The Dublin Community Blog

For a few brief hours last Friday (and probably Saturday and Sunday too), every wine bar in the city lay dormant as the entire middle class population of Dublin descended upon the beautiful Iveagh Gardens for this years Taste Of Dublin. Fortunately I managed to get my hands on a couple of cheap tickets too and so with 50 “florins” (Taste of Dublin currency) in one hand and my beautiful date in the other, I set off for some top notch grub.

The weather was a little on the soft side but this had no effect on the number of people who turned up and fifteen to twenty minute queues were the norm in order to get served by most of the exhibitors. I quickly discovered that the Taste of Dublin “currency” (florin) was a scam by greedy promoters to ensure that the squeezed the maximum amount of money from the crowd, as every tent I visited also accepted euro and indeed some wouldn’t even accept the florins.

The samples given by the main exhibitors cost an average of seven euro and were a little on the small side for that price, however we were treated to plenty of free samples by friendly staff at many stalls and I enjoyed some really tasty offerings especially from the nice folk at Donnybrook Fair.

In the end I had a good night with plenty of wine, beer and food (not so much song, though the Caribbean band in the pub tent were very good) and I’d recommend the event to anyone thinking of going next year – just don’t bother with the florins.

More pictures available at the Dublin Blog group pool on Flickr

I asked the other day about people’s drinking habits in their local coffee shop thinking that it was going to produce some interesting results, and, so far, I’m suprised at what the poll shows. I’d never have thought that latte was going to be the most popular drink, and was going to be closely followed by tea. I’m even more surprised by the fact that Cappuccino is so low. I’d be really interested to hear peoples thoughts on this, and also to see more people voting in our poll over there >>>>

Us Dublin Bloggers were talking amongst ourselves last night, about how coffee always seems to spark off a good response here on the blog, and so, I’ve decided to check out what it is that people actually drink at their coffee shops, in view of Marieke’s post about Hot Chocolate last week. So, we have a poll running over there on the right where you can let us know what it is that you usually drink at your coffee shop. If there’s anything missing off the list, let us know here. I’m going to leave the poll run for a bit to get a good spread of opinion.

When asked about the weather in Ireland, and particularly Dublin, the only fitting description would be Four Seasons in One Day. You leave the house in the morning with bright sunshine, by the time you reach your destination you will be soaked, only to be blown off the pavement on your way back.

Today, of course, was no different. I once again found myself stranded on O’Connell street, waiting for a bus that didn’t come while the rain was pooring down and umbrella’s were giving in all around me. The best remedy to save you on a moment like that is to quickly pop in to a Butler’s Chocolate and buy a hot chocolate. With or without cream but with the complimentary truffle, it is in my opinion the best method to temporarily escape everything cold and wet while the rain is still pooring down on your head.

While letting the truffle melt in your mouth by the hot chocolate you drink, you simply forget that you are getting soaked and are freezing.

Trust me, the bus will be there before you know it…..

After having lived a few years in an English town completely bereft of good coffee shops, I’ve been quite pleased with the number of cafés here in Dublin. In fact, according to an article in this month’s edition of The Dubliner magazine, cafés are on the rise in Ireland’s capital city by 25% in the last five years. The reason for this growth is likely the amount of disposable income in the pockets of Dubliners (ie., The Celtic Tiger).

The Dubliner article also argues that pubs are a fading cultural quirk of the past and lists the stereotypical elements of Dublin’s public houses: loud music, bad food (if any), and uncomfortable seating. Personally, I’ve been to plenty of great Irish pubs in Dublin with decent food and an environment quite conducive to socializing, but for some reason I don’t think The Dubliner is known for looking at the good things in Irish tradition.

So, what are the necessary ingredients to a great café? Ambiance, comfortable seating, quality food/drink, and friendly staff. This last ingredient is my own preference and is probably reinforced by a bad experience I had recently. (I realize the price for a take-away coffee is often lower, but I never thought I’d get kicked out of an empty café for taking a seat with my paper cup!)

