Domini Kemp owns Itsabagel, the successful bagel chain and the Itsa4 restaurant along with her sister Peaches. She is perfectly placed to talk about food and wine: she sources it, eats it, cooks it and generally lives and breathes it!

What's the best meal you've ever eaten and where did you eat it?
I am still searching for the most perfect meal from start to finish, but will give you a few snippets of some delicious dishes that would combine to be the best if they could be eaten in one go!
 – Steak tartare in this dirty bistro in Paris called Chez Paul – it was absolutely perfect with finely chopped raw fillet and the correct accompaniments including chopped onion, mustard, raw egg yolk, plus some delicious toasted pain de poilane and some skinny chips. 
– The roast chicken from 3* Michelin Paris restaurant "Taillevent" was also pretty special with foie gras mashed potatoes and truffle cream. 
– The blackened cod in Nobu, in New York city is awesome as is a slice of charcoal baked wild mushroom pizza from Lombardi's in Soho, especially when accompanied by an ice cold Peroni beer. 
– Seared scallops with cauliflower cream from Chapter One here in Dublin, smoked lamb with mint jelly from L'ecrivain and the foie gras crème brulee from Patrick Guilbauds. 
– From our own bunch of places, I have to say a pumpernickel bagel with avocado, brie and bacon with honey-Dijon mustard and a few caramelised onions is also pretty tasty and our chocolate mocha tart in itsa 4 is really good.
There are so many other good spots:  bang bang chicken from this little Japanese restaurant in Princeton, BBQ prawn on sugar cane from a Vietnamese restaurant in Philadelphia, conch salad from Nassau... I could go on and on and on...

Favourite food
I would probably say eggs - they are so versatile and I never tire of a really good fried egg on toast, scrambled eggs or egg based sauces like béarnaise or mayonnaise.  They are also perfect as both savoury and sweet dishes.

Favourite cookbook I really do browse a ton of them. Nigel Slater's books always make me hungry. Gordon Ramsay's remind me of immaculate presentation and then books like the Readers Digest etc or Leiths Bible are good for basics. I love reading Elizabeth David.

Favourite wine A really fat Chardonnay, from Burgundy. Red – I do like Spanish reds and some new world stuff, especially Californian Zinfandels. If budget is no option then France is definitely where it's at. But you do have to spend a lot to get a lot. The New World offers lots of flavour and less punch in your wallet.

Favourite ingredient Olive oil, salt (Maldon), sugar and butter (Irish).  With those four things you can make nearly anything taste good.

Favourite ingredient to cook with
All of the above plus garlic, thyme and black pepper.

Favourite bagel recipe
I love the pumpernickel bagels – they have a gorgeous flavour and they go really well with cheese, our caramelised onions and mustard. I had a Club bagel recently in itsa bagel, Fitzwilliam Lane, and I have to say it was one of the nicest things I have tasted in ages! I am sorry if that sounds vain or conceited, but it really was delicious.

Favourite restaurant outside of your own
Chapter One, L'Ecrivain, La Mere Zou, Town Bar and Grill, Dax and Ely are all good spots. I had a very good lunch in Peploe's for the first time quite recently and had roast guinea fowl stuffed with sausage, served with puy lentils which was really hearty and tasty. I visited the Petersham nurseries over in Richmond when I had to kill three hours at Heathrow airport and it was just glorious. It is an up-market cafe housed in a greenhouse, very Bohemian and jumbled yet elegant and charming. It was a bit too pricey for anything other than a very special treat but the food was luscious in its simplicity. The Wolesley on Piccadilly is just such a well oiled machine. It hums.

Who do you like to eat with?  Friends, other cooks, or with a loved one for a romantic night out.

Which well-known chef would you like to cook you a meal?  Anthony Bourdain.  I would like to know if he cooks as well as he writes.

If you could choose the last meal to eat before you die, what would it be?
I would make it a Menu Degustation, at least ten courses so I could buy myself some time for the pardon to come in.  I would start with a little Jerusalem artichoke soup followed by a little bite of white truffle risotto.  And seeing as it was possibly my last meal, I would want them to be very heavy handed with the truffles. Then I would probably like a toasted pumpernickel bagel with chive cream cheese and loads of Terry Butterly's smoked salmon with red onion, lemon juice, capers and a pile of rocket.  I would probably only eat half of that as I have a few more courses to get through.  I would have my sister Peaches make me her Caesar salad and then maybe some béarnaise sauce while I cooked myself a really good fillet steak. I would ask itsa 4 to send me up some chips and I would also whisk myself up some garlic and truffle aioli. At this stage, I would want just a little break while I started thinking about some crème brulee or our chocolate mocha tart with coffee ice cream.  After that, I would probably be confident that they wouldn't be able to give me a lethal injection as I would be so heavy so they might have to call off the execution and I could potentially make steak sandwiches for all the other inmates the next day...

What celebrity chefs have you met, and who was your favourite?
Any of the chefs I have met would be disgusted to be described as celebrity chefs, so I'm not going to embarrass any of them! Most of the ones I have met are good guys, they work hard have a vicious sense of humour and are constantly tormented by this profession that we all love so much. Big eejits, the lot of us!

If you could choose a famous person to have a meal with, who would it be?
I saw George Clooney interviewed by Parkinson and he seemed like he would be grand company. Camilla Parker Bowles would probably be great craic after too much wine. Lots of people I know always say they would like Stephen Fry as a dinner party guest, but he may just be too clever for my liking and hog the conversation away from George and Camilla...

What's usually in your fridge?  Butter, milk, lots of fruit and veg from Absolutely organic and then organic salmon from Marks & Sparks, organic eggs, frozen berries for smoothies, natural yoghurt and a stash of dark chocolate.  Spuds, honey (to keep it away from the ants) and leftovers complete the rest.  Plus, there is always some Parmesan cheese kicking around the depths of the fridge drawer.  And for a special treat, some good Irish cheddar.  I would eat cheese and bread all day, every day if I could.

What item of food would you take to a desert island?
Organic olive oil that we import especially to use in itsa bagel, Feast catering and itsa4 restaurant in Sandymount. It is delicious.

Do you eat organic food and how much?
Yes – my fruit and veg gets delivered which I find very handy. I hate going to supermarkets and try and support smaller retailers that are really making an effort to support small food producers: Michael Byrne's in Sandymount, Morton's in Ranelagh and the recently opened Fallon & Byrne.
 
What single food-related issue do you think causes you the most concern?
Ignorance about food labelling and big business destroying farming and livelihoods as well as local economies. Half the world is too fat and the other half is starving to death. Governments interfering with small producers by slapping them with ridiculous amounts of legislation and scaremongering people into thinking that they can't even go for a picnic without getting salmonella! This consumer panic and fear results in yet another victory for big business because the public rushes out and buys more sterilising products from the same corporations that make their mass produced dinners. It is mad!

Domini Kemp and her sister Peaches run itsa 4, a neighbourhood restaurant specialising in delicious, no-nonsense lunch and dinner in the heart of Sandymount village, Dublin 4.  Rave reviews, comfortable surroundings and friendly service as well as delicious and organic food from your favourite Irish suppliers. itsa 4 is for everyone: mums, dads, kids, grannies, friends or quiet dinners for two. Open seven days - call 01 219 4676 for reservations. They also own itsa bagel.

Read Domini's recipe for Seared Tuna with Celeriac and Soy Salad.