Corinna Dunne

Thank you so much for the wonderful report doc. I hope someone goes to the Asia Conference next year and continues in the same tradition.

Was last night's episode not a repeat?

... And anyone interested in this thread will be interested in Kieran's very good quality ice cream... "Murphy's" from Dingle. Aoibheann McNamara of Ard Bia was singing your praises to me last week. I'm looking forward to the rich Kerry cow milk ice cream. And yes, I've got a copy of Clodagh McKenna's book already. I also like Darina Allen's Traditional Cooking book.

Is there an advantage to browning meat/chicken skin more quickly with a higher intensity of heat? Will this give a better "Maillard reaction" than a conventional blowtorch? As an aside, Heston Blumenthal was on “The Panel” last night, a satirical news show hosted by Dara O’Briain on Irish TV, talking about his show and book. He mentioned the ice cream as being the most useful recipe in the book, saying that it’s easy to get your hands on dry ice, and ice cream made this way is so superior to the over fatty, sweet result of a conventional ice cream machine. Again, he came across as being an incredibly nice guy, and he was very comfortable talking off the cuff in a non-contrived situation. He’s got a lovely, natural touch; I could listen to him all day. I hope we see plenty more of him on TV.

Hi HannaBanana... Welcome to the Forum!!! I'd be very interested to hear how you get on in Thornton's. I was there a few weeks ago (yes, must post on the thread) and had the surprise menu... very good, a well considered sequence of dishes.. There's also a white truffle menu on at the moment, but you'll get some on the surprise menu too.

I think he'll stick to the knitting and go with what he knows works. It looks like Gary Rhodes' lack of location, location, location awareness is biting. He's practically giving away lunch in order to fill the place.

Gordie was in Dublin doing a book signing this week and popped in to the Chamber of Commerce lunch in the Burlington Hotel to be guest speaker. … I wonder what he charged. So, according to today’s Irish Indo, out came the expletives, a few stories, a bit about the business side of things (which apparently was a ramble and lost the audience), and… Not a huge surprise, as Dublin is mentioned on his website as a new venture, but still no indication of where it will be. Everyone’s passionate, honest money is on the Shelbourne Hotel being the venue… when it eventually opens again… now scheduled for March as far as I can remember.

I just heard today that the Farmers' Market at Farmleigh (in the Phoenix Park) will be open on Saturday and Sunday before Christmas until 17h December. A great venue.

I recently found this website on Irish cheese which lists cheese producers geographically under the "Members" section. So if you live here, plenty of ideas for the Christmas cheeseboard, and if you're visiting, this will help you to keep your eating regional, and maybe schedule a visit or two to some of the producers. Cais is the Irish for cheese.

I agree. I thought it was very interesting and will be giving the slow cooking method a shot. I was surprised that he did not discuss using a blowtorch as a method for crisping the skin. Rolling the chicken around to get it evenly browned would be akward enough (I presume it was edited as it seemed to brown very quickly), but I'd imagine that the flavour is better this way.

The authentic shawarma has finally arrived in Dublin. A few months ago, I found a little Lebanese place called Fayruz (well actually a guy at the restaurant at the Mosque recommended it to me when I begged him to tell me where the best shawarma is to be found) and I couldn't believe how good it is. I akways opt for lamb, but a few days ago, I ended up with a chicken shawarma by mistake and found that it tasted a bit too much of white pepper. Is this typical for a Lebanese chicken marinade? And if anyone has a few pointers for the spices in Lebanese and Israeli marinades for lamb, I would be very interested.

Welcome to the Forum bronniebee!!!

We had a clear crescendo in our meal; the wonton dish followed by the bone marrow were intensely savoury and dramatic. And our hummingbird dessert was a stunner. We were there early in the season and I think that Albert Adria - Ferran Adria's brother, who is an incredibly talented pastry chef and devises the dessert dishes - spends the first two months in the kitchen there, so we probably got lucky. However, I know what you're saying. I did feel a bit adrift at times wondering what was next on the 25 course surprise menu. I agree with you on the desserts in Can Roca, they are amazing!

Welcome to the Forum Max Frank. There's a thread on Chapter One here if you want to update it and there's no thread on Dax (just a few mentions on the Eating in Ireland thread) so feel free to start one. And I agree... Chapter One and Dax both get over the basement hurdle more successfully than Pearl. BTW, OT I know, but since I mentioned it upthread, the food in the Unicorn was worse than usual when we were there on Thurs, with two of our party sending food back to the kitchen. Top marks for how they handled it though. It was immediately taken off the bill, replacement dishes were offered etc, etc. The girl working our table was exceptional. Unfortunately the music wasn't. There was some dreadful hairdresser stuff playing, which emphasised the muddy sound system. Advice: stick to lunch in the Unicorn.

So... if you were to plot Heston's next move from a brand perspective... what do you think it should be?

Great report Tim. Thanks so much.

