Dublin. Beautiful Dublin. So modest they only had to name it once. So wonderfully charming that if it was any better it would be unbearable. Aesthetically there are undeniably prettier cities, but Dublin has that ‘It’ factor, in that it has some of the finest, most charismatic people in the world. It many ways it reminded me of Birmingham; even the shittier bits, the scars and the blemishes, are celebrated. It knows who it is and why it continues to exist. It just does it with a little more swagger.

We had two and a half days there as my birthday present from Sophie. She paid for everything, from the flights to the taxis, to the massive hotel room with the guitar and the amp (a mistake on her part), to the creamy pints and the meals. First day was the two star restaurant that will be a three star soon, the remaining time split between the pubs and the restaurants where we crammed in as much as we could before I inevitably turned into a reprobate. I shudder to think how much it cost. Whilst Chapter One is on the blog, this is a snapshot of the food followed by a snapshot of the Guinness.

Bambino 7/10

A very busy NYC style slice-shop with great branding and cool aesthetics. I quite liked it. The toppings were good on the whole, though the base was too bready and could have been cooked a little less. I was tempted to knock a point off for the t-shirt shrinking and losing shape after the first wash. I haven’t.

Fish Shop 9/10

Now we are talking. Put this place absolutely anywhere and it would fly, but it works so well here with daily catches from Dublin Bay. Due to poor timing we had a takeaway, topped-up with a quick glass of wine whilst we waited. The freshest cod bound in fine and brittle batter, fennel and apple slaw, tartare sauce, something called lettuce, all in a bun that – my only criticism – could have been more structurally sound given the moisture. Really good chips. Honestly loved the plaice, sorry, I mean place.

777 7/10

Loud. Brash. Aloof. Excellent chicken Al pastor on some fairly unremarkable tacos. Habanero salsa so hot I’ve lined it up as Sophie’s replacement for when she hits thirty. Pretty average margaritas. My food picture is awful, I’m guessing because the bass was making my hand rattle like a high-hat.

Haing dai 8/10

Interior like a neon train carriage, with food that refuses to bow to convention, it’s a lot of fun. Excellent cocktails. We had the iconic cheeseburger spring rolls that were pretty nondescript and prawn dumplings with a fiery Tom Som that were great. Next time we’re in Dublin I’ll be heading here for a full meal.

Dash Burger 9/10

What a fucking burger. Up there with the best I’ve had, this is what Supernova was hoping to be. Great beef; real caramelisation, bun that works, heavy seasoning. No messing about. No compromise. Just this is our burger, eat it and be happy. The bacon jam one was as good. Jalapeño poppers were ultimately not needed but still very capably made.

Of Guinness.

For years I’ve told myself that I don’t like Guinness. Turns out I don’t like shit Guinness. Good Guinness, that smooth, creamy pint, is one of life’s joys. And I loved the nuggets of information the locals shared in every pub along our crawls: never drink a Guinness outside (instantly ruining my trips to The Devonshire), and drink it quick (15-20 minutes) before it settles. We love the Irish tapas of Taytos and scampi fries. Of the crawl we did Walsh’s was just the perfect pub, John Keogh just behind, and the charm of the staff and regulars at McNeil’s blew us away. Long Hall was great, if excessively busy, and Gravediggers an experience tarnished by the posh bellend in the booth next to us. Who knew that one man’s incessant monologue about the comparisons between his own private education and The Bear could be quite so soul destroying. It’s ten-thirty in the morning, I just want a quiet pint whilst I regret my life decisions from the prior evening. And Temple Bar, we walked past Temple Bar because it’s for stags and yanks and knobs. It’s not Dublin. Dublin is beautiful and humble.

• 777,
• bambino,
• Burger,
• Chinese,
• Cocktails,
• dash,
• Dublin,
• fish shop,
• gravediggers,
• Guinness,
• Haing dai,
• Ireland,
• Irish,
• Pizza,
• stoneybatter,
• tacos,
• Walsh’s,