Cherrapeno: Lovin Dublin!

No, that's not a typo, it's the name of a new publication that celebrates the city of Dublin and its food! Lovin Dublin is about people who create food and their companies, and it is on a mission to help foodies from all over find the best that the city has to offer, and to raise the profile of Dublin as a food destination.

Irish comedian Al Porter, compare of the Lovin Dublin Show Live

Photo courtesy of Lovin Dublin

I was excited to be invited to Dublin to sample some of Dublin's food and hospitality, but first, I want to mention the Lovin Dublin Show Live.

The founder of Lovin Dublin is Niall Harbison, an Irish entrepreneur who believes that Dublin is up there with Berlin, Melbourne and New York as one of the greatest cities in the world. In just 5 short weeks, Niall put together the Lovin Dublin Show Live, showcasing the foodies of Dublin. Held at the Bord Gáis theatre, the show included some very impressive speakers, and awards for the best brunch, lunch, dinner, restaurant, chef, coffee shop and pub. There was a food start up prize of €25k, which was awarded to Nobó - a company making gluten and dairy free ice cream, using avocado, coconut milk and pure honey - wow!

Niall Harbison chatting with Marco Pierre White

Photo courtesy of Lovin Dublin

Among the speakers were chef and restaurateur Marco Pierre White, Irish rugby player Jamie Heaslip, and inspirational adventurer and campaigner Mark Pollock.

Winners of the Lovin Dublin Awards:
Best Brunch in Dublin - Whitefriar Grill
Best Lunch in Dublin - Boojum
Best Dinner in Dublin -Saba
Best Restaurant in Dublin - 777
Best Chef in Dublin - Ross Lewis
Best Coffee Shop in Dublin - 3FE
Best Dublin Pub in Dublin -The Long Haul

It was an interesting evening, which had started with a trip to a lovely museum, The Little Museum in Dublin, followed by dinner at Marco Pierre White's restaurant, then the Lovin Dublin Show, ending with a rowdy visit to Sam's Bar in the heart of Dublin. A little bit of everything I'd say!

Looking out of the newly built Bord Gáis theatre

The Little Museum of Dublin

Simon O'Connor, the museum's curator

The Little Museum of Dublin is a fascinating place to visit, telling the remarkable story of Dublin in the 20th century. There are guided tours on the hour, every hour, and it's actually NOT that little, as there are three floors of exhibits, with over 5,000 items on display! Launched in 2011, the museum houses a collection that has been donated by the people of Ireland, and has been named as "Dublin's best museum experience" by the Irish Times. Our guided tour was conducted by Simon O'Connor, the very passionate curator of the museum. It would be great to go back and spend more time there, as it brought back a lot of memories from my younger years.

Here's a teaser of what you can see there:

1980s, a wonderful decade!

U2: Made in Dublin, a new exhibition

One of the exhibition rooms

Love this 80s milk bottle

Dublin's post boxes are still green!

We were treated to dinner at Marco Pierre White Steakhouse and Grill on Dawson Street, where I had a lovely dish of Atlantic salmon, gratin dauphinois, long stem broccoli and hollandaise sauce. Then, for dessert, I had a fabulous Valhrona chocolate & peanut butter tart with raspberry sorbet!

Inside the restaurant

Menus at the ready

My salmon, gratin dauphinois, long stem broccoli & hollandaise sauce

Valhrona chocolate & peanut butter tart with raspberry sorbet

A beautiful halibut steak

Steak & chips

Side order of chips

Green salad

Crumble with ice cream

We ended the night at Sam's Bar.

Sam's Bar

Pizza at Sam's

I'm going to write another post about Dublin, including a restaurant stop and food tour. But, for now, I would like to say a BIG thank you to Visit Dublin, and Lovin Dublin sponsors O'Briens Wine, Heinz Ireland and SuperValu for giving me the opportunity to visit Dublin and attend the show.

You can find Lovin Dublin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend the Lovin Dublin event, all views expressed here are my own.

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