Saturday, June 14, 2014

Review : Taste of Dublin 2014

After a well-deserved break in the new food capital of Ireland, Kilkenny, we thought we'd round off our holiday by visiting Taste of Dublin.  We missed it last year and I was wondering if it would be the same old layout with the same old exhibitors as had been the case year on year.  I was very pleasantly surprised with the 2014 event.  A samba group was playing at the entrance to bring a smile to the face of everybody queuing, and once inside, there were plenty of Florin vendors so no lengthy lines to buy the official currency.


The layout has changed dramatically with the exhibition theatre on your left and the main music stage on the right which works so much better, allowing the crowds to sit on the grass or the many Elephant beanbags with a drink in the sun, enjoying the acts.  We really liked Frankie Says who had lots of people up on the dancefloor.





If you've never been to Taste of Dublin before, the one thing you need to know is that cash isn't king.  You need to swap your money for Florins, the official currency of the event (sponsored by Just-Eat.ie) and each Florin is worth €1. Everybody accepts Florins as payment at the event, cash doesn't work here.  Also, make sure you spend every last one as they can't be converted back into cash.  Let me give you a few pointers on where to spend them!



We loved the Taste of Thailand area where we ate Phad Khing Chicken with jasmine rice (6 Florins) which was full of ginger and cashew nuts.  We also sampled the Life's a Beach cocktail (6 Florins) and a bottle of Singha beer (5 Florins).  If you fancy a bit of pampering, there's a mini Thai massage available and a chance to enter a competition to win a trip to Thailand.


Sticking with Asia, we moved onto Diep Le Shaker where we tried Kae Yang - Irish Spring Lamb with a dried chili, shallot & tamarind dressing (7 Florins) and Hanglay Moo which is a pork curry (6 Florins).


Aldi invited us to try their #28byAldi steak in their pavilion.  Cooked by Cormac Rowe from Michelin starred Mount Juliet in Kilkenny, the steaks were served with triple cooked chips, a warm salad and bearnaise sauce.  I had striploin and The Hubs had ribeye - both were delicious, tender and perfectly cooked.  We also sampled the Basil and Strawberry pannacotta which was surprisingly delicate.


While wandering around the event, we saw some great new Irish products including tubs of donut holes from George at Empire Donuts (3 Florins) and stunning Rhubarb Coconut Ice (4 Florins) from Nicole at Pandora Bell.


We certainly didn't go thirsty with stands selling everything from coffee to cocktails with lots of fizz and beer as well.  The Hubs thought this beer was named after me.  He's a funny guy...

A low point for me was the Portaloo queues, which were as always, never ending and the fragrance once inside left a lot to be desired.  One area that definitely needs upgrading before next year's event.  There has to be a better way to operate the toilet facilities...




Taste of Dublin ends tomorrow, Sunday 15th June and tickets are still available either online or at the event itself.  If you've no plans for tomorrow, it's a fantastic way to spend an afternoon or evening with entertainment to suit everybody.  And you can spend as much or as little as you like.

In association with Just-Eat.ie

4 comments:

  1. Great review - didn't get to go this year! Will hopefully make it next year though, sounds amazing!

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  2. Thanks for sharing! Also enjoyed the photos!

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  3. Thanks for the post, I was there last year and found it really good but thought they left too many people in.

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  4. Thanks for the post, I was there last year and found it really good but thought they left too many people in.

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