25 Best Looking Meals in Dublin This Year So Far
We’re all into food pics. They light up the gooey centre of our brain with lusty wrong feelings of gluttony and decadence. But there is nothing worse than ogling food porn that you can’t get your hands on. So here we’ve compiled a list of sexy as all fuck foods that you can get your hands on in Dublin.
Go forth and gorge yourself.
Vegan Menina – Wig Wam
This is a refreshing change from falafel. This vegan sandwich looks like butter wouldn’t melt. Made up of crispy toasted sourdough, tenderly marinated vegetables and crunchy greens, this sandwich appears as though it has everything you could possibly want of a lunchtime. By which we mean hearty, healthy, and decadent all simultaneously.
Chocolates – Hen’s Teeth x Gordita’s
We all need a box of chocolates sometimes. Made up of Chocolate Hazelnut Montecitos, Golden Biscoff Crunch Montecitos, Ruby Pistachio Montecitos and White Chocolate Corn Flake Montecitos this the most visually appealing chocolates to come out of Dublin, maybe ever. All the fillings sound divine. Who doesn’t want to munch on a fancy white chocolate cornflake? They look like they will hit every spot you need scratched.
Beans on Toast – Two Boys Brew
If you can’t get enough of these beans on toast, this is your dish! Two Boys Brew make their baked beans from scratch and serves them in Harissa, tomato and butternut squash with confit garlic hummus on sourdough toast. The dish is topped with a free-range soft poached egg, tahini lemon yoghurt, cracked black pepper, and Two Boys Brew’s special seed and peanut crumb. It’s rich, textured, indulgent and looks phenomenal. Try adding black pudding if you want something meatier, but this bunch monster looks impressive on its own.
Basque Burnt Cheesecake – Coconut and Moo Moo
Burnt basque cheesecake looks decadent. It’s lighter than New York-style cheesecake, with an airy texture more similar to soufflé. It tastes mildly caramelized, with a subtle flavour of brown sugar and crème brûlée. It looks golden and delicious.
Ceviche – Hen’s Teeth
This sea bream ceviche from Hen’s Teeth looks like butter wouldn’t melt, but your heart might. Ceviche is a Latin American recipe for raw fish marinated in citrus. The acid in the citrus denatures the proteins in the fish, causing it to become opaque, be technically cooked and taste damn good. The rise of ceviche on the Dublin culinary scene has been a beauty to behold. It’s the perfect zingy dish for a warm spring evening. This one from Hen’s Teeth looks like it has all the zesty umami flavours you could imagine. It would tempt you into a life of gluttony, and you wouldn’t complain.
Matcha Cheesecake – Soup 2
Cheesecake is always going to be a winner. Thank the deity of your choice that the Ancient Greeks were able to find a way to turn cheese into a cake four thousand years ago. This baked matcha cheesecake looks next level. It has an earthy matcha crumb, creamy passion fruit ice cream, zingy lime and yuzu curd, with micro basil to finish—a sensational first taste of summer. The tangy flavour of the cream cheese and the sweetness from the sugar and the rich buttery flavour of the biscuit base are highlighted by the umami of the Matcha. How can you go wrong?
Yer Saucy Ma – Hush
No best looking list is complete without a good sandwich. Nothing could look better or be more appropriately named than Yer Saucy Ma from Hush. It ticks every box, made up of chargrilled cajun chicken with sun-dried tomatoes, peppery rocket leaves, and citrus garlic mayo in a soft but crispy roll to make it a must-eat in Dublin.
Ham and Cheese Sandwich – Juniors Dublin
Could this ham and cheese sandwich be any more attractive? It’s got all the fundamentals to make it a go-out-of-your-way-to-try-it sandwich: high-quality ham, Irish cheese, homemade slaw, fresh beefy tomato and quality toasted bread. Few things appeal to us more than a well-made sandwich. Because when a sandwich is made well, it tastes like a deity sent a bit of joy wrapped in bread to make humanity happy. This sandwich looks like I’ll be telling my friends about how good it was for a week.
Beef Short Rib – Mister S
Have you ever seen a short rib look so delicious? I mean, that meat is glistening. Beckoning all carnivores, taunting them. Beef is always aesthetic, but this juicy number has so much going for it. The jus has the genuine appearance of golden perfection. It’s poised and ready to liven the medium-rare meat wrapped in it. The Chimichurri is the kind of green that lets you know it’s fresh and ready to be devoured. Overall it’s defintely a dish worth getting out of the house for.
Pint of Prawns – Salt and Vinegar
A pint of prawns has no business looking this good. Usually, when you order a prawn dish, you’re lucky if you get five crustaceans, but Salt and Vinegar have gone all in, and it looks like an experience that needs to be had by all. This luxurious pint of prawns is set to make you feel opulent and is definitely worth the trip to Rathfarnham.
Pulled Pork Bahn-Mi – Provender
Pulled pork had a moment where it went hard but then fell into almost obscurity. But here it is hanging out at Dublin 8’s most endearing spots. And it’s looking well might I add. So well it’s worth walking out of your way to try it all wrapped up in this Vietnamese style Bahn-Mi. The crusty bread smeared with mayo, the pulled pork itself, pickled vegetables, green onion, coriander, a mighty wack of fresh chillies and a drizzle of seasoning looks like it would light up even the darkest March day.
