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We’re in a fresh new year, and although we spend precious little time thinking about the D-words (because pssst: detoxes and diets don’t work, pass it on.), we're generally in need of lighter eating post-Christmas thanks to tight clothes/tight budgets/the pressing need to undo the piggery of the holiday season. A temporary move to more 'sensible' eating doesn't mean you're confined to your kitchen. There are plenty of places to go when you've had your fill of big portions and an abundance of meat, sugar, butter and booze - saying that we’re staunch believers of ‘everything in moderation’ (particularly in the middle of winter), so if you want it, go for it. If you don't want it, here's where to head for... As One, City Quay Open 6 days a week for breakfast and lunch, as well as Saturday brunch, As One is a great choice for organic, seasonal food in the city centre. ‘Food with purpose’ is how they describe themselves, and it’s obvious that they put the highest level of care into their relationships with farmers and producers, highlighting local growers throughout their menu. Breakfast includes porridge oats, yoghurt bowls and eggs, with lunch/brunch offerings like potato hash, omelettes, tacos and halloumi focaccia. Tang, City Centre With three locations across the city centre (Dawson Street, Abbey Street and Cumberland Place), Tang is always on our list for breakfast and lunch that tastes great and feels good. Their food is sustainably and seasonably sourced, including a selection of daily salads and homemade flatbreads with an option to add Middle Eastern Chicken, Moroccan Lamb and Lebanese Bean, as well as extras like pickled cabbage, creamy tzatziki and beetroot or classic hummus. They also serve great coffee from Upside, and freshly brewed tea. Umi Falafel, Various Locations Umi , meaning “my mother” in Arabic, celebrates 10 years in business this year, and it's become a favourite for not just the vegetarian and vegan community in Ireland, but anyone looking for some of the best falafel around. They’re open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, serving falafel flatbreads, mezze plates and salads, as well as a lunch and kids menu. Umi have six locations across Dublin. so plenty of places to find some Middle Eastern deliciousness. 3 Leaves, Blackrock Market Tucked away in Blackrock market, 3 Leaves offers a compact, ultra high quality lunch menu of dahls, curries and breads. As with all Indian restaurants, it's a fantastic option for vegetarians and vegans, but an affordable and unforgettable option for everyone. Staple Foods, Dublin 2 Based on Hanover Quay and Grattan Street, Staple Foods is open Monday to Friday for breakfast and lunch, serving up a nutrient-filled, seasonal menu of salads, sandwiches, hot pots, curries and soup. There's also vegan smoothies, if that's your thing. Blazing Salads, Dublin 2 A Dublin institution, Blazing Salads is an independent family run business who've been trading for over 40 years, and opened the doors to their Drury Street location in 2000. The deli has been serving healthy, wholefood vegetarian and vegan options long before it became cool, and in January 2020, they opened FLIP Burger in George’s Street Arcade. It's a heavier option, but an excellent meat-free one. Nutbutter, Grand Canal Dock and Smithfield This Grand Canal Dock (and pet-friendly) restaurant opened its doors in 2018, and in Smithfield at the end of 2022, serving healthy and delicious food ‘with a Californian twist’. Nutbutter 's menu features tacos including plant-based chorizo and jerk jackfruit, rice bowls, poke, broth and sides, and the menu includes calories (if you’re counting). Brother Hubbard When Brother Hubbard opened in 2012 mid-recession, they addressed a major gap in the Dublin food scene. Anchored in the culture of Middle Eastern cuisine with lots of fresh, healthy and predominantly veggie dishes, times may have changed, but it remains a consistent choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the city. They’ve since expanded to four locations across Capel Street, Harrington Street (with a dog-friendly heated outdoor area), Ranelagh and Arnotts, with Capel Street the only spot open for dinner. Tiller + Grain, Dublin 2 This yellow-fronted café on Frederick Street South serves up fresh, seasonal salads, tasty sandwiches and the best baked goods from Monday to Saturday. Opened in 2019 by Clair Dowling who formerly worked for Ottolenghi in London, Tiller + Grain ’s ethos is sustainability and nutrition. Make sure you get there early for lunch (from 12pm), because when these sandwiches and salads are gone, they’re gone. Dosa Dosa, Dublin 4 Located in Albert Court East on Grand Canal Street Lower, this award-winning food truck serves South Indian dosa - a thin, crispy pancake made from a fermented batter predominantly of black lentils, rice and fenugreek. Dosa Dosa is obviously famous for their namesake, but also serve uttapam (a softer and thicker version of dosa with fillings layered on top as opposed to filled inside), parotta (a layered flatbread), kathi rolls (fried paratha flatbreads), rice bowls and a selection of popular South Indian snacks including ‘65’ - a fried snack coated in spices, ginger, garlic and lemon juice. Pho Kim, Parnell Street Nothing beats a bowl of warming pho to cure the winter blues, and Pho Kim serves some of the city's best Vietnamese food on Parnell street seven days a week. You can order a variety of phos here, including Pho Dac Biet (steak, brisket and beef meatballs), Pho Ga (chicken noodle), Pho Tom (prawn noodle), Bun Bo Hue (spicy beef), but the other non-soup dishes like Bun Tom Ga Nuong (marinated chicken and prawns) are delicious and full of fresh and healthy ingredients like crunchy carrots, sliced cucumber and coriander. Canal Bank Cafe Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Canal Bank Cafe on Leeson Street Upper offers lots of healthy and lighter options including salads, poke bowls, veggie flatbreads, and omelettes. With appetisers like padron peppers with Achill Island smoked sea salt, sautéed gambas and gremolata, and sharwarma-spiced white bean hummus, it’s a nice option for small plates to share too. Eathos, Baggot Street Another great shout for mid-week healthy breakfast and lunch is Eathos on Baggot Street Upper and Lower. Their ‘breakfast salad’ is a solid choice sounding way better than a full Irish, with yuzu aubergines, galangal beets, poached egg, feta yoghurt, Aleppo chili and sea salt pumpkin seeds. Their lunch/brunch options include salads (with proteins like char sui salmon, and turkey and courgette kofta), soup and a selection of sandwiches, and food this brightly coloured has to be good for you. Fish Shop, Smithfield Fish and chips, hardly a ‘light bite’ for January, we hear you say. Well, as great as the beer-battered fish is here, we also love Fish Shop 's lighter small plates. Their menu is ever-changing, but expect shellfish like Kelly's Gigas oysters, and Killary Fjord mussels with garlic and parsley, alongside squid and crab on toast. It might not be as light, but you really shouldn't miss the anchovy + Russian salad either, and unless you're doing dry January, their wine list is there to submerge yourself in. Aobaba Another great Vietnamese, Aobaba serves the only handmade Vietnamese-style noodles in Ireland. Based on Capel Street, this small, informal restaurant serves a selection of phos (of which you can order small or large – perfect if you want to sample some other dishes), as well as Vietnamese street food staples like banh xeo (crispy pancake), banh cuon (rice rolls) bun cha (grilled pork meatballs and noodles) and banh mi (filled baguettes). Sprout & Co, City Centre Locally-sourced, seasonal, healthy, delicious - Sprout is always a good idea. They have five sites across the city, as well as their own farm in Kildare which supplies some of the produce for their salads, warm bowls and wraps. They also do breakfast including porridge and granola, and we love that they offered up the front space of their Dawson Street cafe to start-ups, which is how it became the home of Fable Bakery . Life is nothing without balance. Honey Truffle, Pearse Street This daytime cafe near Grand Canal Dock serves fresh, vibrant salads, soups and sandwiches, and a ‘seasonal savoury tart’ of the day, alongside healthy breakfast options like granola crunch, porridge and compotes. There’s a big focus on sustainability in Honey Truffle (which you can read about here ), and they've even partnered with an environmental company to turn their grease waste into compost. The Fumbally, Dublin 8 Located in the Liberties in Dublin 8, The Fumbally has been serving a menu of feel-good food for just over a decade, in a high ceilinged, sitting room-like space perfect to while away a few hours over a cup (or three) of coffee. They're famous for their eggs, Tuscan beans, overnight soaked oats, toasts, lentil based hot dishes and focaccia sandwiches that change daily, plus they’re dog friendly, and serve food til 15:00 – after this, coffees, drinks and natural wines are on offer until 17:00. Bonus points for the quote emblazoned on their wall from Don Quixote: “ All sorrows are less with bread.” Social Fabric Cafe, Stoneybatter This cosy little coffee shop and cafe in the heart of Stoneybatter serves breakfast and lunch every day until 16:00. There’s a great selection of breakfast options on the healthier side like porridge, house granola and Shakshuka, and for lunch they have fresh salads, vegan buddha bowls and wraps. Social Fabric is also pet-friendly so you can bring your pooch. If your new year resolutions include reducing your meat consumption, check out our guide to the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Dublin here . We’ve also got a soup guide for those cold days when a warm bowl and a hunk of bread/handful of noodles is the only thing that will do.

A cosmopolitan hub, home to the largest port in Germany, and with the second largest population after Berlin, Hamburg is sprawling, reaching from its famous shipping centre on the Elbe river, to the Alster lake which much of the city centre wraps around, to numerous suburbs, all with something different to offer. The city is full of canals, most of which can be navigated by boat, and neighbourhoods range from the lively and colourful St. Georg, to the bar and restaurant-filled Schanzenviertel, to the Altona, famous for its boutiques and shopping malls, b ut when in doubt in continental Europe, start in the old town - the Altstadt. We didn't have time to do the city justice (it would take months), but here's where we loved when we visited. Breakfast Mit Hertz & Zucker Translating as "with heart and sugar", this super cute café (now with two locations) is famous for their homemade croissants. We were told to get there early as they only make a limited amount per day and when they're gone they're gone, and they were worth the alarm clock. A simpler affair than some of the monster creations we're used to here, they really show off the café's commitment to local dairy and grain sourcing, with the crispiest, butteriest pastry. Coffee is from Hamburg roastery Playground, and some of the homemade products from their menu are available to buy on your way out. The breakfast menu features dishes like pancakes with apple-cinnamon compote, vanilla quark, almonds, speculoos crunch and fruit; and scrambled eggs with tomato pesto, spring onions, honey-mustard sauce and bacon, as well as pastries and cakes piled high on the counter. They don't take reservations and there are often queues, so prepare to wait. Marshall Street Coffee The aesthetically-pleasing Marshall Street Coffee is another brunch hot spot, and somewhere else you might run into a queue. The owner grew up in Sydney, and has brought some of the Australian coffee and brunch culture to Hamburg's old town. Coffee is impeccable, and the menu is thoughtful and full of unique touches. We loved the salmon on sourdough with lemon and dill cream cheese, red onions and beetroot horseradish, and the 'Eggs Benny' with buttermilk waffles, spinach, smoked ham and sauce hollandaise, but everything looked tops. Coffee & Cake Milch Down near the port, in a neighbourhood famous for Portugese food (the Portugese quarter), Milch (meaing milk) is too cool for school, with its long, bare room, save for some beautiful blue tiling and some disco balls hanging from the ceiling. They take milk-based drinks very seriously in here, and we had the best pumpkin spice latté in recent memory - everything homemade of course. Herr Max In one of the city's most bustling areas, the Schanzenviertel, you'll find one of their most famous cake shops - Herr Max . The bohemian café is filled with homemade cakes and pastries, and the sound of people catching up over cups of coffee. A great place to put your shopping bags down for an hour, or escape from minus temperatures in winter. Zuckermonarchie Somewhere else that should be on your hit list if you have a sweet tooth (and like the colour pink) is Zuckermonarchie in St Pauli - 'sugar monarchy'. There are three individually-themed rooms to choose from, a vast array of cakes and confections, and Afternoon Tea if you want to go all out. Lunch Brücke 10 Fischbrötchen (fish sandwiches) are a Hamburg specialty, and are served across the city, and all along the Elbe river down at the port. We were told Brücke 10 (bridge 10) had some of the best. We loved the simple white bread rolls stuffed with lightly smoked salmon, shrimps and pickled herring, and it makes for a great value lunch. When the sun shines it's a beautiful place to sit outside, but if it's too cold inside is toasty. Especially with a Glühwein in your other hand. Dinner Hofbräu Hamburg When in Germany, you need to get yourself some weiner schnitzel, curry wurst and a big slab of pork knuckle. That's when you head for Hofbräu Munchen. This massive beer hall (and brewery) is the stereotypical German experience, replete with steins of beer, German wine, and even a play area for kids. It's the perfect place for groups, when you don't have a booking, and when you want laid back, typically German food with no fuss. The one at the Esplanade (where we went) has slightly better reviews than the other. Altstädter Stube Willig For a more rustic German experience, head for Altstädter Stube Willig , tucked away on a quiet square in the old town. It's tiny and you will need to book, but if you're organised you may be able to settle into a velvet and dark wood booth for some duck legs, potato dumplings and schnitzel, at bargain basement prices. Restaurant Im Sprinkenhof Around the corner, Restaurant Im Sprinkenhof is another busy spot that you should book in advance. A traditional Hamburg restaurant, with an almost Medieval feel, they serve dishes like herring with fried potatoes, hamburgers, and whole plaice with North Sea shrimp, with plenty of German beer options to wash it all down. Restaurant Laufauf From the same owners as Sprinkenhoff and just down the road, Laufauf is a Hamburg institution famous for Labskaus - a traditional Hamburg dish of salted beef and potatoes, served with fried eggs, rollmops, pickles and beetroot salad. It might not look great, but it tastes it. Big portions, rustic food, and a cosy wood-panelled room. Bona'me Hamburg's Kurdish/Turkish kitchen Bona'me is a bit like a large food hall, where you settle in, then head for one of their ordering screens, select what you'd like from a large menu of manti (dumplings), pide (like Turkish pizza), beyti (wraps) and loads more, then take a buzzer and come back to the long open kitchen to collect your order once it's ready. There's a huge amount of choice, it's fast, and you shouldn't have a problem getting a table, so it's a good one to know about when you're in need of food fast. Beer Tipsy Baker Bar For an important city in a country famed for its beer, searches for craft beer bars near Hamburg's old town will disappointingly bring up one Irish pub after another. That's when knowing about Tipsy Baker Bar comes in handy. The long, dark bar specialises in craft beer paired with spirits, like fruit beer with a side of vermouth, or New England IPA with pineapple rum. The helpful staff will be happy to make recommendations, and if you don't like beer they're known for their cocktails too. The Christmas Markets If you go to Germany in December, you're probably going for the Christmas markets, and you could easily spend a weekend just eating your way around them - although temperatures drop fast in the evening, so you might prefer to stay indoors once the sun goes down. In Hamburg the main market is in front of the Rathaus (town hall), but there are other offshoots (many of which are quieter) around the city - see more details here . When it comes to must-eats, you've got to stick to the German specialities, and these are our favourites: Roasted bratwurst in bread rolls with ketchup and mustard Currywurst Kartoffelpuffer - the most deliciously crispy, deep-fried potato pancakes. You can get them with a wide range of sauces but apple is the classic pairing Flammkuchen - An Alsatian speciality (now part of France) of the thinnest, crispiest pizza-like base topped with crème fraîche, bacon lardons and onion Raclette - needs no introduction. Pick your base (potatoes or a baguette) and your favourite meat and pickle toppings Handbrot - Soft, doughy, warm rolls stuffed with cheese, mushrooms and ham, topped with sour cream and chives Apple strudel - get it warm and gooey Gingerbread hearts - if you haven't walked around Germany with a gingerbread heart around your neck have you even been? Glühwein - red wine, white wine, with extra spirits, without, kirsch hot chocolate, La Mumba (hot chocolate with rum), the hot drinks are endless, and endlessly delicious. You'll need to leave a 'fand' (deposit) for the cup, but you'll get it back on return, but we recommend taking one home as a souvenir For more information on Hamburg visit www.hamburg.com .

