Notes, News, and Nerdiness from JKLA World HQ

Hello from the green fields, gray skies, and gorgeous countrysides of Ireland where I’ve been traveling for the past week!

This is the third time I’ve traveled through Ireland and my second time in Northern Ireland. No matter what part of the island I’ve been to, though, a few things have consistently stuck out to me during my travels:

Irish humor is right up my alley. Equal parts wit, storytelling, finding the absurdity in tragedy, and gently taking the piss out of everyone while being suspicious of anyone who takes themselves too seriously.

Striking up conversation and learning about other people is as simple as walking to the nearest pub and sitting down.

The grass really is greener here. I’ve discovered brand new shades of green I never knew existed.

Music is everywhere, and everything is music.

The food is exceptionally good.

The latter honestly surprised me the first time I visited. I think of “meat and potatoes” as something simple and boring. But not here. The dairy is rich, golden, and full of flavor. The produce is phenomenal (though admittedly sometimes in short supply in restaurants and pubs). The lamb and the beef tastes of the land and the grass. The potatoes are buttery and flavorful—even the imported potatoes!

The other night in a small pub on the island of Arranmore, I met a retired produce distributor who lamented that much of Ireland’s traditional farmland has been converted to grazing land to support the boom in the dairy industry, which has led to the necessity to import potatoes to the country. He also added that more recently, Irish farmers and chefs have been re-introducing old varieties of potatoes that fell out of fashion but are now making a comeback.

Only in parts of Colombia have I seen potatoes taken as seriously as they’re taken here. Whether it’s boxty, champ, mash, chips, or roasters, there’s a potato dish that will fit the meal.

Some of the better meat & potatoes meals I’ve had on this trip:

A breakfast bap from St. George’s Market in Belfast. Baps are soft, floury, yeasted rolls that are split for sandwiches. I asked for the “small” breakfast bap and got a roll with three whole sausages; two thick slices of Irish back bacon; a potato farl (i.e. potato bread—yes, this is bread made out of potatoes stuffed inside another, bigger piece of bread); a fried egg; and a heavy drizzle of brown sauce (a more vinegary, sharper cousin of ketchup). I ate a quarter of it before throwing in the towel.

Roast lamb rump and pavé potatoes from the Slieve Donard hotel in Belfast. The lamb was juicy and flavorful, and the potatoes crisp, rich, and paradoxically insanely buttery but not at all greasy. The hotel is set on the ocean and, while grand, still feels homey and unmistakably Irish.

Pancakes from the Regency House in Belfast. I did not expect to have my mind blown by pancakes, but what chef Chris McClurg is doing at the Regency House (which he recently took over) is simply phenomenal. The pancakes are buttery, golden, and moist with a slight sourdough tang and a hefty crunch. They’re great on their own, but try them stuffed with sausage, caramelized onion, and a fried egg, or with a house-made blueberry compote, or—if you’re feeling extra posh—with caviar and lemony crème fraîche.

Blended vegetable soup from literally any pub. A thick, blended vegetable-based soup is a standard item on virtually any pub menu, and I have yet to try one that isn’t delicious. They typically come served with brown bread (a quick bread made with whole wheat, baking soda, and buttermilk) and good Irish butter for dipping.

And the seafood. My god, the seafood is some of the best in the world. One of the things I loved most about living in Boston and love about currently living in Seattle is the quantity of excellent fish and shellfish available across the price spectrum. Ireland has that in spades.

Fish and chips from Early’s on Arranmore. I would not have pegged this lowkey spot as a place to find one of the better fish and chips I’ve had, but there it was. A crisp, lacy perfectly golden, almost tempura-like beer batter crust on a juicy and flaky cut of haddock with proper thick-cut chips that are crisp in spots, soft in others, a packed with flavor the way a proper chip should be.

A steamed lobster from The Lobster Pot in Burtonport. Live Atlantic lobster, drawn butter, and lemon. Just like at a New England clam shack, and a pretty unbeatable combination of three simple ingredients.

Seafood chowder from Fara’s at the Villa Rose Hote in Ballybofey. I only had a single bite of their chowder, but it was the best of the three or four seafood chowders I've tasted on this trip, with chunky bites of fish and shellfish in a creamy, herbaceous broth.

Oysters from St. George’s Market in Belfast. Who doesn’t love casually slurping down an oyster or two while taking a slow stroll through a public market?

Dublin Bay prawns. These are my absolute favorite shellfish anywhere in the world. They have the body of a large shrimp, but with a pair of long, slender claws. Their flavor is sweet like a scallop, briny like a lobster, tender like a crab, and utterly delicious.

Of course, you can eat like sh*t (or sh*te, if you want to be linguistically accurate) if you’re in the mood and to be honest, some of the sh*te is truly delicious. (I apologize if that phrasing offends anyone—I mean it in the most loving and sincere way.) For instance:

A Tayto Sandwich: Two slices of generic white sandwich bread (it must be sh*te white for this sandwich), a generous smear of soft, salted Irish butter on both slices of bread, and a big pile of potato chips (or crisps, as they're known here)—preferably Tayto Cheese & Onion. It’s a food that tastes comforting and nostalgic even for people who didn’t grow up eating it.

Gas station chicken fillet rolls: Pre-cooked breaded and fried chicken cutlets that are sliced into strips and stuffed into a small split baguette with your choice of toppings (I typically opt for butter, mayo, lettuce, and tomatoes). It’s cheap, satisfying, and delicious in the way that, say, a McChicken is delicious.

The kids and I are stopping in New York on our way back home to Seattle. You can expect to see some great pizza on my social media in the coming days…

Summer Break!

Speaking of the coming days... JKLA World HQ will be taking a small summer break from YouTube and Patreon next week as our team works behind the scenes on a big summer series! We'll be back Monday, June 29, with our regularly scheduled programming before the series kicks off in early July. Stay tuned!

As always, thank you for being a Super Frienji. You make this nerdy corner of the internet possible, and the team is grateful for your support!