weekend bites

This year I have been eating… less carbohydrates, and I managed to lose weight and keep it pretty well under control. Apart from occasional treats or when I’m reviewing restaurants I completely avoid sugar, pasta, rice, spuds and bread. Instead, I’ve been eating lots of salad and non-starchy vegetables, proper meat and good seafood, a little fruit and lots of cheese. To be honest, it’s no great hardship and my tooth, so to speak, is much less sweet than it used to be. It has been a bumper year for new restaurants in Dublin but last week we heard that the Jo’Burger group has gone into liquidation. That such an innovative and exciting bunch of restaurants, with such happy and engaged staff, could not survive just shows (a) how tough a market place it is and (b) how Dublin rents are utterly obscene at this stage. In a civilised country, it’s not enough to just let the market dictate. There are two new non-alcoholic drinks this Christmas which, to my palate at any rate, taste pretty good. One is the zero alcohol Gin and Tonic from Marks & Spencer at €3.59 for 75cl, which will give you five or four generous servings. Just add ice and lemon. The juniper and other botanicals are very clear in the mix. The other is Zero Point Zero from Aldi at €3.49, again for 75cl. It’s a sparkling ‘wine’ with no alcohol, a lovely pink colour and a taste of freshly crushed raspberries – and it’s only slightly sweet. If you need some guidance on last minute wine and food matching, here you go. Serve turkey with a buttery Chardonnay, duck or goose with a Pinot Noir. If you’re having roast beef, think Spanish and oaky, maybe a Rioja. Or a good red Bordeaux would be ideal, if expensive. With seafood, especially salmon, consider dry Riesling or Chenin Blanc. A vegetarian main course, such as a nut roast, would suit a New World Cabernet.