Pyg Restaurant in Powerscourt Town Centre

You know how it goes. A group of girls meet up, stand in town outside a bank and deliberate what and where to eat and drink. Strains of 'I want to go somewhere new', 'It needs to be cheap', 'I've already eaten so just something small', 'I don't like that sort of food' all mixing with the sound of growling tummys. Well that was the scenario last Friday night, so throwing out suggestions as fast as I could (I think I was the hungriest), we settled on Pyg. It was new, we didn't know what to expect, so that was that decided and off we trooped. 

Pyg is based in Powerscourt Town Centre. It is part of the Pygmalion Bar and to access it in the evening you have to go through the bar to reach the restaurant. There is a lovely vibe to the restaurant with a mix of seating - couches, low chairs, high stools - so you can just sit back and relax. As we hadn't booked we got offered the high stools at a long communal table. The great advantage of this was that we could see straight into the kitchen. I love watching chefs make their magic!

Some of the unusual decor

The first thing we noticed was the price of the food - a Cheese Plate for a fiver, Spicy Chorizo & Tomato Stew for eight euro, Catalan Tuna and Mussels for nine - surely they must be tapas sizes we whispered to ourselves. Yet on glancing around and subtly eyeing up other customer's food we discovered to our delight that no, it's just really really good value! Oh we could have gone mad and stuffed ourselves silly but we kept it simple! For starters we ordered a cheese plate with the usual mix of Blue Stilton, Manchego, Irish goat’s cheese and Camembert. It was grand it didn't rock my world but that's because I' m a cheese nut (see Spring Cheese Celebration blog post) but it was good cheese all the same and perfect for sharing.  

Cheese Plate to Share Please

Then it was on to the mains. For Sassy B, who said she only wanted something small, an order for a side of Garlic and Cheese Ciabatta was placed. It was nice and crispy - it was garlic bread. You can't go too wrong.

Garlic and Cheese Ciabatta

For Brighty, the Fajitas took her fancy. They came served with grilled peppers, onions & mushrooms, achiote red rice, Mexican beans, flour tortillas, guacamole, Monterey jack cheese and sour cream. I am a big fan of Fajitas though for me the achiote red rice was way too spicy and there weren't enough tortillas for all the food that came with them. This is only a minor personal complaint but Brighty had no such qualms and deemed it all delicious.

Fajitas

Then it was time for my main course. I love tuna and it is such a treat to get it out so I was done deciding in about 2 seconds flat what I wanted to get. My Catalan Tuna and Mussels dish tasted of summer, sunshine and the Mediterranean. The tuna was perfectly cooked and served with capers, olives, lemon, green beans and sautéed new potatoes. I couldn't have asked for anything more from a main.

Catalan Tuna and Mussels

We were tempted to finish off the meal with dessert but we were full ,so instead we finished off our bottle of Merlot and rounded off the meal with a coffee. Pyg is a little gem of a restaurant, the food is ridiculously good value and the staff are very accommodating. The waitress didn't even bat an eyelid when all Sassy B asked for was a side and we were allowed to stay as long as we wanted without feeling rushed. It's a lovely venue perfect for a cheap meal out and a catch up with friends and when your done you can just stroll down into the bar for a cocktail!!

All together our bill came to €53 which included wine and coffee.

For more info on Pyg click here. It is open from 6.30 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and the Pyg Cafe takes over during the day.

Nom Nom Noshington

Jacques: "Meet me tomorrow for Brunch." Marge: "What's Brunch?" Jacques: "You'd love it, it's not quite breakfast, it's not quite lunch, but it comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end. You don't get completely what you would at breakfast, but you get a good meal!"  This Simpson quote sums up brunch so well. I like everything about it. I love the lie in that it follows and the fact that it sets you up for a day of shopping. Well that's how I like it to pan out anyway! So recently the mother and I headed to Noshington Cafe on South Circular Road, after having passed it many a time, and promising myself that we would have to give it a go.

The very lovely specials board

The cafe is bright and airy and, on that particular day, was filled with sunshine. It is a mixed clientele with groups of friends, couples and families filling up the place. Noshington offers a weekend brunch menu where poached eggs, pancakes and pudding all make an appearance. They also have a special menu which when we were there had quiche, nutloaf and hot pot on offer. It also had a delicious array of cakes on it!! I love poached eggs and a good hollandaise sauce but I was torn between that and the homemade beans on toast with chorizo. The eggs won and they were delicious! Perfectly runny and teamed with salty bacon and spinach...it was a match made in heaven.

Poached eggs with bacon, spinach and hollandaise sauce

The mother decided to go for the nutloaf special. Now I have never had nutloaf and for some reason the whole concept is very American to me and sounds terribly bland. Possibly too much TV as a young one!! This was gorgeous though, not too crunchy, quite moist and wasn't bland at all. The red onion was a nice addition and added quite a bit of flavour.

Nutloaf with baby potatoes, salad & red onion confit

Close up of Deliciousness!!

While brunch itself was filling, as everyone knows there is always room for dessert and being able to see the board filled with descriptions of all the lovely sounding desserts didn't help at all. So after much deliberating we went for a coconut macaroon and an apple and almond slice.  Both were totally delicious (though I had icecream envy) and a nice ending to a lovely meal.

Coconut Macaroon

Apple & Almond Slice

In total the whole bill came to around €35 and this  included two glasses of freshly juiced orange juice. You won't come away hungry from Noshington, you definitely get a good meal even if you don't get a slice of cantaloupe at the end!! 

Noshington is found at 186 South Circular Road. For more info click here.

Beating the January Blues - Eat and drink for only €10

So it's January we're all back to work and broke to boot. Christmas seems like a distant memory and we want to go out but the bank balance says NO. Well I may have the solution!! Having been in town all afternoon  on a last minute christmas shop I was desperately trying to find something to eat around 9pm before heading out for the evening. It turned out to be extremely difficult to find somewhere to get a quick bite to eat that didnt involve sitting down for a proper restaurant meal.

So while wearing the ear off my boyfriend about how hungry I was we stumbled upon a hole in the wall with the delicious smell of fresh pizzas wafting from it. It was a christmas miracle!! It took me a moment but it got even better when I realised that  it was Dave's Wood - Fired Pizza Company who make delicious pizzas but which I have only ever experienced at festivals. This pizza company is now part of  the Speak Easy Bar and Cafe which used to be home to Shebeen Chic. The place was packed and it was obvious why - for only a tenner you can get a delicious pizza and a pint and sit down and eat in a great venue. The menu isn't huge but there is something for everyone on it including a weekly special which when we ordered it included brussels sprouts and stilton. I have to admit that one took a bit of convining on his part to get me to try it but it was delicious and I would eat it again!! The venue has live djs, a really casual laid back atmosphere and you can go there for just drinks or just pizza the staff don't seem to mind.Though I would happily bet that noone leaves that place without having tried at least one pizza!! So banish those January Blues and get yourself down there. 

For more info on the Speak Easy Cafe Bar have a look at their facebook page.
For more info on Dave's Wood - Fired Pizza Company look here