In Dublin's Fair City

I’ve been in Dublin this weekend attending the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival.

I love Dublin. I’ve been going to Dublin for the past sixteen years, and even lived there for a number of years in the late 90’s. Being back in Dublin is like returning to my spiritual home. It's a place I'm very fond of and a place which holds very dear memories for me.

As an appetiser to the weekend’s festivities, I met a very dear friend for tea after she finished work. We headed to the Irish Film Institute (IFI) for gin, nachos and a good natter before I headed off to see the first of many films that weekend and she went to catch her train. Weatherwise, Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day. I’ve developed a bit of a photography bug and was itching to get out in the sun and take photos. The light shining off the Liffey and Ha’penny Bridge was simply breathtaking. I am rather pleased with how the photos turned out.

On Saturday afternoon me and three of my oldest and dearest friends spent a hugely enjoyable afternoon, having lunch, drinking cocktails and sharing wonderful conversation. I don’t think there is anything else I would rather do. I could quite happily drink gin until it came out of my ears and on Saturday afternoon, I just about did, with the odd Bellini thrown in for good measure! On Sunday I met up with more old friends and enjoyed wonderful food and conversation in their company. I love that no matter how long it is between us seeing each other, when we meet it’s like we only saw each other yesterday and we spent a pleasurable Sunday afternoon, talking about our mutual adoration of Mad Men.

Govindas is a vegetarian Hare Krishna restaurant in Dublin that has enjoyed quite a lot of my custom over the years. The food is delicious, with a special mention for the paneer cheese. A Govindas special for tea on Sunday seemed like the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

My highlights of the weekend: the early morning sun shining on the Liffey and the river, like a millpond, reflecting everything back on the city; the Hugh Lane Art Gallery and an artist's emperor's new clothes; the Garden of Remembrance; weird Italian films on a Sunday afternoon in the Screen on D'Olier Street with no dialogue but an over-abundance of goats; the purty waiter in The Front Lounge with such elegant poise, magnificent quiff and a beaming smile; the girls together again like we'd never been apart; animated discussions about Mad Men and Joseph O'Connor books; a co-incidental meeting in a Church; goofy sci-fi films and men in anoraks; coffee and The Thirty-Nine Steps in The Winding Stair; snoozing in the cinema; a Bad Ass breakfast; the Blue Rinse ladies in the audience at the IFI; an early morning photography trip to the Northside; gin and tonics and belated birthday cocktails; conversations about crochet; a Govindas Special; gin, nachos and a Ken Loach film; a flea market and sparkly baubles in a former drinking establishment.

Pukka Tukka

Food has featured prominently this week and my eating experience has been one of extremes. It began with my resolve to use up all the food in my cupboards, with a detour mid-week into the world of fine dining and the culinary delights of a fancy London restaurant.

One of my aims last year was to eat at Fifteen, Jamie Oliver’s restaurant in London. This week I finally got around to it. My colleague and I, both of us work-stranded in London for a couple of nights and she, a self-confessed ‘foodie’ and Jamie devotee, leapt at the chance to indulge in a little mid-week treat. Coupled with the added, albeit remote, possibility that she might catch a glimpse of the great man himself (she didn’t), we left work early and headed off to North London. 

Fifteen is an unassuming place off a side street in Hoxton, but instantly recognisable if you ever saw Jamie’s Kitchen on TV a few years ago. The service is efficient and attentive – the wine glass was never less than half-full – and the food was delicious. I had buratta (mozzarella) with clementines and honey-roasted almonds, followed by Sicilian Fisherman’s Stew and finished off with chocolate mousse, vanilla ice- cream and honeycomb. My friend had crab on toasted sourdough bread, venison, and tiramisu with ice-cream. As a special school-night treat, it was decadent, delicious and well worth the price. 

At the other extreme, I started the week raiding cookery books and the BBC recipe finder to find ideas to use up the food that I appear to have been stockpiling for the past few months – like the glut of limes left over from Christmas, or the fish that’s been lurking at the back of the freezer for almost a year. Curious concoctions that actually worked. Swordfish with capers anyone? Or my old student staple – pasta with onions and mushrooms in a mayonnaise and ketchup sauce. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! If you have it, a tin of tuna makes a welcome and sophisticated addition! 

There is something simple yet comforting about making do with what you have. Fewer weekly shops. Only buying the essentials. It's relaxation with a pan and a wooden spoon! It’s also reassuring to re-discover the love for something - cooking - that until recently I had very little motivation for. Next week, haggis...