Our guest writer Jessie (aka mscooksalot) has loved cooking and exploring recipes for as long as she can remember. Passionate about real food, she wants to know what’s in it and where it comes from. She believes that food is one of the greatest pleasures in life and can transform your experiences from the forgettable to the sublime. We asked her to help us kick start a healthy, delicious and happy New Year! And if you’d like to check out some more of her reviews, you’ll find them all here in our Life section.
The Fumbally Cafe near Newmarket in Dublin 8 has been developing a reputation as Dublin’s Hipster HQ - but if you’re a foodie or you’re just trying to eat more healthily this year, please don’t let that put you off!!
Yes it is achingly hip - with distressed furniture, quirky crockery and mismatched cutlery on every vintage table, but the food that they produce here is some of the best, freshest and most delicious you will find in Dublin. The amount of care and passion for real food, best quality ingredients and the most interesting flavour combinations that they have is second to none.
Their brunches are legendary and their coffee is always excellent. If you wanted to blow the diet and indulge on amazing cakes, pastries and other irresistible treats you can certainly do that too! But you can also eat extremely well, as in nutritiously and guilt free, without ever feeling like you’re depriving yourself.
I nipped in last week with my Mum for a late lunch. They serve food until 4pm during the week - and I think they close at about 5pm. She went for a very colourful bulgur wheat salad with roasted butternut squash and some tzatziki - a yummy dip or sauce made with Greek Yogurt, cucumber garlic, lemon and plenty of herbs.
Her bulgur wheat was dressed with a very unusual but amazing Japanese dressing made of peanuts, tahini and soy sauce that combined to give it a really fresh, savoury and moreish taste. She was very happy with it and I thought it was especially tasty for a such a simple salad.
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I had the homemade beans on toast. The name of it just doesn’t do it justice. The beans were so smoky and rich they tasted like cowboy (or should that be cowgirl?) food heaven! It came served with two generous garlicky Toulouse style sausages - very meaty and not fatty at all. It also came with half an avocado - they LOVE their avocados here in the Fumbally - and a soft poached egg.
With just one slice of toasted sourdough hidden underneath, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this was a low carb option. But it was one of the tastiest meals I’ve had in a long time - and you could have easily shared it with someone as it was more than enough for 2. It was the exactly the type of food you want at this of year - warming, comforting and nourishing without feeling as though you’ve gone overboard on the calories.
I also had one of their homemade pressed juices made with parsley, pineapple and pear - try saying that three times fast! It was very good, if a little gritty. But it made a great change from all the beetroot and ginger juices I’ve been trying lately.
Mum had a pot of tea for one and after my meal I had a creamy cappuccino and of course, I couldn’t resist a small cookie. It was made with tahini - which, if you’ve ever made hummus - you’ll be familiar with. It’s basically sesame seed paste - bit like a runny peanut butter. I would never have thought of putting it in something sweet but bloody hell was it delicious! And it’s very, very nutritious too - full of B Vitamins, protein, healthy fats and other vital nutrients. I’m definitely going to have to give it a go in baking soon - it was so good - and would probably make an excellent replacement for butter in certain recipes.
If you are anywhere near The Fumbally, or indeed near the city centre, you should definitely pop in for an amazing breakfast or lunch. Their food is such good quality and you will be guaranteed to find something you haven’t tried before. As it happens The Happy Pear team host their Happy Heart courses there in the evenings - so they are really building a reputation as a healthy food hotspot.
They also do plenty of excellent breakfast options like creamy porridge, scrambled eggs or avocado on toast. Their salads would make you want to become a vegetarian - and I say this as a devoted carnivore!
You can walk there from Grafton Street or Stephen’s Green in about 10 or 15 minutes - and you won’t be disappointed! Just don’t forget your handlebar moustache!
Have you tried The Fumbally and if so, what was your experience? And where is your favourite eatery for healthy snacks or are you a prepare-at-home kind of girl?
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If you’d like to read more from Jessie, you can check out her blog here!
