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

Elbow Lane Brewery, Cork

The Rebel county doesn't seem to be very happy with the fact that it already plays home to a selection of artisan breweries (The Franciscan Well Brewery, Stonewell Cider or Eight Degrees Brewing), speciality shops such as Bradley's of North Main Street and good beer pubs (The Bierhaus or The Franciscan Well). 

It would appear that nothing short of world domination of the Irish craft beer market will do for the crafty Corkonians, as evidenced by the launch of new brewery Elbow Lane. And since Cork people never like to make thing easy for themselves, Elbow Lane's first beer on the market will be a stout. Some might say that that is a brave move in the home of Murphy's, Beamish and Shandon Stout. Others might say that it's a clever move. Either way, get ready to experience the heavenly titled Angel Stout.

The names of the three beers, of which Angel Stout is the first, draw inspiration from the streets and alleyways of Cork City, many of which have survived since medieval times. North Main Street in particular has celebrated this by placing brass plaques at key locations. The brewery itself is named after one of the surviving city centre lanes, Elbow Lane, while two of the beers were named after lanes that have now disappeared, Angel Lane and Wisdom Lane. For the geeks, a GPS co-ordinate is provided on each bottle label showing the location of the lane. 

Elbow Lane comes from the team behind the popular Market Lane and Castle Cafe restaurants. Their goal was to create three beers that could be served with pride alongside their food. All beers are brewed according to the German Purity Law, whereby only the natural ingredients of water, malt and hops are used. As a processing aid, bottom or top fermenting yeast is added and later removed.

Angel Stout

A tough roast with malt flavour with a full-bodied and smooth finish. The beer is brewed using the strong hop variety Herkules to get a balanced hoppy spiciness.  ABV 5.1% 

Wisdom Ale

This beer is a single malt brown ale. Roasted malt like Caramel, as well as a selection of Vienna and Pilsner were used to create a medium body with slightly and toasty malt flavour tones. This ale is excellent with many foods and uniquely satisfying as a stand alone pint. ABV 4.7%

Elbow Lager

Particularly mild, sparkling, refreshing and easily digestible are the characteristics of this lager. It owes its flavour to barley malt and a generous hop bitterness. A great treat for beer lovers. ABV 4.5%

Angel Stout is on sale in bottle form from Tuesday, June 5th from Market Lane and Castle Cafe. Elbow Lager will be available by July 20th, with Wisdom Ale rounding out the trio at the start of August. It is hoped to have the beers available in other restaurants and off-licenses in due course, so keep an eye on www.elblowlane.ie or @ElbowLaneCork for further updates. 

Izakaya Bar, S Great George's St, Dublin 2

The concept of an Oriental Cafe isn't new to Dublin. I did a little online research and was interested to learn that Bewley's opened the first cafe way back when in 1894 on South Great George's Street. It was followed by other famous Bewley's venues on Westmoreland Street and later Grafton Street. I can only imagine how the grand decor, with tiling, stained glass windows and lightshades must have looked to the fashionable set of the time.

Sadly, even venerable institutions can fall and in 2004, the Bewley's venues closed their doors. South Great George's Street played host to Cafe Bar Deli for several years, along with another short lived venture, before becoming home to Yamamori's latest offering. I'd eaten in the upstairs Yamamori cafe in December 2011, but it had been a mixed meal, with high points (sweet potato fries) and dismal low points (congee).  I genuinely had the Oriental Cafe on my no-return list. Or at least that was the case until I visited the downstairs Izakaya bar.

Head down a steep flight of stairs and you will find yourself in what is possibly Dublin's coolest little bar. Big chunky wooden tables, low lighting and Japanese pieces fill the space of this little gem, which sells a selection of Japanese beers, whiskies and spirits. If you're hungry, there is a large selection of little bites, with a special offer of 5 for €25. Plates arrive as they are cooked, meaning that there is a nice stream of food delivered to your table. We kicked off with spicy and delicious chili squid, followed quickly by tender and moist pork ribs. Pumpkin korokke (little breaded cakes) were served with dipping sauce, while stuffed capsicum featured mixed chili pepper slices, filled and deep fried. Last to the table was a selection of chicken yakitori (or skewers).

