We've come a long way since the days of the ham sangwich. It used to be that the two lunch-time options were slightly soggy sandwiches wrapped in a sliced-pan wrapper since the morning or a big, carvery lunch in the local pub - the smells of smoke and last night's Guinness were included free of charge in the latter. Then, just as increasing numbers of people started making the daily pilgrimage into offices, the Irish people started discovering gourmet food - experimenting at home and in restaurants. So it was no surprise that a nation very much au fait with the sundried tomato, balsamic vinegar and the mysteries of sweating courgettes began to expect a little bit more from lunch.
The dynamics of lunch are very specific. If you're at home you can either plan long, lazy, lunch parties or grab a quick bowl of soup, but if you're based in an office, your options are more limited. Of course there are always clever people who cook up tasty little pasta dishes and store them in a Thermos flask until lunch, or unwrap huge lolloping sub sandwiches that they somehow had time to make in the morning, but most people rely on the vast array of sandwich bars and cafes offering takeaway food for the lunch time trade.
Of course these vary hugely - the basic prerequisites for lunch-to-go is that it is a) filling, b) speedy, and c) tasty. To these three should probably be added: d) interesting, because there's not much else in the way of excitement until 5 o'clock. Within these guidelines, however, everyone's requirements differ - some want huge, dripping half-baguettes filled with a mixture of curried cauliflower, chorizo and sunflower seeds and others want an easy-to-eat sandwich with two neat layers of good ham and cheese. Some want a substantial, hot lunch at their desk at lunchtime, others want a salad that is high on taste but not on calories. There is another category altogether of lucky folk who are free to take impromptu picnics al fresco and are looking for spicy dips, chilled soups, salads and strawberries and cream to be eaten in St Stephen's Green.
The following are some of the best lunch options available in the city centre. There are now hundreds of cafes, mini-markets and newsagents which will make sandwiches to order, but the places we have included all offer something a bit out of the ordinary, whether it's a good range of fillings, interesting breads, or even organic wine to go. And yes, even some places where you can still get a ham sangwich.
Best Sandwich Bar
. . .nini's, 21 Suffolk Street, Dublin 2, Tel: 01 6774804, Fax: 01 6774310
The latest brainchild of Tosca restaurant-owner Norman Hewson is . . .nini, a kind of younger sister of his Suffolk Street restaurant. The bright, funky cafe is full of glass bricks, bleached wood and terracotta tiles, so both eating in and taking away are good options - at lunch time the chefs, headed by Aongus Hanley, are hard put to keep the sandwiches on the shelves. All the renowned Tosca breads are there - chilli bread, herb bread, olive bread and tomato bread and when combined with a huge variety of fillings, there are more than 45 different sandwiches available. A good chicken option is smoked chicken with sun-dried tomato, pesto and mixed leaves on tomato bread, while a good old-fashioned ham and cheddar baguette with lots of tomato, mayonnaise and lettuce is hard to beat. If you're counting calories check out the salad range which is ready to go with a speciality dressing such as Dijonaise vinaigrette or sun-dried tomato dressing on the side. If you fax your order (more than £5) before 11 a.m. they will deliver free in Dublin 2.
Best Lunch Takeaway
Ha'penny Bridge House, 21 Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin 1, Tel/Fax: 01 8728510
Panem is an absolutely gem. Stepping through the doors into the tiny cafe on the quays is like going into a perfect, modernday Italian traterio, complete with shining zinc bar and furious bustle around the ovens. No wonder, as owner Ann Murphy is married to an Italian architect who designed the place from top to bottom. Racks hot from the oven are full of delicious savouries - handmade focaccia breads curled round spinach, cheese and olives; chicken fillets, chillies and spices or tomato, spinach and cheese (all £2.50); handmade pasta layered with spinach, cheese and bechamel sauce (£3.50), or if you're very lucky and it's a Thursday, pate di riso will be on offer - a delicious roulade of rice, spinach, ragu sauce and cheese, piping hot from the oven (£2.80). You can also go for soup of the day which comes with focaccia or garlic bread (£1.85); a dish of antipasto mixto (£3.20) or a stuffed bap (from £1.80) but you should definitely leave room for some of the patisseries - Belgian chocolate covered brioche, a sinful chocolate salami or chocolate and orange praline hearts (from 60 pence). Orders more than £5 received before 10.30 a.m. will be delivered free to the immediate vicinity.
Best Salads
Blazing Salads
21c Powerscourt Townhouse, Dublin 2, Tel: 01 6719552
Blazing Salads has always been a trail-blazer, proving that healthfood can taste divine too. It offers a delicious selection of salads to take away. A 16 oz tub costs £1.60 and tofu and spring onion; carrot and toasted almond; and watermelon and mint, all come highly recommended. Hot food is also available - spinach, carrot and blackeye-bean casserole and summer vegetable ragout are both popular choices. The freshly pressed juices, smoothies and lassis (yoghurt-based drinks) are not cheap at £2.60 for a half litre bottle, but probably worth it. Blazing Salads has just started a fast-track to the top of the queue for take-away, so you can be in and out in an instant.
