Leslie Williams

1 month ago | irishexaminer.com | Leslie Williams

Who doesn't want to be modern? I may dress in a traditional fashion (tailored jackets, overcoats and the occasional fedora), but I would hate to be thought old-fashioned, so I add colour when I can. I do love a glass of claret with my Sunday roast, but in a wine bar I’m far more likely to order organic, no-added-sulphur zweiglet or nero d’Avola. I promise that this is not to be “down with the kids”, I just find these wines work better in social situations and for my digestion.

1 month ago | irishexaminer.com | Leslie Williams

An Italian friend of mine, long resident in Ireland, avoids talking about food with fellow Italians as it always leads to arguments. Everyone’s mamma or nonna cooks better than everyone else’s; in Italy food is never fuel, it is culture, it is everything. So, can three Irish people open an Italian restaurant in what used to be Locks? Of course they can if they are Liz Matthews, Simon Barrett and Paul McNamara, who already run Uno Mas and Etto, two of Dublin’s best-loved restaurants.

1 month ago | irishexaminer.com | Leslie Williams

As the weather slowly warms and I dare to think of summertime and warm days spent outside, my wine consumption has changed in recent weeks. I’ll still open the odd Rhône Syrah, young ripe Bordeaux red, or Mendoza Malbec should I need them to match a steak or stew. But in the last two weeks it has been lighter wines on the table such as Valpolicella and Refosco from Northern Italy, Beaujolais and Pinot Noir from France, and Spätburgunder from Germany.

1 month ago | irishexaminer.com | Leslie Williams

“Play the hits!” That’s the advice that should be given to every ageing rock band turning up at festivals this summer — if we want to hear their new songs we can go to Spotify. It is also good advice for anyone opening a French bistro. We really don’t want to taste your French twist on the coconut rice you had on holiday in Bali — we want the classics.

1 month ago | irishexaminer.com | Leslie Williams

When did the world become whiskey drinkers? Was it Don Draper in drinking Old Fashioneds? Or perhaps McNulty’s trusty bottle of Jameson that appeared in nearly every episode of ? Those girls did drink a lot of Cosmopolitans, but they also ordered Manhattans a fair few times. Ireland has gone from three distilleries to over 40 in the last 20 years and there is no sign of a slowdown. The third annual Cork Whiskey Fest runs until March 23, taking over bars and venues around MacCurtain St in the city.