We’re in the middle of a Dublin Foodie Tour – a “Delicious Dublin” foodie tour, to be exact. After starting our day with a big Irish breakfast, I wasn’t sure I’d be ready for a foodie tour, but we’ve bravely persevered thus far. The tour has been excellent. Our stomachs are already full, but we must press on!
We started on the North side of the River Liffy. The guys at Vice Coffee, Inc. made Irish coffees from beans roasted on-site. What a great way to start a foodie tour. Then we walked to a bakery where we experienced first-hand just how good a scone can be.
We crossed the Liffy and walked to an artisan cheese shop in an upscale part of town. Now we’ve come to our next stop – an ice cream shop. Not just any old ice cream shop. It’s an artisan ice cream shop – of course!
The Irish Foodie Phenomenon
By this time in the tour I’m starting to figure out what’s going on here. Ireland hasn’t always been known for its fine cuisine. Actually, its only the “food” part of Irish cuisine that has had a less-than-stellar reputation. Ireland has long been a superstar in the “beverage” department, eh?
I had heard that Ireland was in the midst of a foodie revolution. It must be for real. The coffee shop owners we met this morning roast their own beans. The bakery we visited uses only the best of everything, and it shows. And the whole “farmhouse cheese” phenomenon – who knew? This tour has been all about dunking us head-first into the deep end of the Irish foodie phenomenon.
The phenomenon continued at Murphys Ice Cream shop. They use only cream from Kerry cows, (which, according to the Murphys website, are rarer than the Giant Panda – and give creamier milk!) They go so far as to make their own salt for their Dingle Sea Salt ice cream. You get the idea. Of course the ice cream was amazing.
Irish Stew
We just had a wee bit of ice cream, but I’m ready to walk some more. At our next stop, we would have some traditional Irish fare – Irish stew. Before we started this tour, I thought we’d be having something like Irish stew at every stop, but I’m not complaining!
We walked to the Temple Bar neighborhood, where we were last night. In fact, we had dinner last night at the same restaurant we’re visiting on the tour – The Boxty House. Last night we ate upstairs, but today we went to a large dining room downstairs. This place is a lot bigger than I thought it was.
“Boxty” are potato pancakes or dumplings, Irish-style. They’re usually served as a side, but they also stuff ‘em and serve them as a wrap. But today we’re here for the Irish stew. They served us three small bowls of Irish Stew – one of Beef, one of Pork, and one of Lamb. (Sounds like the Irish Little Red Riding Hood, eh?) They were all really good. Thank goodness they were small servings.
We have one more stop on the tour. We’re going to sample some Irish Whiskey. That sounds perfect right about now. It’s time for another short walk. We’re finding out that Dublin is a great walking city. We’ve covered much of downtown today, and it’s been easy. Of course, we’ve had caffeine, carbs, and stops along the way.
It didn’t take us long to get to the Celtic Whiskey Shop. The full name is the “Celtic Whiskey Shop & Wines on the Green.” They’re located a half-block away from St. Stephen’s Green – a beautiful 22-acre park in the heart of Dublin.
I’m not a big whiskey drinker. (Not yet, anyway). But there was something about this place. I don’t know what it was, but after two minutes inside, I wanted to drink some whiskey.
Is it getting hot in here, or is that just me?
The walls were lined with whiskies with wonderful-sounding names. Midleton Very Rare. Knappogue Castle 1951 Pure Pot Still. Dingle Single Pot Still Batch 3. How about a Dublin Liberties King of Hell No. 4? It’s a 27-year old single malt. This is definitely not where your ol’ uncle used to buy his hooch.
The Dublin Liberties King of Hell No. 4 is calling out to me. Hmmm… It was aged in American bourbon casks, then moved to age in Bordeaux premier cru French wine casks. Let’s check out the tasting notes…
Nose: Barbecued banana, baked apples with custard.
Palate: Notes of coconut and leather, followed by deeply caramelized brown sugar and huge oak influence. Balanced by gooseberry jam sweetness.
Finish: The finish is hot, long and full of leather spice.
Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me? Yikes!
The lad who guided us through our whiskey tasting wasn’t quite that descriptive, but he did an excellent job. It was obvious that he was very knowledgeable and totally into whiskey. It was another great stop.
By this time, our tour group had become a group of friends. We exchanged contact Info outside the whisky shop and said our good-byes. Our tour guide, Ketty, had given us a great slice of the Irish foodie scene, and of Dublin, too. I’m starting to like this place.
To be continued…
Notes:
Due to COVID-19, Delicious Dublin Tours is currently on hold, but you can find out what Ketty is up to by visiting her blog, frenchfoodieindublin.com.
The image at the top of the post is from the digital foodie magazine, The Taste
