The Irish Food Report #1
Amuri By Day, City Centre, Dublin
Shouk, Drumcondra, Dublin
Host, Ranelagh, Dublin
Thank you for opening my first report. This week’s report features an Italian deli serving great sandwiches, fresh and filling Middle Eastern food, and one of Ireland’s most talked about restaurants.
Amuri By Day - Italian deli and café
https://www.instagram.com/amuribyday_dublin
Food 9/10
Vibe 8/10
Value 9/10
You will find Amuri By Day on Chatham Street, just a few metres off Grafton Street and a couple of doors down from the great Neary’s pub.
There is a restaurant upstairs called Amuri, but I only ate in the deli and it was delicious. There’s a solid menu of Italian sandwiches to choose from and they come in fresh Italian panino or focaccia bread. You’ll also find Italian deli classics like arancini and cannoli.
The room itself is small and clean with mostly high counter top tables. The staff were all Italian and friendly and upbeat. Overall, a really nice and inviting deli/café.
While I was reading the sandwich menu, the young guy serving me said “If you trust us, we’ll make you a special that isn’t on the menu,” so I let them at it, and also went for a mortadella with pistachio cream on focaccia. The special included salami, prosciutto, roast peppers, red pepper pesto, mozzarella, caramelised onions, and rocket on focaccia - one the best sandwiches I can remember having. As a nice touch, the staff offered us our choice of arancini on the house and we picked the bolognese. Fresh hot coffee and cannoli for dessert topped off a great visit to a gem of a deli.
Shouk - relaxed Middle Eastern restaurant
Food 9/10
Vibe 7/10
Value 10/10
Shouk is beside the Drumcondra train station, almost hidden in the corner of the courtyard to the Arts and Business Campus Drumcondra.
The entrance would make you think it’s a small restaurant, but there’s plenty of space across its two indoor rooms, one outdoor but covered area, and a fully outdoor courtyard at the back that would be beautiful on a late summer night. There’s nothing fancy about the interiors or tables, so I wouldn’t be dressing up to impress a first date or business client here, but the delicious food is all you really need.
As a walk-in at 8pm on a Saturday night, I was chancing my arm, but I was happily seated at the bar. I hadn’t eaten all day and spent my day running and in a sauna - a truly clichéd Irish millennial - so I was very hungry.
The menu was big, catering to meat lovers and vegans/veggies, and everything sounded great; falafel-stuffed pitas, shawarmas, mezze platters, whole roasted cauliflowers in tahini, hummus - everything you want from a good Middle Eastern spot.
I went for hummus with pita bread, 8 falafel balls, aubergine salad, and an Arayes which was lamb and beef stuffed into pita bread and fried with a side of roasted veggies and labneh. To drink, I had a sweet peach fizzy water. Everything was fresh, delicious, and filling but not overwhelming. I’ll absolutely be back. My only negative was having to trek out the back and into the adjacent college to use their toilets, but I got over it pretty quick.
Host - modern Italian/European hot spot
Food 10/10
Vibe 9/10
Value 9/10
I can’t advise on how to get a table in Host. I was invited last minute by a friend who is a regular and who was contacted and offered a table due to a cancellation. My sister has tried and failed many times to book a table here. I can’t really make sense of how to book on their website either. Host is one of those places with a confusing booking system that they don’t need to change because every seat will always be filled, and for good reason.
The room itself is relaxing, open, and a mix of seated tables, kitchen-view counter tops, and high tables. There’s nothing pretentious or “conceptual” going on with Host, just a nice energy with the promise of amazing food.
The menu changes daily (I assume, because the date was printed on ours), and the friendly staff know everything about it. It’s a mix of classic Italian/European fare with modern takes. You can go a la carte or choose the chef’s menu for two of starters, pasta, mains, and a dessert to share. We went with the chef’s menu because it had everything we wanted from the a la carte. To drink, we went for a nice crisp glass of Gewürztraminer and an Irish 0.0 pale ale from Fierce Mild.
Once we had ordered, warm focaccia and olive oil was brought as a bonus. Not long afterwards, our starters of fresh mozzarella and caponata with pine nuts, and bluefin tuna tostados, arrived. The caponata was the highlight but everything was great.
Next was our two pasta dishes: beef shin ragu with papardelle, and pumpkin cappellacci (like tortellini) with walnuts and sage - both incredible.
Our main course was a large peppercorned pork chop with creamed celeriac for two, with a side of fresh escarole and radish salad, and some roast potatoes with aioli. Pork chop is something I never cook at home or order out, unless I’m in a place like this, and we were not disappointed. It was perfectly cooked and juicy, another highlight.
Dessert was a milk chocolate ganache with homemade vanilla ice cream and a biscuit crumble.
If you can get a table here, you will not be disappointed.
Thank you for reading my first report, I hope you enjoyed it. If you want to read my next one, I’ll send one out every Monday night. Just make sure you’ve joined the mailing list. Happy eating!
