New York Grind, Excise Walk
Originally uploaded by Editor_Tupp
As events would have it, I frequently find myself in Dublin’s Irish Financial Services Centre early in the morning with an empty stomach. This is the first of an occasional series, wherein I risk my own morning equilibrium by trying out as many different breakfast places as my wallet will allow.
The first up is New York Grind, opposite the Clarion Hotel on Excise Walk. NY Grind is a diner style outfit with lots of reasons to like it. Unlike most chain cafe/food places the cafe has a distinct, likable, personality. Originally, big leather chairs with sheepskin throws and diner booths made you feel welcome, instead of rushed out the door. A recent refit have replaced these chairs with a bench across the window. A regrettable change. However, they still offer free wifi and their booths are bookable for meetings as befits their business-like location.
It has plenty to offer the lunchtime diner, with bagels, soups etc. None of which is relevant to us. We are laser-like in our focus on breakfast.
Omelettes, porridge, fry-ups. All vie for attention on the breakfast board. But, be warned, you’re on just the wrong side of painful with the prices. €8ish omelettes grate.
Nonetheless, I can say that the quality nearly justifies the premium, most of the time. The porridge, in particular, comes in a very large bowl with a little dish of honey and another of berry jam and is the best I’ve had outside my own home.
The last issue to tackle is the thorny liquid problem. Thorny because, despite their excellent looking espresso machines and their prominent offering of Fairtrade, eco-friendly Pura beans, NY Grind’s coffee is terrible. I don’t know what’s going wrong but the end result is a cup of disappointment. My advice is to stick to the lovely range of teas.
2 Comments
When you are going to try out Ely CHQ or whatever they call it during the week for breakfast let me know and I’ll join you?
I like to go to a place a few times before writing a review to let it even out any unusual events.
I’ve been to ely twice now, so would consider the third to be a reasonable chance to settle on an opinion.
I only know I’m going to have breakfast when I get off the bus and look up at the clock on the IFSC building. But, if you like, we could arrange to try for either tomorrow or early next week.