A year in food: We lost AA Gill but 2016 wasn't all bad

So, 2016 is finally nearing its expiry date. It’s almost time to herald in a New Year, and may it be better than the one that came before it.

This year we said goodbye to British food and travel writer AA Gill after his battle with cancer. His work was cheeky, often controversial and sometimes circumlocutory. He was truly an inspiration, and his words will be missed.

Apart from taking the time to reflect on Gill’s work and the space he’s leaving behind, I’d like to take this opportunity to look back on the culinary highlights that I enjoyed in Ireland in 2016, to remind myself (and you as well) that it wasn’t all bad.

Cookbooks
It was another delicious year for Irish cookbooks, and there were three cookbooks that really stood out to me this year. There was The Brother Hubbard Cookbook by Garret Fitzgerald, a collection of recipes from Fitzgerald's Dublin café, Brother Hubbard. I also loved the honesty and humour found in Sophie White's Recipes for a Nervous Breakdown, published by Gill Books alongside The Brother Hubbard Cookbook. The Farmette Cookbook by Imen McDonnell is a stunning celebration of Irish food from an outsider's perspective, detailing McDonnell's adventures as an American living on an Irish farm.

Food happenings
Coffee continued to bloom in Ireland and 2016 was the year the World Barista Championships came to Dublin. It's an enormous annual event that saw over 10,000 delegates from around the world descend on Dublin in the summer for a trade fair and to compete for the coveted World Barista Championship title. Berg Wu of Taiwan was crowned this year's champion after a gruelling competition at the RDS that involved a meticulous coffee routine judged by a panel of hawk-eyed experts. It's taken seriously, as it brings credence to the possibility of barista as career, rather than post-college stop gap.

Galway continued to shine this year as a forward-thinking food haven, with conferences such as Athrú and Food on the Edge taking place in the city and shining the light on some of the key issues of facing food today.

Restaurants and Cafés
It was an exciting moment when Heron & Grey, a tiny restaurant hidden away in the depths of Blackrock Market, were awarded a Michelin star in October. I was one of the lucky ones who got a table before the star announcement, back in May, and it was truly one of the best meals of the year, with a stand-out dish the softest langoustine flesh, cooked in soya and butter, swimming alongside slivers of shiitake mushrooms in an exquisitely delicate broth.

Its proprietors, front-of-house Dubliner Andrew Heron and Australian chef Damien Grey, were soon booked out until well into 2017 after the announcement of the star.

In late October, I enjoyed a final meal at Thornton’s. Head chef and owner Kevin Thornton, and his wife and business partner Muriel, decided to move on from their premises overlooking Dublin’s Stephen’s Green in October, not just because they had lost their final Michelin star in 2015, having once had two in the restaurant, but also citing high rents and a need for change as reasons to move on after 20 years in their restaurant. The food community in Ireland is looking forward to seeing what one of our most creative and respected chefs does next.

I have always found inspiration outside of the fine-dining arena, too, and this year was no different. Two of my favourite cooks, Katie Sanderson (The Fumbally, Dillisk) and Takashi Miyazaki (Miyazaki) teamed up last this year for two nights in The Fumbally Stables in Dublin 8, to create a Japanese-themed tasting menu, paired with fermented teas, wines and whiskey.

Miyazaki's noodle bar in Cork is perhaps where I enjoyed my favourite meal of the year. It's a simple Japanese take-away with just a couple of seats, and a kitchen pass through which you can see Miyazaki work. I sat in over a bowl of Takashi's Lemon Ramen, a clear broth served with silky noodles and tender slow-cooked beef ribs. It's a dish that I've found myself craving since then.

It was also a joy to visit The Firehouse Bakery in Delgany, Co Wicklow, this year for the first time, and see the thriving bakery and café, that shares a premises with Delgany Grocer, Roasted Brown and The Pigeon House.

On about as far as the other side of the country you could go, I also loved spending time with Alissa and Michael Donoghue at Teach an Tae Cafe Áran on Inis Oírr. In Belfast, Established Coffee and The Muddler’s Club became firm favourites this year.

In my hometown of Dublin, some favourite newcomers were the healthy delivery service Piply and Dublin 8’s most beautiful and romantic new café Meet Me In The Morning. Over in Dublin 7, Phibsborough became home to two excellent newcomers, Two Boys Brew and Bang Bang Cafe, very different in their approach but similarly successful in their delivery.

It’s quite a tonic to look back at the good things that happened this year. More of this kind of thing in 2017, please.