Vintage Kitchen

Back in Dublin's finest - The Vintage Kitchen

Crab and chili risotto starter for Aoife and me, San had the smoked fish chowder, mains of beef (fillet and pie), lamb shank and hake on mussels with white beans and caviar.
Desserts of cheese board, Limoncello cheesecake and chocolate pot, good long rests between (huge) courses, Aoife and I have espressos, we took 2 bottles of Ramon Bilboa, a couple of pints in Mulligan's beforehand.  As always staff were fantastic, attentive and helpful.  Need to book again soon!!!

Lack of updates, busy and then Christmas

So,
Wrote nothing for a couple of weeks, since Chicago, done very little in kitchen, other than standards, had a couple of pub meals out, nothing interesting, good or bad to mention and been very busty at work.

Christmas was very busy, 3 of our kids (1 pescatarian) over for several days plus one boyf for a night and my Mam for a week. Either driving to or from airport or making endless meals and / or drinks for the week.  

Fifteen in total for Christmas dinner, only 2 now children, so getting harder to get them around the tables but all went well

Starters:
Smoked salmon and pate on soda bread

Mains:
Roast turkey
Boiled Ham
Roast potatoes
Mashed potatoes
Sausage mash
Marrowfat peas (dried from a packet and steeped in bicarb and water overnight, then boiled)
Carrots
Sprouts (quartered, boiled then tossed into frying smoked bacon before serving)
Gravy (using a Jamie recipe, that worked well before)

Cooked ham and gravy and prepped veg on Christmas Eve, put turkey in at 7:00am - all spot on for 3:30 dinner

Desserts from Paul, 2 great cheesecakes and an apple sponge from nieces.  Few bottles of good Oz wine from our last trip and Ciara

Spent Stephen's Day putting all the furniture back, driving the dish washer, hoovering and mopping the floors


Just booked Nerja and Malaga for mid-Jan, looks like Mozambique end of March and tonight back to the Vintage Kitchen, looking forward to all three and will try and update more....

Home

Very quiet week, trying to get a bit of space in fridge and freezer for Christmas - about 15 for dinner, 1 maybe 2 veggies, lots of spuds etc.

Had Christmas lunch in Fallon & Byrne on Thursday, excellent Pate, good beef and mushroom pie and even a creme brulee, plenty of Tempranillo, went for a few in the Exchequer afterwards, Cute Hoor and more red, I did not hit the cocktails, but the smokey Old Fashioned was going down great guns.

Made a decent roast chicken for Saturday, parents-in-law here Sunday, made a beef cheek, carrot and pea stew and a chicken thigh, mushroom, cream, garlic and mustard stew.  Served with mash, went down well.  Made a couple of simple pancakes for them as dessert, served with butter, sugar and lemon juice - when you forget to buy any pudding, improvise, improvise, improvise.

This week at work will be uber-shite, bit of roast chicken and beef stew left, so that will do next two days.  Ciara back Wednesday, Excellent, Jack maybe Friday, Aoife Saturday, Mam Monday.  Gonna be busy!

Chicago

Quick weekend in Chicago, flew Thursday morning, food on plane not great, lack of seasoning or flavour, cheeseboard plastic crap.

Mediocre chicken wings (beer OK) in faux Irish pub connected to hotel, but too cold and tired to put any effort in.  Manager's canapés average and no drink!!!  Breakfast OK, but very sweet and stodgy, nothing savoury except Philadelphia - hmm

Day got better from there, tacos and quesadilla in the lovely Rocky Bottom with great beer as well.  PF Changs for dinner Lettuce wraps and ribs for starters, pepper beef to share for main.

Saturday, wings and fries in another old favourite Elephant and Castle, with good beer, evening San didn't feel like food, so went to Burger Bar for a burger and couple of pints, she just had a glass of pop and a few chips, I had a rare Big Shoulder Blues, really very good.  Food much better on flight home Sunday, couple of hours sleep, then into work, bit tired now, ragu from freezer, chicken curry from freezer tomorrow.  May be up to cooking by Wednesday, eating out Thursday, should be back on track by Friday.

Last holiday of the year over, really enjoyed it - sleep when you're dead!