Text 3290, 61 rader
Skriven 2010-10-30 16:53:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: trip 684
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We were ready to head for the bus when a youngish-looking
gent accosted me it was my friend M, who had recently shaved
off his beard, which he'd had ever since I'd known him -
three decades at least. He looked rather like his son in
this condition. His wife, MB, looks about the same as when I
met her almost 40 years ago, but she was gray then. The
airport pickup allowed for a nice half hour catchup as well
as saving us time and money. There's a toll bridge and
tunnel and highway built since I last came through a few
years ago. Soon we were in Dalkey and were shown to our
extremely nice digs - Lilli in the guest room and myself in
the room vacated by their older son when he ran off to
join the navy or something.

In the morning, oohs and ahs at what Lilli characterized as
the perfect house. After breakfast (for me: juice and a
banana) and appropriately admiring the view of Inis Caoin
out the back porch, we went for a stroll to the quarry, then
up Dalkey Hill, where Neverland, a kind of remake of Peter
Pan, was being filmed, then through town, something I'd not
done as it turns out in 18 years (my other visits apparently
had been short ones or in bad weather).

Lunch at M's favorite pub, Finnegan's, where the joints of
the day were pork loin and pork belly, both quite good, with
green beans and butternut squash with cumin. The loin came
with a big blob of mash; the belly with some very strongly
cruciferous colcannon. Guinness and red wine followed by
more walking around town, during which we got a couple
bottles of Clancy's at The Grapevine for not much more than
they would cost back in the States (though twice the price
as in Australia).

I'd wondered about the Guinea Pig for its name - turns out
to be one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the Dublin
area. M was working late, so Lilli and I took MB out there
for dinner. Other than a questionable smell in the
anteroom, it was a pleasant enough space.

A starter of coarse pate was excellent.

MB ordered the mixed grill of fish (plaice, cod, haddock,
salmon I think) - each was done right - a lovely plate.

Lilli's rack of lamb too was perfectly medium rare.

My strip steak came out a generous 10 oz, blue as ordered:
the chef came out to check that it was rare enough. Indeed
it was - the garlic butter blopped on top refused to melt,
which was fine with me, as I pushed it off to the side.

Mixed vegetables with carrots, zucchini, peppers, and bean
sprouts perhaps in an homage to me, perhaps because they're
cheap; roast potato wedges, so the garlic butter had a use.

A Chilean Merlot, name forgotten, was forgettable but did
the job.

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