The Blarney Stone

 

Oh here is an ol' favourite, all the way back to my University days!  I remember the live music, but not really anything about the food.  Well, the food wasn't really the draw here, but more recently, they have began to focus on that by revamping the menu.  As such, we were invited to try some of those new dishes and to see for ourselves if The Blarney Stone can be known for its food in addition to its reputation in being a fun place for some beverages.

So of course we had a few pints of Guinness, but also something related in the Jameson-Glazed Wings.  These were really good with a delicious whiskey glaze which was not too boozy, but at the same time, we could taste it.  It was well-balanced due to the good amount of sweetness.  As for the wings, they were fried enough so that the skin was crispy and rendered.  Inside, the meat was juicy and tender.

I loved the play on words with the Shephard's Fries where the ingredients of a shepherd's pie topped the "potato" of the dish.  This was super addictive and paid homage to the classic poutine, but with a Guinness gravy, potted beef and legit cheese curds.  Loved the taste of the meat mixture as there was depth and plenty of savouriness.  Despite the wet ingredients, the fries were still crispy on the edges.

The fries were pretty solid, but the Irish Hand Pies were off the hook!  The beautifully browned puff pastry was crispy on the outside, but buttery and layered on the inside.  About the inside, the filling consisted of 63 Acres beef, peas, mashed potatoes and potted beef onion gravy.  So you can imagine a pot pie but in your hand!  The rich beef flavour was evident as well as the sweetness from the onions. 

The most-appealing-to-look-at-dish was the Crispy Fishwich Sliders.  The large piece of fried haddock was flaky and moist while the beer-batter was crunchy and airy. Adding in American cheese and tartar sauce, this had serious Filet-O-Fish vibes.  However, this was more interesting with a crunchy and tangy slaw on the bottom.  Furthermore, the bun was soft, but benefited from a nice toasting.

Our last appie was the Roast Beef Sliders with potted beef and horseradish mayo on the same toasted brioche bun.  There was some real au jus on the side for dipping.  So instead of packet jus, this was actual roast beef drippings.  Hence, there was plenty of meatiness and less saltiness.  The shredded roast beef was fairly tender and had plenty of meat texture.  Loved the horseradish cream as it had just enough bite.

Onto the mains, we had the classic Bangers & Mash featuring Spolombo sausages, roasted root veggies, mashed potato and Guinness & onion gravy.  As simple as this dish appeared, it was actually very delicious.  First off, the sausages had a nice sear on the outside while beyond the snap casing, the meat was lean and well-seasoned.  The mash was super smooth and that gravy was so rich and flavourful.  Lastly, the veggies were barely cooked through, retaining a fresh crunch.

Continuing on with the comfort food, we had the Irish Stew with slow-cooked lamb, potato, celery, carrot and onion.  This was a hearty and rich stew that was natural-tasting without too much salt.  It was still flavourful from the sweetness of the veggies as well as the unmistakable taste of lamb.  About that lamb, it was super tender and plentiful.  The side of garlic toast was so crunchy and buttery.

Lastly, we had the Cottage Pie with 63 Acres ground beef, mixed veggies, buttered mashed potatoes and house-made tomato gravy.  Oh this hit the spot!  The tomato gravy was rich and had a muted tanginess.  The meatiness of the mixture was evident while the creamy mashed potatoes enveloped the ground beef like a warm hug.  The comfort food here at The Blarney Stone was on point and very reasonably-priced.  I would come back in a heartbeat for the eats, brews and of course, the live music!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:
- Solid comfort food
- Reasonable pricing
- Still has that Blarney Stone vibe

The Bad:
- Parking isn't the easiest to find nearby
- Neighbourhood is a bit sketchy

Dublin Crossing (Marine Gateway)

Since we play the majority of our softball games on the Southside of Vancouver, it is pretty convenient to make the hop into Richmond for eats afterwards.  However, it seems as if this season is looking more like a weekly pub-crawl, keeping us away from Asian eats.  I'd been lobbyingto give Dublin Crossing at Marine Gateway a shot due to its proximity to our games.  It wasn't until a staff function at the pub to win me over as the food was pretty tasty as well as the cool decor.  After our less-than-stellar experience at another Irish pub (the one with the AYCE wing special), we wanted to see what Dublin Crossing could do better.  

