Things to do: Lords of Strut “Chaos” at The Abbey Theatre

Lords of Strut to unleash “Chaos” in The Abbey as part of the Tiger Dublin Fringe.

This looks hilarious and a little out of this world; perfect for a spot on M & E.

The Strut Brothers are fame obsessed and lacking in social skills; a recipe for a good laugh, really.

“Chaos” is a motivational, semi-nude (oo-err) show in which Seamus and Sean, The Strut brothers (played by Award winning Cork performers Cian Kinsella and Cormac Mohally) dance and bicker their way though an hour of physical comedy.

Said to be wonderfully choreographed and lauded in Europe, Australia and Canada this truly looks like something the M & E readers will enjoy. A step away from your basic theatrical entertainment or stand up comedy it looks like the kind of thing that will have your stomach aching.

Check out the video to judge for yourself.

Tickets are only €14 and considering they got astounding reviews from arts magazines and websites around the world, that is a bargain.

“Chaos” will be performed on the famous Peacock stage  in the Abbey as part of the Tiger Dublin Fringe from the 9th to the 13th of September. Book your tickets at www.fringefest.com.

 

Dublin Gem: The Counter – Suffolk Street | Review

Due to my new lifestyle, eating out is less frequent and therefore much more important than ever. Once a week (sometimes more, I’m not a saint!), I indulge in a “cheat meal” or a “treat meal” as I prefer to call it, so as well paying regular visits to my beloved Bison Bar & BBQ, I’ve been seeking out plenty of delicious places to get my indulgence on.

The Dublin Gem:

The Counter  is a global burger joint with branches all over the world. Here in Ireland you’ll find one on Suffolk Street and one in Dundrum Town Centre. I went to the Suffolk Street branch one friend with my wonderful friend, Sarah and I could not have enjoyed the experience more.

Who’ll like it?: 

Burger fans

US culture seekers

Shake lovers

The selling points: The staff, The Shakes, The Novelty

The Staff

I really wish I had gotten the name of our waitress because she was, and I don’t use this term lightly, a hoot. She was cracking jokes like they were going out of fashion, she was attentitive, but not in a fussy and bothersome way and to be honest, I would go back just for the laughs she gave us.

The Shakes

I love a good shake; whether on the dancefloor in the form of a creamy beverage. I try to include a big filty milkshake into my treat meal when possible because I work dairy free for the rest of the week.

I had a banana milkshake while lovely Sarah had a Chocolate Malt. I think all readers will agree that they looked fantastic and we both agreed that they tasted as good as they appear. They are creamy, thick and flavoursome, everything you could imagine a milkshake should be.

The Novelty

What can I say? I’m sucker for a gimmick. When you pop into you The Counter, you are given two menus. One is a menu of set burgers and one is a form that you fill out in a bid to create your dream burger. Your “Custom Built Burger” can be beef, turkey, chicken, vegan and so on and you can select a number of delicious and often petrifying toppings to compliment your burger choice.

I went with a beef burger with montery jack cheese, pineapple, jalepenos and a spicy range dressing. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was the best burger I have ever had; Bobo’s still has that crown . I would however include it in my top three burger joints, which is a testament because I love a big meaty burger.  The meat could have done with being a little jucier, but it was tasty and the fact that you can cater to your own tastes, regardless of how plain or bizarre they may be, is a huge bonus. Extra points to them for including vegetarian options, I know it can be hard for veggies to get a decent burger.

Dublin Gem: Kennedy’s Foodstore, Raheny

Grab a bite to eat in Raheny’s latest café

I haven’t done a Dublin Gem post since January; not because I haven’t been out and about, but because a lot of the content I’d gear towards this section of the blog is going to my new gig over at Groupon City Guide. Any foodie places I’ve been to that could have featured on this section have been let downs, to say the least so it took a while before I found somewhere I hadn’t been before that blew my socks off.

I’m keeping it look with this Dublin Gem; I had been meaning to go here since it opened but despite it being a 5 minute drive from my house, I never quite got around to it. It was definitely worth the wait.

