Welcome to What I eat in a week in Dublin, where we find out what Dubliners are having. We're asking people who live in this fine city what they are really having for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This isn't a platform for lecturing or snarky comments, just a place for foodies to tell us what they are putting in their face holes during any given week.
This week's What I Eat in a Week was written by Alpona Dutta - you can follow her Instagram
@the_melange_journal to keep up with her food reviews.
Location: Dublin, later Sligo
Diet: Trying to eat fibrous stuff and maintaining a schedule - learnt it the hard way. Used to do quite a few takeaways before but have toned it down immensely except for the alternate weekend dining out.
Is there anything you don’t eat/ drink?
Ha, walnuts/spicy food. Also can’t stand the smell of cinnamon.
What snack can be always found in your bag?
Kinder bueno! As I’ll explain shortly, it’s a necessity. Other than that, perhaps dark chocolate rice cakes.
Your fridge is never without?
Avocado spread. Heaven-on-earth.
What’s your emergency dinner?
Whatever is going spare but usually throw an egg on or noodles with some veg - frozen veg is always handy.
If you had to eat at one place in Dublin for the rest of your life, where would it be?
Ooh, difficult as I’ve a food page and have frequented a good few. Maybe That’s Amore in Malahide, as it’s my latest favourite and is very reasonably priced (the Seafood Risotto is top class, even from a non-seafood lover).
Day One
Breakfast: Two slices of avocado toast. Can’t. Do. Without. It. I gulp it down while working. Monday morning, what can you expect at work - mails, calls, texts followed by the same pattern over and over again.
Snack: I have gotten into a quick workout routine with my partner just before breakfast which makes me hungry around noon. Time for a small apple along with Kinder Bueno. Kinder Buenos are my weakness - I should be a brand ambassador as I have one every day.
Dinner: Some delicious Turkey Con Carne with rice. Courtesy of: The boyfriend. Back to work.
Tea: Don’t really have the ‘tea’. Make myself a quick cheese sandwich with some Ballymaloe crisps on the side so I am set for an evening of studying for my course, followed by some Netflix and reading.
Day Two
Breakfast: Cereal for a change. Plain cornflakes. I have started limiting my caffeine intake as it makes me hyper. I supplement this with the occasional carrot & orange juice (I know, it sounds horrible but I have this newfound love for it after a friend introduced me to it).
Snack: Kinder bueno and some dark chocolate rice cakes. Not the milk chocolate ones as I find them to be a bit too sweet at times (says me who wolves down one Kinder Bueno bar everyday). Let’s not forget a small apple - need the fibre.
Dinner: Yesterday’s Turkey Con Carne with rice. I think it tastes better the next day.
Tea: Time for some junk - I put on some frozen pizza pockets. A great vegetarian snack, not too cheesy either as I continue studying after work before retiring for the night.
Day Three
Breakfast: Cereal again. Am I testing my limits? Yes. Why? Don’t know. I guess I’ll have the avo spread for tea later.
Snack: Apple at around 10 followed by the Kinder. A banana just before dinner. Need to work on including fibre in my diet.
Dinner: I don the chef hat today as I cook chicken lasagna and throw on some chips. If you haven’t tried out this combination, I recommend it as it can be delightful as well as being a sensational ‘comfort food’. The first time you cook it might be a bit daunting but you’ll fly it eventually.
Tea: Quite full from the lasagna. I have online volunteering for the evening so I wait for it to finish. Back to my avocado toast once it ends.
Day Four
Breakfast: This is the max I can take sans avocado for breakfast. I’m back to it. Two lovely-looking slices toasted and topped generously with the spread. I decide to include the small apple for breakfast today.
Snack: It’s kinder and rice cakes!
Dinner: The leftover lasagna and more chips. Can’t say no to chips, can we?
Tea: My housemate has cooked some small vegetarian sushi rolls so I have one of those with two slices of bread and tomato relish. Looks like the week is catching up with me as I’m exhausted.
Day Five
Breakfast: It’s finally Friday! Avocado toast continues with the apple. I sometimes think I’m an avocado addict but hey, I’ve come a long way from not eating breakfast at all, so cool?
Snack: Kinder is my only snack as I need to be hungry enough to devour a meal with my friends later on.
Lunch: A light meal that consists of oven-cooked salmon topped with some mint and rice. I also add some sweet chilli sauce on the side; I can eat it with anything.
Dinner: My friends and I hadn’t met since August so we head to a restaurant in Swords which I had seen on an influencer’s stories. I order myself a cappuccino at half-eight at night as I really need my caffeine fix, followed by some starters to share (I order vegan chicken bites) and a main each (Thai Chicken curry for me). I get a doggy-bag as I am feeling guilty to see so much food go to waste.
Day Six
Breakfast: Today I have an egg, sunny side-up, alongside avocado toast and get on with cleaning the house, put on a wash, you know, the works. We’ll be heading to Sligo shortly (that is where my boyfriend is from).
Snack: Apple. How can I forget this?
Dinner: Salmon and rice alongside the leftover curry that I got home.
Snack: Get a cappuccino as we stop at Ballinalack en route. I desperately need a snack so I get a small brownie; this place does really good treats.
Tea: We get to his house and I have some toast.
Day Seven
Breakfast: Toast and an apple. I have my driving lessons today so my boyfriend will meet up with his friends in the meanwhile. Lessons done, he collects me and we go to the pub they’re at. I get myself a cappuccino and some water.
Dinner: Rice, chicken and veg cooked by his mam. Delicious.
Tea: Rice cakes. Some more toast. Lights out.
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