Afternoon tea is an indulgence to brighten a January day, and in addition to the fashion-inspired offering at the Merrion Hotel, the elegant Fern House Cafe at Avoca in Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow, this week began serving a traditional array of finger sandwiches, scones, cakes and pastries from Monday to Friday, 3-5pm (last sitting 4pm).
It’s a great way of escaping the inevitable queues at this popular venue, and the price is a reasonable €25 per person (€32 with a glass of sparkling wine). A gluten-free version can be requested with 24-hours advance notice.
Ooh that’s an expensive takeaway
A seafood “tower” offered by Dublin restaurant Klaw, in Temple Bar, is the ninth most expensive item than can be ordered by customers of the food delivery service Deliveroo.
Coming in at €120, the seafood selection includes a lobster, a crab, prawns, oysters and buttered toast. The most expensive item that can be ordered via the company is a 1964 Château Mouton Rothschild for £950/€1,095, from London restaurant, L’Etranger – though how it might drink after its bike or motorbike delivery ride from Kensington is anyone’s guess.
Other pricey takeaways include a selection of caviar from Caviar de Neuvic in Paris (€412), and an 85oz Wagyu steak from Lily & Bloom in Hong Kong (HKD 2,200/€271).
The food of love in Galway
Sheena Dignam of Galway Food Tours is taking cupid to the streets with her Valentine's inspired culinary walking tour of the city on Sunday, February 12th. It's aimed at singles, and the 2½-hour tour will take in visits to Kai, Dela, Rouge, Péarla na Mara, The Universal, Deli La Tosca, Blue Note and Mitzi's Mezze. There will be food and drink to sample along the way, and the price is €55 per person. See galwayfoodtours.com
New head chef at Tankardstown
Chef Adrian Cassidy, Rob Krawczyk's former number two at Brabazon restaurant at Tankardstown House, near Slane, Co Meath, has stepped up to the hotplate and taken over as head chef. The Ardee native trained at Killybegs College and worked in London before joining the team at Tankardstown.
Who is cooking?
The third series of Chef's Table launched on Netflix this week, and the selection of chefs featured is as diverse as we've come to expect of this series, which puts a spotlight on single-minded culinary professionals who have a unique approach to their career. The line-up this season is Jeong Kwan, Baekyasa Temple (South Korea); Vladimir Muhkin, White Rabbit (Moscow, Russia); Tim Raue, Restaurant Tim Raue (Berlin, Germany); Virgilio Martinez, Central (Lima, Peru); Ivan Orkin, Ivan Ramen (New York); and Nancy Silverton, Osteria Mozza, (Los Angeles, California)