Chili squid

Yakitori

Pumpkin korokke with dipping sauce

The five courses for €25 represents great value, but after a few tasty beers (him) and cocktails (me), we were peckish again, so we made a last order of a plate of pork gyoza (€6.50) and the Izakaya burger.  The gyoza were good with plenty of juicy filling, but the burger surpassed all expectations. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is the best burger in Dublin. With a price tag of just €5.95, I was contemplating a return visit for just the burger alone. 

The magnificent Izakaya burger

The owl adorned label of Nest beer

The drinks menu is dominated by Japanese drinks and he had bottles of Hitachi Nest pale ale (€5.50) and Sapporo (€4.50). My tastes run a little different so I drank cocktails - a Geisha Night (€7.50) and Mojito (€9.00) to be more precise. All cocktails are made with Japanese or Korean spirits like soju, so it's definitely different.

It wasn't until after my visits to Izakaya that I learned that the name denotes a kind of Japanese after-work drinking establishment which serves food to accompany the drinks. It's kind of like calling an Irish bar "pub". Naming effectiveness aside, our Dublin version definitely fits the description. In fact, it's become my new favourite bar. There are regular drinks promotions and the 5 for €25 offer means that the small tasty plates can be shared amongst groups. And did I mention that it's got the tastiest burger in town?

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

EVENT: Kanchi Dine in the Dark

If you're heading to Taste of Dublin 2012, you might like to take the opportunity to support a worthy cause, while also enjoying a food experience. Disability organisation Kanchi will offer visitors to the Taste of Dublin a truly unique experience. Kanchi Dine in the Dark will involve an exclusive tasting plate served by legally blind waiting staff, all done in complete darkness. The food will be prepared by 10 of Ireland's top chefs, including Ross Lewis (Chapter One), Kevin Thornton (Thornton's) and Malcolm Starmer (Bite) .

After being guided to tables, the diners will be served a taster plate. Without the usual sense of sight, diners will have to engage their other senses. Each sitting will last approximately 30 minutes, after which guests will have the opportunity to meet with the chef who prepared their food, discuss the cooking techniques and the local produce involved.

By removing one sense (sight), other senses can be heightened and altered. Additionally, communication in the dark is very different due to the lack of the usual visual cues. Although the event will offer food enjoyment, the primary aim is to challenge perceptions of difference and disability.

The ten chefs confirmed for the event are: Oliver Dunne (Bon Appetit), Malcolm Starmer (Bite), Stuart O'Keeffe (private chef and TV presenter), Ed Cooney (Merrion Hotel), Ross Lewis (Chapter One), Bridin Carey, Conal Markey, Richard Speedie (all Masterchef 2011), Kevin Thornton (Thornton's) with special guest chef Tom Dunne.

There will be several sittings each day during the Taste of Dublin festival for both lunch and dinner, with 25 places per sitting. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. The cost of entry will be eight Florins (the festival currency) and this will cover the tasting plate and a glass of wine or alternative non-alcoholic drink.

The 7th annual Taste of Dublin takes place from Thursday 14th - Sunday 17th June, in the beautiful Iveagh Gardens. Tickets are now on sale at www.tasteofdublin.ie or call 0818 300 030. Advance standard tickets cost €20 and booking fees apply. For more information please visit http://kanchiinetwork.com/events/.

About Kanchi

Kanchi is a not-for-profit disability organisation established in June 2000 by Caroline Casey, a visually impaired social entrepreneur. Kanchi works to change mindsets and behaviours around disability by creating initiatives that influence business and media leadership. Their work is grounded in the Disability Business Case which demonstrates the tangible business benefits of embracing people with disabilities as employees, customers and suppliers.

Whiskey Events at L. Mulligan Grocer and W.J Kavanagh's

Following on from the news of Food & Wine Magazine's Tullamore Dew tastings, which takes place this Wednesday and Thursday, I have also  received word of some more "Whiskey Week" events. These events will be hosted by whiskey-loving L. Mulligan Grocer and W.J. Kavanagh's.

