The Main Course: The Squids Are All Right

The rave reviews are spot on with Hot Flavours almost dying and going to culinary heaven last week when we lunched in Pickle, the poshed-up Indian street food joint that’s just a samosa’s throw from Whelan’s on Camden Street. The Lamb Punjabi Tiffin Box with lentils, rice, vegetables, kebab and, natch, pickle was a steal at €13. We’ll be back soon to try some of chef-owner Sunil Ghai’s signature mains, which include Wild Boar Vindaloo and Goat Mince Curry with Pao Bread. Have a food porn drool at picklerestaurant.com

Cúlcow ice cream, Ketel One Vodka, the Franciscan Well Brewery, O’Donnell’s Crisps, Rachel Allen, The Little Milk Company and the aforementioned Mr. Ghai are seven of the very good reasons we’ll be heading to Taste Of Dublin, which returns to the Iveagh Gardens from June 16-19. Another is the Strawberry Porter that’s being exclusively brewed for the capital’s annual noshfest, which will be open nightly until 10.30pm.
Along with headline sets from The Blades and Ocean Colour Scene, those attending the Groove festival at Kilruddery House on July 2 and 3 will be able to eat themselves silly courtesy of The Celtic Kitchen. With BBQ Lamb in a Rosemary Garlic Roll and Slow-Cooked Venison & Spiced Apple Chutney among the fare on offer we suspect we’ll be considerably heavier leaving Groove than when we arrive.
Calamari in Tomato Sauce, Squid in Olive Oil and Fuet, a dry-cured pork sausage flavoured with black pepper and garlic, are among the delicacies coming to Aldi on May 19 as part of their Spanish BestBuys campaign. They’ve also some very cheeky wine deals with a Gran Reserva Valdepeñas yours for just €9.99.
The Cantina food truck has said goodbye to the streets of Galway and pitched up at the Topaz City West service station where the Beef Barbacoa Tacos with insanely hot Salsa Bandido rule the roost. Indeed, we recommend finding out where the local A&E is before trying them.
The brand spanking-new Sligofoodtrail.ie details 60 cafés, bars, restaurants, markets, artisan brewers and food producers that you absolutely have to check out if you’re in town. Catching Hot Flavours’ eye are the Free Kids Pizza Making Lessons, Foraging Adventure With Neantóg and the White Hag Craft Beer Tour.
Kentucky Fried Chicken has for some inexplicable reason decided that the world needs edible “secret mix of 11 herbs and spices” nail polish. “To use, consumers simply apply and dry like a regular nail polish, and then lick - again and again and again,” they say, getting it oh, so wrong!