Last weekend I went to Dublin with Chris for 3 days. We got a very early flight on Saturday, so once we had got the bus into the city it was around 9.30am. We bought a 3 day pass for 13.50 euros to give us unlimited bus travel, which was definitely worth it considering just getting to and from the airport would have set us back 12 euros!
The first thing we did was walk onto the main street, and gather our surroundings before going to good ol' Costa for a coffee and cake (not very Irish, but hey). Then, after the caffeine had woken us up a bit, we went for a mooch around the shops, including into Forever 21, which I have wanted to go in for ages, but didn't get chance to in London.
In the afternoon we went to The Church bar and restaurant, walking past the huge metal spire in the centre of the main road along the way. I had a Caipirinha cocktail, which despite being a bit of a killer at 9 euros, tasted amazing. Afterwards we walked across the river to the district called Temple Bar, and had another drink at a place called Havanas. I was a little bit ill on Saturday, so for my second drink I had a Bailey's hot chocolate to try and perk me up.
After our wandering, we decided to try and find our hotel. After getting on the right number bus, but going in the wrong direction, we eventually got there at around 6pm, and collapsed on the bed after an exhausting day. A quick change of clothes and spruce up of makeup, and we headed back into the centre for a meal at Dada, a Moroccan restaurant that we had reserved in advance. It was quite pricey, but absolutely amazing! The atmosphere was relaxed but formal, and the interior made you feel as though you were actually in Morocco - including the temperature!
We each ordered a glass of wine, and for starter I had mini sausages with caramelised onions, and Chris had a kebab type thing (I can't remember the actual names, and the website's an Irish one so I can't check!). My main course was one of the most interesting dishes I have ever had. It was a pastry shaped like an envelope and dusted with icing sugar, and in the centre was a mixture of chicken, quail, apricots, almonds and spices. I must admit, after realising that the white dust on the outside was icing sugar, I was a little dubious, but the combination of all the flavours, and the spice with the sweet apricots was just amazing! It came with a little salad and some orange segments, but I only just managed the pastry alone, as it was very filling.
Chris had the slightly more usual roast duck, but it was in a sweet sticky glaze that tasted lovely, and had peanuts sprinkled on top, so was still not an average meal! The whole thing including a tip cost us 70 euros (approx £61.50) which is more than a typical meal out for us, but I'd say it was definitely worth it for the different food, and overall experience. It was for Chris' birthday after all!
We were really tired after our long day, and I had been suffering with flu, so we went straight back to the hotel to bed, and saved our energy so that we were wide awake for the following day.
No comments:
Post a Comment