So any other thoughts on Dublin’s burgeoning café culture? Ideas regarding what makes a successful café? The Dubliner brings up some other pertinent issues in a very balanced way, like the influence of globalization (hello, Starbucks!), and the efforts of pub owners to adapt to the café culture demand. Anybody else think that pubs would do well to adapt? Or would it be disastrous for pubs to try and take on a café atmosphere?

Interestingly enough, in regards to globalization, the magazine article is quick to point out that, while Starbucks gets a bad rap for its obnoxious saturation marketing, they’re not the only company with an eye on world domination. Ireland’s own O’Brien’s sandwich shops boast 300 outlets in 12 countries. (Okay, not exactly world domination, but impressive for a sandwich shop nonetheless.)

Ireland is known around the world for friendly people and good conversation, among other things. Seems to me that a thriving café scene only serves to uphold that reputation!

I suppose it was seeing posts about coffee that inspired me again (don’t worry – my own blog is getting just as neglected with this “work” thing too…)

I’ve had a very hot and cold relationship with Starbucks since they came here. Had a couple of very decent experiences, then started blowing very cold after a couple of times in a row where I came away very disappointed. Then I discovered the Frappucino. Sweet Jesus how many calories are in that thing?!?!?!?! And just how addictive could it be?!?!?!?!? 

I remember many moons ago Gloria Jeans outside the Powerscourt Centre used to do a thing called the mocha chiller that I fell in love with and this was it’s grandaddy obviously. Weirdly even after we got our own in work I started to resist even more but I gave up the day after David came back over with a venti americano that lasted me the first hour of the show and kept me flying for the rest of the evening… Not a great atmosphere in most of them but still we’re going to be assimilated whether we like it or not.

I still prefer places like Cafe Java in Blackrock (where I’m blogging from as I type!), the Queen Of Tarts on Dame Street, the Dome at the top of the Stephen’s Green Centre, Idlewild in Dalkey or even that place that does the wicked crepes at the top end of Nassau Street (sorry, short term memory rapidly failing the more I do this feckin’ new job…. Must be something to do with new information coming in one end and old being forced out the other!)

Was in the incredibly artificial Bewley’s Cafe at Newland’s Cross the other day. Reminded me of all the happy, warm, cheap times I spent as a student and penniless early 20-something in the one on Westmoreland Street. The coffee was very much crap but the ambience more than made up for it

Maybe, as Daragh has suggested, we should come up with a “definitive decent non-Starbucks coffee in Dublin list?

R

I’m a big fan of all variations and types of coffee, depending on my mood or the time of day I might have espresso, latte, cappuccino or good old black coffee. In fact for me one of the great benefits of living in Dublin city is the ability to pop out and sit in a cafe reading a book and enjoying a good cup of joe.

Last Saturday I visited Starbucks on Dawson Street and ordered a grande latte with whipped cream and caramel drizzle (I know, I know, it’s such a pretentious order that I felt like slapping myself in the face but damn it tastes good!). Then I sat down and texted a few friends to see if they’d be interested in joining me. Whow you get some interesting reactions from people when it comes to Starbucks, “They’re Evil!” for example, tends to pop up a lot.

For me they’re safe, by that I mean I always have a good coffee when I visit. I’ve quite often bought a coffee from O’Briens or West Coast Coffee and two minutes later ended up throwing the foul tasting muck in a bin. They’re just not consistent enough in their coffee for my liking, in fact I’ve yet to find a take-away coffee establishment as dependable as Starbucks.

They also seem to support fair trade coffee and have been ranked 45th on Business Ethics’ list of “The 100 Best Corporate Citizens” of 2004, I presume that’s a good thing.
One bad point I can agree with is Starbucks’ tendency to start popping up everywhere and putting the little guys out of business (then again if the little guy’s coffee tastes like mud, should we really weep at their demise?!)

What do you think, should we start defending Dublin against an onslaught of Starbucks cafes?
Are they evil?

Sorry about the shaky picture, took it after my caffeine fix :)