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Archive for the ‘Pubs’ Category

Prime Max

Posted in Pubs, tagged , , on July 27, 2010| 3 Comments »

It’s rare I rave about a particular beer. I think the last time I felt the need to draw attention to one was my first experience with Moosehead, a beautiful Canadian Lager I was handed a bottle of in the Bernard Shaw not too long ago.

Earlier on, I tried out Prime Max in the ever-popular Hop House in the company of a good friend. Inspired by European lagers, it has a beautiful hoppy flavour to it and comes from the Hite Brewery. An all-malt brew, it is sold in HUGE bottles with at least three pints to the bottle, thus matching and even beating the Hop House favourite of the Bavaria pitcher. At €9, it is a steal.

The sight of bottles on almost every table of Korean punters is enough to convince me it is the way to go on Hop House journeys in future, rumours of its hangover creational skills remain just that as we didn’t approve of the idea of another round. Midweek, well behaved.

The Hop House is located on Parnell Street, at number 160. It is undoubtedly my favourite of the immigrant community pubs in the city centre, with a wonderful mix of regulars. While the Guinness is there on tap, pubs like this offer a chance to try something new. Give it a go, you’ll get little in the city for €3 a pint at present, and I think this import is a beaut.

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A Much More Random Than Usual Drop Inn: Madonna’s (Temple Bar)

Posted in Pubs, tagged , , on July 13, 2010| 3 Comments »

Dance around the fountain with your Spanish friends.

We’re in Pygmalion, and the drinks are cheap. Half price, everything. The whole lot. We’re into extra time now and this game is going to the wire. Chris turns to me, with a look that says ‘I have a really, really good idea’.

“If Spain get this, I’m straight off to Temple Bar”.

They get it. 1 nil, and the anti-football of the Dutch has lost. We’re off, straight out the door towards Temple Bar. A small-scale Saint Patrick’s Day for Spaniards has kicked off from the bottom of Grafton Street, moving towards Temple Bar in drunken ecstacy . By the time we get to the fountain by College Green, it’s pure madness. We’re dancing around the thing, singing songs we don’t even understand. Brian, one of the lads who finds himself in the company of the drunken Spaniards, has to collect his car and can’t drink. This must have been a sight to sober eyes. Vuvuzelas and fountains come together, girls (and boys) get IN the thing, and Gardai look on and smile.

We stuff our face at Ray’s (Dublin’s best pizza, anyone who says otherwise is wrong) and head for Westmoreland Street and the bus home. BUT WAIT. It’s a woman with what look like vouchers for something. Something free perhaps. ALL IN.

We’re now in the doorway of what we know as Doran’s. It’s bizarre, the place is completely unrecognisable. The walls are decorated with bizarre Irish stuff, ranging from a Land War poster to a copy of the 1916 Proclamation, and loads of Guinness malarky. They’ve essentially tried to create a ‘traditional pub’ (whatever that is) out of nothing. What better way to compliment that than a bizarre 1980’s themed club?

Down the stairs and we’re into Madonna’s. Pints are ordered, and free shots handed over.

“Here, fill that up” says Simon, not responding well to a half empty plastic shot glass. You’d wonder why he asked, we’re essentially drinking Calpol. I’ve ordered a pint of Guinness, and when it returns I’m asked to fork over €5.50 for it. Brian is still taking in the things only a truly sober eye can notice, like the decor of the place. “You know anywhere with a carpeted floor is going to be classy”. Good observation that, take note.

If you’ve played Grand Theft Auto Vice City, this IS that nightclub.

When playing Vice City, this is when I take out my rocket launcher.

They’re playing Never Gonna Give You Up, and it’s not even closing time. Now they’re playing Michael Jackson. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is next. The place has a sort of disco look to it, and a general sort of ‘bit of a laugh’ vibe off it. It’s a long, long way from what was here before it however, and feels about as genuine as the ‘traditional’ pub they’ve put upstairs. Everyone here seems to be a tourist, which says it all really. It’s sure to make enough money to survive in Temple Bar, but does Temple Bar need an eighties bar? Most of the kips in the area don’t look like they’ve changed much since then anyway.

I look forward to seeing what this is turned into next month. Still, what a night. I wouldn’t have changed a single thing.

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A Random Drop Inn: Kenny’s, Vesey Arms (Lucan Village, West Dublin)

Posted in Pubs, tagged , on July 10, 2010| 1 Comment »

Lucan in ye olde times.

I keep getting it wrong.

It’s Taiwan, not Thailand.Josef Fritzl went on holidays to Thailand, and Taiwan is an island that is an economic powerhouse and home to many multinational corporations and banks. A good friend is off there for a year or so soon, and he’s not the only one at the table tonight off on an adventure.

Two are heading Stateside. In true Irish fashion, they’re in the pub the night before flying out. There’s a sort of ‘last supper’ feeling to all this, as by the time those two return from America, my other friend will be settling into life in Thailand. Sorry, Taiwan. He’ll be settling into life in Taiwan. Another friend is determined to go one better than that, and is off to Ghana. I’ve no plans of leaving west Dublin for the forseeable future, so this is a surreal night.

