Marie Louise Tea Rooms

Marie Louise Tea Rooms

Howth, Co. Dublin

On Thursday, sensing some nice weather, Ali and I took a spin to Howth for some fish and chips and a walk along the pier. After doing both and with the rain beginning to fall the want of a coffee and cake came upon us.

Marie Louise Tea Rooms are beautiful, with a vintage feel and friendly staff. The tea and coffee are both excellent but it's the carrot cake that forced me to write this! It was magnificent. The moist cake was topped with a thin layer of butter icing and a scattering of walnuts that complimented the flavour perfectly. It wasn't too sweet, as carrot cake's can often be and the portion size was generous. The perfect cake? Possibly so. 

I was delighted to see some training in action also. Our waiter was clearly quite new and the other staff guided him well while explaining everything as they went along. Great to see.

Dublin Bay Prawn Festival

Dublin Bay Prawn Festival

Howth, Co. Dublin

Yesterday Ali and myself took off for the big smoke to attend the Dublin Bay Prawn Festival, which takes place annually in Howth. A burst pipe on the M7 scuppered our chances of getting there early but after a few diversions and crazy traffic around the town, we eventually arrived at around 3 pm.

 

After abandoning the car and with stomach's rumbling, we headed for Beshoff Bros Fish and Chip shop. I've never seen a chippers (albeit a very good chippers) so crowded! I opted for the scampi and Ali went for the cod. I have to admit I was skeptical of Ali's ravings about a chipper but this is no ordinary chipper! The scampi was outstanding, fresh and juicy while the chips were perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy within. Ali's cod was the same; juicy and delicious. What sets this place apart is the freshness of the fish, cooked for just the right amount of time and the taste of the batter; delicious!

After our feed we went to the Marquee for a hectic cookery demonstration that proved rather uninteresting and unorganised. The food court was anything but however; rows of food stands cooking a wide range of prawn and seafood dishes. I chose chilli and lime Dublin Bay prawns, while Ali went for a fragrant Asian-style prawn curry. I've never experienced seafood so fresh; the prawns were juicy and sweet with a nice kick from the chilli but what really caught me was the taste of the sea. Beautiful.

All that was left to do was to get a '99' and an espresso and go for a walk along the beautiful Howth pier. We rounded off the evening with a visit to the Beshoff's Fish Monger and Market but alas, the wallet was empty! We had a great time and will definitely go back next year; the food was fresh and delicious and the experience was certainly helped by the beautiful weather.