If you're broke and looking for ways to save a few quid post Christmas, or just while living through the "verging on Apocalyptic" world we seem to have found ourselves in, we've found some ways to keep extra cash in your pockets. Enter EarlyTable and First Table - two apps that save you money while eating out. We were wary at first, but more and more ATF-recommended places are popping up on there, so we thought it was time to give you the lowdown. What is EarlyTable? It's a restaurant discovery platform that allows you to get discounts by dining at off-peak times. To book it costs €1 per person but you can save 50% off your food bill. Almost sounds too good to be true doesn't it? Drinks are full price and reservations are for groups of two to eight people. Our top picks on EarlyTable: Crow Street , Temple Bar Kathmandu Kitchen , Dublin 2 and Malahide Musashi , IFSC & Hogan Place Bah 33 , Dublin 2 Bang , Dublin 2 Lucky Tortoise , Dublin 2 Maneki , Dublin 2 Eatokyo , Dublin 1 Bullet Duck and Dumplings , Dublin 1 Gushi , Dublin 1 One Society , Dublin 1 Fayrouz , Dublin 8 The Sussex , Dublin 4 CN Duck , Ranelagh Indo Chine , Dublin 4 Zakura , Baggot Street, Dublin 4 Dall' Italia Pasta Bar , various locations The Guinea Pig , Dalkey Explore Early Table here . What is First Table? First Table is a similar concept, a restaurant discovery website offering 50% off the first table at breakfast, lunch or dinner at partner restaurants. You save money by dining during off-peak times. Similarly the discount is strictly for food only. Availability for every restaurant is added just after midnight each night for the next seven days and reservations are limited to groups of two, three and four people. Sorry solo diners. Our top picks on First Table Yamamori Izakaya , Dublin 2 The Port House Cava , Dublin 2 The Port House Pintxo , Dublin 2 Brookwood , Dublin 2 Kathmandu Kitchen , Malahide and Dublin 2 Indo Chine , Dublin 4 Mulberry Garden , Donnybrook Taphouse , Ranelagh Explore First Table here . Too Good To Go Too Good To Go , an app founded in 2016, was created to fight food waste in the hospitality industry. It connects customers to restaurants and shops that have surplus food at the end of the day, and is available on Android, iOS and Huawei AppGallery. Reports on what people get in their surprise bags are varied, and we've seen everything from crushing disappointment to exultation , it just depends on what's leftover that day, but at €3.99 to €5.99 it's worth a go. Business we've seen on there include Umi Falafel , Camerino and Sprout , but just put your location into the app and it will tell you what's up for grabs nearby, and what time you need to be there to collect. Know any other great ways to save money while eating out in Dublin? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

Croquetas, southside souvlaki, and "a dining experience like no other" - apparently. Here’s what’s new in Dublin this month... Hellfire, Westmoreland Street The bold promise of “a dining experience like no other” seems like a stretch when the main difference is a particular brand of charcoal oven, but we’re keeping an open mind on Hellfire , opening today on Westmoreland Street. Italian-born executive chef Roberto Rapisardi (who is also an ambassador for said ovens) has worked across Europe and North America, and his skills take centre-stage at a five-seater chef’s table at the heart of the site, which used to house Thai Orchid. It's from the same owners as the Temple Bar Inn next door on Fleet Street (where Rapisardi was previously based), and Irish suppliers Higgins Family Butchers and Kish Fish are name-checked on their website. The meat-heavy menu goes all-in on demonic puns with it's "divine dishes" and "fiendish focaccias", but if you can past the gimmick there are some intriguing-sounding dishes, including 'Tacos Mignon' with charred beef, guacamole, roasted onion and chipotle, and a 45-day dry-aged Galician blond steak. Check out Hellfire here. Mr. Croqueta, Camden Street It’s a major expansion for Mr. Croqueta as the Spanish snack experts take over the upper floor of the Camden Street branch of A Taste of Spain , where previously their deep-fried flavour bombs were available only to the lucky few who arrived early to nab their limited daily stocks. With this more formal setup they’ve rolled out a full brunch, brunch and dinner menu, with breakfast tortillas, Great Taste award-winning charcuterie and plenty of prawns. It’s no surprise that croquetas are King here, with the Basque cod and mushroom-parmesan our favourite of the six options on offer. Open every day bar Mondays. D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 One of the higher-profile Dublin openings of recent times had a little wind taken out of its sails when it was forced into a last-minute name change , but the erstwhile Church & Chambers powered on to avoid delays. A collaboration between Mr Fox’s Anthony Smith, James Moore, formerly head chef at New York’s two-starred Atera, and Jane Frye (front of house and Moore's wife), D’Olier Street appears to have its eye on great things with its €82 ten-course set menu - not to mention notable signings like pastry chef Mina Pizarro . Save for a mixed review from the Indo’s Katy McGuinness, word has been relatively quiet so far, but we can't see that being the case for long. Fidelity, Smithfield A match-made-in-heaven collaboration between The Big Romance and Whiplash brewers, Fidelity offers 14 of the latter’s beers on tap and a bespoke sound system and décor that heavily recalls the former space. Situated in the spot previously occupied by the much-missed Dice Bar, this new arrival saw a heaving first week before quietening down to a much more relaxed vibe we can see being a fixture of its weeknights. The limited wine menu leans heavily into organic and biodynamic bottles, while the classy cocktail options include a basil and black pepper margarita and the perennially delicious 'papa doble' daiquiri, with rum, pink grapefruit juice and Marashino cherry liqueur. Yeeros, Wexford Street Souvlaki comes to the Southside as much-loved Greek takeaway spot Yeeros expands to a second site in Wexford Street. Long a popular choice for Drumcondra locals, it should do well in this new locale right across the way from Against the Grain . As the food goes, it’s no surprise the flame-grilled gyros and skewers are the stars of the show - served in a pita, on a plate, or as part of their newly-launched pita pots, these hefty servings aren’t for dainty eaters. Dolmadakia and spanakopitakia are among the more authentic starter options on offer, and for dessert, it’s all about the loukoumades donuts. Nan, Stephen Street Lower From the team behind Stoneybatter’s Hakkahan and Double Happy in Rathfarnham, Nan Chinese opened Christmas week, in the space that previously played host to Accents café. Where Hakkahan’s focus is on Sichuan cuisine, Nan is about Huaiyang (another of the four great traditions in Chinese cooking), and the menu’s cold salted duck, ‘lion’s head’ meatballs and sweet and sour deep fried fish are some of the regional dishes being served. Like Hakkahan, provenance is front and centre with a list of suppliers lovingly called out on the menu. A short sampling of dim sum includes the elusive soup dumplings, while sweet soups are some of the more unusual dessert options. Read our Nan Chinese once over here . Perch, Glenageary It’s good news for south suburbs commuters as Perch has branched out from its iconic original home in the little redbrick kiosk just off Leeson Street Bridge, to take up a second residence at Glenageary Dart station. The chirpy café is all about sustainability and local produce, with coffee coming from Bailies in Belfast and a range of food from Greenville Deli, Bread 41 and Konkara regularly popping up on-site. We’re keeping fingers crossed for the same great range in the new location too, open now from 07:00 on weekdays and 09:00 on weekends. Tarbh, Clontarf We barely had time to register the Pigeon House’s closure before this new arrival sprang up in its place. Tarbh is taking a different tack from the high-end fare that preceded it, and the food options are unlikely to set Clontarf alight, with burgers, steak and chicken supreme showing up alongside soup de jour, buffalo wings and goat's cheese salad. Breakfast isn’t any less basic with standard-issue eggs, pancakes and full Irishes alongside yet more burgers and steaks. If you're looking for something ultra safe, this is it.

We're still mourning the end of chocolate for breakfast, afternoons curled up on the couch watching movies, and a break from the relentless cycle of life, but we're starting the year how we mean to go on by scanning our feeds for the best things to eat in Dublin every week, and here's what we think should be on your agenda in the second week of 2023... 1) Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli, Sprezzatura Rathmines We will never not want homemade pasta, and this spinach and ricotta stuffed ravioli, in a sage has taken over our brains this week. They recommend following with an Americano - Red Vermouth and soda water, and who are we to argue. Find it in Sprezzatura Rathmines. 2) Fried Chicken Bap, 3fe If you're not feeling the need for a healthier than normal January, make your way to 3fe sharpish (Five Points and Grand Canal Street) for their new fried chicken bap, which comes with 3fe hot sauce mayo, pickled cucumber and slaw on brioche. If that won't make you warm from the inside out, nothing will. 3) French Onion Soup, Bresson It's French onion soup season, and before we know it, it will be off menus for another year. Dive into Bresson for a bowl of steaming hot, cheesy crouton-topped loveliness before we hit spring. 4) Shuan Jiao Niu Liu from the secret menu at Hakkahan We've recently found out that Hakkahan in Stoneybatter has a secret menu , devised on request by their Chinese customers, and now they've made it available to everyone. We're lusting after the Shuan Jiao Niu Liu - beef fillet with chillies and ginger - and hear it packs a proper punch. 5) Tadka Dahl, Daata If you're trying to eat less meat in January, or in general, head for Daata for this Tadka Dhaal - a chana lentil dahl cooked with tempered spices, and topped with crispy onions and herbs. A side of naan is optional, but recommended.

Forgot someone? Last minute gift scramble just like every other year? Not only does everyone have to eat, and most people love going to restaurants, there's never been a more important time for our favourite restaurants to get an additional cash injection, so consider a restaurant gift voucher a gift to both sides this year. Postal dates for physical vouchers have ended at this point, but all of these can be downloaded online, so you don't need to face any crowds, or get dressed, and they can be purchased right up to Christmas morning. Obviously, lots of places sell vouchers, but these are our recommendations for a great experience when they get there. Woodruff, Bastible, Mamó, Grano, Etto 777 - buy here A Fianco - buy here Aimsir - buy here Bar Italia - buy here Bastible - buy here Bread 41 - buy here Clanbrassil House - buy here Etto - buy here Featherblade - buy here Forest Avenue - buy here Grano - buy here Clanbrassil House, Aimsir, Mister S, Forest Avenue, Note Host - buy here Kinara / Kinara Kitchen / Kajal - buy here Library Street - buy here Locks - buy here Mae - buy here Mamó - buy here Michaels - buy here Mister S - buy here Mr Fox - buy here Nightmarket - buy here Volpe Nera, A Fianco, Mae, Pickle, Sprezzatura Note - buy here One Pico - buy here Potager - buy here Pickle - buy here Sprezzatura - buy here The Park Café - buy here Uno Mas - buy here Variety Jones - buy here Volpe Nera - buy here Woodruff - buy here

December's monthly 9 giveaway is live! From restaurant vouchers for some of the hottest tables in town to wine club subscriptions, cocktail deliveries to Irish food hampers, each one will ensure a very merry Christmas for this month's winners. As always our nine monthly giveaways is a small way to thank our supporters for letting us stay #ad, #collab and #invite free, and we could not do this without your support . Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders by midnight on Saturday 17th December will be entered into the draw, and winners will be picked and notified on Sunday 18th December. Here's what's in this month's line up... 1) Chef's Counter Tasting Menu for Two, D'Olier Street D'Olier Street has been once of the most anticipated Dublin openings of 2022, and we're sending one of you off to enjoy dinner for two at their chef's counter. Their 10-dish tasting menu (€82) highlights the best ingredients from around Ireland and the world, with dishes like foie gras custard, quince and English muffin; nori tartlet, bluefin tuna and ginger; and riz au lait with mango and cardamom. They offer wine and non-alcoholic pairings, and you can book by emailing i nfo@churchandchambers.ie . (Prize can be used Tuesday - Thursday. Beverages not included) Image: Storybord 2) The Gulliver Hamper from Lilliput Stores Lilliput Stores know a thing or five about putting together prime hampers, and we've got 'The Gulliver' (RRP €125) to give away to one of you this month, packed with red and white wine, biscotti, crackers, olives, tinned fish and lots of other good stuff for you to get your teeth into. See their full range of Christmas Hampers here , create your own, or head along to their Christmas hamper market this Saturday and Sunday from 11am-6pm in their Stoneybatter warehouse. If you're signed up to ATF Insiders you can get first access at our preview night on Friday 16th , with all the tasters, mulled wine and 10% off hampers purchased on the night. 3) A €100 Voucher for Nan Chinese Nan Chinese is coming to Dublin 2 any day, from the same people behind Hakkahan in Stoneybatter, and we're giving away a €100 voucher so one of you can get a first look at no cost. Nan means south in Mandarin, and they'll be serving 'Huaiyang' cuisine from Southern China. Head chef Sheng Lin Ji has been drafted in from China, and dishes on the opening menu include crab fried rice; Huaiyang braised ‘Lion’s Head’ with salted egg yolk in Chinese brown sauce; and pumpkin and sweet wine soup with sesame rice balls. We can't wait. 4) A Three-Month Subscription for The Wine Club from Neighbourhood Wine Ever dreamed of being part of a wine club? We could be making that dream a reality, because the guys at Neighbourhood Wine have given us a three-month wine subscription to their new wine club to give away to one of you. Each month they send two wines from small, independent producers, along with tasting notes and wine/food pairing suggestions. Could they be a better monthly delivery to look forward to? 5) A Cocktail Hamper from Dublin Cocktail Lab Dublin Cocktail Lab put the alternative into alternative drinks, and we've got a Christmas pack to give away just in time for the holiday season, including a white negroni, a pink peppercorn negroni, a Christmas old-fashioned, hot whiskey syrup and their famous mulled wine mix. And as if that wasn't enough, they're also throwing in their full range of Whitebox canned cocktails . Talk about stepping up your Christmas drinks game. See their full range here . 6) The Irish Hamper, Lotts & Co Hamper season is upon us, and instead of always being on the giving end, one of you will be receiving your very own Irish Hamper from Lotts & Co . Featuring 16 great Irish products like Cloud Picker Coffee, Lismore biscuits, and Harry's nutbutter, it retails for €125, but hampers start at €50 and you can browse the full range here . 7) A case of Spanish wine from Rueda Life's too short to drink bad wine, and one of our Insiders will be having a Spanish themed Christmas with a hamper of Rueda ’s finest. Known for sandy vineyards producing full-bodied and aromatic white wines, the case of six bottles includes Cuatro Rayas Organic Verdejo; Diez Siglos Sauvignon Blanc; Matarromera Verdejo Fermentado en Barrica; Oro de Castilla Sauvignon Blanc; and José Pariente Sauvignon. Check out more about the region and Rueda wines here . 8) Christmas Hamper from Heart of Spain The Castilla Y Leon Hamper from Heart of Spain has a special Christmas edition, filled with gourmet food and drink from artisan producers in the Castilla and León regions in Spain. It's got wine, suckling pig leg, 12-month matured sheep’s cheese, duck liver paté with Cognac, chorizo, Iberian Cebo de Campo ham, cherries in grappa syrup, and so much more, but we'll leave some room for surprise. Their Spanish hampers are available here , and they deliver across Ireland - but the last day for delivery before Christmas is this Monday, 19th December, so be quick. 9) The full range from House Cocktails To celebrate the launch of the new bottled cocktail range from House on Leeson Street, we're giving away one of every bottle in the range (retailing at €35 each) - , Espresso Martini; Pornstar Martini; Cosmopolitan; and Strawberry Daiquiri. All the fun, none of the arm workout. The full range is available at all O'Brien's off licenses or can be ordered online here for next-day delivery across Ireland. Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders for December will be automatically entered into the prize draw. If you're not signed up yet join here and support independent content in Dublin and beyond, and get answers to all of your burning questions about eating out, here and abroad, directly from us.

