Dry ice

It felt strange today, not having a music session to go to. One advantage, though, was that I was able to watch qualifying for tomorrow's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. We'd heard great things about this new circuit, and all the superlatives were certainly justified. What an amazing place it is, and to think it all came out of nowhere in only two and a half years (just a little bit more efficient than it would be here)! Lewis Hamilton qualified on pole, thanks to a blisteringly quick lap during the final session, when it looked as if Sebastian Vettel couldn't be bettered.

Carl and have been trying unsuccessfully for a long time now to eat in Dali's restaurant in Blackrock, but it's either been full or not open whenever we've tried. Yesterday we decided that we'd try one more time, and I actually managed to book a table for this evening. They have an 'early bird' menu which is available all night long, and we liked the sound of it (27 euro for two courses, 31 for three). I had French Onion Soup while Carl had Cod Cakes (an evening-special starter). We both had the Bacon, Cabbage & Parsley Pie with Spring Onion Champ and Piccalilli. My starter was good, though not great. Carl was very happy with his cod cakes. We find that a great number of restaurants let themselves down by providing good starters and desserts but falling down when it comes to main course. This definitely wasn't the case in Dali's. The pie pastry was absolute perfection, and the pie itself was divinely gorgeous. Our desserts were Gooseberry & Stem Ginger Eton Mess for me and Carl had Warm Almond Pudding with Roasted Plums and Clotted Cream. All in all, the evening was a great success, and the main course was superb. Good stuff. Warmly recommended. We'll go again.

After the meal we went across the road to Tonic bar, where lots of people were adding to the atmosphere by turning up in silly Halloween costumes. The staff were dressed up too, they were in good form, the pumpkins were everywhere, the cocktails were flying, and so was the dry ice. Good fun, and an enjoyable interlude. From there we went back to Dún Laoghaire and made the mistake of having a pint in the recently re-opened Smyths. It's dreadful! A big boring room, with dull decor and a grim feel to it. It was a great relief to go across the road to the fabulous O'Loughlin's to finish the night. That was more like it.