positive reviews. That was enough to persuade me to give it a spin when I was next in Dublin.

Therefore I arrived early one Friday lunchtime and I was seated by the lovely waitress at one of the window seats. I really like the decor throughout the restaurant - it's clean and simple. The menu apparently changes every day and it's a mixture of small bites and larger mains. Like its neighbour, Green 19, the menu is presented on clipboards, while specials are chalked on a blackboard on the wall.

I went for the charcuterie plate (pictured above) which looked goregous when it arrived, accompanied by a little basket of tomato bread. Air-dried ham was amazing, while the parfait simply melted in the mouth. The terrine was a little underwhelming, despite featuring chunks of meat and little capers. It simply needed more seasoning, but dissapointingly, there was no salt or pepper on the table. The chunk of Wicklow Brie was far too small. I followed the plate with a delicious firm panna cotta served with raspberries.

Overall I like Camden Kitchen but I'm not convinced that it's the best new thing on the Dublin restaurant scene - mainly because I found the prices to be a smidgen too high. However, it is relaxed and charming and undoubtedly is worth another visit - purely in the interests of research of course!

Camden Kitchen, 3A Camden Market, Grantham Street, Dublin 2. 01 - 4760125