Words: Shamim de Brún
Images: Instagram
The food news has started strong with a lot going on this year. So instead of firing it at you one at a time, here is a consolidated list of recent happenings in Dublin food culture.
Saltwater Grocery has gone into receivership. Founder of Bia! Victory Nwabu-Ekeoma, Chef Roann Byrne, artist/chef Rudi-lee McCarthy, server Luana Camilo dos Santos, and wine entrepreneur Sevgi Tüzel-Conghaile were all named ones to watch in the Irish Times. Nomo Ramen welcomes a new chef straight from Japan, Kenta. Homies on Donkeys announced a pop-up collab in Dublin.
Proper Order is welcoming DAK onboard as their new house roaster. DAK is a speciality coffee roastery based in Amsterdam. In an Instagram post, Proper Order referred to DAK as one of Europe’s most exciting roasters. Noting, “To say we’ve got big plans together is an understatement”.
Their previous house roast was from Coffee Collective. But if you were a fan, fear not; Proper Order has promised to “bring them back as a regular guest roaster.”
Set in the heart of Greystones, Bread 41’s new bakery on Eden Road was previously a car garage built in 1954. The team has received the planning, and the building is due to commence as soon as.
According to their Instagram post, “the bakery design will carefully respect the history of the building”. They plan to keep the “unique features” intact. The venue is chosen as part of their move to zero waste and will be full of what they call “innovative energy, waste and water-saving features centred around a closed-loop system”.
In other food news, Hellfire will open on Westmoreland Street on Tuesday, 10 January. At the helm of Hellfire is Chef Roberto Rapisardi, who has 35 years of experience under his belt. Since the age of 14 he has worked in award-winning restaurants, both at home in Naples and internationally. Featuring Ireland’s first Hornos HBE® charcoal oven and the best of locally sourced produce. Hellfire’s aim is to bring “the finest smoked, flamed, and roasted food experience Dublin has to offer”. Their cuisine would be best described as contemporary European, with Italian and Steakhouse influences.
Some good food news! Milos in Drumcondra will start doing sit-down food this Wednesday, Jan 11. The team behind two boys brew teased the arrival of Milos back in September 2022 before opening in Drumcondra in November. At first, they were prioritising pastry and coffee, but now they will launch a new sit-down menu to rival or, more likely, compliment Two Boys Brew. Expect locally sourced ingredients with homemade flair.
Cloud Picker, one of Dublin’s Ultimate Coffee houses, is looking for two staff members to join their happy team. They made their name on high-quality house-roasted coffee and has expanded to be a massive supporter of local culinary projects such as Tara Gartan’s Chocolates and Gorditas.
Fairmental DELI / CAFE / SHOP & fermentation LAB is set to open later this year in Grand Canal. The Spot will serve breakfast and lunch in a deli style with a focus on home-fermented produce. Keep an eye open for it at the end of the month or early February.
Despite a campaign to keep the space open and used for the public good that was their food yard, Chestnut Bazar has been shuttered by the council. They announced their closure in an Instagram post yesterday, calling it a “shame” to have closed so soon but acknowledged it was “fun while it lasted”
The ultimate in good food news: After a sell-out run before Christmas, Raclette is back in the OG city centre deli by popular demand. In an Instagram post, they announced the triumphant return to Dublin 2 to much fanfare. If you’re reading this, you probably already know what raclette is, but if not, it is basically a Swiss dish of melted cheese served with potatoes. But Fallon & Byrne also have a bread option that we are all about. It’s only available from Thursdays to Saturdays for January, but sure it’s one step closer to full-time raclette life.