What Renie ate...in Dublin!

So, I had promised to visit a good friend of mine in Dublin before I started uni...second year was over and I figured I should stick to what I said and booked myself a 'rail and sail' ticket (basically training to Holyhead and then getting the ferry to Dublin Port...but railing and sailing sounds so much cooler).


I learned a few things on the short journey to Dublin:


1. I am unable to count train carriages and this can have serious consequences e.g. the train separating and you being on the wrong bit


2. I am bad on ferries. By 'bad' I mean I have to sprawl over a whole table and wail to myself in order to stop myself from emptying the contents of my stomach everywhere. 


3. Playing House of the Dead II (which by the way, is totally old skool) does not make my being sea sick any better. It makes things worse. Much worse. 


4. Being out of the city is totally ok. Wales is nice. Sheep are nice. Castles and scary empty bays with real shipwrecks are very cool.

Luckily I got there in one piece and had a fabulous couple of days and even made it back without injuring myself or anyone else, victory pour moi! Anyway, onto the interesting bits...


Burgers at Bobo's 

The interior

Bobo's Cheeseburger and Rosemary Salt Fries

...And now for the close up!

According to Time Out, Bobo's do the best burgers in the whole of Dublin. They tell no lies. They use fresh, locally sourced beef and make them into possibly the yummiest burgers I've ever had (I may be speaking too soon though as I'm going to #Meateasy on Monday, heh!). The rosemary salt fries were pretty excellent too. Now every time I have fries, I want rosemary...Bobo's what have you done to me?! 

Cake and Coffee at Keogh's 

This was the ultimate pick me up after I got into the city! My friend took me to an adorable café near the tourism office (which by the way, is in a super nice building) and after a latte and a huge slab of chocolate cake served with a ginormous cloud of thick, cocoa dusted cream, I was back on my feet and ready to take on the world/crash, sit around and eat even more.

This photo makes me paw hungrily at the screen and want cake

The Farm

We figured that we should have a big, blow out dinner before I left and we were all in the mood for some place nice. The only problem was that we hadn't booked, it was a Friday night and Renie is a little bit picky. I vetoed a couple of places, including Dunne & Crescenzi - (the menu was boring) but then we stumbled across The Farm, which is all cutesy and organic and the menu and reasonable prices = major wins!

Also they had outdoor seats with blankets and little pictures of farm animals tiled on the walls - macabre but also adorable! My initial plan was to go all out and have three courses. I managed two. This either suggests that I have a tiny, pathetic appetite or that the portions were huge. We all know the former isn't true, so here are the photos to prove the latter. 

We had...potato and leek soup, which was delicious and fresh, cottage pie and the real star of the show was the roast organic loin of pork which was marinated in garlic and stuffed with butternut squash, sage and onion. They served it on a mini mountain of creamy herbed mashed potato.  

Crazy good milkshakes at Shakes

I'm kinda familiar with milkshake bars now because they have been EVERYWHERE since forever. That doesn't stop me from getting horrendously excited whenever I see one, especially when a) it's all cutesy inside and b) the proprietor is super nice.

I'm usually a Reece's Pieces kinda girl but then I saw the VIP shakes...I ended up with 'Monkey Business,' which consisted of my fav - Nutella, vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, fresh banana which was all topped with whipped cream and a Flake. I'm pretty sure I'd gone over my RDA of fat/sugar but it was definitely worth it. 

 So...that's what I ate, there will be more in part II! :D

//Easy, Guilt Free Burgers! ♥

The weekend is finally here :D

I've had a bit of a stressful week but am planning to remedy things by doing some cooking. I promised a recipe in my last post and here it is! As with all of my other concoctions, it's extremely simple - just mix and shape and you're ready to go. Happy cooking!


Easy, Guilt free Burgers.


Ingredients 
500g lean mince (try to buy the best quality mince you can afford because it makes a difference, I promise!)
Bunch of chopped coriander
Freshly grated lemon peel and a squeeze of lemon juice
4 cloves of garlic, chopped (use a garlic press if you're lazy like me)
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 packet of Doriano crackers or 30g of cream crackers, bashed into bits
1 generous tbsp of tomato puree
1 tsp sugar
Shake of mixed herbs

Seasoning: Salt, pepper,
Optional stuff: A tiny pinch chilli powder (a little goes a long way), a little freshly grated ginger.

1. The only vaguely time consuming thing here is the prep, but if you're nice and quick then it can all be done in around 20 minutes. Alternatively, draft in others to help and set up a mini production line.

2. Chuck all the ingredients into a big, roomy bowl.

3. Mix everything up with your hands. It might sound a bit gross but I've found that it is far easier than using a fork and is surprisingly therapeutic!

4. Once it's all mixed, pop some cling film over the meat mixture and leave in the fridge for an hour or two to let the flavours sink in.

5. Prepare a work surface so you have somewhere to put your burgers after shaping them! I usually put mine is a pyrex dish in layers, separated by pieces of greaseproof paper.

6. Take mixture out of the fridge and this bit is crucial: WET YOUR HANDS. This means that when you're shaping the burgers, the mixture won't stick to you like glue and fall apart.

7. With your wet hands, grab however much you want per burger, roll into a ball and squash it flat. Remember to wet your hands in between making each one.

8. When you're cooking your burgers, it's best to use a skillet or grill pan. You don't have to use any oil because the meat naturally contains fat. Heat the pan up until it's screaming hot and plonk the burgers carefully onto the pan.

9. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, and you're done!

Ideally, these should be served on wholemeal sourdough bread with some lolla rossa, fresh vine tomatoes and a dollop of salsa but it's really up to you.

Alternatives: Pop the burgers in an oven instead and place thin slices of courgettes, cut along their length, in the gaps between the burgers. You don't have to season the vegetables because they'll pick up flavours from the meat. Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning them once. 


Have fun!

♥