During my few days spent in Ireland, I met up with a friend of mine who hails from Dublin (among several other cities) and spent her college days with both Trinity and Dublin as her campus. So who better to show me around, right? One place we visited for dinner, which was also where my friend used to go with her friends as eager-to-dress-up college students back in the day, was Cafe en Seine, a stylish and richly decorated cafe bar located in the city center. This huge venue (and I mean huge, as in three floors of seating), struck me as the perfect place to go for cocktails with friends or a nice dinner with a loved one. Not too stuffy or over the top, Cafe en Seine provides a chill atmosphere with a friendly Irish staff. It’s like a French-Irish hybrid.
One of the Rooms of Cafe en Seine
This visit was following my long day trip to the west coast of Ireland so not only was I pretty hungry but I was craving meat, and a good amount of it. Enter the lamb shank, which caught my eye almost immediately. Braised and served alongside a roast carrot and parsnip puree with champ mash (mashed potatoes with scallions), this was exactly what I needed after standing on the cold (but very beautiful) Irish coastline for several hours. And similar to Cafe en Seine, the dish felt like a French-Irish hybrid. Whether it was more Irish than French or more French than Irish does not matter; the taste is all that matters. And this taste was pretty darn good, if you ask me. More than pretty darn good, actually, it was excellent. The lamb slipped right off the bone while the puree and mash were light and complementary. Who knew that Paris and Dublin would make such a beautiful union?
Braised Lamb Shank with Roast Carrot and Parsnip Puree and Champ Mash
Rating: Love
Your pic of the restaurant’s a bit dark, but that food looks great!
Thanks! Yeah, I probably should have taken the picture of the restaurant with flash instead of without. Hopefully there will be a next time!
Pingback: Favorite Meals of 2011 | The Hungry Girl Chronicles