Forgot someone? Last minute gift scramble just like every other year? Not only does everyone have to eat, and most people love going to restaurants, there's never been a more important time for our favourite restaurants to get an additional cash injection. It's been a shocker of a week, with many feeling like this is the last straw, so consider a restaurant gift voucher a gift to both sides this year. Postal dates for physical vouchers have mainly ended at this point, but all of these can be downloaded online, so you don't need to face any crowds, or get dressed, and they can be purchased right up to Christmas morning. Obviously lots of places sell vouchers, but these are our recommendations to you when you ask, and places we really want to stay open for the foreseeable future. 777 - buy here Aimsir - buy here Bastible - buy here Bread 41 - buy here Clanbrassil House - buy here Etto - buy here Featherblade - buy here Kinara / Kinara Kitchen / Kajal - buy here Library Street - buy here Locks - buy here Mae - buy here Mamó - buy here Michaels - buy here Mister S - buy here Mr Fox - buy here Mulberry Garden - buy here Nightmarket - buy here One Pico - buy here Potager - buy here Pickle - buy her e Sprezzatura - buy here Uno Mas - buy here Variety Jones - buy here Volpe Nera - buy here Woodruff - buy here

What should we know about Fable? Kate O’Sullivan and Elyse Clarke's Fable Bakery started out selling pastries at the Phibsborough Market in July of this year, and then Herbert Park Market, after both working in Smithfield's No Messin' (which is without any doubt one of the country's best purveyors of pastry, cookies, doughnuts and the rest). After a few months of market trading they spotted this post from Sprout, offering an up and coming food entrepreneur a space at the front of their Dawson Street café, and from over 60 applicants Fable were picked to set up shop in a city centre location they could probably only have dreamt of. They opened at the end of November with sweet and savoury pastries, coffee from Imbibe, and a very warm welcome from local office workers. What's the menu like? Buns, tarts and cookies on the day we visited, with a mostly sweet menu but a couple of savoury options too. The almond, cinnamon and chocolate buns are all variations of the same pastry, with the sun-dried tomato and parmesan a savoury version of the same knot. That sun-dried tomato one was really excellent, even if half the cheese did blow off as we took it out of the bag. Big chunks of sweet, densely flavoured tomatoes, perfectly chewy pastry, fennel seeds, and cheesey swirls. We were less keen on the almond bun, thinking it wasn't chewy or crispy enough, and needed a bit more of the X-Factor, but the sea salt chocolate cookie was a 10 - crispy on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle, perfect fresh from the oven, and still perfect hours later. Dip into tea for the best mid-afternoon pick me up you've had in a while. What is there to drink? Coffee is from Imbibe and while sadly using a good brand doesn't always mean you're going to get a good coffee, we got a very good coffee - smooth and brewed perfectly. Is there seating? Yep. Sprout don't kick off serving salads until 11:00, so the whole space is free for Fable's customers in the morning. After that it might be more of a squeeze, but if you want to eat in you can. Why should I go? Bakeries in Dublin city centre are practically non-existent, and before now you would have had to walk to places like Bread 41 on Pearse Street or across to No Messin' in Smithfield to get something good to have with your morning coffee. All the claps for Sprout for giving two up and coming grafters a space to spread their wings, and this is exactly the sort of small food business we need more of in central locations. Fable Bakery 3 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 fablebakery.com

The trees are up, the mulled wine is simmering, the Toy Show is already a distant memory – Christmas has well and truly begun. Our festive food articles have got you covered for all of your holiday needs (and most importantly Christmas sambos ), but as always, we’ve got our eyes on all kinds of tastiness, and these are some of the dishes we can't take our eyes off this week... 1) Foie gras custard with English muffins, D'Olier Street New kid on the block, D’Olier Street opened its doors this month and is the project of Anthony Smith (Mr Fox) and James Moore (former head chef at Michelin-starred Atera in New York), who both worked together at One Pico, along with Moore's wife Jane Frye. Currently on their €82 tasting menu is this foie gras custard with quince chutney and candied walnuts, served with house-made English muffins. As if we weren't already keen enough to visit... 2) Boiled then baked bagels, Elliot's Flying off Phibsborough shelves, we can’t stop thinking about these delicious, seeded, boiled THEN baked bagels in Elliot’s - which any bagel obsessive will tell you are very hard to find. The microbakery is going from strength to strength, and between these bagels, last week's featured choux buns, and quince mince pies, we’re bringing an extra large tote bag with us on our next visit. 3) Bluefin tuna tartare, Hang Dai When we’re looking for exciting Chinese food, good cocktails and a serious party vibe, Hang Dai on Camden Street is always top of mind. This week we’re hankering after their latest creation - bluefin tuna tartare with a sriracha soy dressing, served with edamame purée, royal Belgian caviar and lotus root crisps. 4) Knafeh, Shaku Maku This Middle Eastern diner in the heart of Rathmines has been serving mezze platters, griddle plans and “Josper” charcoal grills since early this year, but Shaku Maku 's sweet offerings jump off their feed. We really want their “knafeh”, a Palestinian dessert consisting of crunchy shredded filo dough, baked with a layer of a sweet cheese, and then drenched in rosewater syrup. 5) Squid a la plancha, Uno Mas One of our favourite places to eat in Dublin, Uno Mas is top of our list when it comes to superb food and great wine in the city. This pic of their squid a la plancha on the ‘para picar’ (‘to pick at’) menu, served with squid ink aioli and a garlic and parsley olive oil, was just the reminder we needed to book a table there pronto.

Looking for gifts for the immaterialistic, experience-loving people in your life? Want to avoid buying more 'stuff'? We've picked the subscriptions and experiences that we'd love to find under the tree this year - gifts that will keep on giving well into 2023... Experiences Seasonal Supper Club, Killruddery Killruddery ’s Seasonal Supper Club is back, including four courses from a sharing plate-style menu, ingredients from the walled garden and farm, and a glass of bubbles, in a candlelit setting with roaring log fires. Supper at the Grain Store would make a great experience gift, and if you choose your recipient carefully maybe you can tag along. There is currently availability for February and March 2023 at €65 per person, and you can book here . A foraging trip in Howth Foraging seems to be getting more popular by the day, and a voucher for Howth Foraging would be an ideal gift for the nature lover in your life this Christmas. Vouchers for a tour of your choice start at €55 including a bespoke card, and there's a postage fee of €5. Gift cards are handmade using locally foraged dried wildflowers and leaves, and you can buy vouchers by emailing Nicole at howthforaging@outlook.ie . Distilling Academy Experience, Stillgarden Distillery Stillgarden Distillery in Dublin 8 run a distilling academy where you can go back to school - 'Spirit School'. The experience includes a welcome drink, four gin-tasting flights, a cocktail class and cocktail, a food buffet, and your finished bottle of gin or vodka to take home. Prices start at €120 and you can book here , or check out their other distillery experiences here . Cookery Class, Dublin Cookery School If you have someone in your life who loves to cook (or someone who needs to learn to cook) the Dublin Cookery School in Blackrock run a wide variety of cookery classes , from bread making to pasta, modern vegetarian to tapas. You can book a specific class here , or buy a gift voucher if you're not sure what to pick. Whiskey Cocktail Making, Jameson Distillery If you have a whiskey lover in your life, Jameson Distillery in Bow Street has a 60-mintute whiskey cocktail-making masterclass hosted by a Jameson bartender, where they'll learn to make three different whiskey cocktails, and drink them. Classes cost €50 and you can book here . Tickets for The Big Grill Festival It may seem way to early to be thinking about summer 2023, but early bird tickets for The Big Grill and their VIP space Rancho Relaxo, went on sale this week, just in time for Christmas. It's on from Thursday 17th - Sunday 20th August, and tickets are €22.23 for entry, or €61.13 for the VIP experience with two drinks, posh loos and plenty of space to chill out. Get them here . Subscriptions ATF Insiders Subscription Of course, we're going to recommend a gift subscription to ATF Insiders , which we think is the best possible present you could give someone who loves eating out more than any other activity in life. Insiders get exclusive content just for them, event invites, are entered into nine giveaways each month, and get direct access to our team to ask any questions they have about eating out. A yearly subscription costs €55 and will keep giving for a whole 12 months, and we've just launched new gift bundles with totes, cards and notebooks if you want to bulk it up. Shop here . Good Fortune Cookie Subscription Good Fortune's treat and repeat subscription will mean a delivery of freshly baked cookies each month, for three or six months (€90 or €180). A 15 cookie delivery (five each of three different flavours) will definitely brighten up someone's day, week or month, and you can buy it here . Camerino Cake Club Cake club - yes it's a real thing, and who wouldn't love it? Camerino Bakery send a 12-piece seasonal selection box that changes each month, and they collaborate with different Irish food producers. The cake club is available as a one-off starting at €50, or as monthly subscription with options of three, six or twelve months. Get it here . A Fancy Cheese Subscription What better way to say I love you than with cheese? We reckon we've tried every cheese club in the country at this point and we have two current favourites. Mike's Fancy Cheese sends 3-5 cheeses each month (you can specify if there's a type you don't like), with tasting notes and crackers, starting at £30 per month. We're also fans of the Little Cheese Shop' s monthly subscription, which comes with all Irish cheeses, crackers, chutney, tasting notes and details about each cheese and the cheesemaker. Subs start at €39.50 per month and you can order here . Mike's Fancy Cheese The Little Cheese Shop Beer Subscription, The Crú For craft beer lovers, The Crú (formerly The Beer Club) have a beer subscription with three options - solo (4 craft beers), duo (8 craft beers) and trio (12 craft beers) delivered each month. Subscriptions include tasting notes for each beer and there are three, six and 12-month subscription options here . Wine Subscription, Boujee Booze Boujee Booze 's monthly subscription box features three unique wines delivered each month, which could be white, red, pink, orange or fizzy, all in the region of natural, organic and biodynamic production. They send information and tasting notes for each wine, plus food pairings with a full recipe, recipe video and a takeaway pairing. If you're sending it as a gift, add a note and they'll include a card too. Prices start at €65 for a one-month purchase, ranging to €720 for 12 months, and shipping is included. Treat someone to great wine here . Books The Irish Cook Book, JP Mc Mahon You can rarely go wrong with books, and 'The Irish Cook Book' by Michelin-starred chef, restaurateur and author JP McMahon will be on lots of wishlists this Christmas. A companion book, An Alphabet of Aniar: Notes for a New Irish Cuisine, is now available for pre-order. Both books are available to buy/pre-order here . The Bake Cookbook, The Cupcake Bloke Graham Herterich 's 'Bake', a traditional Irish baking cookbook with modern twists, is a perfect gift for the baker in your life, full of foolproof recipes for classics like scones, brack and breads, as well as innovations creations from Herterich's head. You can buy it here on its own or as part of a hamper. Ixta Belfrage's Mezcla Ixta Belfrage co-wrote Flavour with Ottolenghi, and her own book ' Mezcla ' (meaning 'to mix' in Spanish) has 100 recipes inspired by her Italian, Brazilian and Mexican heritage. We've tried and loved the recipes, and it was one of our favourite new cookbooks of 2022. Buy from all good book stores. Scoop Magazine Scoop is a brand new biannual food magazine about Irish food, ideal for any food lovers and avid readers in your life. The first issue 'What is Irish Food?' costs €20 and is available here . There's also an annual subscription for €40 which includes both upcoming issues for April and October 2023.

We tried 12 of the city's Christmas sandwiches. Read our verdicts here (subscriber only) It may be only November but Christmas sandwiches are coming in hot, fast and with all the trimmings - and not a moment too soon if you ask us. Here's where to get a Christmas sandwich in Dublin right now, and we'll be updating this list as more hit menus. The Christmas Sandwich, Joli, Stoneybatter Newly opened Joli in Stoneybatter get extra points for their use of roasted ham hock instead of slices, as well as carved turkey, herby stuffing, and homemade cranberry aioli. It's served toasted and while on the more simple side it looks pretty perfect to us. The Open Sandwich, Farmhouse Café, Dublin 12 We might have been skeptical of an open Christmas sandwich, before this delight for the eyes from Farmhouse Café came into our lives (via our feeds). They take toasted sourdough, top it with cranberry mayo, sourdough bacon and cranberry stuffing (fried in butter), roasted turkey, melted Durrus cheese, and finish with a dollop of their own cranberry jam. It's a three course meal in one but we're game. The Christmas Croque, Oxmantown Smithfield We love a Croque Monsieur and we are loving Oxmantown 's Christmas spin on the traditional French classic - a baked sandwich with turkey, ham, stuffing, braised red cabbage, cranberry, mustard béchamel and gruyere cheese. They also have a veggie Christmas special with spiced celeriac, roast Brussels sprouts, braised red cabbage, stuffing, melted brie and cranberry. Christmas Sandwich, Honey Honey, Portmarnock Honey Honey Café is giving honey-baked Christmas ham the spotlight it deserves. They add homemade stuffing, cranberry sauce, brie, mayo and mixed leaves, before toasting to melted perfection. If you're big on brie and not so big on turkey, this is the one for you. They also have a veggie option with roasted butternut squash, toasted hazelnuts and all the trimmings. The Crambo Sambo, Park Life Café Crumlin Park Life Café has managed to pack a roast into their "Crambo Sambo" with turkey, ham, seasoned stuffing, Dubliner cheddar, cranberry sauce and thinly sliced roast potatoes with Himalayan rock salt and rosemary. It's all served on toasted firehouse sourdough, and they had us at roast potatoes. Crimbo Sambos, Bang Bang, Phisborough Bang Bang have three Christmas sambos available, each looking as good as the others. They have house-roasted turkey, veggie brie and vegan spiced jackfruit, all served with sesame sprout slaw, rocket, port and orange cranberry sauce, and sourdough stuffing. Definitely worth a trip or three to Dublin 7. (Read what we thought of it here ) The Christmas Special, Grump's, Foxrock The Christmas Special at Grump's has carved roast turkey, maple glazed Christmas ham, homemade herby stuffing, tangy cranberry sauce and mustard mayo on sourdough. They're also offering a vegan option with roasted sweet potato & lentils with cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, balsamic onions, vegan homemade herby stuffing, tangy cranberry sauce and vegan mustard mayo on sourdough. Christmas Bap, McNally Family Farm, North County Dublin If you are looking for meat-free options, you need the Christmas baps from Mc Nally's Family Farm . The veggie option has sesame roast carrots, Brussels sprout and celeriac slaw, garlicky mayo, peppercorn cheese, herby stuffing, and cranberry and port sauce. The vegan bap has all of that without the cheese. They're both served on garlic and rosemary focaccia, and we don't think you'll miss the meat. The Chrimbiatta, Old Street, Malahide Old Street 's 'Chrimbiatta' is another one for non-turkey lovers, filled with honey glazed ham, housemade cranberry sauce, herbed stuffing, and spiced brussels sprout slaw. It's served on a toasted ciabatta with a side of handcut chips. Christmas Sambo Slam, Urbanity Urbanity always go the extra mile, and it's no different with their Chistmas sandwiches. They've just launched their "Chrimbo Sambo Slam", with a different sandwich each week for the next three weeks, and the ones with the most votes and sales coming back for Christmas week. First in line is a Christmas Banh Mì, with miso & honey glazed ham, sprout & Chinese cabbage slaw, pickled carrot & parsnip, garlic & herb kewpie mayo, cranberry & chili sauce, and fresh coriander, with a five-spice gravy for dipping. There's also a veggie option on for the month, with maple & cider roasted butternut squash, kale & pecan pesto, brie, rocket, cranberry chutney, and stuffing pangrattato on Tartine sourdough. (Read what we thought of it here ) The Christmas Special, 147 Deli Rarely have we seen the level of excitement reserved for the 147 Deli Christmas special, from anyone who's ever eaten it. It's got honey-glazed ham, turkey, bacon fat sprouts, crispy bacon crumb, Brie, sage & hazelnut stuffing, and cranberry sauce on granary bread, served with a side of chicken wing gravy. Join the queue. (Read what we thought of it here ) Xmas Special, Tír Deli Another sandwich with a legion of fans from last year is Tír Deli 's Xmas Special. They take turkey breast from Feighcullen farm, stuff in turkey sausage made from leg meat, and roll it into a 'turketta', before cooking it sous vide for six hours for maximum juice. Then they add house-smoked ham, house gravy, cheddar, Christmas tree mayo and cranberry sauce, load it onto a ciabatta and toast it. We've already had reports that it's as good as ever. (Read what we thought of it here ) Spiced Beef Christmas Sambo, Daddy's Daddy's in Rialto are mixing it up this year and we love to see it. From now until the 23rd of December you can get your hands on their Christmas sandwich special with Ennis Butcher spiced beef, McNally's organic brussel sprout and cranberry slaw, and house horseradish mayo, on 30% rye organic Tartine sourdough. If you're around Rialto way you should also pop into The Cupcake Bloke for one of his smoked bacon, pear and cheddar mince pies. (Read what we thought of it here ) Christmas Bao, Soup, Dun Laoghaire Bored of bread? Sick of stuffing? Soup in Dun Laoghaire have the remedy. Their Christmas bao features pulled turkey in Korean spiced cranberry sauce, bacon and bourbon jam, and miso parsnip purée. Our heart rate's gone up just thinking about it. The Christmas Sambo, Póg Póg 's ultra cheesy sandwich is back on the menu in all locations. They fill their sourdough with turkey, ham, brie, homemade stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo, and toast it to get the cheese all melty. (Read what we thought of it here ) The Veggie Festive Sandwich, Queen of Tarts For all of you complaining about the lack of veggie Christmas sandwiches, Queen of Tarts have just launched theirs, with brie, red cabbage and pumpkin seed pesto on homemade focaccia. Non-veggies can also add bacon. The Kevin Mc Callister, SUP Coffee Shop SUP Coffee know a thing or two about coffee, and apparently now Christmas sandwiches. 'The Kevin McCallister' comes with more honey and mustard glazed ham than we ever get on Christmas day, aswell as roast turkey, Christmas stuffing, turkey and stuffing crisps (yum), Applewood smoked cheddar, cranberry mayo, and rocket leaves on ciabatta. We can see why it's likely to sell out so DM to preorder. Christmas Special, Leroy's A lot of R&D goes into a good Christmas sandwich, and reckon the guys at Leroy's put the time into this one. Roast turkey, smoked ham, bacon and cranberry jam, chestnut and sprout slaw, pickled beets, Brie and Christmas stuffing are served on crunchy ciabatta from Tartine Organic Bakery - we see your efforts guys and we appreciate them. DM them to order in advance or risk disappointment if you just rock up to Merrion Cricket Club. The Seasonal Sambo, South Bank Café In Harold's Cross, South Bank café have a Christmas Sandwich for non-Brie lovers. Their seasonal sambo comes with roasted turkey, home-cooked ham, slow-braised red cabbage, herb stuffing, cheddar, mustard mayo, and cranberry sauce served on sourdough bread. It's only available Monday - Friday, and you can also get it on deliveroo direct to your couch or home office. The Greenville Christmas Sandwich, Greenville Deli Greenville Deli kicked things off early this year, launching their Greenville Christmas Sandwich with hand-carved turkey, honey-roasted ham, herby stuffing, pickled red cabbage (we love this addition), creamy Brie, cranberry sauce and mustard mayo, all served on sourdough bread. They also have a Vegan Christmas Special , and both are available in Inchicore, Rathmines and Surge in Clontarf. (Read what we thought of it here ) The Festive Special, Honey Truffle If you're trying to get into the Christmas spirit near Grand Canal Dock, head for Honey Truffle . Their 'Festive Special' features home-baked ham, roasted turkey, sage, thyme and caramelised onion sourdough stuffing, and a good dollop of lightly spiced cranberry, orange and port sauce. Roast Turkey Special from The Wooden Spoon The Wooden Spoon in Blackrock is going a more simplistic route this year with their roast turkey special that comes with turkey, stuffing, Brie, and cranberry mayo. One for the less is more sandwich lover. Christmas Sandwich, Gerard's Deli Gerard's Deli is back with their Christmas sandwich, filled with baked ham, turkey, Brie, Gerard’s stuffing, mixed leaves, cranberry mayo, and the somewhat unusual but delicious sounding addition of crispy onions. Loose pants are recommended. The Happy Cheesemas Toastie, Meltdown The Christmas lights are on, Meltdown's cheesemas toastie is back, Christmas has finally begun. Home to some of the greatest toasties in the capital, their 'Happy Cheesmas' is right up there, with mature cheddar, creamy Brie, crispy bacon, roast turkey, homemade stuffing, mayo, and cranberry sauce on sourdough bread. See you there. The Santa Baby, Goat's Gruff The Santa Baby is back at Goat's Gruff in the Stawberry Beds. It features ham, turkey, Brie, stuffing and cranberry sauce, served on wood-fired ciabatta which we're betting takes it to a whole new level. Pair it with a garlic dip to eliminate any dry sandwich fear. (Read what we thought of it here ) The Festive Feast, Sprout If you've reached your carb quota after trying all these sandwiches, here's something different from Sprout . The 'Festive Feast' is a salad with herby roasted chicken, roasted Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, nutty bulgar, pomegranates, kale with cranberry vinaigrette, and sourdough stuffing, and it can also be served in a bowl or wrap. The healthy option if you are looking for one.

