BITE - Fish Ahoy!!

BITE is the new restaurant du jour and it's not hard to see why. Based on South Fredrick Street, BITE, opened by restaurateur Ronan Ryan, offers something for everyone.The menu is short but interesting and filled with fresh fish and 'land - based bites'. So having managed to secure a much sought after booking, we headed down there last Friday night.

We were greeted by a very lovely hostess who was incredibly efficient and was helped by a team who are friendly, courteous and on the ball. Not once did we have to ask for water top ups which is a personal gripe of mine! The meal started off with some chilli squid popcorn followed by some buttered popcorn. This is a very clever idea as it is enough to stave off major hunger but not enough to fill you up unlike bread baskets.

For starters we ordered the Pil Pil Prawns, Deep Fried Mozzarella Balls and Potted Crab with Apple and Fennel. The Pil Pil Prawns were delicious with a strong garlicky flavour, the Mozzarella Balls are a great sharing starter and the Potted Crab was divine. It had a lovely texture but as usual with these things I always finish the Melba Toast before I even get near the end of the pot!! Even my non fishing loving friend thought it was a winner.

Pil Pil Prawns

Deep Fried Mozzarella Balls

Potted Crab

As there were four of us we managed to sample quite a lot of the menu so for our mains we ordered the Lemon Sole Fried in Panko breadcrumbs, the Grilled Sea Trout and Roasted Couscous with Sweet Potato Wedges and Crumbled Feta. One of the girls didn't feel like a big main so she just ordered a few sides with absolutely no objections from the waiting staff.

Lemon Sole Fried in Panko Breadcrumbs

Roasted couscous, sweet potato wedges and crumbled feta

Grilled Sea Trout

Both the sea trout and the lemon sole were lovely and the skinny chips were grand. You are given exactly what you are order - they are essentially posh fish 'n' chips. They even come in a little paper carton on a plate for a try at an authentic feel. For me though it was the roasted couscous and the sides that stole the show and demonstrates what the kitchen is truly capable of. The sides of baked sweet potato wedges, truffle & parmesan fries, spinach with new season garlic and slow roasted beets were a meal in themselves and were filled with flavour. 

Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

Truffle & Parmesan Fries

We were very tempted by the range of desserts which included popping candy ice-cream but instead opted for cocktails out in the heated seating area. One of the great things about BITE is their range of seating areas for pre or after dinner cocktails and drinks. We sat in the heated outdoor area but there is a lounge area downstairs. The cocktails were deemed not balanced enough by the cocktail loving connoisseur but that could be down to personal preference. I thoroughly enjoyed my wine and prosecco though!! One thing for the staff to note though is that if a customer asks for a pomegranate cocktail don't bring them a pineapple one just because you have run out! Other than this small glitch BITE is a restaurant I will be returning to. It is a lovely venue with exceptional staff. They  allowed us to stay all night, looked after our every wish and helped us celebrate a friend's very special occasion in style! 

You can find more info on BITE here.

Kangaroos, Crabs and a whole lot of Prawns

While lying in bed early this morning, listening to the sound of thunder and lighting and hailstones pounding the bedroom window I seriously considered staying there ... for the day! Thankfully though I didn't and dragged myself out for an early start for the trip from Meath to Howth for my first ever Fabulous Food Trail. This food trail was extra special as it coincided with the annual Dublin Bay Prawn Festival so there was a great festival atmosphere in the town. Our Fabulous Food Trail started off outside the Old Courthouse with a history of Howth from our lovely tour guide Roisin. She was interrupted by Martin from Nicky's Plaice with a batchload of their famous smoked salmon which they smoke themselves. It was only the start of a morning of sampling! Martin is very passionate about fish and the industry that surrounds it. Apparently Irish people eat only 22 fish meals a year while over 78% of our fish is exported! 

Then it was on to Ray Collier Butchers where Ray himself told us the story of Lambay Beef. I have to admit I didn't even know anyone lived on Lambay Island let alone raised cattle on it. The cattle are born and reared without ever seeing a roof in their lives. Another interesting fact is that there is a troop of kangaroos living on the island! Yes you heard that right ... Kangaroos. In the 1950s Dublin Zoo had too many on its hands and four were sent to live on the island. Since these ones are from Tasmania the habitat is not too dissimilar and over the 60 years they have thrived there!!

Then it was off to The House for a lovely sit down of scones and tea. The House advocates a slow food policy which is brought through their food and presentation right down to the china cups we were given to drink our tea from. It was all about sitting down, relaxing and enjoying our time there.

Then we traipsed two doors up to Ella's - the local wine bar. This is a lovely small venue which is famous for its prawn tempura. For our sampling we were given White Crab Meat and Avocado on Brown Bread. It was succulent and moreish so I had two!!

Then came the biggest surprise of the day - a visit to Donal Skehan's house!! Donal & Sophie very kindly welcomed us all into their home where Donal provided us with a demonstration on how to make Wild Garlic Pesto and then fed us all with Wild Garlic Soup. It was very surreal watching him demonstrate in exactly the same kitchen he does for the Kitchen Hero series as everything is exactly the same. I am now very inspired to make my own Wild Garlic Soup!

Next it was on to the County Market or Joe's as the locals call it! This lovely food store  stocks a wide range of goods. They also have a tearoom upstairs. We got to sample one of their meringues which was light, and topped with cream and a sweet raspberry coulis.

Then to wash everything down we visited The WineHouse where we sampled some red and white wines.

They offer a fabulous range of wines from small producers around the World that are exclusive to them. The trail finished at the Festival Food Village where it was prawns galore. Paella, prawn curry, BBQ prawns - you name they had it!!

     

The Howth Food Trail was €40 euros and there are others in Dublin and Cork.  I went with two friends and we had a ball. It is a wonderful morning out filled with lots of food and information about a place that you thought you probably knew a lot about. Go on a trail and you will be surprised to find out how much you didn't know!!

The Dublin Bay Prawn Festival runs until tomorrow Sunday 29th April. If you are unsure about going let me leave a little montage of persuasion for you!