Out to lunch: A couple of chars and some upcycled brewers’ grain

Sharing is caring at Asador

Those smokin’ specialists at Asador on Haddington Road have introduced Friday Sharing Dishes for lunch or dinner, the perfect way to start the weekend.

Central to the restaurant’s cuisine is its 1.2 tonne “asador” which burns oak, apple and hickory woods to deliver a delicious char and smokiness to grilled dishes, from steaks, fresh fish and seafood to veg. Choose from a cote de boeuf, cooked to order, or a whole dover sole, with a choice of two sides for €69.

Sides include grilled greens with romesco and toasted almonds, or grilled portobello mushroom with parsley garlic butter; or ember roasted cauliflower with yoghurt tahini sauce and smoked pumpkin seeds. Of course there spuds too, from triple-cooked fries to grilled baby potatoes.

Follow your nose

For a master class in social-media marketing, check out Paul Jackman’s TikToks for Boeuf & Frites – you can’t miss them. He’s all over the platform but in an appetite-whetting good way.

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Jackman is the brains behind Handsome Scent, the travel sized fragrance brand that has been cooking up a storm among millennials and GenZs with its slick little 8ml atomisers. He is also “fractional” chief marketing officer for the Boeuf Hospitality Group, which also makes him bang on trend.

If you want to follow your nose and check what all the fuss is about, you’ll find a great express lunch option at its Crow Street venue, with steak and chips or a Boeuf steak sandwich, each costing €13.95. Alternatively, a warm piri piri chicken sandwich with mayo, lettuce, French baguette and chips will set you back €11.95.

Make way for a makeover

If you’re on the road – anywhere – it’s worth making a detour to check out the makeover at the Hotel Kilkenny. The Rosehill 1831 bar at the stylish four-star property has undergone a complete renovation, with elegant decor harking back to the building’s origins as a family home designed by one of the Marble City’s most famous sons, architect and artist William Robertson.

More importantly for those travelling on their tum, in addition to the new look there’s some great new food options, including a new light bites menu, new lunch and evening menus, and a vegan menu. Dishes include classic Caesar salad (€11.50), gourmet beef burgers (€15.50), glazed roast duckling (€18.50) or 10 oz dry-aged Irish sirloin steak (€28).

The hotel is part of the Griffin Group, which includes the Ferrycarrig Hotel and Monart Destination Spa, both in Wexford. As part of a €1 million sustainability programme, the latter recently had 2,500 native trees planted on its grounds, as part of National Tree Week. Nice to see the land getting a makeover too.

Bite better

Talking of sustainability, Born Again Bites is a brand new Irish snack company that takes brewer’s spent grain, the largest byproduct of the beer-brewing process, and upcycles it to create delicious peanut and chocolate-flavoured snacks.

Founded by partners Sunkyung Choi and Patrick Nagle, it’s a great example of the circular economy in action. The spent grain, which is collected from independent breweries, is packed full of protein and fibre, which is then reused to develop the bites. It not alone addresses the brewing industry’s waste but it spins into FMCG gold. Talk about well spent grain.

It was developed with help from the prepared consumer foods team at the Teagasc Food Research Centre at Ashtown and comes in 100 per cent recyclable packaging.

The company has already competed in the Climate Launchpad, the world’s largest green business ideas competition, and joined the SuperValu Food Academy Program to help it grow. Check it out for yourself in selected SuperValu stores across Dublin, as well as a number of independent stores.