The Coca Cola Christmas ad, Ryan Tubridy's Christmas jumper, a drop in temperatures - Christmas is well and truly on its way. While the festive season brings good stuff like mulled wine and mince pies, it can also bring the stress of Christmas shopping (breathe), but we've done the hard work so you don't have to. Here's the first of our Christmas gift guides with inspiration for gifts filled with love, and by love, we mean food and drink... Food Nutshed's Peanut Butter Tasting Box For the peanut butter lovers in your life, Nutshed has a Christmas Tasting Box and a Peanut Paradise Box with recipes, chocolate and socks. They come with three flavours of your choice and a gold custom-made Nutshed spoon, because your loved one is that fancy. Find them on their website . Chocolate Bundles from Bean and Goose Bean and Goose have bundled up some of their slabs, smaller bars, and bags of drinking chocolate for gifts starting at €52.50 and going up to €118.50. Lots include their "hammer of joy", which should be used to bash your slab into bite-sized pieces. 'Fresh from the sea' Sligo Oyster Box If you know someone with a grá for oysters, who maybe hasn't have the confidence up to now to try them at home, send them a delivery from the Sligo Oyster Experience , which comes with everything they'll need, including Sligo Bay oysters, shallots, lemons, hot sauce, Wildwood barrel aged blackberry balsamic, a shucking knife and instructions on how to open them. There's wine too, with a choice between Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis or Champagne, and prices range from €59 - €100. You can order right up until midnight on Friday 23rd December for next day delivery, so you could even make it your own Christmas day starter. Order here . Lilliput Food and Drink Hamper Who doesn't love a really good food hamper, particularly when it's full of Lilliput Stores ' charcuterie, condiments you actually want to eat, and that aged balsamic, and we haven't even gotten onto their cheese selection, which is in our opinion one of the best in the country. They're having a hamper market in their Stoneybatter warehouse on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th, where you can taste through the range and make your own, and if you're signed up to ATF Insiders you can get first look (and taste) at all the goods on Friday 16th, with a 10% discount on the night. Builín Blasta Give someone the gift of Builín Blasta 's iconic smoked onion mayo this Christmas, in a hamper from the Irish language café and bakery in Galway. They've got five options full of their Irish-made, small batch sauces, chutneys and dressings, and prices start at €29. They deliver nationwide, but advise getting orders in before the 13th December to guarantee delivery for Christmas. See the range here . Hen's Teeth Hen's Teeth are creating bespoke hampers this year with wine, nutbutter, rayu, chocolate, candles, and anything else from their shop that you might want to throw in there. They can delivery nationwide and even internationally, but get your orders in by the 14th December to guarantee delivery before Christmas. Asia Market Hamper Asia Market have launched a new range of food and drink hampers this year (including Japanese gin, whiskey and sake), but we love the idea of waking up to this sushi making hamper for something a bit different over Christmas. There's only so much turkey and ham a person can eat. A Beer Selection from Lough Gill Brewery We recently discovered the unbridled joy of Lough Gill Brewery 's pastry sour, at Kodiak in Rathmines, and it might be our new favourite Irish brewery. They do discovery packs online of their IPAs, stouts and sours, including a barrell-aged series and limited releases, and we think this would make a great gift for someone who's adventurous with their beers. Check out their gift packs here . A Dublin Cocktail Lab Gift Pack Dublin Cocktail Lab 's hot whiskey syrup and mulled wine mix are legendary at this stage, but they've just started importing Whitebox's canned cocktails, from a team including some of the best bartenders in the world (the freezer martini is life). A gift pack with one of each, as well as Dublin Cocktail Lab's hot whiskey syrup and mulled wine mix, will cost you €60, and it can be delivered across Ireland. Imbibe Coffee Roasters Gift Box What's better way to spread joy than with the gift and scent of quality, freshly ground coffee, like Imbibe Coffee 's Christmas gift boxes for €24 - we're currently drinking their " This Is Not A Christmas Blend " and we approve this message. You can choose whole beans or ground for whatever brewing method your recipient is using, and bags are available in 250g or 1kg, with free shipping on orders over €20. They also give 1% of coffee sales to Women’s Aid, 1% to projects where they import their coffee from, and 1% is shared amongst staff, so you're supporting the good guys to boot. Brew Box Coffee Selection Box Selection boxes never disappoint, and as part of their Christmas collection, Brew Box have a coffee selection box, which beats commercial chocolate bars any day. It comes with 50g each of coffee from 12 different roasters, so it's a great way to find some new favourites. Buy it here . A taste of Killahora Orchards Young Buck cheese and Killahora 's apple icewine is a post-Christmas dinner pairing you won't forget in a hurry, and this year they've launched a 'blossom to bottle' case, including their full range of drinks. They suggest starting with the perry as an aperitif, moving onto cider for the main, and having the apple ice wine and Pom'O (like a brandy) with cheese and dessert. Don't mind if we do. Get one here . A Personalised Corkscrew from Oui Chef Everyone needs a good corkscrew, but most contend with using the one they bought in the corner shop that time they were in a bind. Oui Chef is the brand used in restaurants like Aimsir, Dede and Bastible, and their restaurant-quality, premium corkscrews come with free engraving, so they'll know you put the thought in. Craft Cocktails' Christmas Collection Craft Cocktails have long been a fridge staple in our homes, and we look forward to the Christmas release every year. Choose from a Yuletide Negroni, Gingerbread Punch or Festive Old-Fashioned, or make up your own selection box. They're available in a two-serve bottle for €12.50, or a seven-serve bottle for €35, and you can find them in over 20 independent retailers around Dublin or online . Kombucha Brewing Kit from All About Kombucha If you know someone who's all about their gut health, All About Kombucha 's deluxe brewing kit could save them a fortune every year in fizzy, fermented drinks. It comes with a S.C.O.B.Y., starter liquid, loose leaf tea, a cotton tea bag, organic sugar, a swing top bottle and a two-litre kilner jar, as well as instructions to start their kombucha journey. Delivery available nationwide. Buy it here .

At last count there were over 30 Christmas sandwiches across the city that we wanted to try, and while getting around them all may prove challenging, we have managed to try twelve in the past week, to give you the low down on what's worth queuing for, and what should be avoided. Here are the results...

We’re rolling our way into the festive season, but ahead of the serious December madness, loads of eye-popping plates have been filling our feeds over the past few days. Whether it’s a pit-stop to fuel your Christmas shopping, a get together with pals, or a weekend brunch date with your dog, these are the five things we most want to eat in Dublin this week.... 1) Elliot’s matcha and black sesame choux Since its recent opening, Elliot’s in Phibsborough (and bakery baby of Oxmantown ) has been top of our minds when it comes to delicious, and seriously pretty, baked goods in the city. These matcha and black sesame choux buns look like something we've dreamed up, and based on our last visit we’re pretty sure they'll taste like it too. 2) Milo’s egg, bacon & tomato jam brioche We’ve been excited to check out Milo’s, the Drumcondra sister to Two Boys Brew in Phibsboro, and this egg, bacon and jam brioche is just the ticket to get us there on a weekend morning soon. Milo’s also gets extra bonus brunch points for dog owners, because you can bring your beloved pup along - just be sure to leave them a bite. 3) Taiwanese chicken nuggets, Happy Endings Rarely a week goes by that we’re not craving fried chicken of some shape or form, and these Taiwanese chicken nuggets with fried jalapeños and basil from Happy Endings are currently top of our lust list . Chicken thigh nuggets are marinated in soy and five spice, and served with fried pickled jalapenos and a zingy basil mayo. Sign us up. 4) Seabass taglioni, Grano One of our top choices for pasta in the city, Grano ’s latest offering is solely on offer to those with a blessed reservation for the Stoneybatter spot. Their latest creation features seabass, artichoke and bottarga (salted, cured fish roe pouch), creating a holy trinity of sea, land and salty savoury goodness. It might even turn our heads away from the pistachio ravioli. 5) Smores, The Pepper Pot Café Behold the latest addition to The Pepper Pot Cafe ’s sweet counter. Crunchy digestive s’mores with Swiss meringue and chocolate ganache. We know what we’ll be ordering after our pear and bacon sandwich, which is the law to order *almost* every time you visit the Powerscourt Centre. We don’t make the rules.

We're always looking for new parts of Ireland to discover, with food and drink top of our agenda, and somewhere that's been slowly creeping up our wish list is Tramore - mainly thanks to chef Holly Dalton's ( Conbini Condiments ) envy-inducing Instagram posts every time she's home. So there was only one person we wanted to compile a guide on where to eat and drink there... We all love a day trip to a picturesque Irish town - some of us plan our weekends around it. When it comes to day trips though, I normally organise them based around a café or restaurant that’s caught my eye. If the town offers more than one food hot spot it moves dramatically up the list. There are already some big hitters here: Connemara, Kinsale, Ennistymon, but there’s a new member of the club. If you had asked me when I left Tramore for Dublin to train as a chef twelve years ago if I could ever see it becoming a food destination, I’d have politely laughed in your face. Thankfully I was very, very wrong, and Tramore’s burgeoning food scene has me loading up the car or booking a train down every other weekend. Here's where I head for. Molly's Café First order of the day is coffee, preferably good coffee. Molly’s Café is about as close to the sea as you can get. Situated in an old surf school (which has moved next door), Molly’s has an unobscured view of the ocean, and the queue is constantly out the door - another thing I thought I’d never see in Tramore, unless it was for chips. The service is excellent with the staff knowing most of the returning customers by name, and they are numerous. The reason I keep coming back here though is, of course, the coffee. I’ve worked alongside specialty coffee for years, and Molly’s definiely ranks amongst the best of them. Seagull Bakery If there’s one place I’d have to give credit for starting Tramore’s culinary rebirth, it’s Seagull Bakery . Sarah and her team run it like a well-oiled machine, and recently expanded to open two more bakeries in Waterford City and Dunmore East. I’m a fool for their seasonal cruffins, and I rarely walk out of here without at least one loaf of sourdough and a bag of pastries under my arm. They’ve recently added a pantry and wine section teeming with Irish, artisan producers and low intervention wine. Pick up one of their tote bags to bring back to all of your extremely jealous friends. Mezze Crane your head around the corner from Seagull Bakery and you’ll probably be greeted with the sight of people enjoying mezze platters in the sun, alongside a sizeable queue. I slept on Mezze for a long time and it was my loss. They make the best falafel I’ve had in Ireland, which I realise is a bold statement but you'll have to trust me on this one. On walking in you’re met with a confectionary cabinet of Middle Eastern treats flanked by a grocery and wall of wine. It’s very easy to spend money here with the staff often complimenting you on your ordering, offering tidbits of information to make you feel even more smug about your purchase. Last time I was in here I walked out with an enamel lunchbox, socks, wine, and lunch for four, my card sufficiently tapped out. Mezze is my newest obsession and I would eat lunch there every day if I could. There’s also a sun trap of a terrace out the back. Dooley's & Fancy Chips We can’t talk about Tramore without talking about chips. Chips are synonymous with Tramore, and who doesn’t love chips? If you’re talking old school then Dooley’s is your one stop shop. They do everything that a good chipper should do and special praise go to their chunky chips. New to the game is Fancy Chips , a restaurant focusing on chipper inspired food that also does takeaway. The calamari and monkfish scampi are a standout, and their homemade pepper sauce with twice cooked chips made me sing on a recent visit. There's plenty of room in Tramore for Dooley’s old school classic chips, and Fancy Chips bringing something new to the party. Fancy Chips Beach House When I heard that the folks behind Fish Shop in Smithfield were going to open a sister restaurant in Tramore I couldn’t believe my luck. Fish Shop has a fantastic, well deserved reputation, and I’m happy to say that Beach House is much more than a sister restaurant. Peter and Jumoke have a style that oozes hospitality. A menu written on a huge blackboard in beautiful, cursive writing changes regularly with the seasons, much of the vegetables coming from their garden at the back of the restaurant. The food here provides comfort in a refined way, and there’s always plenty of seafood on the menu and at least one stew or braised meat dish. Beach House had some pretty rough timing with Covid but they really made it work, pivoting with style as restrictions changed. Their at home offering single handedly kept my parents fed throughout the pandemic and soon became a hot ticket item in Dublin too thanks to nationwide delivery. Beach House has changed the food landscape of Tramore, and you can't come here and not pay them a visit. Cove Stores Tramore is the kind of town that was made for picnics. A walk to the sand hills on a sunny day carrying deli food and drinks on your back has got to be one of the best ways to spend an afternoon in Ireland. Cove Stores have you covered for all of your picnic supplies, as well as maybe the best selection of specialty food I’ve ever seen in a corner shop. Their 99 machine has become an icon in Tramore, and they've managed to perfectly blend Tramore’s old food identity with its new one. Do yourself a favour and ask for bueno sauce on your ice cream. Sea Brew Coffee Van You can hardly come to Tramore without a dip at Newtown Cove, and you’re going to want to warm yourself up afterwards (it is Ireland after all). Sea Brew Coffee Van offers specialty coffee as well as treats, breakfast and toasties to warm you up after your swim. It’s worth noting that they're only operating on weekends at the moment, but they normally expand their hours once the days get longer and the water gets warmer. Bardoe Pizza Everyone loves pizza, that’s just a fact. Sourdough pizza is something a bit different and more special though, and Bardoe Pizza offers just that. Their dough proves slowly over time so all those funky, sour notes can develop, with big air bubbles rising to the top and crisping up wonderfully in their brick pizza oven. I like a little kick to my pizza and the Diavolo at Bardoe is a hard Diavolo to top. The Vic It wouldn’t be Ireland without rounding off your evening with a pint in your local. The Vic (the sign outside might say Victoria House but don’t be fooled) offers everything that’s great about an Irish pub.Creamy pints, live music, cocktails and a roaring fire are always on the menu here. You could easily find yourself comfortably wiling away the hours, and the sea view upstairs makes it all the harder to leave this gem of a pub. The Phat Cow are often seen popping up here, slinging their loaded fries, burgers and specials like bourguignon. Quite simply, The Vic offers everything that you’d ever want from a Sunday afternoon in Tramore. Holly Dalton is the creator and chef behind Conbini Condiments , with her Japanese inspired range including Sunday Sauce, Katsu Ketchup and Onsen Hot Sauce. Try them in rice bowls, with eggs, or however else your heart desires. They're stocked across Dublin in stores and cafés including Lotts & Co, Hen's Teeth and Daddy's, and in Tramore you'll find them in Seagull Bakery. See a full list of nationwide stockists here .

