A Foodie Friday

Today was just a lovely day, weather was great, I met lovely people and have lots to write about.

First of all I went to the new venture of On the Pig's Back by Isabelle Sheridan in Douglas and it was a treat. When I heard she opened her new cafe at the premises of Patrick's Woollen Mills I was a bit surprised as it is very industrial with garages and wooden flooring places around. But when I arrived I was still surprised but it was a pleasant one. High ceilings, whitewashed walls with art works hanging (which you can purchase by the way), tall timber shelving packed to the brim with yummy goodies with a great focus on French and local produce (they had even Irish music in the background). Light timber flooring and handmade wooden large tables and chairs invite you to sit down with friends and family for a delicious lunch.

The menu is short but varied. Soup of the day was carrot with basil which was oozing with freshness. Silky texture and a perfect consistency (€5.50), Quiche & Salad (€6.50) doesn't really say much but they had 5 different quiches on offer (Dianne ordered the spinach & pine nut) and the salad served with the quiche was almost bigger than the plate. I ordered Tartine which is a toasted slice of rye bread topped with melted cheese and tomatoes which was served with a lovely pesto and red onion jam. The leaf salad was organic and fresh. We then shared a slice of rhubarb pie which was just lovely and not sour at all but thanks God not too sweet either.

The place was buzzing, so my concerns about the location was completely unfounded. Isabelle has a great business head on her shoulders and I wish her great success.

Dianne and myself then headed back towards city centre as Colman Andrew launched his latest book 'The Country Cooking of Ireland' in the Farmgate restaurant. Colman is an American with a love for Irish Food. The book is quite extensive, the photographs are amazing (by Christopher Hirsheimer) and very well researched. I love especially the chapter of Irish Wine with a photograph of a pint of Guinness next to it. He talked about how it came that he wrote about Irish food and how interesting he finds it. He is a great advertiser in the States for Irish Food (not that many people seem to believe him).

While listening to Colman and enjoying the canapes of mushroom frittata, we also met a lovely girl Evin who is from California but moved to Ireland 2 years ago. A fellow food blogger, we had of course a lot to talk about. Have a look at her blog . I bet you will love the photographs as much as the recipes. I invited Evin to join us for our next wine tasting on Portuguese wine next Saturday. Hope she can make it.

So, I think that was enough excitement for one day - sitting now in front of a blazing fire, got some crackers with goat's cheese and O'Flynns mixed berry jam and a glass of Sherry and let my brain roar wild with some buzzing ideas for events. Watch this space