The growth of Dublin's restaurant scene shows little sign of slowing as the capital welcomes more new additions, with the latest ones aimed at people's growing demand for brunch, coffee, seafood and burgers.
Having previously taken over Fiorentina Restaurant on Parliament Street for his 16-day 'Eatily' pop-up, Oliver Dunne, of Bon Appetit and Cleaver East, has decided to offer something different there with the launch of 'Beef & Lobster'.
Dunne is keeping the menu short by only offering four dishes, with customers being served either beef or lobster seven days a week from 5pm. Dishes so far have included beef wellington and tacos of lobster with watermelon. There are also plans to open it on weekends for brunch.
Meanwhile, the team behind Bay Restaurant in Clontarf have launched a new sister restaurant called Fishbone, which will specialise in serving local, sustainable seafood on Clontarf's seafront. The restaurant will have a smaller 'Fishbone Bites' menu, and will serve dishes such as lobster thermidor from its charcoal and plancha grill, as well as seared scallops with coconut, chilli, pea puree and mint. It will also be open for brunch as well as having a cocktail bar that will stay open late on weekends.
The Vanilla Pod Eatery in Carrickmines will soon be expanding to Blackrock. The restaurant first opened in 2011 by the team of Kate O'Sullivan, Derek Breen and Veronica Muresan, where it served Italian style food, and expanded a year later with the Vanilla Pod Kitchen, which predominantly serves pizzas. Its latest offering will see it concentrate more on the lunch/brunch market, serving coffee and freshly baked pastries till 5pm.
Dublin's speciality coffee scene welcomes another arrival as Two Boys Brew have opened its doors in Phibsborough. It ticks all the boxes, serving espresso and chemex filter coffee from 3FE as well as having a regular guest roastery. Brunch options include healthy salads and soups as well as sandwiches such as ham hock and cheese with fig chutney.
Those around Temple Bar Square today may be able to get a free lunch as Gourmet Burger Kitchen is celebrating the launch of its latest store by giving out 500 free cheeseburgers. It's the fourth Gourmet Burger Kitchen to open in Dublin, with the other locations being at South Anne Street, Dublin Airport and South William Street.
