Yummy sambos at Juniors :)

FINALLY!!! We managed to beat the lunchtime rush :)

Las Tapas de Lola

 

I had driven past Las Tapas de Lola a few weeks ago whilst in town and made a mental note to try and visit it in the near future. Our first attempt to eat there was on a Friday night but unfortunately, they were fully booked. This time, I remembered to ring ahead and bagged a table for a Saturday night :)

The resto, whilst not in the nicest part of town, is nicely decorated inside. The menu is extensive with some interesting dishes that you might not necessarily find in other tapas restos and staff are very helpful and friendly :)

The dishes we ordered were a bit hit and miss but with such a large menu, I am tempted to come back and have another go!!

 

Bomba de la Barceloneta - large meatball with spicy sauce. Not what we were expecting, tasted OK but the inside was still cold :(

 

Mixed fried fish Malaga style - generous portion but the chunks of hake had a lot of bones 

 

Mussels - tasty but a little on the small side (we were also given a smaller dish as a complimentary nibble together with a punchy glass of sangria too!)

 

Empanadas de carne - memories of Argentina!! I liked them but JD not a fan as the filling had olives in them!

 

Chorizo y morcilla - both a little too chewy for me :(

 

My favourite dish of the night - Cazuelita de fideuá - a Catalan dish similar to paella which uses noodles instead of rice. Could easily have eaten another plate of this :)

  

Churros and tea for dessert :)

(yummy langues de chat too!)

We probably ordered quite a lot for 2 people (7 dishes, 2 desserts, 2 tea/coffee and one glass of sherry) but final bill was quite reasonable :)

Green Bench Cafe

 

  

Green Bench Cafe is a great little spot just off Harcourt Street to pick up some goodies for lunch (on the recommendation of my yoga teacher, thanks A!!) Unfortunately, there is no seating in the cafe (only the bench outside) but its within walking distance from St Stephens Green where there are plenty of spots to enjoy your grub! :)

Pulled pork sandwich on toasted sourdough, yum :)

Mixed fruit brioche bun - look nice but not sweet enough and not enough cream inside

Damson Diner

JD and I found ourselves in town on a Sunday afternoon of a bank holiday so decided to pop into Damson Diner (had heard good things through a blog I check into from time to time!) for a spot of lunch :)

Despite the resto being around 30% full, the kitchen looked like they were already in the weeds which didn't bode well as they were expecting more customers after us!! The menu available was brunch offerings - surprised to see and hear that they did not offer juices or smoothies (was offered milkshakes instead??!!). I'm imagining its a bit of missed opportunity as I always thought the markups on juices and smoothies were pretty high and easy money to pocket?!

Portions were generous, food and service acceptable - lunch was pleasant enough but I don't think I will be in a rush to return.

JD's eggs Benedict with on a bed of hash. Looks nice but did not deliver on flavour :(

My full breakfast - lots to eat and get through but nothing much to savour.....