Two foodie celebrations also took place this week. On Tuesday there was the first birthday party of Mao Cafe and Bar, which was marked with a splendidly tasteless invitation depicting chairman Mao wearing an orange hat and blowing a streamer. What next, we wonder? Hitler in a boa? Stalin doing the lambada? In the event, there was nothing in the slightest bit tasteless about the party, which was simply a few old friends and valued customers invited round for dinner.
Gerry and Morah Ryan were there, having first popped into the Side Door restaurant in the Shelbourne Hotel which was (surprise, surprise) celebrating its first birthday party; singer Paul Brady was there tucking into the shrimp crackers from the start, and other guests included John Suttle, owner of Kookai, Morgan and other highstreet fashion emporiums; photographer Walter Pheiffer; Pat Harvey of Gilbeys; Mo Saul, wife of Roly Saul of bistro fame; and Morag Prunty, editor of IT magazine. The owners, Graham and Rosie Campbell and Ronnie O'Reilly were delighted with their first year in business and are now looking forward to their next venture, a new Mao restaurant in Glasgow. Ronnie was sanguine about another noodle house, the ultra-trendy Wagamama, opening up around the corner in Grafton Street. "Their motto is The Zen of Eating - no smoking, no starters, no desserts, no coffee. Maybe they know something about the Irish that I don't but . . . " he grinned.
The other foodie offering this week was courtesy of Nectar, a very L.A. juice bar recently opened in Ranelagh. Owner Chris Keegan decided to invite a select few for dinner and lashings of Hawaii 5-0 cocktails, to officially christen the place on Wednesday night. A true meeting of bright young things, the guests included architects Simon Walker and Dermot Boyd (who designed the sleek interior); designers Cyan Kingston, Cuan Hanley and Marc O'Neill; hot-shot lawyer Moira Moriarty; photographer Barry McCall; model Sarah Bargus, who is the new face of Vera Moda; furniture designer Simon O'Driscoll; artist Deirdre Barry (who did the artwork); Melanie Morris, editor of d-Side magazine; Simon and Amanda Pratt of Avoca Handweavers; and Catherine Giovanelli of RTE's Beyond the Hall Door.