Food / March 23, 2022

Fusion and Collaboration in Irish Street Food: Man Street Kitchen

Food / March 23, 2022

Fusion and Collaboration in Irish Street Food: Man Street Kitchen

‘D-8TE at Roe & Co Distillery is the perfect place for collaboration to come to life, with a fusion of modern Irish food and cocktails. Roe & Co whiskey is the ideal meal accompaniment offering a variety of different ways to explore whiskey alongside exciting cuisine’. 

Man Street Kitchen is the second instalment at D-8TE this year following on from the Salt Project, and is running from March 24 -27, March 31 – April 3 & April 7 -10.

Man Street Kitchen takes cooking influence from Asia, the Middle East and the USA but always cook with fresh Irish ingredients at their core. Chefs Dan Howell and Catherine Keane are a talented couple used to bringing fun, hearty Irish soul food, slow-cooked meats and smoky flavours paired with fresh, zingy sauces to the world with their transportable al fresco kitchens. Brought together by their ​​mutual love of food, the couple runs their food truck Man Street Kitchen from an old horsebox Dan bought on a whim from eBay. They started by catering for events and festivals while Dan worked as a sous chef for celebrity chef Rick Stein before going all-in on it during 2020. 

From incorporating more ethnic flavours into meals to merging two seemingly disparate foods into one, fusion has helped shape how we, as people, look at and enjoy food today. Although the term “fusion cuisine” is relatively new, the concept of blending culinary worlds to create unique, hybrid dishes have been around for centuries, ever since the beginning of trade.

Fusion in Irish cuisine can be traced back to the 1960s when the Irish public’s tastebuds widened and Chinese restaurants were popularised, with many offering less spicy dishes made using Irish ingredients. In Dublin today, fusion has become more mainstream, with ethnic ingredients like soy sauce and sriracha listed as household staples. Food trucks, such as Man Street Kitchen, also embrace the fusion trend, crafting new and daring concepts.

The duo source their meat from Higgins Butchers in Sutton, fish from the best fishmongers in Howth Harbour, and get as much produce as possible from local spots. The perfect inspiration for the Roe & Co experts to create a vibrant and fruity whiskey cocktail menu to complement this food takeover.

What makes Man Street Kitchen an excellent example of fusion food in Ireland? They do their research and always try things other chefs make, keeping their minds open and sharp. When creating a new fusion dish, the team make the original first because you have to know the rules to savage them as well as these two do. Trusting only the highest quality producers free up Man Street Kitchen to think of ingredients as components so they can be unflinchingly creative and yet practical with their dishes. This all combines to make fusion food worth going out of your way for.

With the Co in Roe & Co being about collaboration, Man Street Kitchen are the perfect fusion of Irish ingredients and global culture for D-8TE at the Roe & Co Distillery. This residency will give people a chance to sit down and experience the flavour of their clever Irish fusions. From their hot smoked salmon baby gem taco with foraged ‘Howth’ Wild Garlic to their smoked beetroot kebab with McNally’s natural yoghurt there is an array of daring fusions to try during their three-week residency at D-8TE with Roe & Co Distillery.  

Whiskey cocktail pairings that work alongside these modern Irish dishes include a Gold & Grain made with Roe & Co 9yo Single Grain, golden beet, tumeric liqueur with a lavender foam or a Root & Froot made up of Roe & Co Curators Series 0.2 Killahora Edition, red beet & orange sherbet, with lapsang-berry tea. These whiskey cocktails are inspired by the tastes of the Irish coast and have been curated by the Roe & Co Distillery’s talented bartenders. 

D-8TE offers diners the chance to experience a full tasting menu for €40 pp, with opt-in drinks pairing for €30 pp. The Power House Garden is open on Thursday and Friday evenings, Saturday afternoon until the evening, and Sunday afternoon until 16:00. 

Click here to book a table for The Salt Project at D-8TE at Roe & Co Distillery’s Power House Garden, 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