In Dublin it took a couple of days to start cooking again rather than just warming stuff up. Once Dad arrived we also ate out more. We had a furnished apartment with a kitchen and very basic cooking tools and no food other than coffee, tea, and sugar. Think about preparing a meal where you have to buy EVERYTHING. It didn't help that the stores are small and the selection quite limited compared to a typical American grocery store. I forgot to buy salt for our first dinner at home and we had some very bland pasta. The lack of salt just compounded the general blandness I feared was normal for Irish food. This is a place where salsa comes in mild and cool. We bought the arrabiata pasta sauce to get some barely discernable flavor. It was grim folks. Then we discovered mini Magnum ice cream bars, freshly baked scones, the full Irish breakfast, Manor Takeaway, the Pieman, and La Pausa coffee shop.
The ice cream bars are just a little chocolate covered vanilla taste of home.
The scones are subtly sweet rich melty goodness. We sent the kids to the bakery across the street each morning for our daily fix. Both the white and brown versions were fantastic. There is something about the Irish milk and butter that is rich and delicious especially when paired with the scones.
I had read about the full Irish breakfast and wasn't too sure. Just how much meaty stuff can one person eat for breakfast? A lot it turns out with multiple types of bacon, sausages, and both black and white meat puddings (sausages). Don't forget the eggs. It's too much for daily eating, but its great for a late brunchy meal. In spite of a questionable reputation we all liked the black and white pudding. Ignore the ingredient list. It's probably best if you don't know. (The first ingredient is oatmeal followed by many types of porky beefy bits.) We finally found where Ireland hides its flavor. Several times I made a messy hash with potatoes, black and white pudding, bacon, eggs, and broccoli. just to keep it healthy. Yummy.
We found a few places to eat out that were delicious and reasonably priced. It is easy to spend a lot on touristy pub food. Manor Takeaway was just down the street a block or so away. I've mentioned this place before. It is a great example of a common enough type that serves fish and chips, pizza, and kebabs. This particular place is run by an Italian family from just outside of Rome. John practiced a bit of Italian with them and they liked hearing that we were moving to their home.
The Pieman is in the very touristy Temple Bar neighborhood just past Merchant's arch. It is an unassuming little place. Meat pies are more British than Irish, but it was good all the same. I tried the mushy peas. I had seen cans of mushy peas in the grocery stores and couldn't resist. It is exactly what it sounds like. Imagine extra thick split pea soup, with just the peas. Not bad, since I like split pea soup, but it is really much better with the ham and other vegetables.
Another day we had dinner at the Hairy Lemon pub because we just couldn't pass by a place with a name like that.
We changed busses occasionally on Blessington street in front of La Pausa cafe. One day we stopped in for a bite. It is a great place with a lot of hipster character. You can get a partial Irish breakfast, in case a full one is too much. The chocolate croissants and hot chocolate were amazing.
Any place takes a little getting used to. I was finally getting used to Dublin and really enjoying it when it was time to leave and start the process all over again, but this time in a different language that I barely speak.
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