VSI Meetups
Sarah Gee and Sarah Burnham at Vegan Pizza Day
Louisa organised a lovely lunch in Pizza Hut on Suffolk street for Vegan Pizza Day on Saturday 29 June. Pizza Hut provided a really tasty ‘all you can eat’ vegan pizza buffet and a salad bar. There was a great turn out with 30 vegetarians and vegans attending. Everyone was friendly and despite not knowing anyone when I arrived I was introduced to others in the group and made to feel welcome. A small group of attendees went on to Lurve in Temple Bar for tea and cake after Pizza Hut. There was a wide range of vegan cakes to choose from: chocolate cake, carrot cake, cappuccino cake and Victoria sponge – they were spoilt for choice! Well done to Louisa for organising a great afternoon.
Mary Burnham on Bray to Greystones Coastal Walk Eric on Lunch at Hibiscus Wilde Vegan Food Bar
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On a glorious Tuesday evening in July, I headed for The Exchange Dublin; a volunteer run collective and space. I was greeted by friendly faces; Sarah B, Tim from Ruuts and Shuuts and others. There were about 17 of us in all. I had the courgette pie and salad which was very reasonable at €6. It was filling and very healthy. Others had the just as deliciouslooking broccoli and chickpea curry with quinoa. Desserts were tempting with berry tart, rhubarb cake and raw coconut spice balls. That evening, supply did not meet demand for food but I’m sure that’s not always the way. After the meal, Tim spoke about Ruuts and Shuuts and how it was a not-for-profit, educational and vegan catering collective. He introduced Sandra Higgins, a psychotraumatologist who gave an insightful talk about the factors involved in burnout among activists. Mary Maddock of MindFreedom followed for a wellreceived talk. Coffee at Accents Café, Stephen Street Lower polished off a lovely evening of good food and chat.
Sarah Burnham at Seomra Spraoi
On Wednesday 19 June a small group of us met at the Spire and walked together to Seomra Spraoi (10 Belvidere Court, off Gardiner Street in Dublin 1). Seomra Spraoi is an autonomous social centre run by a non-hierarchical, anticapitalist collective on a not-forprofit basis. Most importantly – they serve tasty vegan food on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings for a suggested €5/€7 donation! We enjoyed our dinner of asparagus risotto, served with olive and lentil tapenade and a green salad. Dessert was a delicious chocolate torte, which I was excited to hear contained avocado!. Scrumptious food and good company – a great evening!
Photo: Aileen Power
The VSI Dublin meetup Group visited Hibiscus Wilde at The Ferocious Mingle Market, 72 Thomas Street, to enjoy good food and even better company on Saturday 15 June. Hibiscus Wilde is a vegan food bar with a generous selection of vegan dishes – both sweet and savoury – for the most discerning palate. While boasting great taste, Hibiscus Wilde also manages to offer healthy, nutritiouslybalanced meals. Several of our members ordered the veggie burger, which is handmade with lentils and whole grains. After lunch the group moved to Cassidy’s pub for a slow pint and friendly conversation.
Twenty-four cheerful voices rang out in the upper room of the Happy Pear Restaurant, Greystones as if they hadn’t seen each other in weeks. Some of us were a tad tired after our exhilarating cliff walk from Bray to Greystones but others were already planning a return journey back! The sun obliged with glorious warmth, a gorgeous blue-green sea lapped up against the rocks, as the lush greenery on either side of the path gently brushed our skin. It took about 90 minutes from start to finish and was a great appetiser for the meal ahead. I enjoyed my cannelloni dish stuffed with butternut squash with two colourful side salads, and topped the lot off with a raw chocolate cake. All the dishes and desserts were affordable and extremely tasty. I felt very welcome at my first meetup, and will certainly be repeating the experience.
Eilís Scully in Ruuts and Shuuts
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