The Hare
As part of Living Dinners, The Hare made a one day return to the Irish Museum of Modern Art for lunch in the gardens. Sarah ate and enjoyed thoroughly.
*Sarah: you will not find her perched on a page in the urban dictionary.
With urban dictionary describing a foodie as ‘a douchebag who likes food’, you can see my reluctance to give myself that title. With that option out the window I just don’t know what other adjective can be used to convey my absolute passion for consuming food? Hungry perhaps? ‘spoze that’ll do.
Now that I have aptly defined myself simply as ‘a hungry girl’ you can (vaguely) understand the sheer delight I felt when I saw that The Hare, a moving food and art project run my Dillisk was coming to IMMA for one day during their Summer Risings festival.
Dillisk is a seaside food project in a cosy converted boat shed in Connemara who plant, pickle and pick their way through the summer. Their food looks like delicious healthy yumminess but with Connemara being quite a trek for a bite to eat I was more than glad when the opportunity arose to experience their magic just ten minutes from home.
Their philosophy is ‘vegetarian, plant based and with an emphasis on colour, fun, texture and seasonality.’ That was apparent from the moment we arrived and could see these beautiful vegi dishes being served up with love. There was only an hour per sitting for the lunches so no time was wasted before plates were up and the moment was upon us.
The food was such a work of art in its self that I felt momentary guilt at the thought of eating it. But, with feelings of both hunger and excitement featuring much more prominently, it wasn’t long before I tucked in.
It was obvious that they had put a lot of thought and care into the dishes. All of the ingredients complemented each other extremely well and they had used a good variety of textures. It was great to enjoy a veg-based meal in such a celebratory way too; Ireland has come a long way in terms of dining options for all types of diets but they are too often an after-though and never the star of the show.
As soon as the little deserts were devoured and mint cacao teas were drank, the hour was up and it was time to head off. Gone so soon were the meals adorned with flowers, served up with a fermented tea and delicate biscotti only to be replaced with the unwavering realism of a stroll through Dublin 8.
Words & Photography: i come undone