We’ve had a few here but. In fact, Kenny’s has almost been adopted as our ‘meet up place’, a group of close secondary school comrades too stubborn to move on and talk to anyone in college. Why would you? We know and trust each other enough. Lucan village boasts several pubs, but we fell for this one.

The pints, it could be them. A table of seasoned Guinness drinkers, all here are more familiar with city centre classic spots like Mulligan’s for a good pint. These are near unfaultable however, and consistent. A few of the more neutral Guinness drinkers tend to follow us here onto the black stuff, which is always a good sign.

(more…)

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A Random Drop Inn: Kennedy’s, Westland Row

Posted in Pubs, tagged , , , on June 30, 2010| 3 Comments »

Two very different Kennedy's, one premises.

It’s like a song by the Beach Boys out here today, we’re melting.

It’s all Topshop girls and Choc Ice’s up in Merrion Square, and it’s very hard work altogether. We’re into the inevitable waiting game now, when two people want to hit the pub but both know it might be slightly too early in the day to do so. I give in.

“Shall we go for a….
Brilliant idea

Great, that was easy. From here, we either move towards Foley’s, Doheny and Nesbitt or Kennedy’s. I call Kennedy’s, purely on the grounds of long time no see.

The bar is lovely and quite old fashioned. The first thing that grabs your eye on entering is a picture of Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde himself, who was born only around the corner. There are a few people around the bar grabbing an early lunch, and we order two pints, over the sound of the vuvuzela. I will always remember this summer as the summer of that irritating object. The telly isn’t too loud, but the vuvuzela is. Come to think of it, did ANYONE know what a vuvuzela was last month?

We grab two seats, and only then notice the ‘Pull your own pint’ set-up at the table. I hate, hate, hate the introduction of these things to Dublin pubs, but even some of the best have succumbed to them. In fairness, I can’t spot any more of them about. The pints from the bar are excellent, and we both comment on the quality of the pint. I don’t know why anyone would go for the vending machine option, but you never know with people I suppose. A map of Dublin from the 1700’s stands out on the walls, which are free of tacky rubbish.

So, all this has the feel of a lovely and quiet-enough-except-when-the-World-Cup-happens-in-Africa city centre pub, no? The place is well known as a Trinity College haunt, and it really does feel a bit like a ‘Sunday with a book’ haunt, and that is no bad thing. There’s more to the place but, much more downstairs.

‘The Underground’, is miles removed from the quiet boozer upstairs. It’s home to a music venue that hosts everything electronic and does things a little bit noisy.The door-tax is normally a fiver, but you can always pop back upstairs. Things move slower there, and the noise is (normally) that of chat alone.

We live a nice barman, two empty pint glasses and that sound behind us, and continue on. To the next pub.

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A Random Drop Inn: St. Olaf’s GAA Club (Sandyford)

Posted in Pubs, tagged , , , , , , on June 28, 2010| 3 Comments »

The decor is a bit plain and there’s only one TV in the pub (important during World Cup season) but at €2.50 for a pint of fosters (all day, every day) I was not one to complain. Especially as I’ve acquired a certain taste for Fosters after two years studying and working in Belfield.

It is I believe the cheapest pint in Dublin County. (Guiness stands at a very reasonable €3.80)

This is a picture of a pint of Fosters.

Situated behind the Kilmacud Luas Stop and accessible via Sandyford Industrial Estate, St. Olaf’s is your standard, essential GAA club which plays a vital part in the local community. (My circle of friends who play GAA are nearly equally divided up between Kilmacud Crokes, St. Olaf’s (Sandyford) and St. John’s Ballinter. I’m not one to pick sides.)

As the four of us walked in Thursday night, we had the whole bar to ourselves and settled down in our seats just as the Denmark – Japan game kicked off on the (one and only) television. Perfect timing. My old school mate DMurray got the first round. Four pints for a tenner. What a feeling. (He also bought a packet of King crisps, bacon fries and peanuts, opened them up and mixed them altogether. A dangerous and very salty mix)

The bar steadily filled up with a gangs of parents and kids arriving after a school play which was being held in the hall downstairs. Beer mats went flying, coke bottles knocked off tables and crisps crushed into the carpet as a crowd of toddlers ran riot through the pub.

Entrance to St. Olaf's GAA Club.

Another round later and with the final whistle blown in the game, we decided to have our own half time and went off to get some food (and some peace and quiet) The recently opened Pizza Hut in the ‘Beacon South Quarter’ five minutes away seemed happy to have our custom. (€10 for a 9″ pizza with two toppings, a side (garlic bread, chips or wedges), garlic & herb dip and a can). Tasty, cheap but hard to go back on the larger afterwards.

We arrived back into a much darker, much nicer child-free pub. A group of men in the corner played dominoes while three club members at another table were sorting out the monthly community lotto. DMurray spotted his dad having a quiet ones with some of his own friends at the bar. I see the barman, as he collects glasses from the floor, stop what he’s doing and have a conversation with an elderly female customer (Well how-are-ya getting on Mrs. Smith?). Its that kind of pub.

I may even try my luck at their next (monthly) Texas Hold ‘Em competition.

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