Guest review of FXB by Lady Aga

By this week's guest reviewer - LADY AGA

FXB Crow Street, Temple Bar

"Of all the FXB’s Steak and Seafood restaurants in Dublin, we choose Crow Street in the heart of bustling Temple bar.   As you would expect for a Saturday evening in the City the restaurant was buzzing with the chatter of customers and the hard working staff. 

On arrival at the restaurant for our 9.15 booking we were promptly seated and given menus.  As recommended by the maitre d’ we selected the House red Doppio Passo Primitivo IGT Salento 2007 (Italian) – which had a warm fruity flavour all served by a very friendly Wine Waiter. 

We choose to eat off the “Dine in Dublin Restaurant Week” set Menu which was running for the week.  To start I went for the Duck Liver Pate which was superbly accompanied by sweet brioche and fruit chutney while my dining partner went for the Devilled Lambs Kidneys with the strong flavours of the Dijon mustard and the bacon and kidney’s  it would be hard not to be impressed. 

We both went for the restaurants famed steaks, while I had the 10oz Sirloin rare with Béarnaise sauce, he had it Blue with Peppercorn sauce both were cooked to perfection.  Not to forget the sauces and the home cooked fries which were quite simply very hard to stop eating. 

As there was chocolate on the menu there was very little decision to be made by me I went for the “Dessert of the Evening” Chocolate tart with hazelnut ice-cream ... yum, or so I thought until I tasted the other dessert, Baileys Crème Brulee which was light and creamy with the slight hint of Baileys and the crunchy caramelised topping and now I’m torn. 

All this for €40 a head ..... Now that is impressive.

http://www.fxbrestaurants.com/temple/home.html

Don't Forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this post!
zack

Can you read my first QR barcode?

I love technology and the way that the simplest of ideas can be amazing. I think the potential of QR codes is amazing. This is the first one I've made - I don't even have the scanning software on my phone to read it...yet! So....

Will you test it on your phone scanner and reply to me what it says so I know I'm doing it right!

Don't forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this Post!

zack

Donegal Town Online Food Guide

Donegal Town Food Guide at EveryTrail

In time for next weekend's "A Taste of Donegal Food Festival" (26th - 28th August) a new Online Food Guide has been launched that shows you the array of places to eat in Donegal Town. The "Donegal Town Food Guide" is a detailed analysis of the local eateries in this south county town. It can be viewed on-line or downloaded directly to your mobile phone for ease of access.

Here's a quick peek...hover the mouse over each number to see the name of the premises.
 

Go to http://www.everytrail.com/guide/donegal-town-food-guide for the full-detailed version

Don't for get to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this post!

zack

Grilled Lobster & Monkfish with Brucheen Potatoes

Lobster is one of the Kings of the Sea. Traditionally it has been seen as a top-priced item on menus, but as tastes and trends in Ireland change, lobster is becoming more affordable for customers. Many places are now offering tasty lobster dishes for under €20.

Lobster - King of the Sea!

This is a very simple dish that marries the pink lobster meat with one of my favourite meaty fishes – Monkfish.

Monkfish - A big ugly head that is waste, but the tastiest meat in in tail!

Brucheen potatoes are an old south Donegal classic dish that was once made with duck eggs!

serves 4 people

My Ingredients:

2 Lobsters (500g / 1 lb each)

1 Monkfish tail off the bone ( approx 300g / 1/2 lb fish meat )

1 lemon

25g / 1 oz butter

25g / 1 oz finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic

2 tlspn Jameson Whiskey

120ml / 1/4 cup cream (save 20ml for the champ!)

freshly chopped parsley

ground black pepper

Brucheen Potatoes -

500g / 1 lb peeled potatoes

25g / 1oz butter

the 20ml cream (from above)

25g / 1oz finely chopped spring onions (scallions)

1 whole egg (chicken or duck)

white pepper

sea salt

My Method:

 1. In a large pot bring 8 pints water to the boil with a lid on. Drop in the two Lobsters. Bring back to the boil and Cook for about 12 minutes. Take them out and plunge them into a sink of iced-cold water. This stops them from over-cooking in their own heat or the meat will get tough.

