Safe Travels in Ireland - Dwarf Jar, Beshoff's Restaurant, and Suso Gelateria

Dwarf Jar

(Link goes to their Tripadvisor page. If a website surfaces, let us know and we can update the link!)

Kayleigh here. We stopped in here for a quick breakfast/lunch/afternoon snack (long story) upon seeing a sign in the window advertising gluten free muffins and cakes. At 2:00 in the afternoon, they still had two chocolate muffins that were gluten free, along with a decent selection of cake slices and energy bars. The muffins were sweet and moist, and while we did not try the desserts, they looked fantastic. And the location was great for sipping a coffee and watching all the people walk by on their way downtown.

Jason here. This was a pleasant find for us on our walk in downtown Dublin. When I learned Ireland had the highest rate of celiac disease in the world, I figured there would be plenty of places we could spontaneously stop in at. The reality is, I found no more or less than back home. I ordered a pretty simple chocolate chocolate chip muffin that were separately packaged and looked almost store bought. However, there were other fresh looking gluten free items available that I opted not to get. The chocolate muffin was simply too enticing to pass up after skipping breakfast.

Beshoff Restaurant

Kayleigh here. While I was looking forward to sampling all sorts of fresh fish and chips during our stay, Jason was hardly expecting to have the opportunity. We came across this place after a full day of walking through Dublin with feet sore and minds weary, so we opted to look up a place near the city center instead of poking into pubs and quizzing wait staff.

When we arrived, Beshoff's informed us that any of the fish could be fried with gluten free batter, and would be placed in the chips-only fried to avoid cross contamination. Despite being a fast food joint, they took efforts to keep his food separate during preparation, which was nice to see. Gluten free fried haddock and chips- who would have expected that?

Jason here. Beshoff’s may be my favorite restaurant we visited while in Ireland. They have an impeccable gluten free menu, and take great care not to cross contaminate anything. I seriously never expected to find any gluten free fried foods by this point in the trip. Kayleigh had been raving about fish and chips since way before we visited Ireland, so this was finally my chance to see what all the fuss was about. I ordered the haddock fish and chips after asking Kayleigh for a recommendation.

The French fries were pretty good, but I actually really enjoyed the deep fried fish. It was thickly battered, and I love that deep fried batter taste. I wish I could find this back home.

Suso Gelateria

Kayleigh here. Once we finished up our meal at Beshoff's, we decided to pop into the Gelateria next door and ask about their selections. They pointed out which flavors had cookies or other gluten-containing items in them, and told us we would be safe to order any other flavors in a cup. Make sure they do not add the wafer garnish to the cup at the end, though.

Jason here. Suso had plenty of options to choose from, although I admit I found it a bit daunting trying to figure out which ones were gluten free. Staff was plenty friendly, so if you’re not sure about anything feel free to ask.

BlueSteele Cafe Review

Jason here. Kayleigh and I were recently town in Tacoma shopping around for a new car. Whenever we travel away from home we look for gluten free places to try that we might not have otherwise made the trip out for. This time Kayleigh found a recently opened café called BlueSteele Café.

Before I get into my order, let me say the service was fantastic and answered my reaffirmed that gluten free flatbread options were available. It’s a good feeling to look a menu and have the capability to order nearly everything on it.

To that end, I ordered the Chicken Bacon and Ranch (CBR) flatbread. I really wish there was a BlueSteele close buy, because this was freaking fantastic. I haven’t had any bacon and ranch items in a quite a while, which I am sure contributed to how delicious this tasted. Plenty of ranch, with crunchy bits of bacon and flatbread. I don’t eat flatbreads very often, so the comparison I was reminded of while eating my CBR was of a deliciously crunchy crusted pizza.

I also ordered a mocha with my meal, which is unusual as I rarely order coffee. I was impressed with the intricate design created from the cream on top, and it tasted delicious. However, it was easily eclipsed by the flatbread. While I really enjoyed my coffee, I’m not really a coffee connoisseur so I am curious about hearing some other opinions.

Kayleigh here. While the menu was somewhat short, I think it is important to note that this means every item is done well and made to order right behind the counter. Each section of the menu had a vegetarian option, to my delight- enough to please any palate! It was interesting to see a flatbread option with mozzarella and brown sugar, too- never seen one for a sweet tooth before! Looking at the specials menu, I ordered a white chocolate cherry almond concoction for my drink. It was absolutely delicious! Now, I need to figure out an excuse to be down in the area again, so I can try something else on the menu!

Safe Travels in Japan - Yatagarasu and unnamed cafe

Unnamed cafe

Jason here. My second favorite restaurant we visited in Japan was café that we unfortunately could not find the name of. We did take some pictures of the sign for anyone that can read Japanese.

Hidden away in off a road in Harujuku, is this tiny little café located by walking down some stairs to basement. When you walk through the door, it’s like walking back in time with classical music playing and décor reminiscent of that era. Everything was just so relaxing and inviting, the atmosphere brings you in.

After sitting down I ordered a coffee, and Kayleigh ordered a Matcha Parfait. Depending on the coffee, I like it either black or with lots of chocolate, cream, and sugar. If it is really good flavorful coffee, with a good bit of bitterness to it I like it straight. Otherwise if it is lacking flavor, overly bitter, or already two sweet I just go crazy with additives.

Coming in a tiny little teacup, I drank my coffee plain. It was bitter, but still packing a strong coffee flavor.

If you are every walking around Harujuku, perhaps sightseeing the latest fashions, definitely find this little hidden gem and stop by for a nice relaxing cup of coffee.

Kayleigh here. It was quite a surprising find, to duck into this quiet European-style restaurant after walking through the crowded Harajuku main thoroughfare. The waiters were all crisply dressed in black and white, and the bartender was grinding the coffee beans in a wooden hand-cranked box. As if to juxtapose this, the coffee percolator itself was a series of glass globes and metal strips- looking more at home in a chemistry laboratory than a quaint painting-lined getaway.

Yatagarasu

Jason here. After taking a day trip out to Nara and walking around the park, we stopped at a restaurant called Yatagarasu to grab dinner. Nara is famous for a particular breed of chicken, and that was this restaurants specialty. 

The menu was in Japanese, and our waiter spoke only a very little bit of English so we were adventurous and ordered effectively a few random things off of the menu. We had pictures we pointed to, but there was definitely some uncertainty of what we would be getting. Luckily we had our allergy card on us, and the waiter was extremely friendly and made sure nothing contained any gluten.

We ended up ordering chicken heart (or liver?) sashimi for the both of us, grilled chicken offal rice bowl, and breast and egg soup. I had the offal rice bowl, and the soup was Kayleigh’s (we don't think that was gluten free).

We aren’t certain if we ordered sashimi chicken heart, or if it was liver. Either way it was tastier then I expected. The texture is similar to that of salmon sashimi, with a bit of an initial chewiness to it that quickly gives way. The taste itself was plain, with little to no hint of chicken. The closest flavor I can think of would be an extremely lightly flavored water. Something like rose water.

The chicken offal rice bowl was delicious. The offal was well cooked, and just tasted like chicken with a bit more flavor and richness than one would usually find. 

Kayleigh here. I would also like to vouch for the atmosphere of this place- it seemed like the sort of cozy local spot that you could easily become a regular at. Since izakayas (the tiny bars you see peppering downtown streets) were out of the picture for us, this was the one time that I really felt like we had found something unique. They had something on the menu for every part of the chicken, showcasing the unusual bits and really making them shine instead of trying to hide them in a sausage or smothering them in a overpowering sauce.