It may be worth asking your hotel in advance about a local tour guide (ours was arranged through the Ministry for Information, and as I’ve moved house about 8 times since, I have no idea where my notes or the piece are). Typically you hire a driver in a 4-wheel-drive (very dangerous roads, mad drivers), and you brief them on where you want to go, eg food markets, etc. You may even get an invitation to their home as we did. Outside Sana'a, some of the smaller towns don’t have hotels, so you will have to stay in a funduq, which can be pretty rough and ready (felt a lot more dangerous than the Red Sea camp), and from a food point of view, there will probably be a very basic restaurant nearby. We certainly didn't dine in style. Some of the villages are inaccessible from time to time because of tribes fighting. I’ll send you some details of places to visit by PM. Take care, and I look forward to your report. Edited to add: For some reason, I can't seem to send you a PM. If you send me one, I'll reply, and maybe that will sort it.

Correct .. but one can't be terribly certain that in the (rapid) processing of body parts of the chickens, some spinal tissue doesn't get mixed in with the rest ... maybe it isn't a cause for concern but it made me think and thinking of BSE always makes me, heaven should pardon me for this, 'nervous' .... ← We're on the same page... What I find most unsettling is the food chain disconnect, fish eating land animals. It spells doom in my totally unscientific opinion.

About 16 years ago, shortly after Yemen opened up to tourists, I visited as a travel writer with a female Arab photographer. From what I know, things haven't changed much since then. It is an unbelievable place with breath-taking mountains and incredible buildings, and yes, there are plenty of markets. From what I remember, you’ll find the usual fruit and vegetables (there were a lot of gourds when I was there) and I also remember some wonderful smoked cheese. We travelled around and spent a night in a mud hut by the Red Sea. It was an incredible sight to see the small fishing boats coming back in the evening, the catch being hauled ashore in nets, and the fish being left out to dry in the sun. Our dinner was delivered from the local village. It was a large grilled fish, wrapped in newspaper, which we ate with the bread and cheese we’d bought at the market earlier. It’s a dry country, so we drank water with it. It was one of the best meals of my life. Unfortunately, the experience was slightly marred when later that night, a four-wheel-drive pulled up and two men with guns came up to our little camp. Our guide put them at ease. None-the-less, I would recommend a trip like this if you are feeling even a little adventurous. I'm not sure that it could be classified as a food, but Qat is the local “hit”. It is sold in bunches in the markets and you chew the leaves which give a caffeine high. It is totally legal and is said to stimulate the intellect, which is very possible as you will find more bookshops in Yemen than you'll find in neighbouring states. The UAE will be a very different experience from Yemen. I would love to hear how you get on.

Wasn't the feeding of animal body parts one of the causes of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or Mad Cow Disease? ← Exactly my thinking, although, if I remember correctly, the spinal chord was the issue with BSE.

I find the term "organic fish" very misleading. I think that among some poeple, there is a misconception that it is better than "wild". It would be much clearer if these fish were labelled "organically farmed fish". Fish farming worries me for the following ecological reason: Perhaps equally worrying is what "organic fish" are being fed: Am I the only person who finds the idea of salmon being fed farmed chicken and other land animals a bit unsettling?

Yes, they should have to put "truffle flavoured oil" on menus, to ring the same alarm bells as "chocolate flavoured topping". I think, unbilled and subtly used, it can provide an interested dimension to dishes that can remain affordable for diners not accustomed to paying for £100 for a pizza, etc. (Am dying to try that pizza... ) ← There seem to be two types of truffle oil, one that is purely synthetic (and close to poison) and one that is truffle infused, and yes, when used humbly and subtly, it has a place. ← As far as I understand it, all commercial truffle oil is made with flavouring essence, from the petrochemical industry, not the real thing. I would love to hear of any exceptions, but I've looked hard. Plenty of misleading labelling! ← I got a good truffle oil from Valette, a foie gras/truffle supplier in Gourdon, a hilltop village in the Dordogne... but it was about 5 years ago.

Yes, the fact that it's a basement seems to hinder its visibility, but the location is much better than Chapter One... a few doors down from Guilbaud's and better still, just around the corner from Doheny & Nesbitt's! It's also worth keeping in mind for lunch (although I don't like basements for lunch). They do one course for €16, two for €21.50 and three for €26. The cod baked with parmesan is the thing to have. Actually I was meant to go there on Thurs, but was out-voted and the Unicorn won out. It's that time of year!

Yes... it's a great little spot. It's good to see the foie gras is still on the menu and I love the way they do the squab pigeon. I felt a bit of up-selling pressure (water, wine, dessert) when I was there last for a fairly quick meal... I'm sure the sommelier loved you! It's funny, this place is just slightly off the radar and in terms of value for money, it's pretty good. It's also quite popular with large parties, which can be a bit of a pain. Were you in the front room or the back room?

I'm very late to this thread... But it's great to see that literary geniuses still roam the the green pastures of Ireland. And as someone who worked in Guinness years ago, it is so nice to read such a succinct ode to the perfect pint. Maith an buachaill, Simon!