2. Boil the peeled potatoes with a little salt. When boiled, drain well and add the butter, 20ml cream, chopped scallions and a sprinkle of white pepper. Mash well and then cover with a tea-towel and leave them aside until you are ready to serve.

3. Heat a frying pan to medium hot and cut the monkfish into 1/2 chunks. Using half of the butter toss the monkfish pieces in the pan to seal it, drop the heat to low and cook the fish for another 3-4 minutes. Lift out of the pan and leave aside.

4. Cut the Lobsters at the line on the back of the head with a large knife slapping the back of the knife to break clean through the head. Turn them around facing the other way and cut cleanly through to the tail. Throw away the brain and lungs pieces (the mushy green bits towards the head of the lobster). Pull out the tail meat and the meat from the centre of the body. Cut all the lobster meat into bite size pieces.

5. Put rest of the butter, the onions and chopped garlic into the fish pan and cook at medium until soft. Add the whiskey and flame to burn off the alcohol. This keeps the flavour of the fish, onions and whiskey without the bitterness of the alcohol. Add a little ground black pepper, the cream, the parsley and cook down for another 2 odd minutes until the cream has thickened itself into a sauce.

Brucheen Potatoes with a raw egg beaten into it was one of my Mum's favourites!

6. Service Time!

a) Add the raw egg to the hot potatoes and mash well until soft and fluffy. Season with a little salt if needed.

b) Add the Lobster and Monkfish to the same pan and toss them all together in the sauce. Spoon the mixed fish evenly back into the four half-lobster shells and drizzle the sauce over the top. 


That's it ready to go - so serve up and enjoy with your favourite white wine!

zack

Win a Dublin Meat Co. BBQ for you and 10 friends!

The Dublin Meat Company is a 100% Irish family owned business with over 40 years experience in butchering.

They created a new concept in butchering with their factory shops. The company's motto is “Premium meat at wholesale prices”. The concept is simple: By keeping their overheads low they pass on the savings to their loyal customer base.

On that note, they'd like to reward their customers with a chance to win this fabulous prize and throw a BBQ for you and 10 friends in your own home! They will supply everything: Chef, meat,sides, beer & wine! All you do is show up! They'll even bring the BBQ if necessary.

So what do you have to do to win this prize?
1. First visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/dublin.meat.company
2. Get as many as your friends as possible to ‘Like’ the Facebook page. They must leave the following comment on the Facebook wall:  “(YOUR NAME) loves his/her meat’
The winner will the person who has the most friends posting the above comment on their Facebook wall by the 31st August . The Winner will be announced on the 1st September. (terms and conditions apply).



David, Paddy & Brian - The O’Learys

The Dublin Meat Company is a unique consumer experience, supplying 100% Irish Beef, Pork, Bacon and Lamb to consumers at up to 40% less then the supermarkets with no compromise on quality.

The first Dublin Meat Company shop opened three years ago in Butterly Business Park, Artane in Dublin 5 under the helm of butcher Pat O’Leary and his son David. Prior to this Pat built a successful butchers shop over 30 years in Northside Shopping Centre. Due to the success of the Dublin Meat Company Brand, the Artane shop has doubled in size with a loyal customer base not just across North Dublin, but with shoppers coming from far and wide to grab quality and value, unparalleled anywhere else. Brian O’Leary joined his father and brother in 2008. In March 2008 the second shop was opened in Kinsealy Garden Centre followed quickly by a 3000sq foot shop on Forest Road Swords.

Dublin Meat Company currently deals directly with 15 quality assured Irish meat suppliers bringing Irish families the highest quality Irish meat from farm to fork, at astonishing prices.

Visit their Butcher Shops at :
Artane- Unit 5/6, Butterly Business Park, Artane, Dublin 5.
Swords- Unit 1, Forest Road, Swords, Co Dublin.
Kinsealy- Kinsealy Garden Centre, Malahide Road, Kinsealy, Dublin 17.

See www.dublinmeatcompany.com or www.facebook.com/dublin.meat.company


zack