The Good Gourmet
Aoileann at Listons delicatessen
Saturday November 28 2009
If you want to take the hassle out of present buying and treat yourself to a really pleasant morning, I highly recommend shopping in the company of Pamela and Roisín from Fabulous Food Trails. Every Friday and Saturday morning, from now until Christmas, they will guide you around the city, leading you to food halls, fruit and flower stalls, cheesemongers, fishmongers, butchers and bakers.
At 10am, we all met at Sheridan's cheesemongers on South Anne Street. Here, under the guidance of John (a Frenchman who also loves Irish cheese), we sampled various cheeses. When asked to recommend one as a great gift, John suggested Durus Óg -- a new, raw milk semi-soft cheese made especially for Sheridan's. Although you are given a shopping trolley on the day, if the items are perishable and not needed right away you'll at least know where to get them and can return at a later date.
Another attractive part of the tour is that they have made various deals with the places you visit, so you can avail of discounts on the day or, in some places, return with a Fabulous Food Trails voucher.
Next stop: Camden Street. This road itself is unique, as it's one of the few remaining places in Dublin where street trading takes place, and I guess it mirrors modern Ireland. Alongside places such as Franks Pork Butchers, where he only sells pork products (though I did see a few chickens in his window), there are plenty of ethnic shops, cafés and restaurants -- and Listons delicatessen.
Here, we had a few samples of some excellent quiche, a really tasty tomato-based fish stew with the right hint of spice (normally €4.50 a portion) and a chicken Thai green curry (€5 a portion). The deli offers a beautiful assortment of salads, pastries, pâtés, dips, cakes and other goods.
What is really appealing about Listons is the family atmosphere. Karen the owner jokes that her aunt turned up on opening day to help out in the kitchen and has not stopped coming back. She now has her own brand -- we sampled some of Aunt Trisha's famous mince pies (€1 each) and I bought one of her lemon cakes (€5.50), both absolutely gorgeous. Trisha taught all the chefs how to make perfect pastry, yet she still comes back.
The next stop was Cake Café in the Daintree building. The place is interesting from an environmental point of view, as the seated area outside is heated through big cylinders which conduct heat from the kitchen. I was also impressed with the herb garden. This is in the middle of the city and it's mid-winter, yet they have beautiful herbs growing. Among other things, they compost everything and only need to put out a bin once a week. Now that's impressive.
Amanda, a Washington native and a Paris-trained pastry chef, adds her own touch to Cake Café and describes the food as home style: pies, brownies, lemon slices and sponge cakes. They also have a gluten-free lemon polenta cake with mixed berries and do an exquisite flourless chocolate cake for €37 (9in), which comes decorated -- a great idea for dessert.
If you fancy something really special this Christmas, they sell a gingerbread house (€69) and Nativity set (€59) -- great fun as kids can eat all the characters, and a great gift to put under the tree from you know who!
For all the Christmas stuff, visit their website, www.thecakecafe.ie. You can even pre-order on the website. Or just pop in -- Michelle and her team are most helpful.
Next week, I'll continue our tour visiting butchers, pubs and café bars.
W
Fabulous Food Trails Christmas Shopping Trail -- every Friday and Saturday from now until Christmas, starting at 10am. Loan of shopping trolley for the day. Tel: 01-497 1245; www.fabulousfoodtrails.com
email: agaravaglia@independent.ie
- Aoileann Garavaglia
Irish Independent
