Gourmet Food Parlour

The way to start the Saturday morning is to have someone else cook your fry for you. Gourmet Food Parlour has been the talk of the week and if we didn't go this morning I'd be going on about it for the next week! So to save some earache Mr.C drove down. A little miniature Avoca style artisan cafe, small interior with a friendly comfortable feel to it. Lovely wooden chairs and tables and menus on blackboards written in chalk. A quick flick through the menu. Some real tempting specials of the week but seeing as we were there for breakfast we couldn't really go for the steak ciabatta sandwich or as Mr.C would have preferred, fusilli pasta with rocket and sun dried tomatoes.

There was a really nice selection for breakfast. We both opted for the GFP Big Breakfast-

The GFP big breakfast – smoked bacon, Cumberland sausage, Clonakilty black and white pudding        
served with our creamy scrambled eggs with chives, tomato relish and toast €8.95 .....

And tea for two.

The scrambled eggs really were creamy and yum. The portions were huge! I had trouble finishing it but Mr.C gladly ate all of his. True to the name it really was a big breakfast, however there wasn't any of that greasy feeling to any bite of it.

Lunch there next time? If I say we already have what we're going to order does that answer the question!

Avoca Monkstown

Well you could say that it's been a wee while since I last got my cooking hands to do some cooking typing. Once again the laziness got the better of me. I shooed it away, so it should be gone for another while!

What a better way to start the year, yes mid January but still early, than having a super duper fun trip at Avoca. The one in Monkstown, not nearly as big as the one in Rathcoole or South Suffolk Street, but what Monkstown have, no other Avoca do....

James Whelan Butchers has traveled all the way from Tipperary and opened up there. The second I saw the set up a BIG huge smile from inside of me shone all the way out! I was like a kid in Willy Wonka! It was amazing! From the clear class design they have to the free range pork. All amazing. What was really impressive was (how I describes it to Ms. R.L) "the upside down conveyor belt hanging from the roof"! It was full of animal bodies just going around and around. Must of been their dry ageing hanging system.

Twirly Whirly Meat Belt Thing

Look at that pork baby!

French trimmed pork and my other baby, rib of beef

Brett carving out my rack of lamb

For Ms. R.L... free range crispy roast pork

It was so hard to pick what I wanted... I wanted the free range pork, I wanted the rib roast, I wanted a rack of lamb. In the end I ended up getting the rack of lamb. Brett the lovely Australian butcher went to the twirly whirly hanging from the roof conveyor belt thing and took down the poor lamb's body and got my rack from it! WOW! I could see through the glass design how he carved the rack out. Few minutes later and my rack was french trimmed and bundled up in James Whelan wrapping paper. €15.99 with lots of love and flavour. Planning on doing a herb crusted roast rack for dinner tomorrow with all the trimmings. I can't wait! Next time, rib roast!

You also can't miss the rotisserie chicken when you walk in. Another glass design. So stylish :P Chickens crisping away slowly on the rotisserie. How could we leave without getting a rotisserie chicken sandwich. €7.00 shared with Mr. C. Leg of chicken, rocket leaves, butter, mayo and dijon mustard on soda bread. The chicken was YUM. I was lucky enough to get a teeny bit of the crispy chicken skin in the sandwich. Think Mr. C got it in his half :P The soda bread was a bit dry though. The slices were sliced and sitting on the chopping board, maybe they should have covered it with something?? Or maybe that's just how soda bread tastes?? I'm more a unhealthy and non nutritious plan white sliced pan kinda gal. Washed down with a can of Sanpellegrino Limonta.... AMAZING!! Go on the Italian lemons.

Purchases of the day:

Chocolate Eclair, Rack of Lamb,
Pudding and Sausage Rolls

Looking forward to visiting James Whelan again, soon!! :) :)