Single Pot Still Tasting

W.J. Kavanagh's

Wednesday, May 23rd @ 7.30 p.m. €12.50

Seamus Lowry from Irish Distilleries will conduct a single pot still evening where attendees will get to sample a Redbreast 12 year old, Redbreast 12 year old cask strength, Power 12 year old John's Lane Release and finally, the fantastic Middleton Barry Crocket Legacy. Our representative from the Midleton Distillery will also have some cask samples of age single pot stills for you to try and who knows, may also pull a rabbit out of the hat. 

Ireland vs Scotland Head to Head

W.J. Kavanagh's

Thursday, May 24th @ 7.30 p.m. €17.50

Whisky Magazine editor Rob Allanson and L. Mulligan Grocer / W.J. Kavangh's Michael Fogarty go head to head in a Scotland vs Ireland Whisk(e)y tasting to determine whether the spirit with an 'e' or without is superior. Last year, the introduction of a surprise (and illegal!) fifth whiskey sealed the deal for the home nation. This year, a food element has been added to the tasting. Will Fivemiletown Irish Goat's Cheese inch out Black Crowdie? Or Burren Smoked salmon trump over Lochmuir Smoked Salmon in this inter-Celt showdown?

Two Whisk(e)y Dinners

W.J. Kavanagh's

Friday, May 25th @ 7.00 p.m. €35.00

On the eve of Whiskey Live, W.J. Kavanagh's are delighted to host the global brand ambassadors from two of the world's leading distillery groups for two very distinct dinners.

Around the Whisky World with Beam Global Whisky Dinner

A special evening treat with the chance to meet John Cashman (Global Brand Ambassador for Irish whiskey within Beam Global), Simon Brooking (Scotch Master Ambassador) and Fred Booker Noe (great grandson of Jim Beam and the Jim Beam Small Batch Bourbon Distiller) for an evening of fine food matched with whiskies from the Beam portfolio. All food and whiskey is included in the price.

Bowmore Whisky Dinner

Join Gordon Dundas from Islay's oldest working distillery, Bowmore, as he guides you through this magical smokey dram matched with fine food and sample some edible peat. All food and whisky is included in the price. 

For menus, please visit the W.J. Kavanagh's website

http://www.wjkavanaghs.com/2012/05/whiskey-dinners-friday-25th-may.html

All of the above Whiskey Week Events can be booked through www.bookwhen.com/d25us

Dining in Raleigh, North Carolina

I want to take an opportunity to give y'all a rundown of the type of food I've enjoyed during recent work visits to Raleigh, North Carolina. Some restaurants will get their own blog post. Other visits will be combined into omnibus type posts, where I will fly through some of the different dishes I've enjoyed and locations that I've visited.

If you were to visit the official Travel & Tourism visitnc.com website,  then you would learn that North Carolina declares itself to be the birthplace of Pepsi cola and home to Krispy Kreme doughnuts. These are odd facts to be promoting when North Carolina is in fact home to lots of microbreweries, wineries and good restaurants.

North Carolina is at the beginning of the South, where men are gentlemanly, accents are drawling and everything is picture perfect. I've been based in Raleigh, which forms part of the Triangle, an area full of high-tech companies, universities and research institutions. As a result, Raleigh is an affluent city with plenty to offer.

Bang Bang shrimp at Bonefish Grill

A lot of restaurants seem to offer some form of Bang Bang shrimp (aka Dynamite shrimp or Boom Boom shrimp). These are crispy fried shrimp, tossed in a spicy, creamy sauce. The shrimp at Bonefish Grill come piled high and taste good. On Bang Wednesdays, they are the star attraction, costing just $5 per portion at the bar. An "American Style" Kobe beef burger was spot on with medium rare beef. Seafood is popular in Raleigh and the Bonefish Grill has daily changing fish specials. 

