Restaurants

Five Hygiene Closures in April

A Dublin city centre eatery is among five food businesses where closure orders were issued by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland last month.

Environmental health officers issued the order for the Damson Diner on South William Street in Dublin 2 on Monday April 14th and lifted it on Wednesday April 16th. It was one of three eateries closed under the Food Safety Authority Act 1998.

Co Louth restaurant, Rice Asian Kitchen in Ardee, was also forced to close for over a week after a visit by inspectors. The order was served on April 7th and lifted on April 17th.

Co Wexford eatery, Mo’s Kitchen in Larkin’s Cross, Barntown, Wexford was also issued with a closure order and closed for a day in early April.

Top Munster Restaurants for Final

Six Munster restaurants will compete in the final of the RAI Restaurants of the Year Awards.

They include The Tannery in Dungarvan which won the Restaurant of the Year title in 2013, 1826 Adare run by Wade and Elaine Murphy, Gallagher’s Seafood Restaurant, Bunratty, Fenn’s Quay Restaurant, Cork, Mulcahy’s Wild Garlic Restaurant, Kerry and The Old Convent Tipperary

Chief executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, Adrian Cummins said: “These awards celebrate the people that make the restaurant sector the dynamic and exciting industry it is. They are the people who provide 64,000 jobs to our economy and generate revenue in excess of €2bn. We’re recognising the talent, hard work and commitment that everyone here gives to the food industry.”

Other finalists aannounced last night included:

Danny is Chowder Champ

Danny Fitzpatrick, chef-owner of Fitzpatrick’s Bar and Restaurant, Dundalk has been crowned All Ireland Chowder Champion 2014 at the 4th All Ireland Chowder Cook-Off, sponsored by Clona which took place in Kinsale.

Danny received a customised trophy, and will travel to Newport, Rhode Island, USA in June, 2015 to represent Ireland in the Great Chowder Cook-Off, following in the footsteps of Noel Wallace of Bunratty Manor, Clare and John McGrath / Frank Walsh of the West Bar, Westport. The runners-up won weekend tickets to the Kinsale Gourmet Festival in October 2014, and a Kinsale landscape print.

A record attendance of over 1000 people travelled to Acton’s Hotel for the event which saw chefs from all over Ireland serve steaming pots of delicious chowder to ticket holders, who were also the judges of the event. Members of the public had only one vote to cast for the best of 32 chowders. On entry, everyone received a voting card that allowed them to sample all chowders from the individual stalls before casting their vote.

Noma Back on Top

Danish restaurant Noma was tonight named 'The finest place to dine on the planet' at the 'Top 100 Restaurants' awards held in London’s Guildhall.

The fine dining awards saw the experimental Copenhagen restaurant run by 36-year-old chef Rene Redzepi regain the top spot it lost to Catalan restaurant El Celler de Can Roca last year. It has been voted number one in three of the last four years.

Italy’s Osteria Francescana which is home to the avant-garde genius of Massimo Bottura finished in the bronze position.

While a Spanish restaurant may have lost its top spot, nationally the country fared well at the San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna World’s 50 Best Restaurants, produced by Britain’s Restaurant Magazine. Three Spanish restaurants finished in the top 10 while the UK had two in the top 10, as did the US.

Dympna is Top Chef

Budding chefs and seasoned professionals scooped top honours at the second annual Flogas Mayo Master Chef Competition at the Mayo Abbey Cookery School Claremorris. It is supported by the Chefs of Mayo Club, which set out the competition rules and criteria for each class and organised the professional jud

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ging panel.

Pictured is Dymphna Killeen, Claremorris, a student at Mayo Abbey cookery School who came 1st in the Junior Chef class and 3rd in the Plated Dessert Class.

Michael Keogh, local area representative for Flogas, presented the prizes to the winners.