Gursha at D-8TE, Roe & Co Distillery
Gursha at D-8TE, Roe & Co Distillery
May has arrived, and with it, summer. Kicking off the summer series of D-8TE at Roe & Co Distillery is the Gursha collaboration. From Michelin recommended kitchens to the city’s nomadic innovators, the lineup for the D-8TE summer season celebrates the cutting edge of contemporary Dublin cookery.
There’s something about D-8TE that piques both anticipation and appetite. The previous D-8te series has brought some amazing hot-ticket restaurants to the unique garden space at the Roe & Co Distillery. Buying a ticket in advance is crucial as the restaurants rotate every few weeks. Gursha joins Roe & Co for a limited two-week run. From Thursday 12 – Saturday 14 and Thursday 19 – Saturday 21, bringing their lauded Ethiopian cuisine to Dublin 8.
The limited-run is reminiscent of their sell-out supper clubs in 2018. There’s also something about knowing that this is, for now at least, one of the few times you’ll catch this somewhat mythological experience. It’s also a great opportunity to get a sneak peek inside the working Roe & Co Distillery and its tranquil garden in the heart of Dublin 8. If you haven’t already been for their amazing whiskey experience.
Gursha is very much a hands-on family affair. Mel, who moved to Dublin from Ethiopia in 1995 and grew up in Bayside, had been working in a bank until a visit to Ethiopia in 2018 sparked the idea of introducing Dublin to Ethiopian cuisine. Mel then enlisted his cousin Ciara Moore to help him run the legendary supper club. Which is still talked about in reverent whispers among the few who got their hands on the seemingly golden tickets.
Gursha will be serving up the traditional sharing style dishes they made their name with for this residency and collaboration. There will be a four-course menu which includes meat or vegan options. In addition, it will feature Ethiopian samosas, Atakilt Alicha, a decadent spiced potato dish, and Doro Wat, a traditional Ethiopian slow-cooked chicken stew with Berbere spice.
Whiskey cocktail pairings that work alongside these modern Irish Ethiopian dishes include a Roe & Co 106, Fig & Juniper Cordial Lime, a Roe Cacao, White Port, Rectified Orange & Grape Juice, and a Roe Verdejo, Apple, Sugar snap pea.
All these small plates are eaten with a fermented sourdough flatbread called injera. This spongy injera is the basis of the Ethiopian diet. Besides being the staple carbohydrate, injera forms both the plate for serving and vessel for scooping mouthfuls of the various slow-cooked, richly spiced central dishes.
In Ethiopia, gursha refers to a mouthful of food that one hand-feeds to another as an act of friendship and community. It’s a bonding ritual, an affirmation of affection. Since so much of the taste and enjoyment of food is about texture, your hands function as another way of exploring the feel, the consistency, the make-up of your food. Of course, they also offer a knife and fork, though most diners tend to opt for the traditional approach.
In Ethiopia, animal products are off the menu on fasting days. This means Ethiopian cuisine makes rich pickings for vegans or vegetarians. It also makes for a particularly colourful and delectable array of dishes.
With the longer, sunnier days, D-8TE in the garden at Roe & Co Distillery is the perfect place to catch up with friends and family while enjoying incredible seasonal Roe & Co cocktails with delicious food offerings.
While you’re there be sure to check out the experiences on offer at Roe & Co Distillery all year round. The Flavours Experience is perfect for cocktail lovers who are eager to master their cocktail-making skills and learn about the five key Pillars of Flavour – sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami.
If you opt for the Blending Experience, you’ll get exclusive insight into the Roe & Co 106 blend and learn how to craft the perfect Old Fashioned.
D-8TE offers diners the chance to experience a full tasting menu for €40 pp, with opt-in drinks pairing for €30 pp. Click here to book a table for Gursha at the Roe & Co Distillery, and keep an eye on their Instagram for the latest news on all things D-8TE.
Please drink Roe & Co responsibly
Visit drinkaware.ie for more info
