WHERE TO FIND DUBLIN'S BEST STREET FOOD
Thursday 18 August 2011
Want to sample food cooked by a chef who worked for the top London Moroccan restaurant ‘Moro’ or authentic dishes from Korea? Look no further than the Food Markets of Dublin where nowadays you will find a huge range of delicious street food from all over the world for a few euros. Not only that, you won’t have to pay the outrageously high entry fees of €28 and €25 per person demanded by the various Taste festivals in Dublin and Cork which outraged many people recently. It was a pure joy looking at everyone browsing the stalls in Fitzwilliam Square (Fridays 12-2.30 pm) before taking their food and sitting on the grass as a guitarist played gently in the background.
Ian Marconi was a chef with Moro in London, as well as being with Fergus Henderson’s hip St. John catering, before recently setting up The Paella Guys, concentrating on recipes from Spain, Morocco and the Middle East. Try his delicious Moorish spiced lamb meatballs in tomato yoghurt and honey sauce at €8 or chicken and chorizo paella at €8. Have a half and half. Like many of the traders I spoke to, The Paella Guys do different markets on different days, with some having multiple stalls operating. You will find them on Facebook or on Tel: 086 100-8591
At Fitzwilliam Square too was Damian Ryan who, with his girlfriend Andrea Moyles, set up Seoul Food. Damian’s mother is Korean so they have been using her recipes to produce lovely authentic food. Try Tak Kangjon, a spiced chicken dish, or Bulgogi, which is sliced beef, red peppers, mangetout and onions marinated in soy sauce, rice wine, honey garlic and ginger, each served with rice at €7/ €8. “We were both working for the same restaurant in Dundrum which closed down and we decided to do something ourselves.” With two tents now they do five markets a week including Sandyford where I also met the delightful Andrea. 086 367 4214 seoulfood@live.ie
Having sold catering equipment for ten years, Jimmy Malone from Raheny has just started Dabba Catering doing Tandoori and Eastern cuisine ‘with two 120 kg tandoori ovens in the back of the stall.’ He also does the Howth Market beside the Bloody Stream on Sundays. Jimmy and his Indian chef were busy offering poppadoms and chutneys – homemade mango and raita – as appetisers before they snaffled up his tandoori naan wraps at €6 and chicken Biryani at €7. Dabba will also do your private parties. www.dabba.ie Tel: 086 382-2795
The Choux Box guys are also new to the markets with their cracking display of outrageously pretty lollipops, delicate little cakes on a stick, which they sell at €2 each. They are a new patisserie based in South Dublin run by Peter Kilkenny and Paul O’Neill, who is a Cathal Brugha Street trained chef having worked both at Ely HQ and Eatery 120. “Move over cupcakes,” they say, “The Choux Box Pop is here.” You will find them on Facebook or on 086 311-2920 www.thechouxbox.ie
Dave’s Wood-Fired Pizza Company covers ten markets a week – as well as doing parties, festivals and wedding ‘afters’. Dave Lennon was cheffing in London for a number of years before opening his biz. He uses a woodfired oven with sourdough pizza bases topped with chorizo and fresh chilli, anchovies, capers and olive et al, even a seasonal special with tomato, Mozzarella, peach. Prosciutto, caramelised onion and goat’s cheese. Prices were €5/€7 with all drinks €1. www.daveswood-firedpizzas.com
Sonja Luescher Keogh, originally from Switzerland but living in Bray, Co. Wicklow, is another new face with Sonja’s Alpine Bakery which she started recently. I really liked her produce, being very homely but different. Lovely orange squares with chocolate chunks were €2, Alpine walnut tart slices €1.50. She also had flourless chocolate almond mini Kugelhopfs topped with strawberry. You will find her at Fitzwilliam Square on Fridays and Marlay Park on Sundays. She welcomes orders. Sonluk2@gmail.com Tel: 086 7826259
At Percy Place Market I met Wanapa Cunningham of Aroi Thai (Tasty Thai) with Pad Thai noodles at €5, chicken stir-fry and noodles at €7 and Chicken Green Curry at €8 whilst Mark Yu’s ‘Mr Noodle’ does Chinese food also at a number of markets. He had delicious King prawn, beef, vegetable or chicken fried noodles with mushrooms, onions, peppers with sweet chilli sauce at €6. Sebastien Black from Spain and his Argentinian wife Florence are also new to the markets and were at Percy Place bringing authentic Spanish and Argentinian food. Try their chicken and chorizo stew and Argentinian empanadas.
Mohammed Allaw covers a number of markets with his Lebanese food including Stillorgan Shopping Centre, Percy Place on Fridays, and Dun Laoghaire on Sundays. Falafel wraps are €5, falafel plates €7, and a vegetarian mixed plate with falafel, samosa, vine leaves, salad, hummus and auburgine is €9 - and you can finish off with baklava for €1. Noirin’s Bake House from Ferns had lovely spelt banana bread at €4.50 plus, carrot, chocolate, coffee, lemon and poppyseed cakes all €5 whilst Declan Cassidy with his Newbridge based Gourmet Grub Bakery had vegetable quiche with goats cheese for €5 plus Burritos with salmon, sausage rolls, and salads. Nearby, Richie Doran was busy feeding the people with John Rogan’s barbecued smoked sausages from Ratoath, Co. Meath. <ep>
Finally the eponymous Karuna’s Kitchen is at Temple Bar Farmer’s Market on Saturdays and Dun Laoghaire Peoples Park on Sundays. Karuna and her husband Gopagana (originally Gerry Ryan) are Hare Krishna members and come down from Fermanagh each week with their range of vegetarian Indian style spiced food. All of their curries are wheat free, as are their koftas and tikkas www.karunaskitchen.com
MARKET DETAILS
Wednesday East Point Business Park, Clontarf. 11.30 – 14.00
Stillorgan Shopping Centre 10.30 – 16.30
Thursday Christ Church Cathedral 12.00- 15.00
Harcourt Street Station 10.00 – 16.00
Grand Canal - Mespil Road 11.00 – 14.00
Friday Dun Laoghaire–St. Michael’s Church 11.00 – 16.00
Grand Canal – Percy Place 11.30 - 14.00
Fitzwilliam Square 12.00 – 14.30
Leopardstown Race Course 09.00 – 15.00
Sandyford – Carmanhall Road 11.00 – 14.30
Saturday Marlay Park 10.00 – 16.00
Temple Bar 10.00 – 16.00
Sunday Howth Cottage Market 10.00 - 17.00
Howth Farmers & Fishermans Market 10-00 – 17.00
Marlay Park 10.00 – 16.00
People’s Park Dun Laoghaire 11.00 – 16.00
THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 7TH AUGUST, 2011.