Hash browns, Marian Keyes, and some major love for the weather.

It’s me again, back with things I’m lovin in Dublin for this week’s L List. And while I spent the weekend in London, and therefore spent less time in our lovely county, I still managed to come up with some things I’m absolutely buzzing over.

Soren & Son

On a rainy office day, nothing else will do but a Soren & Son coffee, which I sip as I write this list. They ask what kind of beans you want when you go in, a question I admittedly answer based more on whichever one speaks to me more than knowing the difference between Costa Rica and El Salvador, but hey, it’s nice to be asked. They also do an incredible almond croissant that would keep you fed for hours.

Plus if you’re admiring my nails, I recently swapped from acrylic to gel, and got them done at Bushras on the Dundrum main street. As for the colour, I’m welcoming autumn with open arms.

Marian Keyes novels

Yes, hardly a ground-breaking find. Marian Keyes is one of the most prolific Irish contemporary writers, and while I have read her novels previously, I didn’t realise that Rachel from Rachel’s Holiday (which I read many years ago) is the sister of Claire from Watermelon, which I read for the first time this year. Once I realised the Walsh sisters had their own series essentially, although truly they could all be read in their own right, I went on the hunt for them all. I found Angels in a charity shop in Wexford (Margaret’s story), and sourced Anyone Out There (Anna’s story), and most recently The Mystery of Mercy’s Close (Helen’s story) from my local library.

So something I’ve been lovin all year really is reading Marian Keyes, and discovering more about some of my favourite literary sisters. If anyone is looking for me, my head will be stuck in Again, Rachel for the foreseeable.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAS25__HzV9/

Thunders Bakery

Tasked with buying a cake for my step-mum’s 60th Birthday (shoutout Angela if you’re reading) I ventured to Thunders Bakery in Windy Arbour and can honestly say the cake purchased went down a treat. I ordered the oreo drip cake, which is 8 inches in diameter and made of rich moist chocolate sponge layered with an Oreo Crumb Vanilla buttercream. Angie wouldn’t be a massive chocolate fiend, but she loved it, as did everyone else.

10/10 would recommend for a special occasion. This cake served 7 people, with slices to spare and cost a very reasonable €24.95 (or €26.95 if you’re personalising it).

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbqJC_Bq660/

The Rain

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, okay?? I know I’m not supposed to say it, and hoping for anything other than blue skies and sunshine is as blasphemous as it is misguided in this country, but I am pure buzzing with the weather change. I will embrace the pick-me label for loving autumn over summer, PSLs over iced lattes, and that’s that.

More rain please.

Cheeky Piglet Hash Browns

For those eagle-eyed readers, yes my nails are different in this picture. Having snaffled my hash brown and coffee duo in 2 minutes flat this week, I had to scroll through my albums to find a previously taken picture (which wasn’t hard given how often we go for this exact delicacy). Not strictly a dish on the menu, the lovely people at The Cheeky Piglet never deny us two hash browns on their own, when they normally come with a full Irish brekkie.

I know this is a huge claim, but they’re genuinely better that the McDonald’s version (and I know that’s saying a lot). Trust me, I would not make such a declaration lightly.

Same time, same place for The L List next week for all the stuff we’re lovin in Dublin.

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