Dublin: Day Three

Day 3 in Dublin was wet and cold. I was limited in what I could see and do so I chose to relax and read for much of the day.

I did, however, walk down to the Grafton Street area and explore a bit. I checked out the George Street Arcade and I was a bit let down. I expected a much grander location. It was rather small and there were cramped stalls that resembled a miniature flea market. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes.

I ate lunch at The Duke pub (Irish stew). The stew meat was tender and was full of hearty chunks of onions, carrots and potatoes.  It came with brown soda bread that I used to sop up the last of the stew broth. And I sat at the bar to eat and read a book.

After lunch I walked over to Wicklow Street and got a scoop of ice cream at Murphy's Ice Cream and let me tell you that it is definitely not overrated in making so many appearances on top food lists for Dublin. I chose the Rum Raisin. The girl behind the counter told me they soak the raisins in rum overnight and it shows. They were plump and loaded with flavor. The ice cream itself was fresh and had a depth to it that I have never experienced in the United States. If you ever get to Dublin you have to try out Murphy's. You will not be disappointed

I know I've written a lot about the Queen of Tarts but I had not yet sampled their tarts or cakes. So I made my way back to my apartment and stopped in to get out of the wet and the cold. It was not quite as busy as my previous two visits so I was able to quickly grab a table. As I sat down they added a new cake to the display. It was loaded with cream and raspberries. I asked the waitress what sort of cake it was and when she said that it was "sponge cake" I was disappointed because I am not much of a fan of that kind of cake. But it looked so good that I went ahead and tried it and it was wonderful. There is nothing processed about this cafe. It is all expertly handmade.   I sat there and read my book and happily ate my cake and drank a couple of cappuccinos. And I ordered a chocolate, pear and almond tart for takeaway. I ate it that night as I rested up for the morning flight to Lisbon. It, too, was rich and flavorful with tons of great textures.