Meal Ticket: Counter Culture, Dublin 2

I’m perched at the bar of Counter Culture in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, knocking back a shot of matcha, banana and coconut milk, spiked with chia seeds.

Opened earlier this year by Pamela Flood and her husband Ronan Ryan, the pair followed the lead of places such as Protein Bar in Washington to bring health food with substance to Dublin city. Rather than just being a juice bar, they wanted to provide another outlet to enable Dubs to indulge in clean, healthy eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Counter Culture is on the top floor of the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, the city centre-party pad built in the 1700s for Richard Wingfield, the 3rd Viscount of Powerscourt. Much like their downstairs neighbours The Pepper Pot, Counter Culture has located itself on what is essentially a balcony. Though they have the luxury of a wider space than The Pepper Pot, they’re still working out of a long and narrow space. They’ve made good use of this space by building high tables into the bannisters, which look right out into what would have been the courtyard of this Georgian townhouse, now an indoor shopping market for Irish design.

It’s while taking in these views that I spend time over the home-smoked salmon salad, accompanied by pickled cabbage, grapes and feta (€13). I get some housemade brown bread, crunchy with seeds, to go with it. It’s a substantial lunch that doesn’t leave me feeling loaded or lethargic. The smoked salmon has an unusual texture and flavour, thanks to the home smoking, and stands out from your average lunchtime smoked salmon.

For brunch, you could go for the five-egg omlette or baked avocado with goat’s cheese. Or there’s the juice menu, which includes the matcha and banana number I mentioned earlier, known as The Activate (€5). What I like about Counter Culture is that they haven’t taken the joy out of eating in their bid to promote clean eating. The food is colourful and vibrant, with enough choice to get even the most suspicious diner to come around to a healthier lunchtime.

Brunch and lunch are served from 10am to 12pm Monday to Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. You can eat overlooking the historic building’s former courtyard, or get the food to go and sit out on the Townhouse’s front steps facing South William Street.