My Saturday with Marcus O'Laoire: My number one spots are Russell Street Bakery or Parnell Street Bakery
Marcus O'Laoire: "If it’s a rainy evening, I’ll cook something at home and we’ll watch something on TV — anything from a Sopranos rewatch to a classic ‘chick flick’ like Legally Blonde. If I’m DJing in town, I’ll play in Row Wines, Barebone, or Pawn Shop. If I’m going full-on club mode, I’m lucky to play in Index."
I’m not a naturally early riser but I’ve been forced to get used to getting up early thanks to our baby daughter, who generally wakes up at around 6.30 or 7am. I’ve grown fond of the early mornings and a lot of the time I’ll take her out in the car in the early mornings and she snoozes while I drive to pick up some pastries for her mum.
I’ve a few destinations depending on what I think I can get away with in terms of her napping in the back seat — effectively, I’m living with a small and very adorable dictator.
My number one spots are Russell Street Bakery or Parnell Street Bakery and the order is simple: A large cappuccino for Rachael, a flat white for myself, and two Pan Suisse, which are some of the best pastries in Ireland, in my opinion. I’ll also get a really good loaf of bread, which I’ll use over a couple of days.
I might take a spin up to the Dublin Mountains to Ticknock to get some fresh air and a really nice coffee at Trails Cafe. Then I’ll spin back into town, pop the baby back in with
Rachael, have a shower, get dressed, and think about what we’re going to do with the day. If I’m grabbing a coffee closer to home, I’ll go to Little Cactus or Joli.
We live in Stoneybatter, so we are close to the Phoenix Park. Last weekend, we took the baby to Dublin Zoo for the first time.
In a perfect world I’d have lunch on a terrace somewhere. I love to go to Piglet on Cow’s Lane, a brilliant little French bistro with great plates for lunch or dinner. I love MASA for an indoor/ outdoor vibe, a couple of tacos, and a margarita, and I love La Maison on Castle Market.
If I’m having lunch in Stoneybatter, I’d grab a sandwich in Banco, I’d go to Slice, Vada, or Social Fabric. We are spoiled for choice.
After lunch, we like to take in a little culture, perhaps a trip to the National Gallery, the Hugh Lane, or the RHA — they’re also buggy-friendly, which is something we have to consider these days.
Sometimes we’ll go for an early dinner with the baby or sometimes Rachael’s parents might mind her (they are incredibly supportive) and we’ll go on a date. The nice thing about eating early is that it’s easier to get a walk-in table at that time of day. We might go to Kicky’s or BANG, Rosa Madre or Grano.
We love A Finaco and The Sackville for a nice glass of wine or a cocktail. Hanoi Hanoi is a great northern Vietnamese restaurant on Capel St, which we also love.
If we weren’t in Dublin, we’d love to spend a Saturday in Paris. We’d have an early glass of wine in Glou and then we’d make our way to the 11th Arrondissement and have dinner in Le Bistrot Paul Bert, sitting outside with the baby, giving her tastes of everything.
We’d have a nightcap in De Vie, which friends of mine, Barney O’Kane and Adam Purcell, are involved with. It is incredible — I can see them getting a Michelin Star within the next year. We’ll take a little walk along the Seine or through the Jardin des Plantes to wrap up the evening.
We really do treasure date nights now, so if the baby is being minded, we would start with a quick dirty martini in Delahunt before a meal in Lena in Portobello (try the Cacio e Pepe or the Ossobuco). It’s the first place we went on a date after we found out we were expecting a baby, so it holds a special place in our hearts.
We’d probably have a nightcap after our meal. One of my favourite places for a nightcap at the moment is the Collins Club in the Leinster Hotel. Milan Ormanovic is a wizard — he has a full lab in the bar and I don’t know how he comes up with the flavours.
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If we are at home for the evening, we will put on a few records and listen to some music in the sitting room or, if the sun in shining, a lot of our neighbours sit out at the front of their houses with their kids, which is great.
If it’s a rainy evening, I’ll cook something at home and we’ll watch something on TV — anything from a Sopranos rewatch to a classic ‘chick flick’ like Legally Blonde. If I’m DJing in town, I’ll play in Row Wines, Barebone, or Pawn Shop. If I’m going full-on club mode, I’m lucky to play in Index.
If I’m at home, we’ll head to bed sometime between 11.30pm and 12.30am. I’ll sleep really well and then get up and do it all again the next day.
- Marcus O’Laoire is a chef, DJ, content creator and Tesco ambassador. Instagram: @marcus.olaoire.
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