First Culinary Entry for 2008

Lamb Doyles

After much deliberation about what to do for lunch and reminding myself of the commitment I have made to this blog about recipes and restaurant reviews. I decided to make my first 'culinary entry' about my local.


About Lamb Doyles
Lamb Doyles has a long and colourful history with its connections with Horse Racing at nearby Leopardstown Race Course, and as a famous gathering place for Dubliners and tourists who appreciate the magnificent views over Dublin City and Bay.

About the Menu (http://www.lambdoyles.com/html/brasseriemenu.htm)
The menu has changed alot since thier website was created and now is typically what you would find at any bog standard pub throughout the Dublin area. The menu is simple and reflects the strengths of Irish cuisine which always strikes me a being very comfortable in nature. I would expect it being the nature of the average punter who may frequent the place and also due to its location at the start of the Wicklow Mountains.

My Meal
As I was dining at lunch time and was feeling overly hungry I decided to go with a starter of Potato Skins, and a Steak Sandwich for my entrée.

My starter came out piping hot and was presented simply with your normal expectation of a few leafy greens and an orange slice as a garnish. With three halved potato skins with cheddar cheese and bacon. There was no accompaniment of the usual sour cream or salsa which I would expect to find and for €5.75 seemed a bit steep for the portion size. The taste was pleasant as expected and was timely served.

My Entrée followed shortly after and as I like my steaks rare, I was not disappointed. The sandwich was again garnished with the previous garnish, and was on a plate with an ample serving of chips. The steak sandwich itself was served on a ciabatta bun and topped with fried onions and mushrooms. I would have to say it was all that you would expect from your typical pub based restaurant and if I could say anything it was that the food was just that typical. The meal lacked personality and there was not much of a flavor to much of the food. The 6oz. steak sandwich rings in at €12.95 and is a bit steep in price but, you leave feeling full the entire entrée is more than ample to fill an empty stomach.

Service
I have a soft spot for Lamb Doyles as it is my local but not only that, the older gentleman who serves during the day is very pleasant and will go out of his way to help you.

Today's Rating
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Cleanliness: 4/5

Overall: 3.5

First Game Back or Should I Say, "Frost Game Back"

Well on Saturday night I played in my first hockey game of the new year and wow, two weeks off of skates really showed. After posting one of the best performances of the season in the IIHL Allstars vs HK Kurbads on the 22 of December. I followed it up with a shaky first game back. Granted we did have 6 players and the Bulls 'B' had an army of players. But, in the end we won 4-3 and remain in a 3 way tie for top spot. I will chalk it up as more of a practice and more time on the ice. Training tonight and I am going to watch the second leg of the Bulls vs. Concordia Stingers series.

On another note: Team Canada won it's fourth straight world junior hockey championship and it was very exciting to be abroad to watch and see our nation defeat some of the world's elite junior hockey players.

Welcome to my Blog

After much thought and consideration, I have decided to do a blog for all the interesting events that unfold throughout 2008. Because of the nature of who I am and my interests in many things this blog may become fairly abstract. I will do my best to include all things and for you foodies I will include recipes and reviews of restaurants that I encounter through 2008. All major sporting events that I am involved should earn an entry in here.

Before we can start into 2008, I thought it would be good to include the top five moments from 2007.

Top five moments of 2007:

1. Captaining Ireland in the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships
2. My trip to Halifax in October / November
3. The trip to Cork
4. Jimi Dlouhy Cup - Radotin, CZ, London Blues Tourney
5. Playing and getting involved with Irish Ice Hockey - PRO
   

I wish you all the best for 2008 and hope you enjoy reading whats to come.