Irish Showstoppers – 6 Things I Will Never Eat Again

Irish Showstoppers and food? Yes, you heard me right. Who knew Ireland was a foodie destination? I certainly did not. In fact, truth be told when I left home to travel there I had no preconceived notion of Irish food knocking my socks off. Actually I assumed the opposite and I planned to visit and enjoy the surroundings on their own. And yet, pretty quickly into my trip I was gobsmacked, happily stunned time and again, by so much great food in Ireland. I honestly had no clue. But the local food movement is strong in Ireland and that is reflected gloriously in the tastes of the food and beverages around the country.

About halfway through my trip to Killarney and Dublin I had tasted a few items that I realized were the absolute best versions of the food, dish, or drink that I had ever sampled anywhere. Irish showstoppers. Which led me to the conclusion that I am done with these six foods and beverages, at least until I return to Ireland again. Honestly there’s no point even trying to find an Irish coffee anywhere else EVER for instance. That fresh cream on top, literally whipped right in front of me at a roadside restaurant stop when I was doing the Ring of Kerry Tour was one of the biggest Irish showstoppers I could ever find.

Here are 6 Foods I will Never Eat Again Unless I am Back in Ireland.

1. Irish Coffee –

   I had this three times in Ireland and now I wish I had sampled Irish coffee every single day and night. Frankly I used to have these on holidays. And I even sampled a couple of specialty coffees back before having children when my husband and I would go out for a meal and enjoy new restaurants. But when I had my first Irish coffee in Ireland I literally stopped and wondered what on earth they had been serving in Canada all these years. It is not Irish coffee. So I am done with this, until I return to Ireland where they make it best.

   

2. Guinness beer –

   OH well honestly I guess I could have predicted this one. Dublin is home to Guinness and Guinness has clearly shaped the city dramatically. Stands to reason that the Guinness that flows from the taps in the pubs in Ireland is the freshest. And the coldest and the most refreshing. It is simply the best version of Guinness. What we get here is nothing like the fresh beer we had there.

   

    

3. Aristan pizza –

   Yes, I know this will be a challenge, but honestly the tuna artisan pizza that we had at Fade Street Social was perfection. The crust was magically crispy without any hint of sogginess. It had the crunch and flakiness of a fine soda cracker almost, but a very high quality one. SO good. Actually I think Fade Street Social itself was one of the biggest Irish showstoppers. The soup that Jill got there was exquisitely presented. She wrote something about that recently on her site Middle of the Road Less Traveled. 

4. Cobb Salad –

   Oneill’s Pub makes the best cobb salad I have ever eaten, topped with slices of bacon, flanked by fresh avocado and served with a tasty helping of a light dijon mustard dressing. SO fresh and scrumptious. DIVINE. Be warned this is BIG food, stick to your ribs food. 

5. Irish Stew –

   I had this a couple of times. But the evening I had this at the Brazen Head and watched the Folklore and Fairies show it was the best yet. Tasted rich and hearty and the way Irish Stew should taste.

6. Fish and Chips –

   Now I am not willing to say I will never have this again because I plan to test my theory in England at some point. I’m not really the world’s biggest fish and chips fan but I appreciate fresh fish and a great batter changes everything. Light, tasty batter is what you will find at Quinlan’s Seafood Bar in Killarney, Ireland. There are apparently several other locations throughout Ireland.

   

Irish Showstoppers are hard to beat

These Irish showstoppers are truly that. Gorgeous dishes and drinks that are at the top of their game. Have you ever been to Ireland? Were you blown away by the slow food movement there? Or were you entirely amazed at the fresh flavours of their farm to table offerings?

Recently I was on a media trip hosted by Failte Ireland through TBEX. My accommodations, travel and food were covered while in Dublin. My opinion is all my own and it is also truthful.