The Dublin Gem

Kennedy’s Foodstore has been a fixture in Fairview for quite sometime, with its Bistro collecting plenty of applause and awards along the way. In August of last year the opened the doors of a very quaint café and old style grocery store, much to the delight of Raheny’s population. Located on Raheny’s HillTop , it provides a second alternative to what was the village’s only café for many years, The River Café, located below Supervalu.

Who’ll Like It? 

Cake fanatics

Artisan Food Fans

Coffee Guzzlers

The selling points: The incredible staff, The Granary Bread, Tasty Cakes, Country Kitchen Feel.

The incredible staff

There is nothing that sells a café quite like friendly, efficient staff and Kennedy’s definitely has that. The first thing I noticed was how genuinely pleasant the waiting staff are in this place. So many places are laden with scowling faces that would rather be anywhere else or, worse in my opinion, plastered on smiles and faux pleasantries from patronisingly fake greeters.

The staff in Kennedys Foodstore in Raheny lend to the overall genuine, homely experience of the café. Even at busy times they are welcoming, attentive and helpful; a true testament to their personal characteristics, I’m sure. The girly waiting my table on Mother’s Day even suggested ways to have my sandwich based on the type of bread I was having; where would you get it?

Once in the presence of lovely waiting staff, you get a good feeling about the rest of your visit.

The Granary Bread

The bread is good it deserves it’s own heading! This delicious wholegrain bread is a must try if you are getting a sandwich here. It is thick, has a wonderful bite to it and, yes, it’s perfect toasted. Absolutely perfect. I had a goats cheese and pesto sandwich and it felt pleasurable to eat; a truly wholesome feast.

Granary Bread Sandwich with delicious carrot and coriander soup

Tasty Cakes

I would turn my nose up at any café that doesn’t offer delicious, fresh cakes after becoming accustomed to Brother Hubbard  and their tasty, tasty cinnamon scrolls. Prepacked cakes from Starbucks and Costa just don’t do it for me anymore!

Kennedys has an amazing selection of beautiful muffins, chocolate slices, brownies, tarts, you name it. On my most recent visit to the foodstore I tried a beautiful Victoria sponge which was perfectly fluffy and not overly sweet; a wonderful treat on the weekend.

Beautiful Victoria Sponge

Country kitchen feel

The Café and food store is a homely, wooden haven in which to escape from the buzz of the city and it fits in perfectly with the village downhill. The wooden paneled walls and unvarnished floor all add to the experience, making the fresh food, and the friendly staff all the more genuine.

It simply felt pleasant to be there, despite being incredibly busy, which certainly merits a few more visits.

If you are in the area and looking for top notch service without any modern and stuffy propensities, this is definitely a place you will want to visit. Even if you don’t have time to sit down, they have a small dry goods store with rare and delicious products.

Dublin Gem: The Jazz Chinese Restaurant

Dublin is riddled with all you can eat Chinese buffets but they always strike me as rather unclean and stale.

I mean really, we don’t know how  long the food has been sitting out, warming up in its stainless steel tray. A few restaurants already in existence have opted for a fresher take on the buffet concept, which leads us to the first musicandeverything.com Dublin Gem of 2014.

The Dublin Gem

The Jazz Chinese Restaurant is a longstanding feature of Coolock village with an exponential favourable reputation among locals and visitors to the area. In recent years they have developed a buffet menu with a different twist.  Not a canteen set up to be found in this beautifully decorated restaurant; you can eat all you can, safe in the knowledge that your food has been freshly cooked.

Who’ll Like It? 

• Asian food fans.
• Canteen style buffet opposers
• Indecisive people.

The selling points: The cosy décor, the welcoming staff, the wide variety, the fresh food.

The Cosy Décor & Welcoming Staff

There is nothing quite like an Asian restaurant that adopts the traditional, rather cosy oriental décor, particularly as there are so many trendy and modern ones popping up. The mahogany and traditional designs lend to the atmosphere, making it homely and exotic at the same time.