We could all do with an injection of française now and then. The pastries, the wine, the general air of sophistication and arrogance - what's not to love about La Belle France? But Paris can be spenny, St Tropez overrun with the rich and fabulous (just making you feel poor and inferior), and a lot of the picture perfect places are out of the way and don't really work for a long weekend. Enter Toulouse, the answer to your mille feuille, cassoule and foie gras loving prayers... The southern French city (it's less than 200km from the Spanish border) doesn't tend to hog the headlines, but it's completely walkable, 20 minutes from the airport, and considerably cheaper than Dublin for food, wine and accommodation, making it ideal for a few food-filled nights away. We'll leave other people to fill you in on the art, architecture and multiple museums - here's where to eat and drink. Pastry Antoine Fornara If you go out of your way for one pastry palace in Toulouse, make it Antoine Fornara . It will ruin every other cake and pastry you eat for the foreseeable future, but it's worth it for the memories. There's one in the north of the city and one in the south, so no excuses, and there's very few seats in each (and constant queues) so prepare to hang around ready to pounce if you want to sit in. You won't find better pastry in the city, the chocolate eclairs will make childhood dreams come true, and the mille feuille may evoke tears. A word of warning: in Toulouse what we know as 'pain au chocolat' they call 'chocolatines'. Ask for the latter if you want them to answer you. Sandyan Right in the centre of town, Yannick Delpech's Sandyan is a point of pilgrimage for visiting pastry fans. The gateaux and patisserie sit in suspended cases like precious jewels, and the struggle to decide what to order will be very real - we found more than one trip eased the pain. You'll find everything from classics like Paris Brest and Kouign Amann, to a pastry play on boiled eggs and soldiers, and you can sit upstairs looking out over town while you dig in to their creations. Au Poisson Rose Type in "Patisserie Toulouse" into Google maps and dots will appear on every corner. Not all are the bells and whistles type, most are smaller, less Instagrammable shops like Au Poussin Rose , doing what they do and doing it very well. Locals love this place because the owners makes many cakes and pastries in miniature form, meaning you get to try more. It's also crazy value for money - you'll probably feel guilty when you get the bill. Lunch Le Magret On the first floor of the Victor Hugo market, with a wrap-around balcony overlooking the city's streets below, there's something resembling a French food court, but th is is serious restaurant stuff. La Magret is where those in the know go for Tournedos Rossini, tête de veau and all the duck you can quack at (Magret means duck breast) The French love a good set lunch and Le Magret offers it up for less than most main courses at home. The wines are local and all too easy to drink (especially in some lunchtime sunshine) and the service is friendly and helpful. Plates of jamon come from the famous Charcutier Maison Garcia downstairs, and no set French lunch is complete without a classic dessert like Rum Baba or îles Flottantes. This is food that's in no way over-complicated, best served with friends and wine on a sunny day. Le Panache One of the younger, more vibrant kids on the Toulouse restaurant block, Le Panache opened in 2020, and their Instagram feed will draw you in as fast as their dish descriptions. Expect less classic, more new wave dishes, like prawn crudo, monkfish with Japanese caviar, orange and Sabayon, or Caribbean fritters with corn and coconut. The wine list is full of delicious things to drink, but when we visited there was no physical wine list - instead you had to tell the server what you liked and she would make suggestions. Trés annoying. Dinner No. 5 Wine Bar When wine lovers land in Toulouse they head straight for No. 5 Wine Bar , where some of the world's biggest hitters can be sampled from enomatic machines. Upstairs is casual with 'tapas', meat and cheese, whereas downstairs you can do a full tasting menu with wine pairings. For us the beauty of a place like this is in being able to taste as many wines as possible, so grab a card, charge it up and get pressing those buttons. If that sounds like too much work, or you're feeling self-conscious about your wine knowledge, settle in and let the lovely, super passionate staff take care of it. Tinned pâtés and foie gras are better than you'd imagine, while the white ham sprinkled with black pepper is so good you might want a second plate. This is the type of place where you can easily have three wines on the go and no one will look twice at you, and an opportunity to try some bottles that you might not even justify a glass of at full price. Le Baluchon On a sleepy little side street lies another newcomer to the Toulouse food scene - modern bistro Le Baluchon . Opened just before Covid, this one woman kitchen does a stellar job of serving up local produce with classic leans and modern twists, all calmly served by an owner who seems to enjoy being the host. The wine list runs for pages, with prices that will have your eyes watering (with happy tears), and the menu swings from simple plates of anchovies to vol-au-vents with lamb neck and hazelnuts, and all the cheese in between. Bistronomie for 2022. Michel Sarran Recommended to us by Chapter One chef-patron Mickael Viljanen, Michel Sarran is your two-Michelin-starred experience, and frequently cited as the best restaurant in the city. It's got everything you would expect from cooking at this level (including a €165 tasting menu), and if it's good enough for Mickael... Note, they close Saturday and Sunday, so if flying in for the weekend make sure you get a booking on Friday. Une Table à Deux Another hot spot in town that shuts at the weekend, Une Table à Deux was awarded a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin guide for their "impressively curated and beautifully balanced dishes". Everything is fresh, seasonal and picked with produce front and centre, and a three-course lunch is incredible value at €25. Hito You won't find a website for Hito, just a poorly attended to Facebook page , but that hasn't stopped diners (and Michelin inspectors) descending on the French restaurant run by a Japanese chef. Dishes are creative French, with Asian touches, and they also close Saturday and Sunday, so it's midweek or nothing if you want to try that day's handwritten dishes up on the board. Cartouches Modern bistro Cartouches keeps things simple with set lunch and dinner menus, and frequently changing dishes. The room is bright and fresh, the wines are natural, and the staff are charming. Le Genty Magre More old-school than new-wave, Le Genty Magre has been around for more than 20 years, and is where you head for all the classics like duck terrine, pan-fried foie gras, and of course cassoulet. There's Champagne at under €10 a glass, and they sometimes have aligot with confit sausage... L'Entrecote You'll probably see the queues for L'Entrecote before you see the big yellow and black sign directing you to steak, frites and terrible glassware. €21 gets you the main attraction plus a salad to start, and if you're in a bind or just want something simple you could do a lot worse. Maison du Cassoulet If you find yourself walking around Toulouse on Sunday night, finding nothing but Asian and Indian restaurants open, and just wanting one more taste of France before you head home, head towards Maison du Cassoulet . Clearly aimed more at tourists than locals, the prices are higher than other places, and the portions smaller, but almost as soon as their doors open at 19:00 it fills up. It's namesake is the best dish on the menu. Drinks Buvette Buvette is a small wine bar serving tapas both inside and on the street, with a minimal wine and beer list written on a blackboard outside. Young locals come for natural Cinsault and empanadas, and it's a great pre-dinner stop if you need to kill some time in chilled out surroundings. Au Père Louis One of the oldest wine bars in Toulouse, there since 1889, Au Père Louis serves typical bistro food with a surprisingly good wine selection. Come for the character, stay for the Calvados. Café Chouchou If there's one thing Toulouse isn't short of it's bars. There are countless stops like Café Chouchou with good cocktails, Breton cider and free wifi, so no excuse for getting over-tired from all that walking. Food Shops Xavier If you like cheese, you may faint when you see inside Xavier , beside the Victor Hugo Market. Just before opening a queue starts to form outside - take your place and wait to be taken inside by one of the cheese-adoring, utterly charming staff. We thought we knew cheese, but there's so much here that's never graced a counter at Sheridan's, and we strongly recommend putting yourself solely in the hands of staff for recommendations. They'll let you taste anything, and you'll definitely leave with more than you planned, so plan your luggage accordingly. Criollo If it's chocolate you came here for, don't miss Criollo down the street. From glass cases containing slabs of handmade chocolate bars, to displays holding pick and mix truffles, bon bons and chocoate covered fruits and nuts, it's all too easy to overspend on the sweet stuff. You'll need some for walking around, for your hotel room, to take home, and any other excuses you can find to buy all the chocolate. Cave Mr Pepin When in Toulouse, drink all the (much cheaper) French wine, and Cave Mr Pepin near the centre has plenty to keep your thirst sated, from Grower Champagne, to the young guns of Burgundy, to rum and armagnac sold 'en vrac' from big glass vats. To an Irish restaurant-going wine lover the prices seem scandalously cheap, so go for the good stuff - when in France. L'Envie L'Envie is another wine shop you could easily lose an hour in, rooting through the racks and shelves, unearthing zero dosage Champagne, old Vouvray and rare Banyuls. Staff are happy to make recommendations, and there's likely to be a lot of wines here you've never seen before, so use them willingly. Markets Marché Victor Hugo The beating heart of Toulouse, Marché Victor Hugo is the kind of central market Dubliners have been screaming for for years. This should be your first stop for food shopping, with fresh bread, cheese wheels to the ceiling, all the local fruits and vegetables you can think of, fresh fish, butcher counters, cured meats, wine - it's hard to think of anything you can't find here. Sunday is a big day at the marché, with Toulousians gathering to meet friends and family around barrels and tables. One grabs the cheese, one the bread, one the wine, maybe some oysters - pick and mix eating and drinking is all part of the experience and no one seems to mind what you eat where. Don't miss Betty and Emilie for cheese, Maison Garcia for charcuterie, Bar Des Amis for drinks, and the seafood area at one end overflowing with oysters and fruits de mer platters, but it's hard to take a wrong turn in here. Marché de Saint Aubin If you happen to be in Toulouse on a Sunday, the Saint Aubin market should be right at the top of your agenda. It's a cacophony of smells, sounds, laughter and food as far as your eyes can see - whatever your French craving you'll find it here. The choice is almost overwhelming - bring your shopping bags with you - and you'll want to take home spices, terrines in tins, maybe some hand-carved spoons. Come hungry as the eating options are endless, and head straight for the Rotisserie de l'Hers, who've been here for 30 years, and for whom rotisserie chicken is an art form. There are numerous different types of full-flavoured birds, distant relatives of what's on supermarket shelves here, as well as some pork. Ask for the best (organic and free-range) and make sure to get a side of the potatoes cooked in the chicken drippings as they turn. Pull it apart with your fingers - you will never forget the taste. Where To Stay We stayed at the Mercure Centre Compans , which was about a 15 minute walk to the centre of town, and right next to the city's Japanese Gardens. It's clean, modern and our room was spacious, and a bit of a bargain at €230 for three nights in a triple room. How To Get There We flew Ryanair and got flights for around €65 per person. The whole thing was considerably cheaper than staying in various three and four-star Irish hotels for three nights, which is either depressing or cheering depending on your point of view. Want to book a different city break? Check out four other flights with great food at the end of them here .

