Dublin: Food Bloggers and L. Mulligan Grocer

August 10, 2011

A recap from a quick trip and an outstanding meal in Dublin, Ireland.

L. Mulligan Grocer in Dublin | Fake Food Free | Food and Travel  

We were in Dublin for all of about 15 hours. A short stop, I know, but fortunately I’d been there a couple times before.

Enough times to realize just how international the city feels. Enough times to discover some of my favorite green spaces in the world. Enough times to immerse myself in the history of attractions such as Trinity College and the Book of Kells.

And finally, enough times to know that it’s difficult to find really good food in the city center. In saying that, I mean the kind of food that doesn’t have a sign out front beckoning tourists and promising to serve real Irish cuisine.

Now, I’ve had some great food and drink in Dublin from coffee and chocolates at Butler’s to Leo Burdock’s Fish n’ Chips to scones from Queen of Tart. I’m just saying it’s difficult to find a unique dinner in 15 hours.

Unless, of course, you know a food blogger.

And I just happen to know a food blogger.

It was my pleasure to spend one of my 15 hours in Dublin with Aoife of The Daily Spud. The Daily Spud is one of those blogs I’ve been reading since my own blog began. For me, one of the originals, and one of my favorites.

During our conversation, you might expect that one of my questions was – where should we eat dinner?

As we discussed different places, Aoife kept coming back to one of her favorites – L. Mulligan Grocer. With such a glowing recommendation from someone who knows the area (and good food) well, we didn’t feel we could it could pass it up.

The location ended up being about a 20 min walk from Temple Bar. At that point in the day, we welcomed it because everywhere from Grafton Street to Temple Bar was packed with people to the point where you could barely move. It was nice to get out of the crowd.

L. Mulligan Grocer in Dublin | Fake Food Free | Food and Travel

We got there for an early dinner so we were lucky to get a table. We later found out that almost all were reserved. We must have looked desperate for good Irish food.

And good Irish food it was. I encourage you to head over to their site and read a little about the restaurant to get the full story. To simplify, they use as many Irish ingredients as possible from rare-breed pork, to grass-fed beef, to seafood.

A meal at L. Mulligan Grocer in Dublin | Fake Food Free | Food and Travel

When we sat down and I found the menus were old books in type-writer print, I couldn’t wait to read through all the selections and decide which of these local foods I wanted most.

A meal at L. Mulligan Grocer in Dublin | Fake Food Free | Food and Travel

They also had a wonderful selection of craft beers, something we were exposed to for the first time this trip. Often we are so enamored by fresh Guinness (yes, it is completely different on draft in Ireland), that we’ve overlooked craft beers on previous trips.

So let’s start there.

A meal at L. Mulligan Grocer in Dublin. Craft Beer - Galway Hooker | Fake Food Free | Food and Travel

I had the Friar Weiss because, well, I love wheat beers. As you would expect, this was perfect for me, sweet and crisp. My husband tried the Galway Hooker, an Irish Pale Ale that he really enjoyed.

We didn’t consider appetizers to be an option. We would risk leaving overly full in order to try all we could.

My husband had been daring me to eat a Scotch Egg the whole trip, something I had never had before. Mulligan’s version is a free range egg wrapped in delicious sausage and fried.

A meal at L. Mulligan Grocer in Dublin. Scotch Eggs. | Fake Food Free | Food and Travel

I now love Scotch Eggs.

My husband had the Potted Crab. If you are new to this dish like we were, the best way to describe it is delicious, tender crab with a layer of clarified butter on the top to create a bit of a seal or a lid on the crab. It is chilled and served with bread. It was a really unique dish for us.

 
 
A meal at L. Mulligan Grocer in Dublin. Potted Crab. | Fake Food Free | Food and Travel
 
A meal at L. Mulligan Grocer in Dublin. Potted Crab. | Fake Food Free | Food and Travel

It took me forever to decide on my meal, and I mean forever. There were just too many great options.

A meal at L. Mulligan Grocer in Dublin. | Fake Food Free | Food and Travel
 
Despite the fact that I simply cannot make myself like beets, I went for the Lamb Burger which had a beet slaw. I refused to be the picky eater who asked for it to be removed so I sucked it up expecting to scrape it off once at the table.

First, I loved the slaw. It didn’t have that dirty taste I’m used to with beets and it added a gorgeous color. The burger itself was outstanding – juicy, tender, not to mention, wrapped in bacon and topped with goat cheese. The twice cooked chips were my favorite of the trip.