As mentioned, I was able to sample some appies as part of a staff function.  We had the impressively large Ploughman's Board consisting of turkey, roast beef, prosciutto, goat cheese, Stilton blue cheese, aged cheddar and double cream brie.  The house-made roast beef was beautifully medium-rare (closer to rare) which meant it was moist and tender.  On the other hand, the turkey was on the drier side.  This also came with the accompaniments you see on the board as well as bread. Crunchy and fried perfectly, the Crispy Cauliflower was delicious.  They were cooked all-the-way-through but still retained the classic firm robust texture.  Although they were well-seasoned on their own, the side of raita chili lime mayo was the proverbial icing on the cake as it added a cooling tangy spice.

Another solid item was the Stuffed Yorkshire Pudding with house-made roast beef, horseradish sour cream and beef gravy.  Normally, you only get 2 in an order (served with mashed potatoes and veggies), but we shared a platter of these as you can see in the picture.  Large with a purposeful concave design, the fluffy Yorkshire pudding was also lightly crispy on the outside.  The roast beef was tender while the gravy kept things moist.  Loved the subtle horseradish flavour in the sour cream.  Revisiting the place with my team, we had the Irish Nachos featuring thin cut fried chips topped with layered cheese, bacon, tomato, green onion and red pepper.  I had this the first time as well and they delivered once again.  This was a huge portion that we barely finished.  The chips were crunchy and not overly greasy while the amount of toppings was generous and evenly distributed.  Almost resembling a tomato sauce rather than what was described as salsa, it went rather well with the chips.

Sens Fan was traumatized by the AYCE wing fiasco at Ceili's, so he wanted to get an order of their Hot Wings to wash away the nightmare.  He was a happy man as the wings were fried until crispy with rendered skin.  As much as the meat was not juicy per se, it was hardly dry either.  There was enough hot sauce to coat each wing without drowning them.  There was plenty of flavour to go around where the wing was seasoned properly.  R2D2, Milhouse, Boss Woman and I decided to share some dishes including the Fish & Chips sporting 2 large pieces of cod.  They were beautifully fried where the batter was thin and crunchy.  The cod itself remained moist and flaky.  Once again, there was enough inherent seasoning to eat the fish plain, but the creamy tartar sauce was nicely balanced albeit a bit thin.  A touch generic, the fries were prepared well though being hot and crispy.

Moving onto some Irish offerings, we also shared the Bangers & Mash with traditional style sausages, caramelized onions, braised cabbage, beef gravy, garlic mashed potatoes and veggies.  I found the bangers to be very meaty and lean.  They weren't dry though as the meat was still moist.  Most of the flavour came from the rich beef gravy, but it was on the saltier side.  As much as mashed potatoes are usually an afterthought, this version was really good being creamy, light and flavourful.  Veggies were not overcooked and still vibrant.  Staying with the yummy mashed potatoes, we had the Cottage Pie made with shredded beef, mixed veggies, panko crumbs and aged cheddar.  This was hearty and filling despite not looking like much.  The beef was tender while the mashed potatoes were a bit firmer since they were baked.  Despite being rich and flavourful, the gravy was again pretty salty.

Just to say that we sampled the more popular items, we also got the Belfast Bacon Burger with a 6 oz patty, aged cheddar, smoked bacon, tomato, red onion, lettuce & roasted garlic aioli on a toasted brioche bun.  Again, the fries were average, but prepared properly.  On the other hand, the burger was pretty good.  The patty was moist and natural tasting.  There was an appealing smokiness from the 2 large strips of bacon.  Judes went off the board (as in the regular menu) and had the Meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes and veggies.  Now if the carrots and zucchini looked a bit burnt, well the reason for this might've been the fact that they forgot her order and probably rushed it.  Despite that, the mash was as good as before while the meatloaf was also well-executed.  It didn't look very moist but in fact it was.  The meat was tender and well-seasoned while not greasy.  There could've been more of the tangy glaze on top though.