Breakfast Caravan, Bankside & Other Locations Caravan , with six sites now across London, never seems to falter when it comes to breakfast and brunch, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a menu that involves so much difficultly in deciding what to order We've always loved the jalapeno cornbread with fried eggs, but on this visit the kimchi pancake with one of the best bacon chops we've ever tasted was in a tie for favourite plate. Their sweet dishes are just as interesting and bursting with flavour - case in point, the vanilla pancakes with lemon curd cream cheese, bay leaf and lemongrass poached pear, and pumpkin seed and sumac praline. Opened by three New Zealanders in 2010, it's relaxed, spacious and eternally consistent. Eataly, Bishopsgate Giant foot Italian food hall Eataly opened next to Liverpool Street station in April 2021, after being originally founded in Alba, Italy in 2010. It opens from 07:00 - 23:00 on weekdays (from 09:00 on weekends), and has an impressive café and patisserie on the ground floor, with fresh pasta, pizza and bread counters further back. To get from one to the other you'll walk through the tunnel like "sweet spot", featuring every Italian chocolate and sweet you could dream up. In the café we loved the apricot croissants, clearly made in house with plenty of butter and the delicate mandarina cake. We really wanted an excuse to dive into the jars of rhum baba but it was early. Coffee (from Illy) was not good, and the cannoli would have been better if they were filled on the spot, but it's a bright, central breakfast spot with loads of options to choose from. Pizza slices were crisp and generous too, but pricy at almost £10 a slice. Eataly stocks over 5,000 Italian food products and 2,000 wines over 4,000 square metres and two floors, including mozzarella made in house, fruit and vegetables from high end suppliers to the restaurant stars Natoora , and pasta shapes you've probably never seen or even heard of. It's hard to imagine anything Italian they won't have in here. Bakeries Jolene, Shoreditch Sweet little corner bakery Jolene morphed out of the original bakery and restaurant in Stoke Newington, and it's been a runaway success in Shoreditch with regular queues snaking down the street and a scramble for the limited bench seating outside. Get there post 11:00 and prepare to see the place all but ransacked. Expect Pain Suisse, filled focaccia and daily specials, and just grab whatever you can. Bread Ahead, Borough Market One of London's most famous bakeries and cookery schools, Bread Ahead makes everything you'd expect a bakery to, but they can't shake their reputation for the city's best doughnuts. They have different flavours every week, but chocolate, vanilla, jam and honeycomb are there day after day. The main bakery stand is in Borough Market, but the doughnuts can be found around the corner at the bakery on Cathedral Street. St. JOHN, Bermonsey & Borough Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver's St. JOHN is a name synonymous with London. The Farringdon restaurant has seen many of the city's best chefs come up through the ranks before going out on their own, their Shoreditch 'Bread and Wine' restaurant is what small plate dreams are made of, and their bakery's doughnuts have long given Bread Ahead (above) a run for their money. Find their bakery arch on Druid Street near London Bridge from Friday - Sunday, or their seven-day bakery and wine shop in Borough. Both serve those freshly baked, jam and vanilla stuffed doughnuts, and don't leave without an Eccles cake. Little Bread Pedlar, Bermondsey A Saturday morning stroll and eating fest around Bermondsey's food markets, food arches and food-heaving industrial estates is a Londoner right of passage, and Little Bread Pedlar should be top of your list. If a more perfect almond croissant exists we haven't tried it, the pain au raisin will immediately demote most others you've tried to "inedible", and the 'cheesy thing' is an extraordinary thing. Grab a bagful and cross the road to Monmouth coffee , in an arch off St James' Street, to enjoy a flat white in a ceramic cup, perched at a counter or sitting on a wall. Don't forget to get some beans to go. Lunch & Dinner Normah's, Queensway We first heard about Malaysian Normah's in Queensway via Eater's 38 Essential Restaurants list, and if you ever get the chance to eat there, drop everything in your calendar to make it happen. Owner Normah Abd Hamid is cooking food you will still be thinking about years later - her Nasi Lemak beef rendang is made with fresh coconuts, not milk, her prawn laksa tingles with heat and brightness, her roti is so flaky you'll wonder if you're seeing things. You could fly to Kuala Lumpar and not find food as good as this (although if this happens you didn't do your research properly), and a return flight to Gatwick is so much cheaper. We're strongly considering flying in and out on the same day to eat it again... Master Wei, Holborn If you only had a day in London, Master Wei in Holborn (or sister restaurant Xian Impression in Highbury) is worth giving a precious meal over to. You won't find more jaw-dropping hand-pulled biang biang noodles anywhere. Thick and chewy, they're said to have originated in the Xian region by workers who lacked the time to make thinner noodles. The traditional Xi'an Liangpi coldskin noodles are made by washing wheat flour to produce a starchy water, that's then dried and cut into springy noodles, while the remaining solids (wheat gluten or seitan) are chopped and served on top with cucumber, beansprouts and chilli oil sauce. The whole thing is cold, and once you've had it, you'll want it again and again. We also love the tangy potato sliver salad, smacked cucumber and the Xian 'burgers', but you can't make a bad choice here. Manteca, Shoreditch Big flavours and unapologetic ingredient combinations are the name of the game at Manteca in Shoreditch. They call it "nose to tail" and "Italian-inspired", and a glass case of cured (from their in-house salumeria) meats greets you en route to the toilet. The drinks list is extensive and interesting but you could spend a whole lot of cash very quickly if you get stuck into Amaro Sharpeners before and cocktails after. The small plates are where the fun is, and don't even consider skipping the pig skin ragu with crispy skin and parmesan, or the beef battuta (like an Italian tartare) with egg yolk and chicory. Hand-rolled pastas are worth stalling over too, with the tonnarelli brown crab cacio e pepe, and the fazzoletti with duck ragu, duck fat and pangrattato two of their best. Whatever you order for dessert, be sure to follow it with their beef fat fudge. Padella, Shoreditch & London Bridge Padella at Borough Market (and now Shoreditch) has long been known for heart-breakingly long queues, and some of the best (and best value) pasta in the British Isles. Sadly prices have risen steeply since our last visit so it's no longer a lunch or dinner to throw a little at and get a lot in return, but the consistency remains remarkable, with every delicious plate of freshly made pasta tasting the same every time. The pici cacio e pepe will be one of the best examples (if not the best) you've ever tried, same for the pumpkin and ricotta ravioli with sage butter, and the fettucine with British nduja, mascarpone and lemon has been on the menu from the start for good reason. The wines are on tap, the staff are laid back, and the newer Shoreditch location seems to be marginally less slammed than the original. You can also book tables in Shoreditch, whereas the other remains a queue-ing only zone. Bao, Borough Market & Other Locations Another box to tick on the London restaurant bucket list, and an always reliable source of some of the best food around is Bao , with six locations around the city. They made it big on their namesake, with beef shortrib, curry cheese and prawn shia all options, aswell as a deep-fried option with cold-amoked aubergine, but the Yu Shiang boiled eggs and 40-day aged beef with Taipei butter rice must also be eaten when you're there. La Chingada Take the overground to Surrey Quays or the Jubilee Line to Canada Water and you'll find some of the best tacos in the city at La Chingada . We think it used to be a greasy spoon, and apart from the lifesized Mexican figure welcoming you out front and some murals on the walls, we don't think much has changed when it comes to the decor. The corn tortillas for their tacos are freshly made and organic, fresh meat is delivered daily, and all vegetables are organic too. The Tacos al Pastor with spit-roasted pork and pineapple are a prime example of the cult Mexican dish, the chorizo is a surprising winner too, and we hear the beef Suadero is one of their best but they didn't have it on when we visited. The salsas take it to Mexico city levels, but go lightly or your mouth will need a while to recover. Cheese & Dessert Pick & Cheese, Covent Garden London has a cheese conveyor belt and we can barely sleep with the jealousy. Pick & Cheese (part of The Cheese Bar group) in Covent Garden has up to 30 different plates moving around the restaurant, featuring all British cheeses paired with an accompaniment, and a few plates of cured meat. If you love cheese like we love cheese, this is a trip, and even some of the most eyebrow-raising combinations (like St. Ella goat's cheese with rose Turkish delight) hit its mark. There are also off-belt options like cheese toasties and a Port and Stilton ice-cream affogato, and desserts like a whipped rosary goat's cheese doughnut, and a yoghurt, lemon and honey cheesecake. See our Instagram Reel here . Udderlicious, Covent Garden & Other Locations Londoner's are spoilt for ice-cream 12 months of the year, with Soho a hive of choice, but in Covent Garden Udderlicious has them queuing up for made in store flavours like espresso & chocolate biscotti (amazing), custard cream, and a Bourbon sour sorbet. Customers can vote on the flavours they'd like to see in store from a compendium of options , and it's a cute place to dive in for a quick scoop away from the throngs outside. Milk Train, Covent Garden The most Instagram-worthy ice-cream in London can be found at the side of Covent Garden market, in a whimsical looking place called Milk Train . Their claim is fame is bringing "the first candy floss cone to the UK", and it's so clever, so effective, and so expensive (we paid £14 for two sundae cones with one candyfloss add on). Children (and big children) will love it, and after you tear off the candyfloss and throw it in the bin the ice-cream and add-ons are very, very good. Accommodation London hotel and guest house prices are nothing short of insane - we genuinely can't understand who is paying this amount of money to stay in them. It feels like they have (honestly) doubled since before Covid, so expect to feel disheartened once you hop on booking apps. However, we felt like we found a bargain at The Mitre in Greenwich , whose rooms above the old English pub downstairs have recently been renovated. It's equal walking distance to the national rail (8 minutes to London Bridge) or the DLR (20 minutes to Bank in the city), and it was quiet, clean and very comfortable. Greenwich is also a lovely place to base yourself, and you can even take a boat into central London. Looking at January, we found a double room from Friday - Sunday for €284 on booking.com , which trust us, is a major bargain.

Without the usual commute or any form of social life past 8pm, we witnessed a near mass exodus from the city to the suburbs over the last two years, with people craving a bit more space and a pleasant 5km. It wasn’t until people settled into their new home that they suddenly had the panicked thought, ‘do people in the ‘burbs brunch?!’. Of course they do hun, you haven’t moved to the moon. There are loads of great options or brunch outside of the city centre, so whether you’ve moved north, south, inland or along the coast, we've sussed out the best options for you. Northside 1) Two Boys Brew, Phibsboro Everyone knows that no one does brunch like the Australians, and Kevin and Taurean of Two Boys Brew obviously got some good inspo from their time down under. Sitting in this Phibsborough café, if you averted your eyes from the sideways rain outside you might be fooled into thinking you’re in Melbourne. The menu has tonnes of great savoury dishes like avo toast with crispy halloumi and eggs benedict with pulled beef cheek, but we can bet even the people who choose a starter over dessert would be swayed by their signature hotcake filled with stewed fruit and crème pat. 2) Slice, Stoneybatter Stoneybatter is a foodie heaven right now, with a brilliant selection of cafés and restaurants offering food from all over the world. For brunch though, we can’t resist a visit to Slice . The café is deliciously cosy, the staff are really welcoming and the food is always excellent. Lucky for us, and the people of Stoneybatter, they serve an all-day brunch six days a week, so none of this weekend only nonsense. 3) Social Fabric Café, Stoneybatter Another point for Stoneybatter, Social Fabric is located in the old post office which they have transformed into a friendly, casual space. Their brunch menu is varied, with a very generous looking full Irish alongside porridge, granola and pancakes, plus more. They're vegan and vegetarian friendly, and also serve Cloudpicker coffee, so you’re sure to get a decent flat white. 4) The Pigeon House, Clontarf This neighbourhood spot in Clontarf has been serving consistently great food for years and their brunch offering is no different. They have all the classics, but we've also spied more unusual options like grilled brisket with spiced beans and chimichurri. Their buttermilk pancakes with peanut butter ganache and salted caramel give us a filling just thinking about it, but your sweet-toothed friend/child/self would be all over it. 5) Póg, Howth & Malahide Póg is pancake central, with a full menu of sauces, toppings and premium add ons for their signature protein pancakes. If that's not your deal there's also avo toast, breakfast brioche and acai bowls. Although they started in the city centre, the last couple of years have seen them expand to the North Dublin suburbs of Howth and Malahide, and their newest location is coming to Clontarf soon. Dublin 8 6) Daddy's, Rialto Daddy’s has been knocking it out of the park since they opened in late 2019, bringing their modern Irish dishes to the streets of Rialto. They do an all-day brunch menu on the weekend, and have a few brunch style dishes on their weekday menu. The croissandwich is what we’d be ordering any day of the week. That or the Turkish eggs. Decisions, decisions... 7) Two Pups, Francis Street This dog-friendly joint in the Liberties is the perfect place to hit up for breakfast, pup or no pup. They have an excellent supplier list, using McCarthy’s of Kanturk for black pudding, McNally Farm for veg, Firehouse Bakery for their bread and Lilliput for their cheese and meats, so, you can be sure that whatever you’re eating is going to be full of the best ingredients around. 8) The Fumbally, Fumbally Lane Some of the best chefs and food entrepreneurs in Ireland have ‘graduated’ from the Fumbally , which operates a non-hierarchical kitchen, allowing everyone the equal chance to create new menu items. This freedom has paid off for both the employees and the café, with a queue of hopeful young chefs waiting in the wings to get their shot (or before there were chronic staff shortages anyway). It's almost as long as the queue of hungry millennials gagging for brunch on a Saturday morning. 9) ALMA, Portobello Another Portobello diamond, ALMA is a family operation, with the name stemming from the four initials of the children, and you’ll usually see one or more of them on the floor. ALMA is bringing an Argentinian twist to the traditional brunch and they’re doing it very well, with interesting dishes such as choripan Argento which features Argentinian-style sausage on sourdough. Our favourite though, would have to be dulce de leche pancakes. We repeat – dulce. de. leche. pancakes. Whelp! 10) 31 Lennox, Portobello An Italian-style brunch is something we didn’t think we needed until 31 Lennox came around. Think toasted focaccias, ribollita (Tuscan bean soup), mortadella filled croissants, cannellini toast and of course some good quality Italian sausage. Brunch is available all day Saturday and Sunday. 11) Groundstate Coffee, The Liberties This café roastery based in the Liberties, Dublin 8 works with small growers for their coffee beans and roast everything in small batches in-house. They're keen to use quality local suppliers and they are certainly nailing this with McNally Farm, Firehouse Bakery and Pigs on the Green on their roster. Expect to see a few yogis pottering around as the spaces transforms into a yoga studio in the evening, and their menu reflects their clientele with overnight oats a popular order, but don’t worry, you can also over-indulge with French toast or their brekkie brioche bun. 12) Storyboard, Island Bridge If you find yourself in the Island Bridge neighbourhood, it can seem a bit food-starved, but luckily there is one saving grace - Storyboard . Their menu is ever-changing, always using seasonal and sometimes unusual ingredients. We fell for their kimchi pancakes when they first opened, and made many a detour to pick up a coffee from them during lockdown to fuel another walk around Phoenix Park. 13) Bibi's, Portobello & Dun Laoghaire This quiet but buzzy little spot in Portobello has recently opened a seaside outpost in Dun Laoghaire, but the original in Portobello is always a go-to when we’re thinking about where to grab brunch in town. Go early to grab a table and settle in with a coffee and a plate of their Turkish eggs. Get a few of their signature brownies to go to round off your weekend nicely. Southside 14) Grove Road, Rathmines Located right at Portobello Bridge, you’ll want to try nab a window seat here for peak people watching as you sip your coffee. Grove Road serves brunch all day on the weekends and even have a smaller brunch menu that they serve all day during the week, so you don’t need to wait until the weekend to enjoy their avocado and feta smash toast with properly crispy bacon. 15) Dillinger's, Ranelagh If you’re in the mood for a brunch that might turn into lunch that might turn into dinner, Dillinger's is where it's at, with a lively offering from 11am on Saturdays and Sundays. Dillinger's takes as much pride in their drinks as their food, so you can pick from host of cocktails to complement your full Irish or shakshouka. We can recommend their signature Bloody Mary, or if you’re with a gang get the mimosa & bellini tray to ease yourselves gently into the weekend. 16) Happy Out, Donnybrook We can always recommend a trip out to Bull Island to pick up a coffee and toastie from Happy Out before a walk, but if the weather is a bit wild or your head is feeling a bit too tender, try their new outpost in Donnybrook. Well, we say new, they have been on the go for well over a year now but between the jigs and the reels of lockdowns, they’re only getting a good shot at it their full sit-in brunch menu now. We’ve only had the pleasure of trying the breakfast bap so far, but we are loving what we’re seeing pop up on our feeds each week. 17) Junior's, Beggar's Bush Juniors is owned by brothers Paul and Barry McNeary, who are also behind Paulie's Pizza and Lotts and Co., and it’s been on the go for years, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. However just before lockdown they nabbed Fiachra Kenny (ex-head chef of The Old Spot) and they took the closure period as an opportunity to revamp the menu. The theme is American-style diner with stacked buttermilk pancakes, buttermilk chicken and waffles, and smash burgers, and they’ve been getting great reviews ever since. This is where we’d head for some recovery after a late night. 18) Five Points, Harold's Cross Five Points in Harold’s Cross is a 3fe creation, so you’re destined for good coffee if you go (we would go out of our way for one of their oat flat whites made exclusively with the Dublin Oat Co. oat milk), but they also offer a stellar brunch line up. With simple sounding names like ‘Eggs on Toast’ or ‘Pancakes’ you’d be forgiven for thinking they haven’t put a huge amount of thought into the lineup, but the beauty of this menu is in their add-ons. Sure, you could get regular pancakes with honey butter (yum), or you could load them up with fried chicken, seasonal fruit or sausage. The world is your oyster with this menu so go forth and row your own boat. 19) Hatch, Blackrock Hatch in Glasthule has been a regular coffee destination for us, but the space here is limited so they always kept it simple with coffees, pastries and treats. Luckily for us and the locals of southside Dublin, they expanded to Blackrock with a much bigger premises in the last couple of years. They serve a small brunch menu, which includes some of the nicest mushrooms on toast we have tasted, and we beg you not to miss out on their Hatch swirl which is only available from the Blackrock branch and scooped a silver medal in the prestigious Blas na hÉireann awards. This is the perfect spot early birds/parents too us as they start serving from 8am on the weekend, and 7am midweek. 20) Fable + Stey, Blackrock A true neighbourhood café, some of the most local locals don’t even know it’s here. Hidden off Newtownpark Avenue, Fable + Stey serve a constantly changing menu with monthly specials taking pride of place. Their brunch is no different so keep an eye on their Instagram to see what they’re serving up, and always leave room for their homemade bakes. 21) Overends Kitchen, Airfield Estate Sitting on the large Airfield Estate in Dundrum, Overends Kitchen has probably the most locally grown produce around as most of it is grown on the grounds, and their menus change depending on the harvest. It’s a family friendly spot and designed to be explored and enjoyed by all. You could arrive early and help collect the eggs that will end up in your breakfast, or burn off some of your brunch with a walk around the six acre gardens. Either way, you won’t be disappointed by the garden greens shakshuka, buttermilk fried chicken and waffles, and brioche French toast. Look for brunch in the city ? Check out our guide to brunch in the city centre here .