The beautiful atomsphere is enhanced by the habitually friendly staff. I’ve visited quite a few times over the passed two years and I have never experienced any kind of negativity or rudeness from the management and staff in the restaurant. Always greeted with a smile and always tentative, but in a lurky Americana restaurant fashion.

It is genuinely one of the nicest restaurants I have ever visited, fantastic for an intimate meal or a big family event.

The wide variety of Fresh Food

Let’s not mince words here; buffets are generally beguiling. The room is full of beautiful looking and smelling food but truthfully, we’re not sure exactly how fresh it all is. Not to mention the 100s of customers that may have been breathing all over it.

The Jazz offers a fresh alternative. Literally. When you request the buffet menu you get a long piece of card with soups, starters, main courses and sides.

The variety is amazing and what’s best is that the servings come in small portions so you can try a little bit of everything. It is a dream for indecisive people.

If you’re anything like me the hardest part of eating out is trying to decide between a number of different foods. Here, you don’t have to stress over it. Want chicken wings and spring rolls? No bother. Want rice and noodles with your main course? Don’t sweat it. The only clause in the buffet is that you eat up everything before ordering your next course, which is simply a matter of not being greedy and/or wasteful.

All of this, and the fact that every thing is cooked to order, means that you don’t over eat, or over fill your plate. Manageable portions mean a more civil experience that slapping everything on your plate and fighting your back to the table.

Added bonus for the wine drinkers; the red wine is absolutely delicious!

This is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area and why not pop over to the Cock and Bull for a drink or two after?

Dublin Gem: CheeseCake Dublin.

Oh dear, I’ve accidentally listed yet another food place as a spot to visit in Dublin. This one truly is a gem; totally original and unique by comparison to all the surrounding eateries in Dublin City.

The Gem 

Haven’t we all dreamed of a place that just serves cheesecake? Don’t we all lust after a varied selection of creamy, crumbly cakes that you could even dream up. Cheesecake Dublin has made the cheesecake lovers’ dreams come true with a boutique café located on South William Street.

Reasonably priced, this is a nice place to visit, particularly if you are cursed with a sweet tooth.

Who’ll Like it?: 

• Cake Fanatics.
• Cheesecake enthusiasts.
• Those who eat on the go.

The Variety

One thing that really sells this quaint little place in Dublin City is the variety. Yes, even though they only sell cheesecake there is still a wide variety of flavours on offer which can shuffle from day-to-day. Never before has such a delectable variety of cheesecakes been administered in one location. Whether you are into salted sweets or fruity treats, as long as you like cheesecake you will have something to choose from.

On my first visit to this treasure trove of cheesecake there was plenty to choose from. I opted for the peanut butter and chocolate, while my partner in indulgence went for a delectable raspberry cheesecake.

When you walk in you will notice you have the choice between adorable jars of cheese cake for €4.50 or a slice from the counter.

The Texture

Time to get all cake conosuir on this one; these are the finest cheesecakes I have ever tasted. I can’t recall ever tasting a cake so pleasant to the palette. Its velvety texture, thick and creamy consistency along with the soft, crumbly biscuit base; it is probably the closest thing you will get to the pleasure experienced by Rachel and Chandler in “the one will all the cheesecakes” episode of ‘Friends’.

It is luscious and delightfully filling; every last morsel must be savoured.

Cheesecake is undoubtedly a welcome addition to Dublin’s trendy South William Street. People have been ranting and raving about it since its opening and in the first few days of business they actually ran out of cheesecake. The only downside of it is the size; there are only two tables inside and a bench outside. As a result it’s not the most relaxing environment in which to devour your cheesecake, if you’re lucky enough to get a seat to begin with.

That aside, I recommend you pop in and either take a seat, to be vacated soon, or stock up and munch away at home. These are truly the most beautiful cheesecakes known to man; honestly, if it was the last thing I ate I would be ok with that!