Plaintain encrusted seabass at Buku

Buku is a bizarre restaurant. Inspired by street food from around the world, it serves a wide range of cuisines. However, it's not charging street food prices and the dining room doesn't feel in any way ethnic. However, if you can't make up your mind what cuisine you'd like, then Buku could be the spot for you. I dined as part of a large group where we shared many different starters, all pretty good. My main of plantain-encrusted Chilean sea bass was served with caramelised noodle squash, mango salad and warm passionfruit citrus vinaigrette ($29). The encrusted sea bass was lovely, but the sauce proved too sweet and overpowering.

Hurricane burger at Draft

Draft is a Raleigh tavern that serves up the 3 Bs - beer, burgers and billiards. I stopped here one night on my way to a concert, where I ordered the Hurricane burger ($13). My burger arrived topped with BBQ pork shoulder, cheddar and coleslaw. It's generally quite hard to get a bad burger in the USA and Draft was no exception. The only let down were the sweet potato waffle fries, which didn't have the taste of regular sweet potato fries. Still though, good burgers and lots of beer on draft make this an easy going and fun spot.

Texas Tumbleweed CheeseSteak at Gypsy's Shiny Diner

You probably haven't experienced Americana until you've eaten in an honest-to-god diner. Gypsy's Shiny Diner is an amazing sight, glittering silver in the sunlight. It took many tries for owner Gypsy Gilliam to get this gleaming diner open, but the end result is amazing. Constructed in Florida, the building was trucked to NC on 6 over-sized trailers. Once the convoy passed over NC state lines, it was escorted by the Cary police department, who halted traffic while a crane settled the diner onto its final location.

The food at Gypsy's is no-frills diner food. The staff are friendly and the portions are generous. I went for a late breakfast/early lunch on a Sunday. My food of choice was a Texas Tumbleweed CheeseSteak fried sandwich with thin slices of steak, smoked bacon, melted cheese and sautéed onions, served with grits, homefries or hashbrowns ($8.99). What emerged from the short order cook pass was a sandwich of epic proportions. I managed to each about a half, and then started to sweat while looking at the other half. This definitely isn't heart-friendly food, in fact, you could imagine The King wolfing this down along with his fried Peanut Butter sandwiches, but it was good.

Pulled pork sandwich at Q Shack

North Carolina is all about BBQ, and the Q Shack is a local fast food chain that sources its ingredients from local farms and producers. I visited their restaurant in North Hills where I ordered the hickory smoked pulled pork sandwich, served with fries, coleslaw and hush puppies ($5.69 for the sandwich with one side and hushpuppies). The pork was juicy and tender, with not too much vinegar flavour (an important aspect of Carolina BBQ is the use of vinegar, something that took me a while to get used to). Amazing value and delicious BBQ.

Ruckus Philly Brisket at Ruckus Pizza, Pasta & Spirits

My last feature in the blog post will be Ruckus Pizza, Pasta and Spirits located in Cary, next to Raleigh. It's a popular spot which is famous for its large and creative pizzas. Despite that, I chose to go for the Original Ruckus Philly which featured moist home cured brisket, onions and mushrooms on a toasted hoagie roll ($7).  Very tasty and cost effective in a lively location.

Keep an eye open for more posts featuring highlights from Raleigh and North Carolina dining.

Tullamore Dew Whiskey Dublin Tastings

Way back in October 2011 I attended a tasting of Tullamore Dew whiskies at L. Mulligan Grocer in Stoneybatter. We were led through a selection of whiskies, each matched to a food course. The night was informative and fun, helped by the fact that our table won the cocktail making competition.

Now Food & Wine magazine has teamed up with Tullamore Dew to offer two Dublin-based tastings to Food & Wine readers. The masterclass will be hosted by a Tullamore Dew whiskey expert who will guide the guests through the range, and answer any questions that may arise. In addition, there will also be a chance to win tickets to Whiskey Live 2012, which takes place in the Mansion House on May 25th.

Details of the two events are given below, with tickets costing €15 per person. To book, please call Sarah Curry on (01) 240 5387 or scurrey@harmonia.ie.

• When: Wednesday May 23rd 7pm - 8pm
• Where: O'Neill's, 2 Suffolk St., Dublin 2

 

• When: Thursday May 24th 8pm - 9pm
• Where: The Duke, 9 Duke St., Dublin 2