Like many people, brunch is a highlight of our weekend. We tout breakfast as our favourite meal of the day (all that not eating for eight hours really works up an appetite), but enhancing a regular brekkie with a lie-in, the option of having a breakfast cocktail with zero judgement, plus an order of pancakes ‘for the table’, and it doesn't get much better. Some people hike on the weekend, we brunch. Here are our favourite spots to do it in the city centre (suburbs coming in the next mail out)... 1) Bread 41, Pearse Street The one and only Bread 41 recently opened their 'eatery' upstairs, providing an extra 40 seats for the never-ending demand. It’s only open Friday through Sunday serving a varied brunch, including a breakfast naan and a croissant eggs benedict, with all the bread and doughs made expertly in-house. Be warned however, this is a no wifi or laptop zone, so expect to unplug and enjoy your meal without any distractions. If you’re visiting during the week, you can enjoy their downstairs café as normal for pastries, breads and sandwiches. 2) Tang, Abbey Street & Dawson Street This small but mighty café on the corner of Dawson Street is best known for their Middle Eastern inspired lunches, with flavour-packed salads and perfectly marinated meats drawing in the work crowd, but their breakfast and brunch menu is another draw. Tang serves an all-day brunch on the weekends, including the perfectly spicy shakshuka which is never far from our minds, and a granola bowl that we've tried to recreate at home more times than we'd care to admit. Luckily for the people of Dublin they expanded into an additional larger location on Abbey Street a few years ago, filling a brunch shaped hole on the North side of the River Liffey. 3) As One, City Quay This bright and spacious café is based on the quays, and focuses on serving seasonal, locally sourced food that's good for your gut. As One boasts a hefty roster of the best suppliers around, including McNally Farm, Higgins Butchers, Ring Farm and Cloudpicker coffee, and their brunch menu makes good use of all of these great ingredients. While we’d love to say we would be going for their seasonal yoghurt bowl with fruit, we know when it came down to it we wouldn’t be able to resist the 'Breakfast Muffin', loaded with sausage meat, black pudding, egg and cheese. 4) Mad Yolks, Smithfield Founded by two brothers, Mad Yolks have been slinging the finest egg sambos to the hungry masses at music festivals for years, and more recently started popping up at weekend markets and in pubs in Dublin 8, Stoneybatter and Glasthule. They've since moved on to open their first permanent shop in Smithfield , so now you can head to Dublin 7 for eggy goodness and great tunes seven days a week. Look out for our Mad Yolks Once Over coming in the next mail out. 5) l'Gueuleton , Fade Street You might think it weird to be sipping on a flat white in the same place that you likely partied into the wee hours the night before, and you're dead right - it is weird, but it works. Once you get their signature Bloody Mary into you, the flashbacks of your dodgy dancing will fade into the distance, promise. The food in L'Gueuleton is not your usual bar food or brunch menu, and has something for everyone, from ham hock Eggs Benedict to steak frites. Mimosas, Bellinis and Rossinis are recommended accompaniments. 6) Brother Hubbard North, Capel Street Brother Hubbard came on the scene when there was really very little in the way of brunch menus in Dublin. Their mezze trays were a sight for sore eyes and rumbling tummies, and they immediately gained a following, and if a Middle Eastern breakfast isn't what you're after, there's always the peanut butter and jelly French toast. They expanded from the Northside to the Southside on Harrington Street, and have now gone even further south with an outpost in Ranelagh, which has been excitedly welcomed by locals. 7) Krewe, Capel Street This New Orleans-inspired kitchen say they are 'bringing the dirty south to the Northside' - to translate, this means flavour and spiced-packed Creole food like jambalaya and blacked fish tacos. For brunch Krewe switch up the traditional eggs benny and serve BBQ shrimp Po' Boys, and fried chicken on waffles with chive hollandaise and hot sauce - a nightmare for your arteries, a dream for your mouth. This spot is all about fun, so bring some friends and make sure to try their deep-south inspired cocktails. 8) Chimac, Aungier Street Did you know that the home of the KimCheese burger now has a brunch menu every Sunday? The perfect cure to any hangover, pop in to Chimac for their jalapeño hash browns and eggs, or if you’re in mood for their signature crispy chicken, you can order it loaded onto kimchi waffles. 9) Network, Aungier Street This little spot on Aungier Street is a regular coffee pitstop for us, but we also love to drop in to Network for the cheekily named 'Notions on Toast' – loaded with, you guessed it, avocado, alongside a plethora of other new-fangled toppings like dukkah and pickled ginger. Sure, we may never be able to afford a house but at least we’ve got great brunch options. 10) Blas Café, King's Inn Street Not somewhere you would come across by chance, Blas is hidden off Parnell Street in the Chocolate Factory , flanked by multi-story car parks. It’s a cosy, casual spot, and you won't find any airs or graces here, just great food. They serve brunch on Saturdays only so make your way here for some Iron Hash (full of FX Buckley pudding, rooster potatoes and topped with poached eggs), or try one of their great veggie options, like slow-cooked Blas beans on toast. 11) One Society, Gardiner Street Think of everything you crave on a brunch menu, and you’ll probably find it on One Society ’s menu, including potentially the most extensive American style pancake menu in Dublin. They generously run the brunch menu from Wednesday to Sunday so no need to wait until the weekend to satisfy your brunch cravings. 12) Urbanity, Smithfield If you’re ever getting to the hangry stage of the day, we would advise you to avoid Urbanity’s socials or it might just send you over the edge. Everything they post looks ultra colourful and ultra flavoursome, showcasing their seasonal menu which changes often. They always have interesting brunch specials, and there's a great outdoor area which we're expecting to be packed on summer weekend mornings. 13) Eathos, Baggot Street With two locations on Baggot Street, Eathos is where you head if you're feeling virtuous and ready to nourish your body. They have all sorts of healthy options like Açaí bowls and a breakfast salad, but also the option to be a bit bolder with a full Irish or a croissant filled with scrambled egg and Gubeen chorizo. You do you, but make sure you leave some room for one of their cakes - there's always room for cake. 14) Veginity, Dorset Street Veginity have won a host of awards over the years for their clever approach to vegan food. Rather than going down the bean burger and falafel route, they've successfully taken the old carnivore favourites like cheese toasties and chorizo scrambled eggs and turned them vegan. Head chef Mark Senn is very creative with his ingredients and cooking methods, and has managed to dazzle even the most staunch meat lovers. For us, the most impressive wizardry is in their pastry selection which is notoriously difficult to imitate without butter, but they've nailed it. 15) Ebb & Flow, Camden Street One of the more recent openings in the city centre, Ebb & Flow relocated from Clontarf to Camden Street in late 2021, bringing a little slice of peace to an otherwise hectic area. The sage green exterior sets the scene for the calm vibe they've become known for, and is perfect for a slow start to your day. The menu appeases carnivores and veggies alike, with dishes like an Asian pork bap, soufflé pancakes and vegan scrambled eggs. The café is owned by the team behind Full Circle coffee so expect a decent cup of joe with brekkie. 16) Herb Street, Grand Canal Dock Herb Street opened when there wasn’t much in the way of brunch destinations in Dublin, let alone in Grand Canal Dock. Luckily times have changed, but even with a glut of brekkie places at our fingertips, Herb Street have managed to hold onto that first mover advantage, with a loyal following turning up each weekend trying to get a coveted spot on their terrace. Our favourite places for brunch in the suburbs is coming in our next mail out on Tuesday 19th April...

When we think back to our younger, care-free, 2019 selves, one thing (other than the obvious) has changed - our ability to make spontaneous dinner plans. We’ve been through 8pm closures, restaurant meal kits, even nibbled on a compulsory €9 toastie in order to enjoy a long-awaited beverage in public, and with pent-up demand meaning the first half of 2022 was spent desperately seeking any free table, it’s no wonder its taking a while to shake off the meticulous pre-planning mindset. If you're also missing the ability to head out for a quality meal without the fuss of pre-booking weeks in advance, these 20 places are perfect for a walk in... Frank's, Camden Street Sip on an extensive selection of natural wines by the bottle or glass and perch yourself on one of the signature green barrels at Frank’s on Camden Street. They've got a rotating menu of fresh and exciting small plates from chef David Bradshaw, like potato bread with sour cream, roe and chives, and Hegarty's cheddar crumpets with wild garlic, and are “walk-in only”. We recommend sharing some outside while basking in the evening sun, and don’t skip on the charcuterie. Nomo Ramen, Charlotte Way No bookings are needed at Nomo Ramen , which is good to know when that need for a Hirata bun hits. Order yourself some of the best ramen in the city with a side of mushroom karaage and wash it all down with a few Asahis – they now have it on tap. And if anyone says you can’t have a big bowl of comfort food in summer, you sent them our way. Read our once over here . 777, George's Street 777 are walk-in only for bookings under six people. Check out their contemporary twist on Mexican food along with their very popular margaritas, and if you pop in on Sundays you can save yourself a few quid with selected dishes and drinks €7.77. Bargains and Margs, what's not to like. Masa, Drury Street Sticking with Mexican, Masa on Drury Street is also walk-in friendly. With a newly kitted out interior, grab a stool inside or sit at one of their window tables (half in, half out) and enjoy fish tacos, tortilla chips with a range of salsas and frozen margaritas. The Seafood Café, Temple Bar Niall Sabongi’s idea of “super fresh seafood in a relaxed atmosphere, where people can get their fish on” is a simple concept which delivers on quality. They only offer a small part of The Seafood Café up for reservations, so walk-ins are encouraged. Don’t miss their oyster happy hour daily from 16:00 - 17:00, with naked oysters €2 and topped/torched ones €3. Loose Canon, Drury Street Sometimes you just want a simple summer dinner of wine and cheese, or cheese toasties, or small plates and cheese, and Loose Canon ticks all the boxes. We love “The Classic” toastie with Hegarty’s cheddar, 18 month aged Coolea, homemade bechamel and scallions, toasted to perfection on Le Levain Sourdough bread. Walk on in and have it paired with a top natural wine. Chimac, Aungier Street Chimac needs no introduction at this stage - casual dining at its finest, pairing Korean fired chicken with Irish craft beer. We can’t fault their burgers - our current favourite is the “Good Good” with twice fried free range chicken; ssamjang and cheddar cheese sauce; honey and jalapeno relish; and habanero mayo served in a potato bun with house pickles. If you're looking for a non-burger option, try the Chimac poutine - twice fried handcut chips; Szechuan spice mix; adobo gravy; ssamjang cheese sauce; siracha candied bacon; free range chicken 'nugs' and spring onion. Cornucopia, Wicklow Street A vegan restaurant your non-vegan friends will also enjoy, Cornucopia specialises in hearty, plant-based dishes that don’t lack in flavour. Their 'main course and two salads' deal is an absolute steal for the sheer amount of food you get. Choose from favourites including veggie lasagne and moussaka, and pile up a plate with their potato salad and slaws, then grab a seat in the cosy upstairs dining room. Coke Lane Pizza, Lucky's and The Circular, Dublin 8 Coke Lane Pizza are constantly trying (and succeeding) to elevate the traditional Neapolitan pizza. We feel like running to try out their latest special with Tír Deli, “The Smoked Margarita” with Irish sunstream tomatoes smoked for three hours over applewood chips, Toonsbridge Fior di Latte, 18-month-aged Parmesan and Irish basil. Firing up ovens in both The Circular in Rialto and Lucky's on Francis Street , they guarantee a fun-filled pizza night. Zakura Sushi, Baggot Street & Wexford Street If you’re craving something lighter like sushi (depending on the quantity you eat of course), you can’t go wrong with Zakura . Currently with three locations in the city serving fresh made-to order sushi rolls, along with other Japanese favourites Donburi (rice bowls), tempura and Yaki Soba. You can also BYOB for €6 per bottle. Happy Endings, Aston Quay Inspired by global street food flavours and specialising in fried chicken, Happy Endings is a fun spot to check out for dishes like Ho Chi Minh honey tenders and “The Jimmy Burger" with mission spice buttermilk chicken; pineapple and habanero chutney; peanut and lime satay sauce; slaw; mayo and dry roasted peanuts. They also serve buckets of cocktails if you've had a hard week. Full Moon Thai, Temple Bar Full Moon Thai on Parliament street is all about bringing fresh, legit Thai food to Dublin in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. There's a wide range of traditional dishes, and prepare your palate to be hit with the four essential flavours of Thai cuisine - spicy, sour, sweet and salty. Read our once over here . CN Duck, Ranelagh We're still thinking about the Hong-Kong style roast meats we had at CN Duck in Ranelagh. This place was designed for spontaneous, casual dining but that does not affect the quality. Grab a few friends and order a feast of roast duck, crispy pork belly and juicy Cantonese soy chicken. You can also BYO for €6 a bottle. Read our once over here . Aobaba, Capel Street Still one of the best-value for money restaurants around, Aobaba has an almost a cult-like following at this stage. Grab a stool inside or a table on the recently pedestrianised Capel street, and try anything on the menu. Start with a few summer rolls, a steaming bowl of Pho, or a grilled pork banh mi, and follow up with a tall, iced Vietnamese coffee for dessert. Dash Burger, Capel Street Dash Burger ’s Capel street location has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating for you to satisfy those last minute smash burger cravings. We'll race you there to try the Allta shitake miso butter collab before they sell out. Arisu Sushi & BBQ A spontaneous activity and dinner all in one, in Arisu you can go for one of their BBQ sets and grill your own meat, fish and vegetables at your table. Served with salads and complimentary Korean side dishes or “banchan”, of kimchi, miso soup and seaweed for the table, it's a full experience, and one you will not be leaving hungry. Kimchi Hophouse, Parnell Street You and your dining companion can’t choose between Korean or Japanese food? Hit up Kimchi Hophouse on Parnell Street which does both, with some Irish pub thrown in for good measure. It's Dublin's oldest Korean restaurant with plenty of bibimbap, japchae and zigae, but there's a full sushi menu too, in a casual pub-like setting. Lee's Charming Noodles Once you’ve had a hand-pulled noodle you can’t go back. Lee’s Charming Noodles on Parnell Street have made it their mission to bring the widest and best choice of noodles to the city. Serving everything from soup noodles and chow mein, to spicy noodle mix and traditional Chinese stir fries, it's one of the best places to eat in Dublin's version of Chinatown. Pho Kim, Parnell Street Another one of our Vietnamese go-to restaurants, Pho Kim on Parnell street was formerly Pho Viet (and we have no idea why the name changed as apparently it's business as usual). Get the Cha Gio (Vietnamese Spring rolls), Vietnamese pancakes, and any of their rice vermicelli dishes - ours is a Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio, with marinated pork and pork spring rolls. Dosa Dosa, Stoneybatter South Indian Street food is finally getting the love it deserves in Dublin, thanks to two Dosa Dosa locations - one at Albert Court East off Grand Canal Street Lower (Wednesday - Sunday), and their newest location at Hyne's Bar in Stoneybatter. We’ve tried all the Dosa at this point and picking a favourite would be like picking a favourite child/dog/fingernail. Don't miss the Vada either - pillowy lentil dumplings with peppercorns, curry leaves and chili, served with onion chutney and sambar. Read our once over here . Did we miss your favourite place for a walk-in? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially if the city’s menus and café windows are anything to go by. We’ve looked on in glee as our social feeds have started to fill up with mince pies, puddings, and hot chocolates - and December isn’t even here yet. Here are some of the best-looking (and sounding) Christmassy dishes in Dublin right now — and if it's a Christmas sandwich you're after check out our guide on where to get the best Christmas sandwiches in the city . Mince pies, No Messin' If you eat one mince pie this festive season, make it a No Messin' mince pie. What must be some of the world's finest launched last week with pre-order available online right up to Christmas eve (although loads of dates are already booked out). The buttery, flaky, Irish butter pastry filled with dried vine fruits, spices and suet (that they've rendered themselves) take three days to make, and need to be tasted for the hype to be believed. Mont d’Or, Fallon & Byrne Most of the selections on this list are unsurprisingly sweet, but it just wouldn’t be Christmas without sickening quantities of cheese. Nothing has come so close to giving us whiplash as the sight of this oozing, baked Mont d’Or now being served in Fallon & Byrne 's wine cellar. You’ll want to watch this one on a loop. Spiked hot chocolate, Honey Truffle The hot chocolate field gets more and more crowded every year, and we love seeing new and interesting twists on a hot drink staple. Points to Honey Truffle then for not just using a rich chocolate ganache in theirs, but spiking it up with a dash of Kraken spiced rum. If this doesn’t warm you up on a winter's stroll around town, nothing will. Christmas sausage roll, Meltdown When it comes to savoury seasonal fare, the bulging Christmas sandwich is more or less the only game in town, but Meltdown have taken it upon themselves to branch out with a Christmas sausage roll. Stuffing and cranberry sauce meet the usual pork filling, and colour us curious. Mincemeat Financier, Two Pups Another trés inventive take on a classic, Two Pups have cooked up a mince pie in financier form. The light almond crumb of this French cake seems like a perfect fit for the fruitiness of mincemeat, and as fond fans of the frangipane-topped varieties of mince pie we’re pretty confident this is going to be a winner. Mince pie danish, The Pepper Pot Cafe Given it’s a time when comfort food reigns, it can be a risk to stray too far from tradition where Christmas dishes are concerned. We think The Pepper Pot Café have hit on just the right balance of innovation with this mince pie danish. It helps that it’s really pretty too. Chocolate biscuit pudding, Farmhouse Café One of the more creative-looking confections on the list, The Farmhouse Café ’s chocolate biscuit pudding would make for a great Christmas dinner centrepiece. It’s filled with Digestives and Mars Bar bits, encased in milk and dark chocolate, and finished with a white chocolate layer. There’s a gluten-free version available too. Mince pies, Bread 41 “Is it ever too early?” Bread 41 asked when launching their mince pies last week, and when they’re as good as this the answer is a resounding no . With a fluffy crumble topping and a scattering of icing sugar on top, this is a straightforward version of the classic done very well. Ice cream sandwiches, Cold Boi You’ll have to move quickly to have any hope of snapping up one of Cold Boi ’s Christmassy ice cream sandwiches: the original batch of December deliveries sold out inside of 24 hours. No surprise with flavours including Baileys tiramisu and chocolate chip cinnamon roll. Fingers crossed for a follow-up supply. Nutella panettone, Sugarloaf It’s wall-to-wall panettones in supermarkets and bakeries all over the city right now, and while we’d never dare to complain about such a thing, we can’t pretend Sugarloaf Bakery ’s unique variation didn’t come as a little bit of a relief. It’s filled with Nutella and powdered milk truffle, and we’re dying to know if it tastes as good as it looks. Apple snap, Soup Two Mulled wine and hot ports aside, Christmassy drinks have seemed a bit slower off the mark this year. That means Soup Two ’s apple snap caught our eye all the more, with its star anise-topped combo of spiced apple, cider and brandy. Mince pies, The Bakery by the Cupcake Bloke You get the picture by now: we really like a mince pie, so we had to end on a good one. The Cupcake Bloke is speaking our language with no fewer than three variations this year, including a classic, a cherry and chocolate, and an especially OMG combo of bacon, cheddar and pear. If anyone's looking for us we’ll be in Rialto.

