Pho Viet, Vietnamese Restaurant, Parnell Street

A few years ago I was lucky enough to visit Vietnam. It is a stunningly beautiful country, from the mysterious islands of Halong Bay, to the booming cosmopolitan city of Ho Chi Minh. The food was very different from what I was used to, from the Cao Lầu speciality in Hoi An, to the 24 hour noodles shops in Ho Chi Minh. On my return to Dublin I searched for authentic Vietnamese restaurants only to discover that Dublin didn't really have any. The only ones that I could find that even came close were Saba and Diep but these places tend to focus more on the Thai food. Then Neon opened up in 2012 where I could get my fix of Vietnamese Pho Soup but it was only served with beef and no other choices. Then I discovered Pho Viet which is a haven of Vietnamese food!

Pho Viet is located on Parnell Street, just a few seconds from the top of O'Connell Street. It is a lovely bright restaurant with a very clean modern look to it. The menu has a good range of options for both starters and mains. I visited Pho Viet a good few times last year but it's only now that I am getting around to sharing it with you! On our latest visit we both started with the Cha Gio which are the Vietnamese Spring Rolls. Sometimes you just want fried food and these hit the spot. Dipped in the sweet chilli sauce they were crispy bites full of flavour.

For his main the boyfriend decided to go for the Banh xeo which is a Vietnamese pancake. It is a mixture of prawn, pork, bean sprouts and onion folded in rice flour and pan fried. It is an unusual dish and the boyfriend was a bit worried that it wouldn't be enough to fill him up. As you can see from the photo though it was more than enough!

For my main I ordered the Pho Ga or Chicken noodle soup which was a big bowl of warming chickeny goodness. The waiter also pointed out two sauces on the table which were hoisin and sweet chilli and said that I could mix them into the broth to give it a stronger flavour. I added some hoisin sauce to my broth and it did help to intensify the flavour. The soup also came with beansprouts and chillis which you can add or leave out as you wish. There is something very comforting about a big bowl of warm steamy soup and it is a joy to eat as you slurp your way through it!

If Pho or pancakes aren't your thing then there are lots of other choices with  Bun - rice vermicelli dishes, Com - rice plates and Ca Ri which are curries. The other great thing about Pho Viet is the price. Our two starters and two mains came to an even €25. It's also BYOB so even in this lean month of January there is no need to stop eating out!

Pho Viet, 162 Parnell Street, Dublin 1
Tel: 01-8783165
Find them on Facebook 

A Christmassy Afternoon Tea at the Clarence Hotel

There is something special about afternoon tea. I think it mainly has to do with eating lots of cake and drinking prosecco when you probably should be doing something else much more productive! Last Sunday a group of girls descended on the Clarence Hotel in Temple Bar to celebrate the impeding motherhood of one of our friends. She is the first to have a baby so the excitement levels are quite high! We managed to keep it a surprise till the moment she walked in the door. Thankfully the shock didn't put her into an early labour!

We were dining in the Study which was very festively decorated with a giant tree and a roaring fire. It was quiet enough with only a few other tables in the room but we were taking up a large part of it so we more than made up for that.

Afternoon tea started off with a glass of prosecco and was soon followed by plates of food. First out were the daintiest looking sandwiches. These were a mix of cheese and pickle, salmon on brown bread and cucumber and cream cheese. One friend in particular was overjoyed to see the cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches on the slate as she says they rarely make an appearance in afternoon teas anymore.

After we had scoffed all the sandwiches it was time for scones with lashings of raspberry jam and  cream. I'm not sure why the edges were cut off but I assume it was for purely asthetic reasons. I have just never seen them served like that before but they did look very uniform on the stand.

Next up were the cakes and to say we were spoilt for choice would be an understatement.We were treated to mini banoffe pies, lemon squares, rhubarb tarts and to top it all off a larger black forest tart with cherries that had a good kick of booze of them! The mini banoffe pie was reminiscent of dessert in the Clarence's new restaurant Cleaver East. You can read my review of that venue here.

