A friend who walks along Marlborough Street every day tells me she’s discovered a brilliant new South Indian restaurant. She’s got into the habit of dropping in for a breakfast dosa after she’s dropped her children off at their creche nearby, or for a thali in the afternoon before she collects them. She’s been for dinner too. I get the sense she’s agonised over whether to share this information with me.
Last October, Takashi Miyazaki decided to relaunch his Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant, where the 12-course hyper-seasonal menu was priced at €140 before drinks or service, as a casual bistro with natural wines. As word spread, I imagine the people behind Ireland’s fine-dining restaurants first felt a pang of envy and then wondered whether they should be doing the same.
I walk the loop around Grand Canal Dock with my dogs most days. We pass the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre and the shiny tech offices and apartment buildings along Hanover Quay before crossing the three lock bridges beside the graving dock where the rusting MV Naomh Eanna, which once ferried passengers to and from the Aran Islands, lists sadly. Then we head along the Dodder, beside the hoardings covered in graffiti art, and cross over Ringsend Bridge before turning for home past the Aviva Stadium.