Dee Laffan and Oisin Davis want to showcase and celebrate the pairing of Irish food with Irish drinks through their brand new podcast “Beár Bia.” Translated to English as Food Bar, Beár Bia’s key mission statement is that local foods taste best when enjoyed with local drinks and Ireland is no exception.
For episode four of Bear Bia, Oisin and Dee took a trip to Dublin’s Liberties and made their way to Roe & Co Irish Whiskey Distillery. Their 2024 Summer Garden Series is in full swing. Now into its fourth year, it sees the front outdoor space of the James’s Street distillery turned into a dining area with a rotating set of guest chefs and restaurants who each create a bespoke menu to pair with Roe & Co whiskey and cocktails.
From August 1st until the 24th, The Salt Project will be the resident restaurant. Founded by Kildare-based Chef, Caomhán de Bri takes a fresh new approach to street food with his nomadic food trailer that has travelled coast to coast popping up in scenic locations all over Ireland. Caomhán has worked in professional kitchens for over a decade, including a year in London in Gordon Ramsay’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Maze.
Having grown up with a huge appreciation and respect for food, passed down to him by his parents, Caomhán’s menus have always had a strong focus on food provenance. Visitors to The Salt Project can expect a “Medieval inspired Modern Dublin” menu, offering a series of Blaisíní (small bites) dishes that have been specially designed to showcase locally grown and artisan ingredients from small scale producers specific to each region.
Colin Martin from Operations Manager with Roe & Co joined Oisin and Dee and brought with him a bespoke cocktail made with Roe & Co Solera, Stillgarden Glas 55, black salt, black lime, and black cumin, with clarified lime and vermouth finished with pickle juice and a spritz of fresh lime. This was paired with Caomhán’s “Fishamble Street” starter made with Lambay Island Crab, Dublin Bay Prawns, Irish Sea Lemon Sole Tempura and a Sea Veg Dip. The fresh, hyper local seafood worked a charm when enjoyed alongside the deep citrus notes of the cocktail.
This was followed by a Ballymakenny Farm potato flatbread with caramelised Toons Bridge cultured butter veg, Mc Nally’s Organic Farm August pickled, fresh & grilled vegetable bounty, Salt Project garum and foraged flowers. Colin paired this amazing medley of Irish produce with a simple neat serving of Roe & Co Single Malt Solera, a sumptuous whiskey filled with complex layers of hazelnut and orchard fruits that harmonized wonderfully with the food.
The curator of the Summer Series, Ali Dunworth sat in for the recording and shared her inspiration for how she so deftly nurtures an incredible community of Irish food talents for Roe & Co. It is an excellent body of work that not only highlights the great chefs but how well their dishes can be enjoyed with the versatility of Irish whiskey.
Beár Bia can be accessed on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
