Spice Bag Newsletter | June 2025
Our spicy lil' monthly mailer full of delicious little chunks, from recommendations, suggestions and updates to exclusives and insider tidbits –– free for all our readership!
Welcome to the June edition of Spice Bag, slightly later than usual as we enjoyed the full extent of the June bank holiday with a little trip down the country, our French bulldog Hamilton in tow. This is our email highlights reel, a delicious hash of different ingredients, from where we’ve been eating and what we’ve been cooking, to travel overviews, suggestions of things to stream, read and listen to plus other industry news, updates and tidbits.
What & Where We’ve Been Eating…
We took a quick trip to Basel last month (but flew there via Geneva and spent a few hours train-travelling through the Swiss countryside — gorgeous) and spent the time semi-exclusively eating schnitzel, to be honest. A stunning city with so much greenery and gorgeous architecture but eye-wateringly expensive!
Did you know ArtyBaker has a bagel shop in Kimmage? Russell went along for his Dublin Delish slot on 98FM
For the same slot Russell also dropped by new opening Square Dish on Stephen’s Green for a once-over
In our own kitchen… we’ve been making a lot of comfort food, like BBQ Twisters (for our Sandwish series), cheeseburger tacos, Fifteens & cauliflower wings
Remember when everything didn’t need to be a “series” (à la “Welcome back to my series on XYZ”), well sometimes a series can spawn its own identity and brand and that’s exactly what our Bottle Bank Reviews have become — over the last four years we have shared snappy 60 second episodes featuring a trio of wines we’ve been loving lately and describing them in plain English without the stuffiness across the spectrum from independents to multiples. We’ve just posted the 40th episode and if you’re into wine and some unusual and exciting picks we would love if you followed on Instagram or TikTok as we plan to ramp it up — as well as bring it elsewhere. The icon above is a little hint… 👀
RECAP: Sunday Times Ireland Reviews
In case you missed the restaurant reviews from us in the Sunday Times Ireland across the month of May, linked below:
Cush, Midleton, Co. Cork
The Seafood Cafe, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Lasair, Finn Lough, Co. Fermanagh
Cirillo’s, Dublin 2
Coming this Sunday, a return to of one of Dublin’s game-changing brunch spots — but is it still worth it or has the whole brunch bubble burst in mBAC?
Spice Blend: A Mix of Industry Updates
Comet is opening imminently on Dawson Street (well, Joshua Lane, in the former La Ruelle premises) from chef Kevin O’Donnell, partner Laura Chabal and French-born sous chef Batiste (who, like O’Donnell, is also ex-Kadeau** in Copenhagen) in one of the city’s most anticipated openings of 2025!
This month
will open a new Japanese concept in Galway called Kombu, a ramen and bao bar on Druid Lane (which we believe will occupy the former Éan premises) and will see chef Gabriel Hoefling Ossani leave Michelin-starred Aniar to lead the new kitchen.Does Dublin need more smash burger spots? Fat Phill’s, a Dutch smash burger chain, has landed in Temple Bar with its debut Irish outpost occupying the iconic former Eager Beaver premises on Crown Alley perch which recently housed short-lived (and universally-panned) Crackbrgr and Leon’s Irish debut before that. Will a burger chain import fare better? We’re not so sure… while elsewhere grill maestro George Motz has just confirmed another return to Dublin popping up at Dashburger on Saturday 21st June for one day only
Similar question, does Dublin need more slice shops? Parmezza has opened its doors this past weekend in the former Il Fornaio site on Liffey Street right by the Ha’penny Bridge, serving pizza by the slice but more interestingly their speciality is pasta alla ruota, where the pasta - usually tagliatelle - is swirled through the hollowed Parmigiano Reggiano wheel to slick it in sauce.
Spotted that The Mercantile on Dame Street is now open after a years-long hotel renovation which extended its bedroom capacity by almost 300% but also preserved a lot of the heritage details of the venue
Elsewhere in hotel news, word on the street (round the corner, to be precise) is that the Hoxton Dublin on Exchequer Street (replacing the former Central Hotel) is severely delayed. Originally planned to open in 2024, then pushed into 2025 (now the line is before the year-end) whispers tell us 2026 is more realistic…
Watching: Race Across The World, MC AU, Hacks, Mid Century Modern, The Four Seasons, Chef’s Table
We just finished S4 of Hacks [Sky Max/NOWtv] and what an ending! Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder are such an electric duo on screen. S5 is confirmed!
We’re addicted to Race Across The World [BBC] and this season is no exception, with contestants racing from northeastern China to India’ southernmost tip. It’s hurtling towards the finish line with three episodes left we believe.
Ever wondered what Golden Girls would be like if you swapped the women for gay men? Now you don’t have to, it exists! Mid-Century Modern [Disney+] stars Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer and Nathan Lee Graham as a pair of long-time gay friends living together in Palm Springs. Silly, funny, camp and such an easy watch!
Another mindless watch we’ve dipped into is The Four Seasons [Netflix], which we like mostly for the fact that as MASSIVE 30 Rock fans we get Tina Fey on TV again!
Naturally we’ve been binging MasterChef Australia: Back To Win [Network 10 — you will need a VPN 👀], which is currently airing Down Under and is about 1/3 through the series already.
Naturally we loved the four-part mini-series of Chef’s Table: Legends [Netflix] which follows the stories of Jamie Oliver, Alice Waters, José Andrés and… Thomas Keller — though awkwardly THAT article about asking a critic to leave The French Laundry has sullied his episode in ways.
Listening: Podcasts
Last month Russell joined Movies & Booze on Moncrieff on Newstalk (a pinch-him moment, being one of the radio features we both adore the most and have been long-time listeners of) and will appear again this Friday (6th June) spilling on all things pop culture!
If, like us, you have been impatiently waiting for a return of Mr. G (of Summer Heights High fame) to screens, this is not quite that buuuutt close enough: Mr. G’s Room, the podcast, “ungagged” and spilling the tea on his time as self-appointed Director of Performing Arts. It’s a bloody hoot and we love that Chris Lilley’s iconic character is back with gusto; also, if you never tuned into the Ja’miezing, Ja’mie King’s podcast, another of Lilley’s’ iconic characters, it’s worth a dive into too but over several seasons has sort-of gone off the rails story-wise.
You may know we’re big media/radio nerds already but The Media Club, presented by Matt Deegan, takes a topical look at the wider media - across TV, audio, digital, publishing and more with weekly guests.
Two TV shows we’re watching right now have companion podcasts, which act as a sort of after-show with behind-the-scenes insights: And Just Like That: The Writers Room, and Hacks.
Some more eps from pods we regularly tune into include Cherry Bombe and its recent episodes with Asma Khan and
as well as over on This Is Taste the episode with food critic Besha Rodell, the former food critic of LA Weekly who took over the mantle from Jonathan Gold.
Reading
We Need To Talk About Service Charge | Club Gina [Substack]
“From UL to UCD, these college restaurants are open to the public” | from us [RTÉ Lifestyle]
Just received our copy of
’ print issue #1 in our hands via the postman yesterday and can’t wait to delve inLoving Sebastian Skillings’ self-published debut cookery book The Hungry Fishmonger [#AF link] which we cannot recommend enough for demystifying fish cookery, from preparing to elegant serving with easy-to-follow recipes, tips and some knock-out sauces, too! The book is also available in Georges Fish Shop.
That’s it for this month — thanks for reading! Chip Paper is brought to you by Patrick Hanlon and Russell Alford, AKA ‘GastroGays’. Irish food and travel writers, Sunday Times Ireland restaurant critics, broadcasters and content creators, 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
