Spitalfields

First dinner in Dublin (and it is Michelin star recommended).

Setting is a pub like place, but food is definitely not ordinary pub food.

For “snacks” (in Ireland it is almost equivalent to appetizers, it smaller) we got the scallops, the deviled eggs, and the oysters (which I did not try for obvious reasons). Scallops were cooked pretty good, but sauce could have been improved.

For “starters” (equivalent to appetizers) got the beef cheek and oxtail roll, and the cured yellow fin tuna. Both were great.

For mains, tried the pork schnitzel and the pork chop. The latter was great. Wouldn’t get the former again since it was too oily.

For drinks, for the hazelnut martini (which was pretty good. Sweet but not too sweet). Also got an Aperol spritz, and tried the Teeling single malt whisky, and the Dingle Founding Father’s single malt. Will say I liked the Teeling better

Ferrit & Lee

We ate lunch at this restaurant after our tour at the Midleton Distillery.

Overall, food was (more than) ok, but also could try other places as well.

Ordered an espresso martini to start. Honestly it was meh.

I did enjoy my main, which was penne with chicken and sausage. But not gonna lie it was pretty standard (probably enjoyed it since it’s been a while since I had penne since the trip).

Goldie

Our only meal in Cork, Ireland, and it was amazing.

For starters got the Taiwanese fried fish nuggets, and the mussels. It’s great choices, especially the nuggets!

For mains, did two fishes: the pan fried Brill and the Turbot. Although different fishes, what really distinguishes from each other (and according to the waitress) is the sauce that they come with. Both were great, but if I had to choose 1, it would be the Brill bases in the sauce.

And for side, got the baby potatoes and green cabbage. It’s so easy to eat.

Coqbull

First restaurant we ate at in Ireland!

We stopped by here after visiting King John’s Castle in Limerick.

Got the 1/4 chicken rotisserie with traditional sides (stuffing and mashed potatoes). It was a good combo, and would get it again.

I will say their whisky selection is limited (they have only Jameson, and 2 other whiskies). They do have Aperol Spritz thought.

ps. I did try my friend’s dirty fries, and definitely had more than a few bites.

Mumak

Tried this restaurant out while walking around Platja den Bossa in Ibiza, which is by the beach.

Food was great, but wish I could see more of the beach.

We got Aperol Spritz’s to start. For an app, got the pulled pork bao bun. To share, got the pad Thai (which was pretty good even though they didn’t really use the typical red sauce), and nasi goreng (Indonesian for fried rice).

Would get all of the above again.

L’apero

We stopped by here to get food before touring the Castle in Ibiza. It did not disappoint.

The dishes we got include the ceviche, chicken, ribs, duck, and burrata. Would get all of them again except for the duck (it was too salty, and obviously I am biased against duck). Chicken was also cooked interestingly (mixed between fried and grilled it seemed like).

For drinks got an espresso martini and Aperol spritz. All great.

5 Oceanos

We stopped by here for our last dinner in Porto (technically it is in the city of Matosinhos).

Great restaurant. Our waiter was a little assuming in what we wanted to order (ie we mentioned cod, and that order came through… which wasn’t a bad thing in the end).

To start, we ordered macallan 12 (very generous pour). Then ordered the scallops, Octopus, and fried cod. The Octopus and cod came with other things like vegetables and potatoes and chips (which made things extra filling). also chips were made by the restaurant.

Food and vibe overall was good. Would come back here.

One thing they didn’t have but we wanted to try was percpbes (aka barnacle)

Praia da Luz

We stoped by here for a beach club vibe in Porto.

Music was great (lots of tech house and John Summit like DJing). If it wasn’t windy and cloudy, experience would have been a lot better (would come back here!).

I ordered an espresso martini and Aperol Spritz. Would order both again.

Manteigaria

Had a friend try egg tarts (aka Pasteis de Nata) in Portugal for the first time at this place. Overall it tastes great, and paired it with a port wine.

As a side note, although it’s not Pasteis de Belem (the original egg tart in Lisbon), it was very comparable.

Also an FYI this is a chain, so would have to look up the location of the pictures for the exact one.

Muu

We stopped by this steakhouse from a friends recommendation in Porto. Honestly, great recommendation.

When we entered, they served us with their house sparkling wine before they seated us.

When we were seated the service felt personalized. Waitress sat beside us to take our orders.

For drinks got an espresso martini (they made it correctly with just coffee/espresso, Khalua , and vodka). Also got a red wine to pair with the ribeye we ordered (they let us cook one part medium and one part medium-rare which I thought was great).

For sides we had spinach and roasted potatoes (which ended up looking cake like).

Forgot to mention we did order appetizers, which was a seafood selection of prawns, mussels and clams.

At the end they gave us coconut chocolate and dark chocolate as a small desert.

From the food, service and drinks would recommend this place to people that go to Porto.