Ronan Ryan, owner of Bridge Bar Grill and Town Bar Grill, in Dublin, talks about his holidays
What's your earliest holiday memory?We had a house in Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, where I went every summer from age seven to 17. My mum is a teacher, so we would go from June to September and run wild. We were bored, but with hindsight we were so lucky.
What was your worst holiday?I went to Disneyland Paris with my three-year-old son, but he was too young for it. I don't know what I was thinking. We couldn't go on anything, it was 40 degrees, he wasn't well and the hotel and queues were terrible. An absolute disaster.
What was your best holiday?I went on a foodie gastro trip to New York in January. Myself and a friend stayed in the Greenwich Hotel in Tribeca. The hotel is amazing, not five-star flash, but with exposed brickwork, fireplaces and amazing service. You can check in and not leave the block. There's a restaurant in the hotel called Ago, and beside it are Nobu and Tribeca Bar and Grill. We all ate in the Spotted Pig restaurant. The best meal I have ever had was at a new restaurant, the John Dory, in the meat-packing district. The signature dish of John Dory fish was cooked to perfection. It was packed with 150 people on a Monday night, with no sign over the door and the windows blacked out. Imagine doing this in Dublin. This meal was worth the trip to New York. Nobu has always been the place for fish, but this set a new standard.
If budget or work were not a restriction, what would be your dream holiday?For 10 days in September I hope to rent a car in California and visit friends' vineyards in Napa. But it won't be in a predictable way like the film Sideways.
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?My friend Colm. He lives in LA and likes wine tasting and provides the satnav. And my girlfriend.
What's your favourite place in Ireland?The Aghadoe Heights Hotel in Killarney, Co Kerry. I go down there as often as I can. It is a fantastic restaurant, with great lake views. It is really peaceful and out of the way. The owners care about the wine and the food. Its restaurant kicks most Dublin restaurants to touch.
Your recommended holiday reading?Denis Leary's book Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid is hilarious coffee-table fodder. I read it on the plane and couldn't stop laughing.
Where will you go to next?I'm dying to go to Barcelona. I hope to book a week in late April. I am tired of hearing people talk about it, so I can bore people talking about it when I get back.
** Ronan Ryan owns Bridge Bar Grill and Town Bar Grill, in Dublin
** In conversation with Genevieve Carbery