Photo Diary: The Merchant Belfast

One evening during my business trip to Belfast, as I ascended to my hotel room at the iconic Hotel Europa, renowned as the most bombed hotel in the world, a colleague invited me to join them for a drink at The Merchant. Grateful that I accepted, I was in for an exquisite surprise—the lobby of The Merchant turned out to be the most stunning I had ever witnessed. Despite the limitations of my low-quality camera, it failed to do justice to the sheer opulence and decadence of this breathtaking establishment.

My most amazing cocktail (that took one hour to receive from the time I ordered it...)

Lunch in the Fall

Went out to lunch with my daughter and got to wear the scarf I bought in Ethiopia. It's almost impossible to take outfit photos now because she wants to be in all of the pictures!

Sweater Coat: Vintage
Scarf: from Sabahar in Ethiopia
Dress: Niko and... (from Japan)
Sunglasses: Alice + Olivia

What Did I Eat In Ireland

During my week-long work trip to Ireland, my dining experiences were predominantly confined to hotel meals and pre-selected restaurants. Ironically, the culinary pinnacle of my journey—a remarkable food tour in Dublin—remains undocumented, as I failed to capture it through photographs. Despite this regrettable omission, I must express my pleasant surprise at the exceptional quality of food throughout Ireland. I am genuinely grateful for the opportunity to savor what I could, and the overall gastronomic adventure exceeded my expectations.

Breakfast foods: top left is my all-time favorite grilled cheese sandwich in Dublin, followed by eggs benedict, English breakfast, and hash. 

Seafood was another wonderful surprise. I had not expected the seafood to be so good in Ireland, and I'm not sure why - it's an island with ample coastline!

Scotch egg was another favorite

After many heavy meals I ended up eating a lot of salads too

Some of my favorite soups

Meat pastries were ubiquitous

Familiar Burgers and fries

I also got to try a Korean fusion restaurant in Dublin and really enjoyed it

Ate many desserts there as well. My favorites were sticky toffee pudding and Murphy's Icecream in Dublin

A few nights I skipped the dinners with the client and ate Indian food alone in my hotel room. It was appalling. I ordered Chicken Tikka Masala from two of the most popular Indian restaurants in Ireland and I have never tasted such disgusting food. The Chicken Tikka Masala was so sweet it tasted like chocolate. Apparently Indian food in Ireland has a ton of sugar added into it. Do you see those crazy bright, unnatural colors of the curry? It was horrible. 

The whisky tasting experience was transformative. I never liked whisky or scotch or bourbon in my life, but after Ireland I learned how to appreciate it. 

Gin was another favorite. We went to many distilleries so I got to try all kinds of gin cocktails.  

Goths Can Tiki Too

 Got dressed up for a Goth Tiki night at a bar here in Portland. 

Coat: Zara
Dress: Target
Shoes: Target
Gloves: Target
Bag: Mansur Gavriel
Glasses: Apercu
Leather Harness: Amazon

Afternoon Tea at The Shelbourne in Dublin

During my action-packed business trip to Dublin and Belfast last year, I seized the opportunity to extend my stay for an extra day in Dublin. As a spontaneous decision on my last day, I treated myself to a delightful afternoon tea at The Shelbourne hotel where I was staying. Gratefully, I managed to secure a spot on the same day, adding a touch of serendipity to my memorable Dublin experience.

The dishware was so incredibly cute that I took more pictures than usual of the plates and dishes. 

It was so crowded I wondered how I managed to snag a table the day of. I felt very lucky. 

Jam, butter, and clotted cream

Tea service included many choices of tea. You didn't have to pick one, you could have three or four versions if you wanted. I chose a Rose tea and a Vanilla tea. 

My biscuits with jam and clotted cream

Banksy Exhibit Outfit

 

Saw the Banksy exhibit with my family last spring and got to wear my news clothes out. 

Shirt: Commes des Garcons

Pants: Uniqlo

Bag: Cuyana

Food Cart Days

Casual day grabbing lunch at the food carts with my family. I dressed up a very casual summer outfit with my white Mansur Gavriel bucket bag and some shades. 

Shirt: thrifted

Pants and top: Uniqlo

Bag: Mansur Gavriel

Cafes of Dublin, Ireland

 In 2022 I went on a business trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland. I spent most of my time up north and most of my time working, but I had a few opportunities to sample Dublin's speciality coffee shops on my arrival and departure days, as well as in-between a few meetings. 

Coffee Angel

Coffee Angel was the first cafe I visited, a mere 2 hours after I landed. It was so good that I went again right before I left. Even after trying all the other cafes in the city, Coffee Angel remained my favorite. The only downside is that this busy outpost had almost no seating, so I had to take to-go. 

Kaph

Kaph seemed like one of those small, super hip places where the baristas knew all the customer's names. I was in love with one tiny corner of the cafe that seemed like a cozy place to drink coffee and read a magazine. Unfortunately I was between meeting so I had to get my coffee to-go and run back to work. 

Ebb & Flow

Ebb & Flow was a busy brunch/breakfast place a short walk from my hotel. I woke up early enough to arrive when it opened and was able to drink my coffee at the restaurant before heading to work 15 minutes later. The staff were so gracious and hospitable. I wish I could go back.

Bodega 

Bodega is a cafe near the bustling Howth pier that lines the Irish Sea. I was able to get a quick coffee because taking a ferry ride which I slept all the way through. 

3fe 

3fe was probably the best coffee I had in Dublin (but Coffee Angel was so much closer and that is why I ended up returning there). I also really like the vive of the cafe and wish I could have had a chance to work from there. 

Republica Outfit

Wore this outfit at a family lunch outing at Republica - very difficult to take outfit photos with the kid, she just has to get into the picture! Here is the progression of what the photoshoot looked like:

Top: Uniqlo

Pants: Uniqlo

Bag: Mansur Gavriel