Taste of Dublin, the four-day food festival running until Sunday in the city’s Iveagh Gardens, is expected to attract record numbers this year, with 35,000 visitors anticipated across the duration. There are two admission times each day, from noon to 4.30pm and 6pm to 10pm, and tickets are still available for each session, with Saturday evening expected to sell out in advance. The weather forecast is for warm, occasionally showery weather.
Admission costs start at €17 but a VIP Suite ticket for Saturday evening will set you back €90.50, to include fast-track entry, entry to the VIP seating area, a glass of Champagne and another of wine, plus two signature dishes (€11/€12 each) from the restaurants in attendance.
Which restaurants are taking part?
There are 14 restaurants/food trucks on site, one more than last year, and again Asian food is strongly represented. Queues are expected to be an issue at peak times. The participating food stalls are Bahay (Filipino); Bar Italia (Italian); Bites By Kwanghi (Asian street food); Chimac (Korean street food); Dosa Dosa (Indian); King Sitric (oyster bar); Los Chicanos (tacos); Nan Chinese/Hakkahan (Chinese); Orwell Road (modern Irish); Pickle (Indian); Shouk (Middle Eastern); Sushida (Japanese); Tasting Spain by La Ribera Catering (Spanish) and The Salt Project (modern Irish).
Which dishes are not to be missed?
Caomhán de Bri’s The Salt Project pop-up won the award for best dish at the event in the Best in Taste awards on the opening day, as well as best use of local and artisan produce for the second year in a row. The judges found their winner in what De Bri described as “our take on a chicken fillet roll”. The Icon dish, selling for €11.50, contains Feighcullen free range chicken, Molloys’s Bakery bread roll, pickled onion, Ballymore Organic leaves and chicken wing and wild garlic mayo. De Bri has 1,600 of these prepped and ready to sell over the four days, but, with 35,000 guests expected, you’ll need to stake your claim early.
One of the best plates of food I saw in circulation at the opening session was the Icon dish from Taste newcomer, Shouk in Drumcondra. The Middle Eastern restaurant’s Icon dish is a generous quarter of roast cauliflower with tahini and tomato salsa, grilled cherry tomatoes, zhug, pomegranate seeds, scallions and parsley. Scott Holder’s Los Chicanos taco truck is also sending out some excellent dishes, including the Best in Taste runner up, ceviche with shaved fennel, citrus, puffed rice and sesame with crispy blue corn tostada (€12).
Kwanghi Chan’s Bites by Kwanghi street food menu is offering pork and chive steamed dumplings Sichuan style (€6); steamed Chinese greens and tofu dumplings (€6) and chicken in honey and ginger with jasmine rice, shiitake mushroom, pickled sweetcorn, black garlic, soy and chilli dressing (€12). Also likely to be very much in demand are Bahay’s tocino pork bun, with barbecue pork on pan de sal with pickled slaw (€11), Chimac’s sriracha caramel Szechuan wings (€6), and poutine (€11), and Pickle’s hunters’ lamb masala (€11).
The Best in Taste vegan dish winner, Dosa Dosa, is attending for the second year. The food truck’s winning dish, gun powder masala dosa, has a spicy dal, potato masala, served with sambar (lentil curried soup), mint and coconut chutneys.
Some stallholders are offering extremely small portions for their standard dishes, costing around €6, with only a couple of small bites in each. Expect the usual value-(or not)-for-money backlash.
Thirsty, now?
There are plenty of bars and drinks outlets throughout the venue. But again, expect to queue at peak times. You can learn how to make a top-notch espresso martini at the Tia Maria stand, where brand ambassador Roberto Garcia is hosting masterclasses at 2pm and 3pm each day (book a place as soon as you arrive).
Need a sit-down?
TV cook Erica Drum is hosting the Miele Masterclass Kitchen, and there is a full programme of chef demonstrations at each session. Headliners include Rachel Allen (Friday afternoon); Dan Hannigan (Friday evening); JP McMahon (Saturday afternoon); Trisha Lewis (Saturday evening) and Jordan Bailey (Sunday afternoon). The strongest line-up is on Sunday evening, when Kevin Burke, De Bri and Chan take to the stage.
