Food File: The weekly food news round-up

Original fusion

True originals aren’t that common in the restaurant world, but the arrival in Dublin of a Scandin-Asian fusion restaurant is definitely a first. Söder+Ko is an all-day cafe bar and restaurant on South Great George’s Street in Dublin that mixes Asian food with a Scandinavian influenced drinks list, in a very chilled environment.

Kwanghi Chan, who comes to the venture from three years as head chef at the Cliff House in Ardmore, is culinary director and has drawn on his Hong Kong heritage for a menu that includes dim sum and steamed buns, as well as a raw bar, meat and fish plates, and vegetable sides.

It’s a small plates menu geared towards sharing. Three plates plus a side dish is €25 and five plus a side is €45, and if you want a surprise you can let the chef choose for you. “I love the casual element of eating with friends and family by sharing plates,” Chan says.

Galway foodies in for a treat

Expert-led talks on food trends are a not-to-be-missed feature of the Galway Food Festival (April 2nd-6th).

There is an interesting international panel of speakers lined up to talk at An Taibhdhearc (11am to 6pm, Saturday, April 4th) and attendance is free.

Food tours, including seashore foraging, a visit to an Aran Islands goats' cheese dairy, and an oyster and beer exploration, are also on the programme, full details of which can be seen at galwayfoodfestival.com.

Lovely little ode

Eveleen Coyle, who runs the excellent Fab Food Trails in Dublin and around the country, has brought her publishing credentials to the fore – she’s a veteran of the books business – by writing a lovely little ode to the potato.

It’s true to say that it seems to be aimed at the tourist market, but at only €4.99 it’s worth having in your collection, and the recipes aren’t all Irish, there are latkes, galettes and rösti in there too. The Irish Pocket Potato Recipe Book is published by Gill & Macmillan.

Small fish on the menu

Chefs from 20 of the world’s leading restaurants have joined the campaign to preserve fish stocks and have committed to serving smaller fish – anchovies, sardines and herring – on their menus.

Grant Achatz (Alinea, US), Gastón Acurio (Astrid y Gastón, Peru), Ferran Adrià ( el Bulli Foundation), Juan Mari and Elena Arzak (Arzak, Spain), Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana, Italy) and René Redzepi (Noma, Denmark), are among the big names backing the campaign led by advocacy organisation Oceana.

Chefs from the 20 headlining restaurants attended an ocean conservation seminar at the Basque culinary centre earlier this month, and will be introducing the new smaller fish to their menus on June 8th, World Oceans Day.