We recently undertook a mission alongside Galaxy Chocolate to find that one person with
the best taste in all of Dublin.
Be it an ease for throwing together a slammin' outfit, someone who always knows the best tune to get people up dancing, or that one gal who can list off ten of the best places in town to get an amazing dinner, just like the silky smooth taste of Galaxy Chocolate, good taste is a superb thing to have.
We put it to the people to vote, and we discovered one person in particular who we think has the best taste in town — literally.
Stephanie Hastings is the foodie genius behind the
Real People Real Food blog and one look at her tantaslising photos of market stall goodies has us drooling.
Stephanie set up Real People Real Food as a way to document her passion for food and began chatting to the owners of food stalls in markets in Dublin and abroad. What started off as beautiful Instagrams to share her love of food with her friends soon turned into a fully-fledged blog, complete with interviews and guides to the best grub in town.
She focuses on finding out vendor's passions for what they do, and the history behind the food the produce. As Stephanie says, "food tastes better when there's a story behind it!"
Passionate about food and taste, Stephanie loves to ask people what they like to eat... And the one food she can't live without? Silky, smooth CHOCOLATE.
Here's three reasons why we reckon Stephanie has the best taste in Dublin...
1. She knows what the BEST thing to order is from every stall in town
From knowing which dish is the most popular (like the above patatas bravas from Jarek's Kitchen, which are fried to a crispy perfection, dusted with salt and topped with grilled prawns), to trying out little known stalls that have the best seafood in town.
You can't go wrong ordering one of her tried and tested dishes...
2. She believes all food has a story, so she tells you all about the people behind the grub
Here's one such feel-good story Stephanie shared from one local food vendor named Ali of Ali's Falafel...
“I moved to Ireland from Lebanon with my wife in 2002 because we wanted to give my little boy Mo a better education. In the beginning, I worked as a plumber, an electrician and a bus driver. Later on, my wife encouraged me to take up a hobby, something fun outside of work that would help to improve my English. One Saturday evening, she prepared our usual Lebanese meal but made 20 extra falafel balls.
"She said to me, 'Why not give them a taste of the food from home? Maybe the Irish people will like it'."
When Ali set up a small table in People’s Park in Dún Laoghaire the very next day, a queue formed in minutes to try out his authentic Lebanese cuisine — and it sold out in a flash.
3. She travels far and wide to find the most amazing foods
Stephanie loves to travel and will always research the food of the region, menus, local favourites from restaurants off the beaten track and their delicacies.
Recent travels include Thailand for authentic phad thai, Barcelona for patatas bravas, Hoi An in Vietnam where she had the "freshest and best seafood" of her life, pulled pork poutine in Vancouver, philly cheese steak in Philadelphia, with her next trip being to Cyprus for a fusion of Greek and Turkish cuisine (think hummus and halloumi).
"The best places are where dishes are made from scratch right in front of you."
Yep, she really
does have the best taste in Dublin, doesn't she?
