Hello and welcome to this old-new place. 🙂 The subject isn’t new; the blog is still about travels, food and fish. This time we’ll stick to fish and seafood available in… Ireland. A great place to go for a weekend!
The best place for a fish feast is Howth, located a dozen kilometres from Dublin. I already wrote something about the town, now it’s time to ask the crucial question: what is there to eat?
My list of 5 specialties that you need to try visiting Howth or other fishy place in Ireland, includes:
1st PLACE: Fish and chips
fish
It’s always tastes perfect, both in a restaurant and to go. Try a chain called Beshoff Bros whose little fast-food joint in Howth is constantly crowded. You’ll have to wait quite a while to enjoy a crispy fish with thick chips and Tatar sauce, served in a hot cardboard box.
It’s a good idea if you’re in a hurry or want to keep the trip not-so-expensive. A large portion costs around EUR 7-9 and will fill you up for several hours. Other thing about fish and chips is that a meal eaten with your fingers on a bench or on a train to Dublin has its own charm.
2nd PLACE: chowder
chowder
Chowder is an Anglo-Saxon fish soup with potatoes and carrots, whitened with milk or cream. It’s very nutritious, ideal for windy and rainy Irish days. It’s also quite delicate and therefore suitable for children.
3rd PLACE: oysters
oysters
Connoisseurs – try fresh ones available in most restaurants in Howth, traditionalists (like me) – go for fried ones in crispy batter, ideal as a snack to accompany a beer…
fried oysters, an ideal beer snack
You can eat them in Deep restaurant, that also serves other delicious foods. There’s also a Polish waitress, who will be happy to tell you where to go, what to eat and what to see. The restaurant is quite tiny, but we managed to fit in with Maks and his pram. Children are welcome – Maks got a dessert after lunch – a cup full of little marshmallows. He didn’t realise that it was actually food and played with it, but fortunately it kept him occupied for the next quarter 🙂
4th PLACE: calamari
calamari — my forever love
Fried calamari will always stay calamares fritos or calamares a la romana for me, because it was in Spain that I have fallen in love with them. You can find calamares in every tapas bar in Madrid or Barcelona. Having that in mind, I have to say that calamari in Howth were exceptionally good. Try them in The Oar House or in Stoop Your Head in Skerries.
5th PLACE: apple crumble
tastes perfect with vanilla ice-cream
Irish dessert no. 1 for me. The ingredients are similar to traditional Polish apple pie, but this one is served hot with crumble topping and vanilla ice cream and is absolutely amazing. If you’re looking for something original, try plum crumble in King Sitric – as I already said – I keep dreaming about it ;). The apples are replaced with spicy and very tasteful plums, and the crumble topping is reinforced with pecan nuts. Another dessert at King Stiric that is really good is lavender crème brulee. Delicious, even though not really Irish…
creme brulee that meets the French standards
Other things worth trying in Ireland:
brown bread
local bread — I love it!
We got local “brown bread” for starters. It’s a bit moist and really delicious. Something between wholemeal one and traditional Polish bread. Try it with butter, before your main course.
And obviously… Guinness! You haven’t been to Ireland if you haven’t tried a Guinness there!
who wants some? 🙂
When it comes to restaurants, all that we visited in Howth and around were really good, so I’ll sort them alphabetically:
– this place is a little bit hidden, situated on a windy cape – a walk there is quite a challenge, but worth it. The Malahide and Portmarnock views are beautiful, the interiors with an open kitchen too. It’s both luxurious and child-friendly. That’s not a common combination 🙂
waiting for a table by the fireplace
Maks got a menu with a colouring book and crayons. He could also choose a dish from a special kids menu. As you know, he is a big fan of Italian cuisine so he ordered small pasta (his favourite lately).
that’s what I call a childern-friendly restaurant!
We enjoyed chowder, a selection of seafood (seafood plater) – that’s Łukasz, and delicious oriental tuna — that’s me.
for fish lovers
delicious tuna steak
For dessert we ordered a praline panna cotta and a chocolate soufflé. Both were exceptional!
panna cotta with fruit
Delicious seafood, especially fried oysters, great homemade cakes… A large plate full of different specialties i.e. fish cakes – little fish burgers, quite popular in Howth. A perfect lunch for little ones.
something tasty for everone
KING SITRIC
– a cosy and romantic place. What can I say, a loud little one doesn’t really fit there. The service was friendly though, probably because we stayed at their hotel. A great spot for a romantic dinner for two. Try chowder, fresh fish and plum crumble.
hake stuffed with salmon mousse
– not too fancy, quite small for parents with a pram but with delicious fish and chips served on a wooden board with green peas mousse, great mussels, calamari and apple crumble. We didn’t enjoy the traditional butter & bread pudding – it was quite heavy. St. Jacques scallops served with cream and black pudding were quite an interesting dish. It was a weird combination of something exquisite and some down to earth ingredients. Interesting experience but the clams weren’t as tasteful as in French cuisine, where they are treated with more respect…
Let’s stick to the fish and mussels…
here come the mussels
We visited Stoop Your Head on our trip to Skerries located a few dozen kilometres from Howth. The weather wasn’t too good and we looked for a place to get warm and eat something delicious. What did we try?
Fish and chips obviously, along with a halibut served with shrimps. Served in this manner, it appeared lighter and thinner than the ones we tried in Poland. It was delicious! Check how cool it looked!
halibut with shrimps
super tasty chips
We skipped the dessert because a really great thing happened to us while we were at Stoop You Head. An adorable old lady sitting next to us, offered us a ride to Howth. Which was 50 kilometres away! She was a heaven-sent as the day was windy and rainy and Maks was coughing all the time…
We hope you have more adventures like that during your trips. If you still have no plans for the long weekend, try Dublin and its surroundings. If you book your flight wisely, you can fly with Ryanair from Warsaw for around PLN 500-600. Believe me, I tried it 🙂 What are you waiting for, then? 🙂
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