Taste of Dublin ditches the florins and puts €5 cap on dishes

Taste of Dublin returns to Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens next month (June 13-16th), however the food festival’s on-site currency, the florin, is a thing of the past. Previously, attendees had to purchase florins in order to buy food from the participating restaurants, but this year payments will be made by chip and pin credit or debit card.

The price of the taster-sized dishes offered by participating restaurants this year will be €5, a reduction on previous years, when some had a €7 price tag. More than 30,000 people are expected to visit the festival during its four-day run, with an afternoon and an evening session each day.

The line-up of participating restaurants includes Hang Dai, the Chinese with a twist on Dublin’s Camden Street, which makes its debut at the festival. Also taking part for the first time are Bowls by Kwanghi, a Hong Kong street food cafe; Korean food outlets Arisu and Jaru; Grálinn with its Irish tapas; Lil Portie Caribbean Kitchen; Opium, Pan-Asian fusion; Shaka Poké; and the 2018 Dragons’ Den success story Pleesecakes, which will bring its cheesecake concept to Dublin from London.

Taste of Dublin regulars that will be returning include San Lorenzo's, Pickle, Jaipur, King Sitric, The Exchequer, Nutbutter, The Porthouse and Adrian's Manor, a collaboration between chef Adrian Martin and Manor Farm Chicken.

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Colin Fassnidge, the Irish-born chef who runs two restaurants in Sydney and is a guest judge on My Kitchen Rules, Australia, will headline the Neff Taste Kitchen. Other chefs doing cooking demos include Kevin Dundon, Clodagh McKenna, Rory O'Connell, Paul Kelly, Sunil Ghai and Aoife Noonan.

New features for 2019 include the Taste of Dublin Tea Garden, hosted by baker Graham Herterich, better known as The Cupcake Bloke. There will also be a No Lo Bar by Fentimans, catering to increased demand for no- or low-alcohol beverages. During the Friday afternoon session, chef Paul Kelly from the Merrion hotel, and consultant chef Aoife Noonan will host a fashion-themed patisserie cooking demonstration, and on the Sunday, which is Fathers' Day, there will be a line-up of child-friendly activities and demonstrations.

Drinks exhibitors include the O’Briens Wine Experience (tastings and masterclasses); the Ketel One Kitchen (cocktail masterclasses and a nightly disco); Roe & Co (contemporary Irish whiskey cocktails on board a Dublin tram); and the Rioja Wine Terrace (tapas and wine).

Tickets cost from €15 (plus booking fee), and are now on sale.