Here’s another kitchen hack you can try, instead of messing up your regular kitchen brush or sponge cut up an onion bag. I guess it will have scourability and is good for the environment but whether it works or not is a different question. Answers on a postcard please.

http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/004744.php

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Cleaning, Environment, Onion Bag, Reuse

I saw this fly by on Twitter this morning, you rarely see Martijn in the media, despite the attention that both he and The Cliff House Hotel have got in recent years, but here is some advice from him for anybody thinking of entering the industry. Some great images too.

http://chefhermes.wordpress.com/2010/11/22/words-of-advice-martijn-kajuiter/

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ardmore, chef, Cliff House Hotel, Martijn Kajuiter

I received a press release on the Christmas Food and Wine Show in the RDS this morning, never having been to such an event I have no specific opinion but if you’re around Dublin, enjoy a sprinkling of hyperbole in your press release and have the €20 admission fee then you may feel like having a look. There will be a major focus on home cooking (as opposed to Take Away) and Irish produce is also featured which is good to see.

On a personal note this reminds me how I dread the upcoming plethora of Christmas cookery shows and daytime slots showing us how to get that wow factor for your Christmas dinner. What an utter load of bollocks and stress that is but it’s too early to start the complaining, we need to get through Halloween first. Info on the food show below…

THE Gastronomic Event of the Season Is Getting Ready to hit the RDS

(Thursday, 21st October 2010): Following the success of last year, The Food & Wine Magazine Christmas Show is back this November and will be bigger and better than ever! The event focuses on family and home cooking and has all the elements to create the perfect Christmas meal. The hugely popular 3-day event begins on Friday, 26th – Sunday, 28th November at the beautiful surroundings of the RDS Main Hall, Dublin 4.

The three-day food and drink event is paradise for the discerning palate with each day packed full of shows, masterclasses, demos and tastings designed to teach visitors everything they need to learn to stage their own festive gathering, big or small! The show will also include The Chef’s Table where lucky audience members will be served 3-course meals by the chefs themselves including Neven Maguire, Derry Clarke, Ross Lewis, Dylan McGrath, Sunil Ghai, Paul Flynn and Kevin Thornton to name a few with live demonstrations from these masters taking place on the Main Stage.

Speaking on the upcoming event, Editor of FOOD & WINE Magazine, Ross-Golden Bannon said “We are really excited about building on the success of last year’s show. Our theme this year is the best of Irish talent and Irish food all with a big focus on families. We know we have a fantastic offering to suit all budgets and can’t wait to give some festive inspiration to dinner tables all over Ireland this Christmas”.

Log onto www.ticketmaster.ie and get your tickets for only €20 per person (service charge may be additional). The ticket price includes all day admission and under 12’s are free. The FOOD & WINE Magazine Christmas Show takes place on 26th – 28th November 2010 at the Main Hall, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

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I stopped by Murray’s Bar and Grill while on a recent visit to Dublin. Situated on the top of O’Connell Street (away from the river) it is a pretty big pub with a decent carvery that seemed to be running most of the Saturday afternoon I spent reading the paper, watching the sport and waiting for friends.

With an upstairs and a large smoking area out the back there’s plenty of space and lots of TVs, they seem to have gone with an American feel as they also sell pictures of beer which seemed good value if you had a group.

There is a huge smoking area out the back with more TVs, pool tables and slot machines. No shortage of heaters either. Toilets were downstairs and clean enough.

I would think the crowd gets younger as the night gets older but a decent spot for a beer and a plate of food if you’re around O’Connell Street.

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carvery, dublin, grill, o'connell street, Rating=4, Review, sports bar

Here’s a novel idea from http://www.re-nest.com on how to seal plastic bags, as bottle caps are not normally recyclable you can save the planet while you are at it.

Reuse your bottle caps

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recycle, Tip

Don’t like peeling hard boiled eggs? It’s easy, just put your lips together and blow…

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egg, Tip

Barry’s Tea are back and have another Gift Pack to give away. The last one went all the way to Brendan in Italy who posted a photograph of it for the Facebook page if you want to see what it looks. A lovely box containing a selection of the Barry’s Tea Specialty range, including their newest Pu-erh and Rooibos blends.

The folks at Barry’s are interesting in what you think of their new teas, and your thoughts on specialty tea in general, so if you would like to win this prize then click here to email (competition@messy-chef.com) or leave a comment on Facebook fan page Just let us know your thoughts and comments and we’ll pick one on Wed Sept 29th.

The more original the comment the better

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competition, speciality, tea

The Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore, who appear to have been doing pretty good trade all summer and most of last winter too, are set to open a sister property in Dublin on St Stephen’s Green called The Cliff Town House Hotel.

After a quick browse through the web site it didn’t take long to figure that the property is Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill who have relaunched under the new name and under the management of Drew Flood. I have no idea what that means for Richard Corrigan who has been linked with leaving the place for some time now so maybe this is his exit? I assume Martijn Kajuiter of the Cliff House Hotel will continue to concentrate on the work he and his team have been building on in Ardmore since 2008. I certainly hope that is the case anyway, I’m looking forward to next season already.

Good luck to all involved, if its anything like their sister hotel in Ardmore it will be a winner.

http://www.theclifftownhouse.com/

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Bentley's, Cliff House Hotel, Cliff Town House Hotel, Drew Flood, Martijn Kajuiter, Richard Corrigan

Have you ever wondered if the alcohol you drown the Christmas pudding is actually burnt off in the flame or if baking soda really does absorb nasty niffs? Look no further: http://www.pgacon.com/KitchenMyths.htm will tell you all you need to know plus some other interesting facts (or non-facts).

Print it out and carry it around so you can amaze people with your pedantry when they tell you something this is not true.

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Myths, Tips