OVERVIEW

Murphy's Bistro, a well-loved eatery in Dublin city centre, approached me to create a long-form promotional documentary centred around one of their most distinctive dishes: Menemen — a traditional Turkish breakfast of slow-cooked tomatoes, peppers, spices, and eggs. The brief was clear: don't just show the food, tell its story.

THE BRIEF

Dublin's food scene is saturated with short-form content — quick reels, static menu shots, and influencer posts. Murphy's Bistro wanted to cut through that noise with something that carried weight. The goal was to educate Dublin diners on what Menemen actually is, where it comes from, and why it deserves a place on their breakfast table. This wasn't about flashy edits. It was about building genuine connection between the dish, the chef, and the audience.

MY APPROACH

I structured the documentary around a single, unhurried narrative: the journey of Menemen from its roots in Turkish home kitchens to its reinterpretation on a Dublin menu. The piece blends cinematic food photography with a sit-down interview filmed on location at the restaurant, giving the chef the space to speak passionately about the dish's origins, preparation, and cultural significance.

The visual language was deliberately warm and intimate. I shot macro close-ups of the dish in cast iron — the sucuk, the peppers, the microgreens, the runny egg yolk — using shallow depth of field to draw the viewer into each layer. The interview segments were lit with ambient candlelight and warm practicals to reflect the bistro's inviting atmosphere, with Dublin street signage visible in the background to anchor the piece in its locality.

CREATIVE DECISIONS

The cinematic 2.39:1 aspect ratio on the interview segments was a conscious choice — it signals to the viewer that this isn't a typical social media clip. It's a film. The colour grade leans into deep ambers, rich reds, and muted shadows, reinforcing the warmth of both the dish and the restaurant's character. Every frame was composed to feel like a still you'd want to hang on a wall.

The pacing is intentionally slow. This gives the content a premium, trustworthy quality that positions.

‍

THE RESULT

The finished documentary serves as a cornerstone piece of content for Murphy's Bistro's digital presence — used across their website, social channels, and in-venue displays. By investing in long-form storytelling rather than disposable content, the bistro now owns an asset that educates, entertains, and converts. It positions Menemen not as just another menu item, but as a destination dish worth visiting for.

Produced by Darren · Dublin, Ireland

‍