Simon's Place,
Georges Street Arcade, Dublin 2, Tel: 01 6797821
When Simon Williams sold up Marks Bros a few years ago, it deprived a lot of people of their regular lunch-time haunt. Simon's Place, which retains many of the well-thought-out details of Williams's former cafe, has attracted most of the old crowd back and earned a new clientele too. Eating in or taking out, the salads are always the same and always good - cauliflower, cheddar and sweetcorn is an unlikely combination but one made in heaven, and the marinated mushroom and mixed pepper salad is top-notch too. At 70 pence a portion, they're one of the best value lunches in town - teamed with homemade vegetable soup at £1.20 or thick soft sandwiches (£1.80 for egg, up to £2 for chicken, avocado or prawn), they're a perfect, filling lunch.
Best Cheese Sandwiches
The Big Cheese Company
14-15 Trinity Street Dublin 2. Tel/ fax: 01 6711399
IF you're looking for a cheese sandwich, the only place to go is The Big Cheese Company, where almost every sandwich features an interesting and perfectly-matured gourmet cheese. The tongue-in-cheek descriptions on the menu speak for themselves - "The Rock of Cashel: A solid foundation of perfectly matured Cashel Blue cheese supports a layer of crisp apple and green salad enriched throughout by our walnut vinaigrette" (£2.25); "The Med Mix: Spicy feta with marinated artichoke hearts and tomatoes, this wonderful combination evokes a perfect Mediterranean summer. Book now!"(£2.50). As well as the regular menu, there is also a daily special and a weekly special that offer exotic delights such as bresaola on baby spinach leaves tossed in sesame oil and toasted pine kernels with Italian Fontina cheese on sour-dough bread (£2.45). You can either phone or fax ahead with your order for express collection.
Sheridans Cheesemongers
11 South Anne Street, Dublin 2, Tel: 01 6793143
After dozens of their customers started asking if they would make some sandwiches, using their huge selection of fine Irish cheeses, the folks at Sheridans finally gave in and now make a small number of cheese sandwiches at lunchtime.
If you drop into the shop, you can pick up a freshly-made sandwich satisfyingly wrapped in waxed paper, as well as your cheese for the week.
Choose between a farmhouse cheddar with spicy relish and mixed leaves on Cookes's bread; a brie and avocado combo on tomato bread; chorizo and fresh mozzarella on ciabatta, or creamy Taleggio cheese and mixed leaves also on ciabatta. Sandwiches cost £2.60.
Best Picnic Fodder
Guy Stuart
George's Street Arcade, South Great George's Street, Dublin 2
Six months ago, Jenny Guy and Laragh Stuart decided to cash in on their passion for food and opened a stall in the Temple Bar Food Market on a Saturday. Their fresh crepes and soups gathered so many fans that the pair decided to open a weekday stall in the George's Street arcade offering everything you'd need for either a lunch in the office or a big picnic in St Stephen's Green.
They match their soups to the weather, so on a hot day you can expect chilled soups such as gazpacho or chilled cucumber and dill (£1.60) and an unusual touch is a range of dips such as hummus, guacamole or fresh salsa (£2.50£3) perfect for a languid picnic.
Their sandwiches are made with bread from the famous Bretzel bakery, packed with fillings such as grilled aubergine with feta cheese and sun-dried tomato pesto or Taleggio with red onion, vine tomatoes and balsamic vinegar (£2.50). Star attractions to Guy Stuart's stall are bowls of strawberries and cream, ready to go.
Best Gourmet Sandwiches
The Good Food Store
7 Pembroke Lane, Dublin 4, Tel: 01 6675656
Owner Vanessa Clarke has assembled an Aladdin's Cave full of fresh vegetables, loops of salami and imported culinary oddities in her Ballsbridge store. She and her team now offer an absolutely gorgeous selection of sandwiches with fillings plucked from the store - prosciutto, smoked chicken, Montgomery cheddar, hot-smoked tuna and brie (£2 to £3.50).
You can also customise your sandwich with extras such as tapenade, artichokes, Lombardie peppers, pesto and Ballymaloe relish. The Good Food Store also offers great lunch-boxes filled with stuffed vine leaves, bean salad, couscous and mixed green salad, or alternatively a summer fruit salad with fresh cream or organic yoghurt. Phone orders are taken, and deliveries are available on orders for more than £20. During the summer months you can also order a customised picnic to go.
The Coffee Club
4 Haddington Road, Dublin 4, Tel: 01 6675522
Brian Kennedy, owner of The Coffee Club, is very firm about the qualities a good sandwich should possess - fresh ingredients; different breads with fillings that complement each other and the shortest possible time between creation and consumption. He reckons that the Coffee Club bestseller is probably the Mediterranean chicken sandwich - shredded chicken breast with roasted peppers, lettuce, pesto mayo, sun-dried tomato oil all piled into fresh sun-dried tomato bread. If you choose to eat in, the Chicken and Swiss Cheese Melt - an open, hot sandwich that comes with a side salad is well worth a try.
