Easter Monday in Dublin City - Celebrating the Rising

Our bank holiday here started out with a Tabata Workout that Ciaran had done up for me in order to get somewhat in shape for Key West. I had to search for my runners......they hadn't seen the light of day for some time :-( 

I skipped for the warm up which was tough and let's say it got me very warm!!

But all in all I felt good getting the workout in and am going to stick with it until my holiday in Florida.

After breakfast, we walked in to town to see all the 1916 Celebrations. We went through Stephens Green where there was lots going on and was very busy. We then made our way down to the GPO on O'Connell Street. I posed for a pic beside this letter box which has been painted red to promote the opening of a new museum in the General Post Office (GPO). Post boxes in Ireland are green usually (the red would have been painted over as soon as we became a free State) - click here to see my pics in a past blog. 

After taking in all of the atmosphere in the city we dropped the dog home and drove down to Starbucks in Waterloo Road where we read and chilled for a few hours.

Later I cooked a dinner of burgers (no bun for me) with sweet potato wedges which was extremely tasty!

Easter Eats & Easter Treats

We've had a lovely Easter weekend here in Dublin.  On Saturday night we went to Delahunt on Camden Street with friends. The ambiance and decor is really nice but I was a little disappointed with the food - I was expecting to be wowed but was a little underwhelmed. I don't know if I would be bothered to return as there are so many other excellent restaurants in Dublin.

This morning we made quick visits to both our parents as we had a lunch time reservation in Brioche at 2pm. We got caught up in traffic jams due to the 1916 Commemorations Parade and other events so it ended up being a flying visit. 
We dropped off a few Easter treats and then got back on the road back to Dublin 6.

I rang Brioche restaurant on the way back from our parents as once again we got caught in traffic and had to make a big detour. The restaurant were fine about us being 15 mins late which was a big relief.

We left the dog in the house at 2pm and then walked up the road to Brioche getting there before 2.15pm. 

At the end of our meal I declared that Brioche is the best restaurant in Ranelagh! Have a look at the photos of our plates from the Tasting Menu and I am sure you will agree too!

As I said we chose the Tasting Menu but decided not to pair wines but instead had a bottle of Australian Shiraz which was good, full bodied and very fruity.

A delicious Amuse Bouche - a lovely start to a fantastic meal

Kohlrabi - I've never had it before but certainly enjoyed it in this presentation.

Trout with beetroot - a new dish. I thought it was ridiculously good! 

Beef Cheek - yum!

A very interesting pumpkin dessert - I loved it.....Ciaran was a little undecided!

There was a also a Parsnip Veloute with a little blue cheese, I forgot to take a photo - it tasted divine.

Last year for Easter we ate in Locks Brasserie. I preferred this years Easter lunch. The food was superior and the atmosphere was better. Although Locks has a lovely dining room facing on to the canal there was a more vibrant buzz in Brioche. Locks was a little sedate for our taste. 

Gap Haul - Double Discounts!

On Good Friday, Amy and  I took a trip to the Blanchardstown Centre. On passing the Gap we saw there was a 40% off sale so we popped in for a look.

I saw a few pairs of trousers that would be perfect for work once the weather got nice. I then chose a pair of shorts for my upcoming Key West trip, some t-shirts and a pink light jumper.

Amy was only buying a t-shirt that was about 11 euro or so before the 40% off. 

In order to maximise the discounts. Amy went and bought the t-shirt which was the cheapest item. She reckoned she would then be invited to do a survey on her phone which would give a further 20% off future purchases which I could use against my purchases.

She indeed did get the survey, so I went to the til with my 7 items. The total cost was about €160 which went down to about 90 euro with the 40% off. I then showed the 20% off voucher on my phone and the total cost went down to €72.  What a bargain!  I love doubling up on discounts!!

Weekend in Amy's

I spent the last two nights in Amy's which was very nice. She really looked after me with lovely food on her new plates! 

I felt very spoiled being served nice stuff all day including drinks in her fun tropical pineapple glasses and delicious smoked salmon and poached egg.

Look how perfect this poached egg is!!

The weather was good on Friday so we got out for a walk down to Clonsilla and also the Blanchardstown Centre (where they had some interesting 1916 Centenary deorations up!) and we even sat out in her garden and listened to records!

I think we were very lucky with the weather as today it is gone back to the more usual grey affair that is Ireland in the month of March.

Starbucks in Smyths in Swords

I normally visit the Starbucks in the Wright Venue (in Airside) on the way to work. When I was in their the other day I saw on their notice board that there was another Starbucks close by at the Smyths Toy Store. 

The morning I stopped by the Smyths Starbucks.

It was easy to spot and I liked the look of it from the outside. The Starbucks sign is very attractive I think!

As well as entering through the front door, you can also enter directly from Smyths Toy Store - perfect for thirsty parents after visiting the toy shop!!

It's very large with lots of comfortable seating.

I was looking for some quiet time with a book before I went to work so I was concerned that it would be full of noisy families due to its location. I needn't have worried. It is so spacious it was very quiet. 

I had a lovely cup of coffee and then got back in the car for work. 

I will definitely return here!

A Spode is a Spode!

At lunch time today my twin sister texted me a picture of a bargain that she had spotted.

Spode plateware for......less than a few euro!!

My sister bought 8 plates and side plates and I decided to stop in the city on the way home from work and buy some of the plates for myself (I was afraid to wait until Saturday in case they were all gone!).

I bought the plain large plate in the Delamere pattern which were on sale for only €1.50.  You can click here to see how much they normally sell for!!

The shop we bought the plates in is Michael Guineys which is a Dublin institution since 1971. It is a discount store so I think we can presume that these Spode plates are seconds!

I bought side plates with an additional bird print (pheasants and grouse) which were €1.99 each.

Look at the total price for 6 dinner plates and 6 side plates!! €20.94!

I think there is something very retro looking about these plates and I just love the brown colour! Also, seconds or not, they feel great - a nice substantial plate. All in all a really good buy I think!

Easter Egg time is nearly upon us!

What a fun evening yesterday!  Laura was up from Galway to stay with Amy for the night.  They went to a few spots in Dublin during the day and then got the train out to me at work. We then drove home where I had some little nibblies in the fridge for the girls.

I had bought nice hummus and sundried tomatoes to go with flat bread crackers. There was also a selection of meats. Unfortunately I had under estimated how much food I should have got (I should have bought cheese) so I also popped a pepperoni pizza in the oven which helped stretch out the food! For with the little nibblies I opened a bottle of wine which was very enjoyable.

After our food and a great catch up we hopped in to the hot tub which was super! We spent so long in the tub, enjoying the chat and the out doors.

Later on I walked Amy & Laura to the Luas station. We passed by the old Nightowls building (now Supervalu) where we misspent our youth - that gave us a good laugh!

It was a lovely evening and to top it off I got my first Easter Egg from Laura. Look at this gorgeous big Thorntons chocolate specimen!!