Pancakes – Fable and Stey
Obviously, we loaded up on these for Pancake Tuesday because these here pancakes look exceptional. They’re vanilla pancakes with roasted spiced apples, fresh blackberries, and mascarpone cream with a salted caramel and rum sauce. If it tastes half as good as it sounds or looks then we are on to a winner.
Grilled Octopus – Margadh
A grilled octopus tentacle has no business looking this good. Octopus is one of those foods many people haven’t tried before because, in theory, it’s off-putting. But in practice, it is munch worthy. When grilled as perfectly as it looks in this picture, octopus is reminiscent of lobster and is far more tender than calamari. It’s one of those meats that takes on the flavour of a dish rather than bringing its own. This one is cooked in a basil soaked traditional Italian stew of onions and sweet peppers. Sounds divine and looks impeccable.
Chicken Karrage – Gingers BBQ
This chicken burger looks otherworldly levels of hot damn. Karaage Chicken is a Japanese dish where the chicken is marinated with soy sauce, sake, ginger, and mirin to give a touch of sweetness. It’s also traditionally made from skin-on chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. And now it’s in burger form! If it looks this demolishable, then that’s a hurrah from me. This picture makes me want to devour it whole.
Tandoori Spiced Aubergine – Woodruff
Made up of spiced aubergine, Dunany spelt, red kale, labneh, pistachio, pomegranate and mint dressing, this veggie dish looks like it would be a taste explosion and a textural delight. Tandoori is this very spicy seasoning that gives this dish its vibrancy. The cooling mint dressing and the labneh ensure it will round out and balance better than New Balance ever could.
Steak – The Butcher Grill Donnybrook
Sometimes steak just looks like everything you could ever want. This is one of those steaks. Juicy, tender, char-grilled and falling off the bone. This steak speaks for itself. What more could you want?
The Naked Ones – Hot Chix
There is something so sinfully alluring about these chicken tenders. These buttermilk soaked crispy stips are what the deity of your choice made chicken for. They look like you would order a second round because everyone at the table ate yours. By which we mean actual perfection.
Monkfish – Morilles Bistro
Morilles Fish and Chips got a makeover. It now comes with Sous Vide Monkfish, Pea and Truffle Puree, Tapioca Potato Crisp, and Sauce Gribiche. It looks a whole level up like fish and chips went pro and got into the Champions League.
MUD X ‘SUP – ‘SUP Cafe
This depraved loaded brownie with caramel and toasted marshmallow will hit that sweet-toothed spot. And will definitely take the sting out of going back to the office. The layer of marshmallow fluff frosting tops the rich textured bromine that ripples with caramel. This is the sweetest treat there is this week. The hearty sweetness is well balanced by a black coffee or a cold glass of whole milk.
Black Pudding and Chorizo Salad at PÓG
The marriage of the food of two countries is always a beautiful thing. This salad is no exception. Colourful and texturally diverse, it looks made to mouth water. Together they toss Tournafulla black pudding, grilled chorizo, baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, radish & rocket, and cider vinegar. Finished with a mustard dressing for a touch of pizazz. Truly delicious!
The Crab Sandwich – Table Wine
Is this the most photographed sandwich of 2022? We’re haven’t got the exact stats but we wouldn’t be surprised. It glows with the promises of salacious decadence. Between the crunch of lightly toasted bread, the melty cheese soaked middle layer which supports the crab without weighing it down, and the gratings of full flavour cheese this sandwich is not for the faint-hearted but it is the toast of the town with thrill-seekers.
Crab Caviar – Rosa Madre
Shades of green decked out on a white plate always do it for me, but this is something else. Crab and wasabi were made for each other. The caviar adds the decadence we associate with Rosa Madre and makes it look like the kind of treat you’ll be telling your mates about for years. The sheer indulgence of this dish would make the Pope salivate.
Paris Brest – Library Street
This Paris Brest is as aesthetic as it is scrumptious. This twist on the french ditty is made up of puff pastry filled with buttery hazelnut custard, a cap of crumbled almonds with a biscuity crust bringing the crunch up a level. More specifically this bad boy is composed using stout namelaka, yuzu and espresso cream. It dances the flavour dance that is as competitive as any savoury plate on Library Street’s extensive menu. I mean look at it. Would you be able to say no?
Woodfired Roast Skeaghanore Duck – Hang Dai
Oh, holy night what a dish. You can almost smell how good this is just from the picture. That firm breast and fatty seared rim would bring a tear to your eye. And it’s from Hang Dai so you know is going to be a flavour-tastic phenomenon. Are there even words for how sexy this duck is?
Feather Blade Steak – Big Fan Bao
Pink steak will always hold a special place in my heart. How could it not? Just look at how invitingly it glistens in here. Ribs, racks, joints, chops and steaks – national treasures each one of them – but this feather blade steak looks like its can’t-pick-it-up-with-your-fork tender. I am head-over-heels, weak-at the-knees sweaty-palms excited by just looking at the picture. That is the kind of buckling reaction that can’t be ignored.
Elsewhere on Char: Daring Pairing: Fish & Chips and Pear Cider