Best International Options
132 Baggot Street Lower, Dublin 2, Tel: 01 6620233
For the past five years, AyumiYa has been offering one of the most ingenious hot lunch options in the city - bento boxes. Simply call ahead and order from an extensive menu - the Makunouchi bento box (£8.95) is a good option for the uninitiated as it contains a good selection from the menu, as well as vegetables and rice in a specially adapted container. You are then given a pick-up time or alternatively, if you can rally enough people at the office to order at the same time, they will deliver it for you - Ayumi-Ya is particularly busy on a Friday as it's become synonymous with end-of-the-week celebrations.
An interesting, high-quality lunch to go, the bento box comes complete with chopsticks and napkins - oh, all right then, and a knife and fork.
Steps of Rome
Chatham Street, Dublin 2
Steps of Rome is one of those very well-known, best kept secrets - those in the know swear by the fresh pizza slices that are turned out endlessly all day. For just £1.40 you can pick up a rectangular square of pizza topped with potato (strange but true), aubergine, ham and mushroom, or mixed pepper, fresh from the oven and wrapped in a brown paper bag. The chefs and the ambience are straight from Italy and if you're still nostalgic about that Roman holiday, this is the place for you. The frittatas (thin omelette chock full of mushrooms, onions or potatoes) are also a good lunch option as are the selection of brushettas. Eating in is also a possibility and what you miss on in elbow room in the tiny restaurant, is made up in atmosphere.
Best Supermarket Selection
Marks & Spencer
Branches in Dublin and Cork
Marks & Spencer wins hands down when it comes to the supermarket lunch. While nothing will ever beat a fresh sandwich, made to order, there are times when the convenience, variety and speed of M & S's sandwich store can't be beaten - more than 2,500 sandwiches and rolls are sold by M & S in Ireland each day.
The deep-filled Ploughman's Lunch salad with lots of cheese and pickle in brown bread (£1.79) is a big seller and the grilled vegetables and vinaigrette in tomato bread (£1.59) is also popular. Also particularly good are the deep-fill crab and prawn sandwiches (£2.59) and the spicy chicken tikka in pitta bread (£1.99). For a low-calorie option take a look at their salads - thai chicken (£1.75), roast vegetables and couscous (£1.55) or mango (£1.35) - they all come with a dinky built-in fork. The in-store sandwich shops open before the rest of the store, at 8.30 a.m., so you can pick up your lunch on your way in to work.
Best of the Sandwich Chainstores
Branches in South William Street, Pembroke Street, the IFSC and soon to open in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre
From the original South William Street cafe, owner Elaine Harrison has now expanded - hers is the only sandwich bar in the IFSC - and she is fast heading down the franchise road. However, the quality and originality of food hasn't suffered and the Munchies sandwich remains one of the best and the most generous. You can choose from a huge range of breads - batch loaf, ciabatta, focaccia, cheese bread and most recently burrito wraps - and then go for a combination of any number of fillings - tarragon chicken, tuna salsa, pastrami and swiss, chilli chicken or classic BLT (from £1.70). Elaine frequently sends her chefs down to Darina Allen in Ballymaloe for refresher courses and also keeps a constant eye on New York, which she calls the "sandwich capital", for ideas. The latest offering is smoothies - choose from yoghurt and honey, wheatgrass juice or passion-fruit and mango.
Bendini & Shaw
Branches at 4 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Tel: 01 6718651 and Baggot Street, Tel: 01 6675676. Franchises to open in Belfast, Limerick and Pembroke Street, Dublin later in the year
Despite the name, Bendini & Shaw is a wholly Irish-owned company offering made-up sandwiches using good, fresh breads, specially baked by the Bretzel bakery, and an inventive selection of fillings. This is a one-stop takeaway - you can pick up a plastic container with baguette filled with chicken tikka, peppers and onions (£1.95), a Schnapple fruit juice and a freshly baked Dutch apple pie and be out again in two minutes, despite the lunch-hour queues. Other good combos are Italian Parma ham with salad on triple grain baguette (£2.25); feta cheese and olive on tomato bread (£1.85) (which is popular with vegetarians), and pastrami, cream cheese and dill pickle on walnut and rye bread (£1.95). You can phone or fax in your order and deliveries to the Dublin 2 area are made on an old butcher's bike.
O'Brien's
Branches throughout Ireland
Just last month, branches of O'Brien's opened up in Glasgow and Plymouth and the first US store will open in Chicago soon. O'Brien's is perhaps not the height of originality, but you can get a good basic sandwich when and where you want it. Their latest offering is the "wrappo", a low-calorie tortilla wrap which can be filled with anything your heart desires and cuts out the butter. The chicken and bacon triple-decker is also a good option if you need a hearty stomach filler - sandwiches start at £1.70. O'Brien's also supplies drinks, fruit and crisps and you can fax or phone in your order ahead of time.