Morning cyclist

There was hardly any traffic on the road this bank-holiday morning, whether because of the Recession or because everyone was still tucked up in bed, I don't know. Some breaks were developing in what had earlier been a dull, murky, featureless sky, and I couldn't resist stopping at Clontarf on the way to the East Link toll bridge to do a bit of blipping. A later stop at Sandymount almost became today's blip choice, but only almost.

The grand intention for today was to go to see Up, and perhaps to combine that with a bit of shopping in Dundrum Town Centre. Some shopping got done, but no Up got seen, thanks to the off-putting cinema arrangement which would have seen us having to join a long, serpentine queue snaking its way to the shop counter before we could make it clear that we wanted none of their sweets and nachos and popcorn and soft drinks -- just a ticket to get in to see the movie. Grrrrrr ... grrrrrrrrr ...

On the way back to Carl's place we stopped off in Monkstown for a bit to eat. Once again, we went to Valparaiso, and once again we were delighted with the experience. My starter (crab cakes with mango salsa) was delicious, and my main course (lamb shoulder and lamb's liver with red cabbage and mint butter) was also quite gorgeous, and cooked to absolute perfection. I couldn't help wondering why so-called 'fine dining' establishments in the city centre cannot produce food of this standard when a little place hidden away above a pub can consistently manage it. Highly recommended.