We were also given some lovely vivid green macaroons but I have to admit I'm not a big fan as overall I find them quite a bland dessert. I have yet to be wowed by one. I did sample a bit of one but then opted for another lemon square instead! Everything was beautifully presented and the cakes were dainty and delectable. I think the only criticism that I have is that perhaps there was almost too much cake! It would have been nice to have one more savoury option.

All in all though it was a memory making afternoon. We were treated impeccably by the staff who couldn't do enough for us, from getting a few (hungover) friends copious amounts of tea and coffee to helping us carry out gifts to a taxi. We even had a visit from the kitchen to make sure everything was perfect which we thought was a nice touch. 

Afternoon tea was €25 a head which might seem expensive for some cakes and sandwiches but it was worth it. It also seems to be quite a standard price when you look at other afternoon tea menus. The Clarence seems to be currently in the throes of a revival with the arrival of Cleaver East and the Liquor Rooms and now they have also have an afternoon tea menu which is well worth making a special visit for.

For more information phone +353 1 407 0800 or find them on Facebook here.

Six Great Places for Breakfast in Dublin City Centre

Where do you think is good for breakfast in Dublin? Now I'm not talking about a lazy weekend one but more a 'I have been up since 6am, I'm only just in town, I have a whole day of training ahead, must eat, where is the coffee' kinda breakfast!! Recently I had the opportunity to do some great training in Dublin City Centre. It meant early starts, a long commute and a very hungry woman by the time I got into town.  On the plus side though, it meant I got to try out a few places I had always wanted to have breakfast in!

Voilá

Feel like something french for breakfast? Well alongside a whole counter of croissants and cakes Voilá offer a slightly different take on the usual bacon and eggs by serving it up with slices of toasted baguette. A breakfast of bacon, 2 poached eggs and toast will set you back €7.50.

 

KC Peaches

KC Peaches has a few locations but I visited the Nassau street one which has a fairly large and diverse breakfast menu. They have sweet and savoury options including breakfast paninis. I got the Provencal Panini which was filled with basil pesto, gubbeen chorizo, roasted tomatoes, roasted red peppers, scrambled free range eggs, and emmental cheese. The panini was full of flavour and great value at €5.20. I couldn't even finish it all!! That and a flat white cost me €8.10.

Cup Cafe

The Cup Cafe is a few steps down from KC Peaches and is home to some great coffee and their famous sausage bap. They work closely with three time Irish Barista champion Colin Harmon and use Has Bean coffee which means they serve a great cup of coffee. Their breakfast bap uses Bretzel Bakery baps which are filled with sausage and caramelised onions and it costs €5.50.

 

Pichet

If you are looking for somewhere fancy for breakfast you can't go wrong with Pichet. It is plush, has lovely deep comfortable seats and is perfect for people watching if you get a place by the window. I ordered the Egg Benedict with ham and it arrived with perfectly poached and utterly oozy eggs. Breakfast here cost €13.40 which included a flat white.

Oxmantown

If by now you haven't heard of Oxmantown you need to visit it asap. It is a little cafe near the Smithfield fruit and vegetable market. There are only a few small stools available but at that time of the morning most people seemed to be getting takeaway. I got the breakfast sandwich with sausage, relish and rocket. It was immense and great value at €5.50.

Brother Hubbard

Brother Hubbard is very nearby to Oxmantown on Capel Street and is a friendly little cafe. I must have looked tired because even before I sat down the waitress asked what coffee I would like and said she would bring it straight over! Their menu is small but it is full of lovely sounding breakfast treats. If you can avoid ordering one of the delicious looking cakes and buns you can choose from items such as porridge, granola, or a chorizo and feta omelette. I went for the homemade baked beans topped with feta, parsley & sumac and served with toast. This was one of the more unusual breakfasts with fantastic middle - eastern flavours running through it. Breakfast here cost €11.90 including a flat white.

