Eating, Reading & Watching | May 2024
Another edition of our free monthly digest, jam-packed with deliciously satisfying suggestions for all subscribers
Welcome to another edition of Chip Paper’s FREE monthly digest for all subscribers which spotlights some of the best things we’ve eaten, cooked, listened to, explored, watched/streamed or read recently which we hope will inspire you. A monthly highlights reel, packed full of suggestions, exclusively for our Substack readers.
In the traditional Irish calendar 1st May marks the beginning of summer, even if it feels like we’ve gone right back to winter these last few weeks, but brighter climes are on the horizon. Here’s a truckload of suggestions from us this month!
Eating & Travelling
Just one trip this month, a return to Lisbon where the highlights were Da Noi for dinner, Javá rooftop for lunch, wine bar Insaciavel and of course, of our favourite cocktail bar ONDA Cocktail Room with that unmissable Nikkei Milk Punch.
For Russell’s birthday in mid-April we had a little Dublin staycation. We are planning to relocate back to the big smoke this summer so wanted to scope out a few more neighbourhoods while also enjoying the down time. We booked into Spitalfields for dinner, enjoyed brunch at The Fumbally, spoiled ourselves with a lavish lunchtime shellfish feast at Big Mikes in Blackrock and ended up at Cellar 22 for wine and small plates and Neary’s for pints and toasted specials. Bliss!
Some of our own dishes at home, too: gorgeous kedgeree, a kind-of German-meets-Italian style hash of smoked sausage and bits, and a homemade take on meatball marinara ‘coz we craved it #FormerSandwichArtist
For our Sunday Times Ireland reviews, we’ve taken you to the new ‘celebrity chef’ restaurant in Dublin, Jean-Georges at The Leinster, Roam down a Belfast side street, Daróg in Galway’s WestEnd and Dubh in Newbridge for brunch. Exclusive alert: this coming weekend’s review is the newest Michelin-starred restaurant in Ireland: Homestead Cottage in Doolin.
Elsewhere, for Russell’s Dublin Delish escapades on 98FM he has taken listeners to The Legal Eagle for coddle, Two Pups for brunch, Sonny’s KFC in Ballymount and Russell Street Bakery.
Reading: Two New Irish Female Debuts
Who else but
to pen a paean to the Irish pint – rightly put on a pedestal and sitting in a class of its own where the wider realm of beer and cider is concerned. In her debut book, A Compendium of Irish Pints, Ali charts the ‘culture, customs and craic’ behind the pint; the ceremony, the spur of the moment, the tilt, the tapas (open bags of different crisps). Published by Nine Bean Rows and illustrated by Stephen Heffernan (aka Hephee) the book is available from the NBR website (€15, same price as the Blasta Books) and should be found in all good book shops and many independents across Ireland.Hopefully you have read our review of Goldie here on Substack from two years ago - paid subscribers have our full archive! - and if so you will know it’s no secret we are massive fans of chef Aishling Moore. Whole Catch, her debut book, is the tenth in the Blasta Books series (of which ours was the sophomore, this month two years ago!) and it’s a phenomenal book full of information on sourcing, filleting and preparing fresh fish and unimaginably delicious ways to cook them. It’s everything we expected and still blew us away, this is going to be one of our most-thumbed cookbooks for sure! Order it (€15) from Blasta Books’ website.
Watching: MasterChef Australia, Regime, Baby Reindeer, Palm Royale
Baby Reindeer [Netflix] HAS to be the MUST-WATCH of 2024. So brilliant, so powerful, so difficult to watch but an absolutely gripping story of mental illness, stalking, abuse and survival. Major trigger warning with this one.
Really surprisingly enjoyed Palm Royale [Apple TV], the period dramedy starring Kristen Wiig, based on the novel Mr & Mrs American Pie. Our Apple TV subscription ended before we got to the end though!
We’ve already been streaming the 16th season of MasterChef Australia [10Play - via VPN, it’s broadcast later in the year usually via Amazon Prime and UKTV Play], our favourite show ever. Have many, many thoughts and planning the next round of Under Bench Staples podcast episodes!
Not sure how we feel about The Regime [Amazon/HBO] yet, the new Kate Winslet dramedy on Amazon/HBO. A few episodes in it’s a little too dystopian/Wes Anderson for us, which we ordinarily love, but something’s a bit off for us with this one.
Reading: On Substack
“People can’t cook without a recipe photo now?” on
by Dianne Jacob*two men waving simultaneously* – “Where are all the men on Substack?” on
by Fiona Beckett“How, and how not, to write a restaurant review” on
by Andy Lynes
That’s all for now!
Thanks for reading! Chip Paper is brought to you by Patrick Hanlon and Russell Alford, also known collectively under our brand name: GastroGays. Food and travel writers, Sunday Times Ireland restaurant critics, broadcasters and content creators, based in Ireland. This is our home of food long-reads, deep-dives and guides. You can find us elsewhere on Instagram, TikTok and our website GastroGays.com.
Thanks so much for the mention I really appreciate it.
There clearly ARE honourable exceptions 😉