Bear ended up with the St. Patrick's Irish Stew with lamb, potatoes, carrots, leeks and peas in a rich tomato broth.  This was a pretty substantial portion that he struggled to finish.  It was indeed hearty and full-flavoured, if not a bit salty.  The chunks of lamb and potatoes were tender.  There was definitely a mild beer essence to go with the meatiness.  We found it a bit strange they would use tomatoes, but the stew was ultimately tasty.   Also on the table was the Chicken Pub Pie sporting chicken, carrots, peas and potatoes in a flaky pastry crust. Served with garlic mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and chicken gravy.  Unlike the other dishes with gravy, this one was not as salty, yet still flavourful.  As for the chicken, there was enough of it and generally tender.  After trying what was essentially a large chunk of the menu, we were pretty satisfied with the results.  Food was more than acceptable, room was nice and best of all, service was quick and friendly.

The Good:
- Solid food for a pub
- Quick and friendly service
- Loved the decor

The Bad:
- A little on the pricier side
- Gravy was too salty

Dubh Linn Gate: Irish Pub

Wait...  Wasn't there just a post recently on Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub?  Yes, I had been invited to a menu tasting a few months ago and came away pretty impressed with the food.  With a change in Executive Chef, I was invited back to do another tasting with a nearly complete revamping of the menu.  I was curious to try the new menu items as well as holding high expectations based on the last visit.  Turns out I should've brought my Joey Tribbiani stretchy pants because they didn't hold back with the selection of eats!

We were started off with the Mushroom & Barley Croquettes done in an Arancini-style and served with ranch dressing.  These were hot and crispy with the thinnest of breading.  They were not greasy at all and featured a creamy and mushroomy filling that had a bite due to the barley.  It was definitely different than using arborio rice, but I thought it worked.  It really didn't need the ranch dressing as they tasted great on their own.  With an intoxicating aroma, we were surprised with the Pulled Chicken Curry.  It was pretty legit-tasting being full-flavoured where we could taste the spices including the cumin and turmeric.  There was also a low rumble of spice accented by the nutty crunch from the almonds and brightness from the cilantro.  Although the grilled naan bread was not done in a tandoor (and we didn't expect that either), it was good for what it was being toasty, nutty and crispy with a chew.

Although the Smoked Ham Hock Mac n' Cheese didn't look like anything special, it was actually one of our favourites.  It consisted of Two Rivers smoked ham hocks mixed with pale ale aged cheddar cheese sauce and green peas.  The smoky and purposefully salty ham added plenty of punch to the creamy and full-bodied cheese sauce.  Loved the succulent ham and the pop of the sweet peas together as well as the crunch from the topping.  This was seriously tasty and if there wasn't more food on the way, I would've dusted this off by myself!  But alas, my absolute favourite dish arrived next in the 7 oz AAA Flat Iron Steak with peppercorn sauce, Brussels sprouts, sauteed Yukon potatoes, cabbage and bacon.  This was seared uniformly medium-rare and well-rested with a beautiful char.  Hence, the meat was juicy, ultra-tender and well-seasoned.  Even the veggies were on point in terms of texture and taste.

Of course we had to have some greens too right?  Well, not really, but since we were served 2 of them for the tasting, I had to do the obligatory sample.  The first was a familiar one in the Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with red, golden and candy can beets, walnuts, poached pears and chevre tossed in a rhubarb dressing.  The thing I enjoyed about this salad was the variety of flavours and textures.  Some beets were sweet being roasted while the others were tangy being pickled.  The dressing was aggressive, but welcomed due to the creamy tang.  We also had the Cider Glazed Prawns and Grapefruit Salad, which was really all about the prawns.  They were large, meaty and exhibited a strong natural sweet prawn flavour and aroma.  The mint cilantro citrus dressing was refreshing and appetizing going well with the rest of the ingredients including pumpkin seeds, feta, avocado and pickled onion.

Back to the meat, we were presented with the Chicken Parmi sporting an Australian version with a breaded chicken breasts topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese served over fries.  This was really a simple dish where the chicken was aggressively breaded where the coating was crunchy and remained so despite the sauce.  The meat itself was a little dry but the amount of tangy sauce and melted mozzarella made up for it.  Loved eating it with the fries though as it was sorta like a chicken parm poutine.  Something just as cheesy was the Ham & Cheddar Toastie featuring Two Rivers nitrate-free ham on Swiss Bakery sourdough with aged cheddar, creamy apple spread and house made piccalilli relish.  This was loaded with ham and was extremely messy!  Lots of ooey gooey cheese to go with the wealth of sweet, tangy and salty hits from the ingredients.

