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anchoress Jul 18th, 2007 09:54 AM

food in Ireland?
 
What do you really think of food over here? When we have Sisters in from Canada, it is hard for them to get used to it. The coffee especially, but the small range of fresh goods and the bread!!We tried takeaways even.. the worst Chinese food in the world is to be had at Carrick...I am not used to such things, but this was dreadful. Even the feral cats would not eat it. There were some good things; the cheeses, and also the chocolate we get in from Europe; better and cheaper than there.

CowboyCraic Jul 18th, 2007 10:13 AM

The coffee is the hardest to adjust to, coming from the states, as most of what is served in Ireland is instant. We always celebrate whenever we find someplace with REAL coffee.

Otherwise, I love the Irish foods. I think that the butter tastes better. The cheese is incredible (red cheddar, SIGH). The milk, served icy cold, always tastes better than what I drink at home. The Wexford strawberries are the best I have had any where. I love lamb so the stews are always a favorite of mine. I found some of the best chocolates in Dingle, Belfast and Donegal Town.

The beef can be a bit hit & miss. I have some excellent steaks at the Purple Onion in Co. Roscommon. I have had some horrid roast beef elsewhere.

I have never lacked for baked goods. There is always a farmers market or bakery where I can purchase breads and cakes.

I have not ever tried any of the myriad of Chinese take-aways. I just find it mind boggling that there are so many!Also odd to me is a Mexican restaurant in Dublin. I guess it is a sign of progress.

Hope all is well with you!

Slan agus Barrogs,

Bit

CasaDelCipresso Jul 18th, 2007 10:24 AM

"Batch Loaf" is one of my favorite thing oin the world :-) I eat it for meals :-)

good Chinese food in Dundalk, BTW - must be the Chinese take-away capital of Ireland :-)

good Indian food in Dublin...lots more to shoose from than there used to be.

you can actually find decent coffee if you search for a trendy cappuchino joint(and pay an unheard of amount for it!)...and get a Frnch Press to make your own at home is always the safest!

hmmm..what else...Hob Knobs :-) I could eat a tuble of 'em

CasaDelCipresso Jul 18th, 2007 10:24 AM

wow. just saw all my typos. sorry!

anchoress Jul 18th, 2007 10:30 AM

Ah, yes the bakes... If ever you are near Ardara, try the Heritage Centre cafe... good coffee there. And she makes all the bread and scones etc herself... excellent fare there... Also the coffee shop at teelin, just before the dreaded cliffs...... ..But it must be different when you are on holiday as opposed to living here, and when you are eating out also. eaeseddiat

CAPH52 Jul 18th, 2007 10:50 AM

I'm not a coffee drinker. So that's no problem for me. But I have to admit that I miss my iced tea when I'm there.

Other than that, my only real complaint is that restaurant food is much more expensive in Ireland. We eat out far more than we should when we're home. But not at expensive places. And, for the most part, I've found even pub food in Ireland to be more expensive than we'd pay for comparable quality food, say at a diner, here.

But I've had some excellent meals in Ireland. I'm especially fond of the small salads that are so often served on the plate with a meal. And I've had some wonderful seafood chowders.

CAPH52 Jul 18th, 2007 10:54 AM

When I was talking about the coffee/tea thing, I probably should have added that I <i>love</i> the hot tea in Ireland. So much better than you generally get in a restaurant here.

Lalylori Jul 18th, 2007 11:12 AM

CowboyCraic,
I just sent you a note on another post. Is there a brand name for the &quot;red cheese&quot;...and what are the airlines restrictions for bringing that kind of thing home.Is it smelly?

CasaDelcipresso,
Don't worry about the typos, what are Hob Knobs and Batch Loaf?

hetismij Jul 18th, 2007 11:17 AM

Hobknobs are the worlds most delicious biscuits (cookies). And are originally British not Irish. Very moreish.

Lalylori Jul 18th, 2007 11:21 AM

Are they sweet? and where do you get them?

vjpblovesitaly Jul 18th, 2007 11:35 AM

Is this Hobnob?

http://www.amazon.com/McVities-Milk-...215&amp;sr=1-1


bellini Jul 18th, 2007 11:38 AM

Soda Bread, fresh seafood, Champ and sausage, porridge with cinnamon= what is there to dislike?

sandyatlanta Jul 18th, 2007 12:25 PM

We had absolutely wonderful food in Ireland! The only meal I didn't like was when I ordered beef. Seafood is especially good...I still remember that seafood crepe in Kinsale.

CowboyCraic Jul 18th, 2007 12:47 PM

Lalylori,

It is KerryGold Dubliner Red Cheddar. I am not sure what the restrictions might be. It is extremely tasty. We would stop at the petrol station, usually a Statoil, and pickup a loaf of french bread, some red cheddar, a box of each person's favorite biscuit and some fried chicken from the deli. This would be our picnic lunch somewhere down the road, if it made it that far!

We had a trusty scout who looked for the giant wooden strawberries, which indicated a Wexford Strawberry stand. They actually come up to your window and hand in the basket of Berries, very convenient on the sides of most roadways.

Casa, I never cared for the Hob KNobs. Howvere, I fell in love with Jacob's elite tea cakes, buttercookie, mallow creme, drenched in milk chocolate (Sigh........).

I learned with the beef to ask if it was butcher fresh and local raised. That would help me make my choice. The reason the beef tastes different is the type of grasses they consume.

Slan Beo,

Bit

nytraveler Jul 18th, 2007 05:46 PM

Irish food is distinctly a mixed bag. Many restaurants - and not only in Dublin - have great food. But there are still a good number of places that seem to be about 30 years out of date - with everything boiled lifeless and tasteless. (I even had a restaurant in a major hotel tell me they had only frozen French fries - no other potatoes - since they were &quot;out of season&quot;. Whever heard of potatoes &quot;out of season&quot; - there are alway some in season somewhere - there's no law they have to come from your backyard.)

And the coffee is better left untasted.

But - there are many wonderful things to eat - esp smoked salmon, dublin bay prawns, brown bread and soda bread - and wonderful real fresh vegetables. But- you have to be careful where you go - unlike Belgium - or Italy (exept Venice) where it's practically impossible to get bad food.

Lalylori Jul 18th, 2007 06:03 PM

CowboyCraic
My mouth is watering, hope the weather cooperates. We are leaving tomorrow and the weather forecast calls for rain the rest of the week. No picnic for now. But I will get that Red Kerry Gold Dubliner cheese and McVities cookies the moment I get there.

bigtyke Jul 18th, 2007 06:23 PM

The first night i ate in Ireland, I ordered fries with the meal. They brought out a huge platter and I thought they made a mistake and brought fries also for my friend. I was about to say something when they brought his SIX potatoes!

welltraveledbrit Jul 18th, 2007 06:26 PM

My mother lives in Dublin and I love to have black and white pudding when I visit.

anchoress Jul 18th, 2007 10:13 PM

Coffee is getting better. There is a garage - and often they have good hot food - near Donegal Town that has just a Tim Horton franchise. They also do an excellent bacon sandwich.
Kerrygold is expensive; you can get the same in Lidl for half the price; they have a good range of Irish cheeses.

Safe journey, Lalylori and have a wonderful holiday. If you see a Nun in a deep blue veil, that is me. Definitely in Donegal Town this Sunday...and the Sunday after.
Blessings

mom83 Jul 19th, 2007 06:36 AM

There is no need to miss iced tea while in Ireland. We were there for 2 weeks this past May/June and all I did was order a pot of hot tea with a large glass of ice. Wonderful, fresh brewed iced tea!


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