Shopping

My friends know I am the ultimate cheese lover. It’s never too early or too late for a few nice pieces of cheese mixed with some fresh fruit, on top of a baguette, or melted into sinfully delicious Colombian hot chocolate.

I was horrified after seeing only walls of cheddar cheese at every supermarket I entered here in Dublin. Don’t get me wrong, I like cheddar, but I thrive on the variety of flavors, textures and aromas that the world of cheese can offer. Also, I prefer quality to factory-made mystery cheeses. I was saved by the kind souls at Sheridan’s Cheesemongers.

Founded in 1995 in Galway, their approach is traditional, focusing on artisan cheeses of the highest quality produced here in Ireland and throughout Europe. Sheridan’s has the best variety of cheeses and the most knowledgeable staff I’ve encountered since arriving to Ireland; their attention to the customer is unbeatable!

I suggest going by the shop as you start your day and having one of their experts help you put together a varied selection of cheeses, some of the delicious breads and cured meats on offer, and a bottle of fine wine to compliment it all. When you feel like having a break from the sightseeing, treat yourself to an impromptu picnic!

Of course, you can find a nice selection of Irish cheddar at Sheridan’s too, but you can rest assured that it will always be better than what you can find at one of the supermarkets.

Ireland is famous for many grand things and one of them is Whiskey. Indeed, and according to some folks, Whiskey was apparently developed by Irish monks that had learned the art of distilling from their friends in modern-day Iraq (known as Mesopotamia back then). Eventually, the friendly monks shared their recipe with the Scottish folk a few centuries later and that came to be known as Scotch, or Whisky (note there’s just a “y”).

If you are curious as to how this stuff is made, and more importantly, how the different types taste, heading over to The Celtic Whiskey Shop on Dawson Street should be on your to do list. Because the shop carries the largest selection of Scotch, Irish and international whiskeys, this place is the go-to spot for those seeking that rare bottle.

With daily tastings and a friendly and knowledgeable staff, you are sure to find something that suits your taste buds and your budget. Now, if only they had a lounge full of leather chairs… Should you wish to take some of the good stuff home, the nice guys at the shop can either wrap it up for you nice and tightly, or mail it to you home so that you don’t even have to worry about the luggage handlers at the airport getting into your stash.

All in all, The Celtic Whiskey Shop encompasses the cultural, historical, and dietary experience that all travelers seek in one friendly spot.

When travelling, I’m often struck by the adaptability of venues in other cities- steak houses that double up as tango studios in Buenos Aires stand out in particular, as well as twenty-four hour cafés in Moscow. In Dublin, coffee shops and sandwich bars that are hives of activity by day usually lie dormant behind heavy shutters come nightfall, when a new breed of venues come to life.

The Twisted Pepper is one space that bucks this trend, however. By day, the space serves host to some of the best coffee in town, served up by the folks at 3fe, whose encyclopedic knowledge of all things bean-y won’t disappoint. Happen to be in the mood for new head of hair or some fresh music? There’s a barbers and record store here too. By night, the coffee counter becomes a bar and the space at the back sees some of Dublin’s best music nights, courtesy of the Bodytonic crew.

Dublin tends to be a very different place by night than by day, but a stop off at the Twisted Pepper at any time will throw up something interesting.

A little out of the way, perhaps, Quack + Dirk is tucked away down an alleyway on the fringes of the city, along a main traffic thoroughfare that doesn’t exactly have a strong reputation for fashion outlets.

All the more reason to visit, says I. The tiny space is located in a converted garage store room, although once inside its former life is quickly forgotten as one’s attention is stolen by the quirky yet neat layout of cute desirables. Consisting of a mixture of handmade and vintage garments; the both colour palette and prices here are refreshing.

While the range is not exactly vast, the experience is personal and nothing is superfluous in this workshop-cum-boutique. Attention to detail is the name of the game, and it doesn’t take a great imagination to realise that the great care and interest taken in taken in the pieces on sale is on a par with that taken in the shop’s customers.

When I decided I would write about this bookshop located near Trinity College, I realised I had never give much thought to its name which doesn’t really roll easily off the tongue. I can only assume that there was once a Mr. Hodges and a Mr. Figgis who decided to open a bookshop together. For some reason, I imagine that Mr Figgis had a handlebar moustache. Correct me, someone, if I’m wrong.

Anyway, I think this is certainly one of my favourite bookshops in Dublin (admittedly, the total number of bookshops in the city isn’t that many). Housed in a beautiful red-brick building on Dawson Street, it seems to cater to all tastes and has an interesting ‘bargain basement’. For me, of all the bookshops in Dublin, Hodges Figgis has the most extensive collection on Irish history and literature.

Maybe it’s good selling skills from the staff here but it is also the only bookshop I go into where I check the bestsellers section. If you’re interested in our reading habits here in Ireland, up until recently, books on the collapse of the Irish economy were topping the list – a sign of the times!