Moving onto a different type of cuisine, we had some tacos.  The first to arrive was the Tacos de Carnitas with ancho-marinated pork butt braised in garlic, onions and limes.  This was pretty good with juicy tender pork that was flavourful from the braise.  There was a pointed spiciness and heat from the habanero hot sauce which was somewhat cooled by sweetness and sharpness of the pineapple salsa.  The amount of cabbage was just right providing a crunch and relief from the spiciness.  The second version was the Crispy Cod Tacos with beer battered Ocean Wise north pacific cod with guacamole, chili lime sauce, cilantro cabbage and pickled red onions.  The moist and flaky cod was enveloped in a crunchy batter while flavoured by the spicy and tangy chili lime sauce.  Layers of flavours appeared from the bright cilantro and acidic pickled onions.

On that note, we also had more cod in the Fish n' Chips with a humongous 7 oz. filet of the same beer battered cod atop house fries accompanied by tartar sauce and slaw.  Since the piece of fish was even bigger, the flakiness was even more apparent.  The fish was on point being super moist and tender.  Like the taco, the batter was crunchy, marginally greasy and nicely seasoned.  Underneath, the fries were uniformly crispy and were extra tasty when dunked into the creamy and tangy tartar sauce.  Even the slaw was on point being crunchy and easy on the dressing while still tangy.  I didn't get to one of the earlier appies until I tackled some of the mains.  This is where I sampled the Hummus & Olives.  Okay, nothing special here right?  Well yes and no.  The hummus was unique where they added harissa which added a je ne sais quoi quality to it.  There was a spiced Earthiness to go with the garlickiness.  The hummus was fairly smooth with a bit of textural chunkiness.

One of the last dishes to arrive was curiously the Brasserie Board consisting of Guinness Cheddar, Chevre, Rondoux, Bresaola, Two Rivers Ham Hock Rillette, pickled veggies, pickled egg, apple mustard, raisin chutney, beer jelly and Swiss Bakery sourdough.  This was a pretty board with plenty of things to share.  I particularly liked the Guinness cheddar as it was slightly tangy, rich and marginally pungent.  The shredded ham hock did its best impression of a chunky rillette.  The saltiness was tempered by finely diced onions.

Onto the sweets, I was pleasantly surprised by the Pot of Cheesecake baked in a mason jar.  Normally, one look at a dessert in a jar and I have this negative bias towards it.  But this was actually good with crispy graham cracker crumbs and a smooth cheesy mousse.  The ample sour cherry topping was juicy and not overly sweet.  As for the Flourless Chocolate Cake, it ate more like a rich ganache square.  This was not a bad thing because it was chocolately, purposefully sweet and appealingly bitter.  The sweet caramel sauce and raspberry compote were nice compliments in terms of sweetness and tang.  These were a delightful ending to a successful tasting.  Once again, the food was solid at Dubh Linn Gate, even with the changes.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Solid eats for a pub (and in fact any place)
- Good portions
- Moderately-priced

The Bad:
- Fries aren't bad, but for me, they are a little generic

Dubh Linn Gate: Irish Pub

Often, pub food can be merely a necessity to pair some form of eats to go with a beverage (or two or three...).  Therefore, it can be rather uninspiring and generally not very tasty.  I guess it wouldn't matter if one was inebriated right?  Well, things have definitely changed with the popularization of the gastropub many years back.  I've been to quite a few of these places in the last 8 years and I have come away impressed with many of them.  It's like one doesn't even need to drink at the pub to have a good time!  Yah right!  Anyways, a bunch of us went for a menu tasting at Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub to see if they could tickle our palates in addition to pickling it. 

Since it was a menu-tasting, we got a wide array of plates including the classic Scotch Egg sporting an on point soft yolk egg.  Even the egg white was lightly cooked where it wasn't rubbery.  Encasing this was a balanced layer of Guinness sausage that was moist with a meaty rebound texture.  It was fairly mild, but did have the rich finish of the Guinness.  Underneath, the piccalilli sauce was slightly acidic and appealingly tart.  Served on grilled sourdough, the Black Pudding Toasties were pleasant despite the visuals.  Personally, I love blood sausage, so it didn't bother me.  I thought the caramelized onion jam and side of mustard were necessary to vary the flavours and especially a bite (with the mustard).

