020 The L List – 5 things we’re Lovin in Dublin this week

Fiona Frawley

"The L List" written in a white box on a red background, with white line illustrations of burgers, pizza slices, pints and fancy G&Ts in the sides of the image.

As our aul pal Ed would say, Lovin can hurt sometimes.

In a week that’s shown us that Dublin rents are up 100% since 2011 (which I’m sure came as a surprise to no one, but it’s still depressing to see it written there in black and white), it can be difficult to find things to be genuinely excited about in Dublin’s fair city. With iconic businesses being forced to close and the price of pints rivalling what Elon Musk spent purchasing Twitter, you might find yourself wondering what it’s all about.

That’s where we come in. We’ve found a handful of lights at the end of the Dublin tunnel across food, culture and craic, and we’re here to share them with you. Let’s get into it.

The pedestrianisation of Capel Street

Sounds like a Mariah Carey album title and is a move in the right direction for this big shmoke of ours. We covered the news in more detail HERE.

Jack Nealon’s on Capel Street, an obvious first stop once the pedestrianisation comes in permanently.

An Octoroon

I saw this play a few years ago while living in London, and am delighted to see it’s now made its way over the pond to shock and render speechless the Abbey audience. A confrontational reimagining of Dion Boucicault’s 19th century play An Octoroon (for context, it’s a play by a white Irish playwright which features an on-stage slave auction), this piece by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins uses Boucicault’s original script as a vehicle to challenge racial conventions, dipping in and out of the story to provide a wider commentary. It’s shocking, at times disturbing, and hilariously funny throughout. An absolute must see, running til 14th of May.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcTRnuCMl5h/

Wondering what’s happening to Roma

Does anyone have the inside scoop? If you’re a Whelan’s regular like myself, you’ll probably have cast an eye over the yassification of Roma II, the iconic Wexford Street chipper once frequented by Anthony Bourdain. The takeaway, to the best of my knowledge has been closed since the pandemic, but I recently noticed this glam new sign above the door. Akin to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, nobody ever goes in, and nobody ever comes out – I’ll have my eyes peeled for any news of a new opening.

What’s happening with Roma II, a thesis.

Almond Croissant Wednesdays

The Lovin crew have elected Wednesday as our mandated in-office working day, which means morning pastries are a must. I personally will never have my sh*t together enough to have my breakfast before heading into town, so that means on Wednesdays, we wear icing sugar and pastry flakes. These delights are from Søren & Son of Dean Street, one of our fave speciality coffee spots in D8.

Soren & Son on Dean Street

The Derry Girls cameos

I realise I’ve been heavy on the Derry Girls content recently, but what can I say. They’re legends, they’re icons, and they are the moment. We’re three weeks in to the final season and you can just tell Lisa McGee and team were determined to make this an extremely special one for fans, a celebration of what the show’s all about. The soundtrack is better than ever, we’ve been treated to Spice Girls routines, heartfelt moments and the most squeal-worthy array of celeb cameos this side of the Grand Budapest Hotel. A gift, truly.