Pat Kenny on Newstalk in The Shelbourne

The other day as I listened to Pat Kenny as he presented his show on Newstalk 106,  I heard that the Friday show would be broadcast from the Shelbourne Hotel.  As I was off work on Friday I texted in to see if I would be lucky enough to get a ticket.  A few days later the show made contact with me and offered me a ticket which I was pretty excited about!!

The show started out with Irish Music Legends "Bagatelle" singing their well known (and 34 yr old) song "Summer in Dublin"  I love this song and it fitted so perfectly to hear it on a gloriously sunny day in a Dublin City Hotel.  

The first of Pat's guests was Karl Deeter who spoke about the rapidly rising property prices in Dublin.  From what Deeter said, it made the ever witty Kenny quip "You'll start a property boom in Longford"!!!

Next up was Dr Tierney Thys who told of her research involving the Mola Mola fish.  This lady is passionate about her work and very funny too.  You need to look up images of the Mola Mola it is one crazy looking fish - basically it is just a big giant fish head!! 

Further guests included Daire O'Briain, singer Jack Lukeman (previously known as Jack L) and Denis O'Brien Head Concierge from the Shelbourne Hotel - and they even had a report on the Poolbeg Chimney stacks with audience interaction and discussion.  Boy do they fit a lot in to this two hour slot.  It all made for a very interesting morning and was great to see the behind the scenes of a radio show. Pat Kenny is the ultimate professional and makes the job of presenting look like child's play but I can only imagine the preparation and work that goes in to his show every day.  

I was interested to see what refreshments would be offered by The Shelbourne Hotel.  I have been avidly watching the RTE TV show that features the hotel and is currently being aired.

I was impressed by all their offerings!

Here are cute little chocolate cones and there was also macaroons filled with chocolate ganache which were quite delicious.

At the back of the photo are triangle wedges of moist brownie which were served with chocolate milk in little bottles.  How cute!

The view was fantastic out on to Stephens Green - it was incredibly sunny in Dublin so the city looked amazing.

When I arrived about 9.30am I got coffee and a scone with clotted cream (yum!) and also sipped a home made lemonade - the perfect start to a sunny Dublin Day.

Paddy Casey and Kim Hayden sang their new duet on the show - wow Paddy Casey is a right belter!  I really enjoyed listening to him live and wouldn't mind going to one of his gig.  I hope this song does well as I thought it was great.  In the flesh Kim looks younger and very pretty too.  Good luck to the pair of them!




After the show I had hoped to stay in town and wander around a few shops but my plans were thwarted by a call from the dishwasher repair man to say he would be at my house shortly.  So it was on to a Dublin Bike and home to let him in. 
Back to the mundane!

The Butcher Grill, Ranelagh

I had been at a Wedding on Friday night and had a rather late one. When I arrived home at 3pm on Saturday I was in the mood for a big meaty burger.  On a whim we chose to eat in The Butcher Grill.  I wish I took a picture of the inside of the restaurant.  Its a really well designed tiny atmospheric place with a super bar facing in to the kitchen.  In total it seats about 32, which I estimated by making a rough count.

Ciaran had the ribs while I chose the burger with smoked cheese(!).  Both were excellent and really hit the spot.  I had a glass of wine while Ciaran had a Sierra Nevada Lager as he was in the mood for beer rather than wine.

There are some nice touches and they have thought of the little details in this place - below is a picture of the branded hand wipes for clean up after eating ribs.  So much nicer than a cheap generic wipe I think!

After eating we strolled back home (picking up a Rhubarb Tart in The Natural Bakery to bring to friends later that evening).  I was a bit sleepy at this point so I had a quick snooze and then had a shower and was in perfect form for a BBQ in friends house near by. What a great Saturday!

Mason Jar Sippy Cup

Look what I am drinking my Vodka & Diet Coke in!!!

A Mason Jar insulated cup I bought on my recent trip to the States.  I love it!!

Feels like I am still on holiday ;-)

Salt lick Ranelagh - Japanese Month

When we heard this months food was going to be Japanese inspired in Salt Lick (which pops up in Hobarts in Ranelagh every Friday and Saturday night) we decided we would go again.

The concept is very simple - there is a vegetarian and a meat option for starter and main and then a choice of two desserts.  Two courses costs €25 while three courses costs €30.  

The restaurant is BYOB (bring your own bottle of wine) and BYOC (which is bring your own liquor which they will add to their cocktails).  What a fun concept!

We popped in to the Wine Buff and picked up bottle of wine before making our way to Salt Lick.  We got an Argentinian Malbec which the Wine Buff Ivor said was similar to the French Malbec.

For started we both chose the chicken tempura with Tofu Tempura and pickled mushrooms.  All were just delicious!  I particularly liked the mushrooms which, although had a slug like appearance to them, tasted divine.

For main we had the pork ramen which was very good.  I asked for a spoon for the broth but I was happy to sup from the bowl when our server invited us to do as is the cultural norm so that we could immerse ourselves in the experience!

For dessert we had huge bowls of lemon posset and cold rice pudding with strawberries and seseame brittle.  I adore rice pudding so I was in heaven but Ciaran was not a fan of his posset as it was too liquid.

Most people hand over a naggin or shoulder of vodka for drinks throughout dinner.  We just have 1 after dinner cocktail so we handed up these little baby vodkas.  They only used about two thirds of each bottle so they returned the rest to us - which I promptly poured in to my coke so I could taste the vodka.  Ciaran had a Moscow Mule which he anounced was delicious. 

When I mentioned the name of the restaurant to friends, they sent me a picture of this.  Lol!

Can't wait to hear what next month's theme will be in Salt Lick!!

Sew Dublin - Jelly Rolls in Rathmines (Fabric shops in Dublin)

I contacted "Sew Dublin" in Rathmines to see if they had Jelly Rolls for sale.  They said they did so I called in to them on Friday on my day off.

They had a few Jelly Rolls and it was hard to make a choice of which one to get.  I looked at a little board that showed every fabric in this roll.  Even still I found it hard to visualise what way the quilt would turn out.

Here is the Jelly Roll opened up.

All you have to do is sew the strips together (on the bias) to make one long strip.  After this you bring the ends together and sew the strip together.  Cut the strip when you get to the end and repeat the above steps.

You eventually end up with this!  Which took me about 3 hours to complete.  All I need to do is put a border and backing on the quilt front along with wadding/batting and then bind it.  It's the biggest quilt I've made so far!

Sew Dublin in Rathmines is worth calling in to if you are looking for fabric and supplies.  They have good stock and lots to choose from.

Bones my dog on a glass stairs

Sharing this video that I put up on YouTube awhile ago.  It's Bones coming down the stairs from our studio at the top of the house.

Searching for Jelly Rolls

Called in to the Craft Hub in Donabate before work today.  I'm looking to get some "Jelly Rolls" for quilting.

They did have one Jelly Roll but it wasn't quite the pattern that I was looking for.  I know Jelly Rolls can be commonly got in USA along with Fat Quarters.  However, in Ireland, Fat Quarters have only recently begun to be sold and Jelly Rolls are slowly coming on stream too.  

It seems that a sewing supplies shop in Rathmines sells Jelly Rolls so I will call in on Friday to see what they have!

I have to say I enjoyed my visit to the Craft Hub - they have an incredible range of fabrics.

Here's what the jelly rolls look like.....I wish I had bought some when I was in Key West recently :-(