Just loved the way they presented their cutlery and salt & pepper

What is your favourite place in town for some breakfast before work?

Find Oxmantown on Facebook and Twitter.

Find Cup Cafe on Facebook, Twitter and website.

Find Brother Hubbard on Facebook, Twitter and website.

Indie Dhaba: Bringing Tapas Style Dining to Indian Food

2013 has so far turned into the year of weddings and thirtieths. Some people want big parties, others want smaller more intimate affairs. It was with a small 30th get together in mind that we headed en masse to Indie Dhaba. Indie Dhaba is not your usual run of the mill Indian restaurant but instead has decided to shake the food scene up by offering Indian tapas. Now to be honest we were a little bit sceptical at the beginning - Indian tapas we exclaimed, they won’t fill us up and it will work out really expensive too as a group! Turns out we were wrong, oh so wrong. 

Indie Dhaba is situated on St. Anne Street in what used to be Venu. It is a big space and on the afternoon we were there only about four other tables were filled. This didn’t matter to us as we were a group of eight girls who could probably fill the place with enough chatter to make up for the lack in atmosphere. The menu is lengthy with choices of small plates, large plates, dhaba plates and Old Favourites among others. Our waiter explained to us the concept behind Indie Dhaba and some of the dishes on the menu. Being old pros at eating out in groups we co-ordinated our tapas so that we could have a bit of everything! We each choose two small plates and a main thinking that if we were still hungry we could always order more.

So to make life a bit easier as there were so many dishes, here are a selection of what we ordered (I think I have all the names right!).

PAPPADUM BRUSCHETTA: Mini Pappadums and Fryums topped with Indian Vegetable Ratatouille

 

CHATPATEE CHUTNEY MEZZE: Roasted red-bell pepper, aubergine, chickpeas and cumin, spicy olive, mathari sticks

 

NANOZZA: Indian Fenugreek dough, makhni sauce basting, vegetables, fondue of buffalo mozzarella, a.k.a. Jasuben’s Gujarati Naan-Pizza

 

BAGDA CHINGRI: Tiger prawn with Philadelphia Cheese, carom seed, toasted yellow peas flour

PALAK-MISSI TOAST: Sautéed spinach and mushroom, Indian spices, garlic, maize and chickpea flour tortilla   

 

TANGRA CHILI CHICKEN: Indo-Chinese stir fried chicken, Calcutta Chinatown style
   

 

TIWARI JI KI RAJ KACHORI: Giant Flaky-Dough hollow shell dolma, ragout of sprouted Green Mung-bean, baby gem, red kidney bean, natural yoghurt baratte and Tamarind chutney 
     

 

BANGLA CRAB CHOP: Pacific crabmeat and crayfish with spiced beetroot, house-made tomato and plum chutney  

 

We also ordered fig and goats cheese naan (one of the best naans I have ever had!) and garlic, onion & coriander naan and some Basmati rice for the table. The great thing about all the small plates were that they came out divided into four so they were perfect for sharing. One thing we did notice was that there wasn’t much size difference between the large and small plates but the large plates are where you will find the more expensive options of meat and fish. The flavours of the food were amazing and so different to what we are normally used to when we think of tapas. The food was vibrant, intense, fun and was a joy to eat.  

The only dish I was slightly disappointed with was the Bangla Crab Chop as it was just a bit bland and didn’t live up to the experience created by the other dishes. Another plus was that our meal cost us around €20 each. That was for 2 small plates and a large plate X8 so yes it did feel like plate after plate was arriving at the table.  For me this meal was one of the standouts of the year so far. I love the concept behind it and the creativity in the dishes. It also won’t break the bank, is great for groups and they also have Darren, an award winning mixologist, working in house who makes Dublin’s best cocktails (well I think so anyway!).  So all in all Indie Dhaba was the perfect choice for a small 30^th – it was good food and good cocktails all at an affordable price. Could we really ask for anything more! 

Web: www.dhaba.ie
Find them on Facebook here and on Twitter here.

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