The owners of Assassination Custard recommend an unorthodox pizza restaurant, the place to go in Dublin for prawn toast and late-night cocktails, and two of their favourite Irish farms
EATING OUT
Gaillot et Gray (pictured above)
59 Clanbrassil Street Lower, Dublin 8, Ireland; Facebook
“I love Gaillot et Gray,” says Ken. “Love them, love their bread, their pizza is really good. They use emmenthal cheese, so it has that smell. The Italians wouldn’t approve, but it’s really good. We go there for coffee in the morning and they do nice bread as well.”
Passion 4 Food
27 Clanbrassil Street Lower, Dublin 8, Ireland; www.passion4food.ie
“This is an Iranian kebab place,” says Ken. “They make their own flatbreads and do ayran salted drinks. Their grilled meats are really good. It’s full of all kinds of people.” “I’ve seen them bring in homeless people off the street and feed them,” Gwen adds.
Terra Madre
13A Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1, Ireland; www.terramadre.ie
“Tierra Madre is great. We’ve only been for lunch. It’s trattoria-style, really simple, good ingredients.” – Ken
Forest & Marcy
126 Leeson Street Upper, Dublin 4, Ireland; www.forestandmarcy.ie
“We went to Forest & Marcy a while ago. It’s a restaurant/wine bar, very fancy. We thought it was going to be serious and po-faced, but it’s the best fun we’ve had in a restaurant in a long time. It looks like something you’d see in Barcelona.” – Ken
Hang Dai
20 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2, Ireland; www.hangdaichinese.com
“We went here for late-night cocktails and prawn toast,” says Gwen of this neon-heavy Chinese restaurant/club on Camden Street. They didn’t have a proper meal so can’t speak for the food, but the place itself appealed. “It’s loud and garish and full-on,” says Ken approvingly.
Five Points
288a Harold’s Cross Road, Dublin, Ireland; www.fivepointshx.com
On their way into work, Ken & Gwen often stop at this local coffee shop for a morning coffee.
John Fallon’s
129 The Coombe, Dublin 8, Ireland; +353 1 454 2801
What’s your favourite pub in Dublin? we ask. “We go to Fallon’s a bit because it’s our work local,” says Gwen. “And we go to the Harold House, our way-home local.” Ken also recommends Slattery’s in Rathmines – “It’s one of those places where they know your name. That’s kind of nice. Then there’s the local down here, the Stone Boat.” “And MVP, that’s good,” adds Gwen. “Nice cocktails.”
BUYING IN
Broughgammon farm
50 Straid Rd, Ballycastle BT54 6NP, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland; www.broughgammon.com
Though they haven’t actually been there yet, Ken and Gwen are big fans of this farm in North Antrim: it’s where they get the goat and veal – particularly “lesser” cuts and offal – for the restaurant. “All the weird wobbly stuff – hearts, sweetbreads, kidneys – we get from them,” says Ken. Broughgammon can be found every Saturday at the Temple Bar Food Market in Meeting House Square, and at St George’s Market in Belfast.
McNally’s
Balrickard, Ring Commons, Co. Dublin, Ireland; www.mcnallyfamilyfarm.com
The fridge at Ken and Gwen’s is full of McNally’s organic veg: collard greens, flower sprouts, cicoria. “They’re great,” says Ken. “They grow things that you wouldn’t see anywhere else. The farm in North County Dublin isn’t open to visitors but you can buy McNally’s produce at markets around Dublin, including Meeting House Square, Leopardstown and Dun Laoghaire.
Timgad
205 South Circular Road, Dublin 8, Ireland; Facebook
Halal food shop with in-store butchers. “They do beautiful feta, pickles, lamb,” says Gwen, “and they do all their own butchering.”
Ayla
30 Capel St, Dublin 1, Ireland; www.ayla.ie
“There’s a Turkish shop on Capel Street we were looking at recently,” says Gwen. “We went in once, it’s really nice,” says Ken. “They have all those pickles you’d see in Istanbul.” “And pastries in the window,” adds Gwen. “The pickles in Istanbul,” Ken recalls, “you’d buy them and eat them in the street and drink the juice, salty brine: really good.”
Scéal Bakery
King St N, Smithfield, Dublin 7, Ireland; www.scealbakery.com
“Proper sourdough loaves baked in Smithfield by Shane Palmer and Charlotte Leonard Kane. Pick it up from the Hopsack in Rathmines and various other cafes. Chewy, tangy, addictive.” Ken and Gwen also recommend the bread from Tartine.
Image of Gaillot et Gray: Ketty Quigley (French Foodie in Dublin)