4 years ago
Review of National Gallery cafe:
Review of National Gallery cafe:
I m giving them 4/5 green stars for social and environmental impact. It could be higher (or lower) but there s really not a huge amount of information available to judge them by. It s run by Itsa, who own a ridiculous number of places around the city (Itsa Bagels, Hatch & Sons, Alchemy Juice Co., and various cafes in places from MOMA to Arnotts). Considering that Itsa are now so large, and that one of the founders (Domini Kemp) has been a food writer for the Irish Times for years, it would be nice if they provided more info about their food sourcing and sustainability. They do state that their coffee is ethically sourced, but don t provide information on the coffee beyond this. Their hot chocolate is made with Fair Trade cocoa. They list sources for a few ingredients (G s chutney, Dubliner cheddar, Wicklow brie) but don t provide any information on the majority of them (Is it organic? Where was it grown? Is it free range? Who is the supplier? etc.). It s a woman-owned business (the Kemp sisters), and they are involved in community activities. Judging by the menu in Itsa in Sandymount (organic burger, free range chicken, organic mash...) they do use some sustainable/ethical ingredients but just aren t that great about communicating this. More transparency please!