Hot Flavours: Mongoose, Namak, Fallon & Byrne and more

This month’s big Dublin restaurant opening is Mongoose, which can be found lurking with considerable culinary intent on Thomas Street.

Run by the same people as Variety Jones, the menu changes daily and may or may not include the Grilled Squid, Bitter Leaves & Romanesco; Sausage & Fennel Ragout Fettucine; and Orange Cake with Milk Ice Cream we oohed and aahed over there recently...

As you’ve probably already deduced, it’s high-end Italian trattoria food at a very affordable price in a room designed for lingering.

 

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Meanwhile, Hot Flavours’ Cork correspondent has been raving about Namak, a new Emmett Place restaurant which promises “a little pinch of India” and delivers in spades.

The Royal Smokey Tandoori Duck; Chicken Shashlik; and Mustard Tempered Gunpowder Curry Leaf Potato are just three of the reasons to give it a try.

Ramen and bao buns rule the roost at Kombu, a yumsome Japanese street food joint that’s just opened in Galway on Druid Lane.

We recommend the Crab Bao or Miso Soup with Mussels and Sea Lettuce for starters – darn it, have both! – and the Pork Belly Ramen for mains but it really is all good.

Let us wish an extremely Happy 20th Birthday to the crew at Fallon & Byrne who’ve made Exchequer Street, Dublin 1 a place of foodie pilgrimage and, in our humble opinion, have the best cheese counter on the island.

Visiting their upstairs Dining Room restaurant t’other day, we loved the Crispy Buttermilk Fried Rabbit; Potato Cakes with Crene Fraiche & Goatsbridge Caviar; Cod with White Asparagus, Coco Beans & Wild Garlic Gremolata; and the Lamb Shoulder with Boulangère Potato, Celeriac, Onion & Kale.

The Wine Cellar, which now boasts its own Italian woodfired pizza oven, is an equally tasty proposition with the Mediterranean Fish Stew among the standouts.

The shelves are lined with 300+ wines from all over the globe, which you can sample Sunday-Tuesday for just €1 corkage.

As for the food hall, grab yourself The Food Of Athenry Cranberry & Hazelnut Sodabread Toasts and thank us later.

While a start date has yet to be given, China Eastern Airlines have announced the imminent introduction of direct Dublin-Shanghai flights.

Street food must-tries when you get there include Jianbing pancakes, Xiao Long Bao soup dumplings and Crispy Bamboo…

Meanwhile, Aer Lingus has added Dublin-Raleigh/Durham in North Carolina to its list of transatlantic routes.

The City of Oaks is famous for its BBQ joints – Clyde Cooper’s is a must-visit for carnivores – Fried Green Tomatoes and Chicken & Waffle Sandwiches which are Hangover Cure Central!