A meal at L. Mulligan Grocer in Dublin. Lamb burger with beetroot slaw. | Fake Food Free | Food and Travel

My husband went for the Pork Belly. The belly itself was beautifully plated, but what really interested me was the mash which had black pudding in it. It’s taken me a while to get over the idea of blood sausage, but I love black pudding. The dish was matched with a kraut or type of slaw which had a lot of caraway seeds. Unfortunately my husband doesn’t care for caraway seeds and it was even a little overpowering for me, but otherwise the meal was delicious.

A meal at L. Mulligan Grocer in Dublin. Pork Belly. | Fake Food Free | Food and Travel

I’m still so surprised we managed to find ourselves in such a great place considering our short stopover. When in Dublin, L. Mulligan Grocer is a must. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

L. Mulligan Grocer
18 Stoneybatter
Dublin 7

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  • Joanne August 10, 2011 at 6:30 pm

    One of the things I love most about blogging is that you always end up knowing at least one person everywhere you go! It’s like having family across the globe.

    This looks like one stellar meal. Now if I go to Ireland…I’ll know where to go!

  • Miranda August 10, 2011 at 7:09 pm

    I am Dublin bound tomorrow, and you can bet your last ha’penny that I will be paying L. Mulligan Grocer a very long and very calorie-filled visit.

    Is it wrong to plan a trip to Dublin around this place and the Queen of Tarts……

  • Daily Spud August 11, 2011 at 12:45 am

    So glad that you guys made it to L. Mulligan Grocer and that you loved it so much (I thought you might 🙂 ). I adore that potted crab and those twice cooked chips are excellent, as is just about everything else, including the fact, of course, that they all come with beer and whiskey recommendations. Great stuff.

  • emily (a nutritionist eats) August 11, 2011 at 11:37 am

    That food all looks amazing, wow!
    My fiance loves scotch eggs, but something tells me the ones he’s had wouldn’t stand a chance to yours!

  • 5 Star Foodie August 11, 2011 at 11:38 am

    Aoife certainly knows the best dining places in town! Putting L. Mulligan Grocer on my list for the next time we’re in Dublin.

  • Lori August 11, 2011 at 8:29 pm

    Joanne – It really is like you know people from all different places. I love it!

    Miranda – Ha, ha! That reminds me of my first trip to Ireland which was when my husband was on business. I had plenty of time to explore and a detailed map of exactly how to get to Queen of Tarts. It was a huge priority! 🙂

    Daily Spud – Despite our short meeting, you know me well! Thanks so much for the help!

    emily – I’d love to try them at home, but anything fried scares me a little. 🙂

    5 Star – Yes, do. You will love it!

  • Ilke August 12, 2011 at 4:02 am

    Gosh! What a 15 hours! I would love to visit Dublin someday. I like how the burger looks with beets, yummy!!

  • Andrea August 12, 2011 at 9:16 am

    Hooray for beet slaw! I love beets and I’m glad that you had a great experience with them. 😀 The burger looks great and is that some bacon I see wrapped around it?

    Scotch eggs intrigue me and I know Scott would be all over them.

  • OysterCulture August 13, 2011 at 6:59 pm

    What a wonderful recap and so glad you got to meet Aiofe. I am now convinced no trip to Dublin is complete without meeting her.

    Your meal looks incredible and it would have taken me forever to decide as well. I definitely approve your choice.

  • Deb in Hawaii August 14, 2011 at 5:36 pm

    What a great recommendation–it is so nice to know fellow food bloggers. This looks like a fabulous meal–the potted crab and your lamb burger especially have me drooling. 😉

  • kat August 15, 2011 at 10:00 am

    That was one mouth-watering post! I love Scotch eggs myself so the was a good start & potted meats, don’t get me started!

  • Tangled Noodle August 22, 2011 at 11:44 pm

    Good Lord, woman! You are killing me with these photos. To start, I’m already (Irish) green that you and Aiofe were able to meet-up, but I’m totally over the edge with mad envy over your chosen meals at L. Mulligan! I don’t know which I love more, but the bacon-wrapped, goat cheese-topped, beet-slawed lamb burger is the front runner. Many, many thanks for the reminder that I must squirrel away my pennies so I can head to Ireland for another visit! 😎

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