I realise this is a sensitive subject – the concept of eating al fresco is not something we Irish have ever really mastered. Normally, hampered by impending grey clouds, the dreamy idea of sipping wine and nibbling on tapas outside is often best left to our Mediterranean cousins. Still though, with summer coming to an end, there may be one or two long evenings left to savour outside.
I feel a little like a traitor even writing this as my summer in Los Angeles has been extremely kind weather-wise, lending itself to lots of outdoors eating and barbecues. Since we arrived in June, we haven't had a day without sunshine and blue skies. But I'm embarrassed to admit that I have started to miss those soft days which bookend brilliant bouts of good old Irish sunshine.
Our most recent house, in Echo Park, one of the older neighbourhoods in the city, has been the perfect base for exploring the city's great restaurants and cafes.
With a huge selection of restaurants, farmers’ markets and street food, the temptation to go out is always strong when it comes to choosing whether to cook at home or to eat out. I’ll be honest and tell you that we’ve been giving in to temptation more often than not as we struggle to break out of tourist mode and get settled in each new kitchen and temporary home.
Of course, I have been cooking, but then there are giant bowls of ramen to be eaten at Silverlake Ramen, or crab fried rice and some of the best Thai food outside Thailand to be devoured at Night + Song Market. Weekend brunches have also posed problems, with difficult choices to be made between Valerie's epic smoked salmon avocado tartines and Dinette's perfectly rectangular Instagram-worthy waffles doused in butter and maple syrup and daintily sprinkled with sea salt.
First world dilemmas aside, one of the best summer evenings we’ve spent in the city was eating in our own back garden. I cooked barbecue chicken with a brilliant Thai dipping sauce, and experimented on the grill with lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower and corn on the cob grilled until the kernels were charred and tender. It all made for simple and delicious summer eating.
With summer all but gone, savour the last of it with these recipes for easy outdoor eating.
