I was at Electric Picnic over the weekend and amazed by the variety of delicious, gourmet food on offer (as well as the lack of "big name brands") and feeling a little depressed to return to Tesco mundanity on Monday.
Now, when I'd moved to Dublin 3 back in June, I'd given a quick Yelp skim to check what was in the area and spotted a few places to add to the 'to go' list. Fast forward to Monday and in my semi-depressive state, I thought I'd try and brighten up the day by checking out Nolan's. I didn't really know what to expect, I just knew it was a supermarket with local flair. Little did I know I'd stumble across the loveliest little secret I've found in Dublin.
Everything in store food-wise seems to be as local as possible and mostly very gourmet. The dairy, bakery, meat, fruit and veg produce were fresh and inexpensive and the range was much better than the chain supermarkets. After walking about like a kid in a sweet shop, I realised that the place had pretty much everything I needed to do my weekly shopping.
The prices were comparable or cheaper to when I go to Tesco, they stock artisan stuff you'd expect to find in specialist stores (dairy-free goodies from Natasha's Living Foods, Lucky Charms, Happy Pear, Prue and Simons and more) and their staff were friendly and very eager to assist (already responded to two product requests that I put in on Tuesday!). Above all of this, I think the best thing about it is feeling like I'm giving my money to a local business, which also stocks goods from other local businesses, and not to some faceless corporation.
The only downside (and the reason this is 4 stars and not 5) would be that their hours are tricky if you don't live in the immediate vicinity, especially if, like me, you're used to strolling around Tesco on a Sunday. That apart, I'd highly recommend checking it out if you like cooking good food at home and you enjoy places like Fallon & Byrne or Donnybrook Fair but are looking for a bigger range. read more