5 best-looking things to eat in Dublin this week: 04/04/22

Words: Shamim de Brún
Artwork: Paul Smith
Images: Instagram

Things to eat in and around Dublin from April 4 until April 11

We have collected some of the most delectable foods being sold in Dublin right now and compiled them into an extensive ol’ list. Here are five things in Dublin this week that we like the look of:

05

Croque Madam – Happy Out Cafe

There is a magical allure to a Croque Madam. This French cheese toastie appears to draw you in as if you’ve made serious eye contact with an alluring stranger. Made with all Irish ingredients, this dish manages to maintain the mystique of the French. The dish is a delicate stack of sturdy bread and cheese topped with hearty ham and a sunny egg yolk. It looks like you would eat it while quaffing champagne before hitting the slopes or to warm you up after a dip in the Irish sea. Perfect for the week that’s in it.

04

Korean Pulled Pork Baguette – Firehouse

The fact that pulled pork makes a very flavourful topping for a sandwich is hardly news. However, here the pork hits that sweet melt-in-your-mouth spot while being full of Korean flavour. Here the pork strands appear soft, succulent and decidedly spicy with a sauce that glistens like the twinkle of a wishing star. Divinity never felt so close. Crunchy Asian slaw and sweet pickled onion should add contrasting flavours. These additions convert this sandwich into a much sought after meal. Get on it.

03

Shio tori paitan – Nomo Ramen

This ramen is wholesome; in an era of load-it-with-all-of-the-everything, this simple, slow-cooked offering embraces you tenderly like an old friend. Ramen is about the broth. As anyone who has ever tried their hand at making their own will tell you, brewing this brilliance is not only challenging to nail but as time-consuming as paperwork before Google invented auto fill. Here they do the legwork and take seven hours to make their chicken broth. Not only that but they spend forty-eight-hour marinating eggs, and twenty-four-hour marinating chashu. This bowl will be a slurper with Nomo’s specially imported Sapporo noodles.

02

Burrata – Hang Dai

The sweet, rich cheese Burrata is the most intensely silky thing you could ever eat. Combine that with the ox heart tomatoes, Thai basil, ‘strange’ sauce, garnish with Peanuts, and you have a dish worthy of the phrase “flavour bomb”. The distinct flavour seems almost indescribable. We’d wager it’s a transcendent experience. So get in and give it a go yourself.

01

Chicken and Scallops – Orwell Road

Scallops will forever remain a favourite with both restaurant chefs and home cooks. However, wings are a steadfast favourite of Dublin diners. This twist on the chicken wing and scallop is the ultimate Irish take on haute cuisine. It looks simple and yet coyly complex. The rich umami taste of the wing sauce is balanced by the sweet and silky flavour of scallops to make this compact dish the thing we’re most excited about this week. Count us in.

Elsewhere on Char: Best Restaurants in Dublin Right Now