Vegetarians look away now… Having wowed the carnivorous masses for the first time last year, Guinness X Meatopia returns to Dublin’s Open Gate Brewery from July 6-8 with some of the world’s leading fire chefs grilling, broiling and smoking their wares to perfection. The food is pared with bold tasting beers and some equally tasty live music.

Normally poster boys for self-denial, we have to confess we eat ourselves into a near coma last year and are still having dreams about those beer-braised ribs. As you may already have gleaned, there are absolutely no vegan or macrobiotic options. Tickets are available from guinnessopengate.com/meatopia.

An enthusiastic Hot Flavours “bravo!” goes to Etto, which won best eatery last week at the Irish Restaurant Awards in Dublin. We regularly troop out to Merrion Row, D2 for their €25 Three-Course Weekeday Lunch, which includes a particularly wicked Braised Short Rib with Cavolo Nero, Pickled Walnuts & Polenta. As for the Deer Carpaccio with Artichoke, Pickled Pear & Juniper, don’t get us started…

Having previously operated as a food van, Paddy’s Poutine has parked up in Dominick Street, Galway where they’re serving Canada’s favourite hangover cure – fresh hand cut chips smothered with curd cheese and a rich brown gravy. They’ve also come up with several Irish variations on the theme involving Gubeen chorizo and puddings of both the black and white persuasion. They don’t have the Notorious P.I.G. variety we sampled recently in Montreal, but give them time…

Still doing their food truck thing in Bushy and Marlay Park markets are Twisted Dough, the Polish pierogi brainchild of Madgalena Michalewicz and Karol Kowalczyk whose Roasted Hemp, Smoked Tofu, Red Lentils, Ginger & Chili combo made us cry… in a good way!

The foodie exotica doesn’t end there with purveyors of fine Caribbean fare, Lil Portie, popping up for the first time last fortnight in Rathmines’ Two Fifty Square café.

Their Jamaican patties, stuffed with spiced meat and more Scotch bonnet chilli peppers than are possibly good for you, are awesome.

Mainman Nick Reynolds who is of joint Roscommon/Kingston, Jamaican parentage will let you know where he’s pitching up next @lil_portie. Irish Distillers have acquired Eight Degrees Brewing, the Mitchelstown brewery responsible for such fine libations as Barefoot Bohemian Pilsner, Sunburnt Irish Red Ale and Knockmealdown Irish Stout.

The good news is that Eight Degrees founders Scott Baignet and Cam Wallace are still on board, and will be helping to grow the new owners’ Jameson Caskmates initiative, which involves beer being finished off in whiskey barrels – and vice versa!

Tipple of the Fortnight

THE WILD BEER CO. 11% WILDEBEEST IMPERIAL STOUT
Having tantalised tastebuds on the other side of the Irish Sea for the past seven years, this farmhouse brewery neighbour of Michael Eavis’ has bagged itself a distribution deal here courtesy of those nice O’Hara’s people.
A big hit at their recent 57 The Headline tap/shelf takeover, this muscular Imperial Stout is a veritable flavourfest with cocoa nibs, vanilla pods and freshly roasted Colombian coffee all going into the mash kettle.

Every year a batch gets to spend some quality time in Pinot Noir wine barrels, which results in a fig, damson and raisin-y sour that’s worth lavishing a few extra euro on.

Currently the makers of 51 different beers and spirits, the Wild bunch are also partial to aging their creations in whisky and sherry barrels, and recently threw all caution to the wind with a lobster, cockled and seaweed bisque in a bottle.