As much as I wanted to avoid the Maple Kale & Chicken Salad because I'm a meatatarian, I gave it a shot anyways.  Turns out it was actually not bad with fresh baby kale, roasted butternut squash, beer-brined chicken, dried cherries, almonds and sweet potato chips.  The varied textures and sweetness of the ingredients made the salad interesting.  The restrained usage of the maple mustard vinaigrette kept the kale from wilting and not totally drenching the salad in sweet acidity.  The one thing that could've been better was the chicken as it was a bit dry.  Staying with veggies, we tried the Brussels Sprouts roasted with bacon and broiled with Dubliner cheese and some lemon.  I found the sprouts to be cooked just enough that they retained a firm texture.  The bacon was apparent as well as the melted cheese.  For me, I prefer sprouts that are fried, but these were good for the manner they were prepared.

Onto the larger dishes, I dug into the Steak & Guinness Pie first.  Baked in a cast iron skillet, the pie was served bubbling hot.  The crust was flaky and buttery while the filling featured chunks of succulent beef.  I definitely got the hits of Guinness which was nicely cooked-down in a rich gravy.  It was good that the salt content was not heavy either.  The side of fries were fantastic being hot, crispy and completely potatoey inside.  Barely fitting onto the plate, the Traditional Fry Up boasted 2 over-easy eggs, peameal bacon, 2 Rivers banger, Oyama black pudding, roasted tomato, fried potatoes, house-baked beans and sourdough toast.  The eggs were appealingly runny where it was perfect for dunking the crispy sourdough.  I enjoyed the black pudding much like in the appie and the banger was meaty and lean.  I found the pea meal bacon rather dry though.

Continuing with another breakfast item, the Boxty Benny featured whiskey-cured steelhead with poached eggs, tomato, Irish muffin, Hollandaise and fried potatoes.  Of the 4 we were served, half of the eggs were medium and the other half were runny.  However, even with the medium eggs, the whites were buttery (not rubbery).  I found the Hollandaise creamy and mild-tasting, possibly in need of more lemon.  The Irish muffin was definitely interesting with an airy egginess to it.  There was definitely enough steelhead to make an impact in terms of flavour and texture.  From this, I moved directly to the Lamb Shank with pearl barley risotto.  I found most of the meat to be gelatinous and tender with a mild gaminess (with some exterior portions being dry).  The sauce was mildly meaty and could've used a bit more salt.

We were served 2 burgers including a veggie option.  Despite what you may think, I tried the Veg Burger first.  The patty was made of navy beans, chickpeas, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini and toasted spices.  As such, the texture was akin to a  mix of thick hummus and dense mash potatoes.  It was sandwiched in between toasted brioche with chipotle mayo, salsa verde, sprouts, tomato and butter lettuce.  It was better than I expected, but in the end, I enjoyed the Central Burger more due to my own biases.  It consisted of a 6 oz St. Helen's beef patty, pulled pork, stout BBQ sauce, Dubliner cheese, pickles, chipotle mayo, tobacco onions and lettuce.  It was a good-looking burger and although the meat wasn't exactly juicy, it wasn't exactly dry either.  I found the flavours to be on the sweeter side with a touch of smokiness.

One last meat dish, the Main St. Meatloaf was pretty robust with minimal grease.  I found the glaze tart and flavourful.  As much as the Guinness onion gravy was peppery and deeply flavoured, I thought the glaze was so impactful in bringing the dish alive, there should've been more to provide balance.  Undreneath, the mashed potatoes were robust and starchy where it was a good base for the gravy. For dessert, we were served the Central Sundae with Guinness, Bailey's, caramel ice cream layered with chocolate and caramel sauce topped with an Irish lace cookie, whipping cream, sprinkles and candied walnuts.  Surprisingly, this was not a shockingly sweet as the ingredients suggested.  This was creamy, sweet with a caramelized depth and lightly kissed with alcohol.  Loved the crunch of the walnuts too.  Just like the rest of the food, the dessert basically epitomized the menu at Dubh Linn Gate - they don't try to stray too far from classic pub food.  That is a good thing as they don't try to be what they are not, where they offer up good eats to go with your drink.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Solid eats for a pub
- Actual Irish pub atmosphere
- Spacious

The Bad:
- Food is of course heavy, but that's how it is supposed to be
- Some proteins could be more moist