On the corner of New South Street and Fumbally Lane in Dublin is a large, modern apartment building. Follow your nose into the door at its corner, and step into the cavernous, cozy, warm, welcoming café that is The Fumbally.
Here’s the exterior:
And here’s what you encounter when you step through the door:
The Fumbally was created by a group of friends – here’s how they tell it on their website:
The Fumbally is the culmination of four years of cooking, travelling, working at festivals, gathering ideas, arguing those ideas, making mistakes, making new friends, finally realising those ideas, having lots of dinners, tasting new things, building a kitchen and seeing what will happen.
Some of us have been working in kitchens all our lives, others haven’t, but we all have a love for food, good coffee and the simple pleasure of sharing a meal with friends.
Mark Duggan photo, thefumbally.ie
The design fittingly consists of mismatched tables and chairs, antiques, and vintage artwork on the walls.
Great food (and coffee) brought in the crowds on the Saturday morning that I was there. (I would imagine it’s always like this.)
Open to the room, the kitchen was buzzing with activity and bursting with yummy aromas. Massive bowls of fresh salads awaited plating.
The ingredients all come from local farms and suppliers. Fresh produce is arranged artfully in wooden crates along one wall.
Filtered water in jelly jar glasses is self-serve.
For coffee and tea, there’s milk in a vintage teapot, and sugar in a blue and white soup tureen.
The Saturday menu included three types of eggs (Fumbally Eggs, Eggs & Ham, and Green Eggs & Ham), Cáis and Mil (Toonsbridge Irish buffalo ricotta, Wicklow honey, and rustic toast), Falafel, Pulled Porchetta, and various types of soups and salads.
It wasn’t easy, but in the end, I went with the Fumbally Eggs: “Scrambled with olive oil, Gubbeen cheese, garlic and tomatoes on toasted brioche.”
(Since I was there, I’ve tried to recreate this dish many times and it’s never quite as delicious.)
The home-baked treats were irresistible.
I chose a slice of gingerbread cake, served with fresh whipped cream.
Sitting happily at the long, wooden, communal table, I could have stayed all day. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was congenial. I started thinking about what it would be like to live in the neighborhood and come here regularly.
With one last look at the Don Quixote quote on the blackboard – one I heartily agree with – I reluctantly departed.
The Fumbally is not only a “don’t miss,” it’s a “won’t forget!”
Take a tip from me, and check it out!
The Fumbally
Fumbally Lane
Dublin
Monday—Friday 8am—5pm
Saturday 10am-5pm
Closed on Sundays and Bank Holidays
One response to “Dublin | The Fumbally”
How delightful Pam! The food pictures made me hungry, the atmosphere of the cafe made me “chill”…. such a relaxing place yet full of life at the same time. Wouldn’t it be fun to live nearby and go there as a regular and sit at the communal table with friends?!
Thanks for sharing! Do they have places like this in the USA??