Baking hot
This happy chap above is Frédéric Souty, master baker at Fallon & Byrne's new in-store bakery at the Exchequer Street food market, cafe and restaurant. The new bakery retail area has cleverly been positioned just at the entrance to the shop, so the enticing aroma of fresh baked bread meets customers as they enter. The bakery is also supplying Fallon & Byrne at the People's Park, Dún Laoghaire.
Latest launches
It's all go in the restaurant world, with new openings, reinventions and makeovers launching in time for the summer business bump. Beneath Super Miss Sue, in the bowels of Dublin's Drury Street car park, Luna is the final phase of John Farrell's plan for this site. It takes its inspiration from "the Italian restaurants of 1940s America", with leather horseshoe booths, wait staff in Louis Copeland tuxedos and a menu of steaks, seafood, pasta and charcuterie.
Over at Leeson Street bridge, Brasserie Le Pont has become Suesey Street, with a more informal menu and ambience. At Carton House in Maynooth, Co Kildare, the cocktails served at newly opened The Arch barbecue and al fresco dining area have been created by mixologists at The Dead Rabbit in NYC. Tea and cake is the more sedate offering at the Courtyard Cafe at Birr Castle in Co Offaly, but if you want more, Mary Walsh Kinsella is also serving meals created using the estate's own produce as well as local suppliers including Mossfield cheese and Slieve Bloom preserves and chutneys.
Industry lifestyle store on Dublin's Drury Street, has opened an in-house cafe. Salad boxes are big, and there's a strong Middle Eastern slant. Marcus Mac Innes, managing director, says: "My wife Kadija was born in Paris but is of Moroccan descent and we've always enjoyed using a hint of authentic North African and Middle Eastern flavours." A box with up to four salads is €7.50, a larger six-salad option at €9.50.
Seed Capital
Pumpkin seed oil is a powerhouse of nutritional benefits, as well as having a strong nutty taste and an attractive deep green colour. It is made from a special variety of pumpkins grown only for their seeds, which when they are roasted and cold pressed, yield an oil that is rich in vitamins A and E, Omega -3 fatty acids and zinc. Some of the claims made for it include the promotion of strong hair and good skin, which may be why it is a favourite of Gwyneth Paltrow. It can be used for drizzling or dipping. Marks & Spencer are now stocking a Slovenian pumpkin seed oil by Scarlett & Mustard (€15 for 250ml). Try it instead of olive oil for dressings, as a dip for raw vegetables or drizzled over vanilla ice cream.