What should we know about The Window Box? It's a cute little food truck in a yard down a laneway, just off the main street in the somewhat sleepy village of Rathfarnham. There aren't many reasons to come out and eat here (apart from high end chipper Salt & Vinegar ), and some of our readers had told us that The Window Box was one of the only things that kept them going during multiple lockdowns. It's owned and run by Robyn Lawlor, who's been working on the Dublin chef circuit for almost 20 years. What's the menu like? They open for breakfast and lunch from Monday - Saturday. Breakfast is pancakes, granola or a bacon and egg butty. Lunch is sandwiches and salads. There's also a daily special. We can never resist a special, so went for the classic pastrami with ruby slaw and Swiss cheese on soft rye bread. The filling was jammed with flavour, with juices from the slaw dripping down our hands, and came with the most beautiful garnish on top of lettuce and pickles. Our only complaint was that the rye bread could have tasted more homemade - even if it wasn't. We also had the New York grilled reuben which you shouldn't leave without trying.. Shaved pastrami, Swiss cheese and choucroute come on (much better) sourdough, and the whole thing has been toasted. A pretty perfect sandwich specimen. Never one to skip our salads, we also tried the Lebanese mezze bowl, which had plenty of texture and flavours with Imam Bayaldi (stuffed aubergines), preserved lemon labneh, tender stem broccoli, couscous, spiced roast veg, pickles and hummus, but unfortunately came with a leathery, dry flatbread underneath. A little homemade number would have improved things immensely, or even a better bought in version. The biggest disappointment here was a scone which the server told us was homemade despite its uniform shape, but as soon as we cut through its dry, powdery middle, we knew it had started life in a freezer. Homemade gooseberry jam helped things a little, but most of it went in the bin and we wished we'd taken the jam home to have on toast. What about the drinks? Coffee (from Irish company Fixx) was excellent, and we loved seeing the lesser spotted Cortado on the menu (possibly the most under-rated coffee of all time). Apart from that you'll find the usual suspects of tea and hot chocolate, as well as iced teas and coffees. Why should I go? It's a very genuine, tiny business providing much needed breakfast and lunch options in an under-served area. That Reuben would be the ultimate reward after a hike in the Dublin mountains (or to fuel up before going), and although they weren't on when we visited we've heard great things about their tacos too. The Window Box 21 Main Street, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 instagram.com/the.window.box

An often overlooked and underrated dish, here at All the Food we're longtime lovers of the humble bowl of soup. For lunch or dinner, we're firm believers that good soup is a perfect meal in its own right, but can also be souped-up (sorry) with a toastie or some good bread and butter on the side. We’re also of the opinion that soup is a year-round affair which should not suffer any seasonal pigeon-holing. There’s a definite uptick in chilled soups like gazpacho on menus but, let’s face it, with Irish weather we’re usually in need of warming up in the middle of July. So where do we turn when we’re craving the comfort of a truly great bowl? We’ve had our fair share of lack-lustre, and quite frankly lazy, bowls of ‘vegetable soup’ (you can get lucky, but at the very least please enlighten us as to which veg has gone into the pot. The point is, we know a good soup is hard to find. And just like love, it’s worth waiting for the right one to come along, because bad soup is sad soup. Here are some of our favourite spots in the city, and we continue our quest to uncover the city's best... Honey Truffle, Pearse Street A popular lunch spot and independently run café with a mission to serve the best of Irish ingredients, Honey Truffle has a great selection of sandwiches and salads, as well as great coffee on tap, but for us their soup specials are always very special. Exhibit A: roasted butternut squash, parsnip, caramelised onion and ginger soup, topped with toasted chorizo and chive and herb dressing, showing all those other vegetable soups who's boss. Pho Kim, Parnell Street When we think about a comforting, warming bowl of soupy goodness, our mind wanders to Asia, and the home of pho, Vietnam. This fragrant dish consists of broth, rice noodles, herbs and meat, and we’re lucky to have a few great Vietnamese spots in Dublin. This extra spicy Bún Bò Huế from Pho Kim is a variation on the classic pho, made with beef and pork broth, and using vermicelli round rice noodles. With a bowl of this in our hands and our eyes closed we could be wedged on a plastic stool in hot and humid Hanoi instead of tucked inside on blustery Parnell Street. Little Bird, South Circular Road Cute vegetarian café and yoga studio Little Bird has been serving great coffee and veggie food on the South Circular Road since 2015, and their menu always includes a homemade (vegan and gluten free) soup of the day. We can’t think of a better option for a healthy lunch post-yoga class than this recent pea and mint, topped with coconut drizzle and chili flakes. Namas-tasty. Oxmantown, Smithfield Churning out whopper sandwiches in Smithfield for years, Oxmantown ’s soups also deserve their flowers. Much like the bread-based options, the lunchtime soups on offer are as creative as they are delicious – like their recent Mexican tortilla. This spicy tomato broth with mixed beans is topped with lime crema, avocado and crispy tortillas, and is a regular lunchtime hero. The Ramen Bar, Dublin 2 In a close tie with pho, our other Asian soup craving has to be the mighty Ramen. This Japanese (by way of China) delicacy packs a punch and The Ramen Bar on South William Street has a long list of ramen options. They purchased Ireland’s first state of the art ramen noodle making machine in the city of Kagawa, and make all of their noodles fresh on site. Chinese-style wheat noodles are served in a meat or fish based broth, flavoured with miso or soy, with toppings like pork, fried seaweed, bamboo shoots and green onions, all topped with a fried egg. Nomo, Dublin 2 One of the most hyped openings of 2022, Nomo Ramen take a simpler approach to their ramen, with noodles imported from the US and three main options - chicken, pork or vegan. The broth is so immensely creamy you'll wonder what magic is at work behind the counter, and ramen purists can be found propping up the counter day and night. Jaru, Dublin 14 Korean owned and run Jaru , operating out of Nutgrove, started off life as a college project in DIT Cathal Brugha Street and has been producing Korean foods with Irish ingredients and traditional family recipes since 2016. Their meals and products are traded in a number of weekly markets in Dublin including soups like this Galbitang beef short rib soup – a hearty, nourishing dish with delicate flavours. Blas Café, Dublin 1 Sometimes we wish Blas Café was our little secret, but it’s not and that wouldn’t be fair to everyone else anyway. This blissful hideaway can be found behind Cineworld on Parnell Street, and is one of our favourite places to go for lunch or a coffee and treat. There’s always a soup of the day on the menu, like this recent take on the love it-or-hate it ‘Marmite’ of Dublin, the coddle. There are few things better than sneaking in here on a rainy afternoon for a rib-sticking lunch while getting stuck into a good book. But shhhh, don’t tell anyone…. Three Storey, Dublin 2 The quest for Dublin’s best seafood chowder deserves its very own guide, but we thought we'd give a nod to this new kid on the block for a gallant effort. Three Storey opened their café, “spritzeria” and cocktail bar in March of this year, and a bowl of this creamy chowder in the bar, with the prerequisite soda bread accompaniment, would go down a treat if you need somewhere to dive in from the winter rain. yy Neon, Dublin 2 Asian-inspired Neon has been a Camden Street stalwart for as long as we can remember, and is one of the only places in town (the only?) where you can serve yourself a '99 ice cream. Which is either the best or the worst business idea, entirely dependent on your customers' skill sets. Digressions aside, their version of the world-famous Thai hot and sour prawn soup, Tom Yam Goong or Tom Yum, is the perfect way to get some heat into your bones on a cold day, or knock a stuffed nose on the head. Richmond, Dublin 8 Buzzy neighbourhood restaurant Richmond ’s recent menu addition caught our eye, and although it may be considered by some to be a pasta dish, we’re claiming it for soup territory. This comté cheese ravioli, served in an onion broth, would have us practicing for the egg and spoon race, without the egg, all the way to Portobello. Cornucopia, Dublin 2 Open since 1986, Dublin institution Cornucopia was, for quite some time, the only place in the city where you could get decent vegetarian and vegan food. How far we have come. They always have at least one if not two soup options on their menu, and we love choosing from their freshly baked bread selection (decisions, decisions). Then, tray in hand, we scurry around and try to nab a steamy window seat, for one of the best people-spotting locations in town. The Pepper Pot Café, Dublin 2 Another one of our long-time favourites, The Pepper Pot Café in the Powerscourt Centre, always has a soup of the day we find hard to resist.. They can sell out fast though, so be sure to get their early to avoid disappointment (this literally happened to us last week). Their hearty soups, like this beautiful minestrone, come served with their delicious freshly baked breads, and we think they're perfection. Legit Coffee Co, Dublin 8 This little spot on Meath Street is the perfect place to settle into on your lunch break. Legit serving great coffee, sandwiches, sweet treats and the daily soups are seriously delicious. We’re still not quite sure if we prefer to pronounce this Liberties cafe’s name ‘legit’ as in short for ‘legitimate’, or as we’ve also heard it called, ‘leg it’, as in ‘you better leg it in here for soup before we’ve eaten it all’. Two Pups, Dublin 8 Staying in the Dublin 8 neighbourhood is one of our top brunch – and also dog-friendly – establishments. Two Pups just gets it right, and the same can be said for their soups, including this classic Dahl that they’ve been serving for years. Crave-inducing stuff that will warm your belly and sooth your worries away.

What should we know about Kodiak? It's a behemoth of a bar in Rathmines where Copan used to be, from the same guys who own pizza and craft drinks focused Bonobo in Smithfield. It's the same quality vibe in here, from the interiors to the drinks list, the service to the simple but hits it home food menu. What did you drink? First things first, is there a better bar beer list in the country? Answers on a postcard please, because we haven't come into contact with one. Beer lovers will lose their minds over the sours, stouts, ales, Belgians, IPA's, the sharing bottle 'rares' - this is as far from a brewery bought beer list as you can imagine. Ask the staff for recommendations or go for a lucky dip. Lough Gill Brewery 's 'Pain and Perfection - Mango, Guava and Passion Fruit Pastry Sour was on tap when we visited, and it's one of the most delicious beers we have EVER tasted. We also had a less sour sour from Lervig in Norway, and a Pilsner from Danish brewery To Øl - no complaints. You could come in here every week for a year and still find something new to try. They put the same welly into their cocktails, which range from a classic Margarita to a Kodiak whiskey sour with Amaro Montenegro. We tried the Spicy Margarita and order it with extreme caution, and a cold milk chaser. At one point it went down the wrong way and that was a scary, burny few seconds. What about the food? Things are simple here with a pizza menu and a couple of bits and dips. The pizza oven is upstairs and you'll get a good gawk on route to the toilet, where you'll also get atrium views of the room below. It's a great-sounding menu ranging from a basic Margherita to one with truffle, orange and pistachios, and there's loads of add-ons. We had the 'Potato & Pancetta' with a white base, rosemary roasted potato and smoked pancetta, knowing the fans it has in Bonobo , and it's a great pizza, with a perfectly light and airy Neapolitan dough. It's rich and we probably wouldn't have wanted a whole for one person, but half was perfect, and they come in takeaway boxes so easy to bring home if you have any left. (You guys have also told us the 'Sausage' and the 'Truffle & Orange Zest' are two of your favs) The 'focaccia' is more like garlic pizza bread - a salty, garlicy, chewy carb-fest - but the 'spicy creamy nduja' was a bit of a dud - too solid for a dip, and missing the creaminess in the name. Why should I go? Apart from the food and drinks, the staff in Kodiak were so welcoming and warm. We were greeted twice within seconds of walking in, and despite the place being packed on a Saturday evening, we were never left trying to wave someone down. These guys hire well. Staff and management were more than happy to spend time geeking out on drinks, and if they didn't have the answer to a question (we always have all the questions) they went and got it. These guys are the bar operators our drink-soaked city needs, and we can't wait to go back with a gang. Kodiak 304 Rathmines Road Lower, Dublin 6 instagram.com/kodiak_rathmines

November's monthly 9 giveaway is live! From lunch at The Shelbourne to dinner in a magical Christmas courtyard, restaurant vouchers to cookie and olive oil subscriptions , our nine monthly giveaways is a small way to thank our supporters for letting us stay #ad, #collab and #invite free - and we hope you prefer things that way too . Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders by midnight on Thursday 17th November will be entered into the draw, and winners will be picked and notified on Friday 18th November. Here's what's in this month's line up... 1) Sunday lunch for two at The Shelbourne We've recently noticed Sundays having a higher dose than usual of the Sunday fear, but fear note, we've got the antidote. A three-course Sunday lunch with a bottle of wine for two in The Saddle Room at The Shelbourne will dispel any thoughts of work on Monday, and we're sending one of you off to try it out. We recommend a visit before the end of the year when the Christmas decorations and lighting will be out in force - a perfect way to start the festivities. 2) A €120 voucher for Indo-Chine, Dublin 4 Indo-Chine , inspired by South East Asian flavours is the newest addition to D4 (where Le Perroquet used to be), and we've got a €120 voucher to give to one of you this month so you can sample the 'Bo La Lot', whole sea bream with Asian slaw, and plenty of their Asian-inspired cocktails. There's a DJ at the weekends, and while dancing isn't essential, bringing someone who shares food is. 3) Two Tickets to Christmas in the Courtyard Christmas is coming to the courtyard and by courtyard, we mean a glass mansion on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham , from 24th November - 18th December. To celebrate the launch we've two tickets for one of their 4-course Christmas festive lunches (on Friday 2nd, Friday 9th & Sunday 11th December) designed by Michelin Starred Chef Danni Barry, with a complimentary glass of bubbles on arrival. It will be an afternoon of fun, festivity, fine dining and live music from the Swingcats, and you can tell all your friends you were in a glass mansion... at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. Check out Christmas in the Courtyard here . 4) Afternoon Tea for two at Carton House, Kildare We've been dying to get a look inside the newly refurbished five-star hotel Carton House in Kildare, but one of you are going to beat us to it as we have an afternoon tea for two in the Gold Salon room to give away. We can confirm there will be buttermilk scones, clotted cream, sandwiches, sweet treats and most importantly a glass of champagne each, and if you're going just for the interiors, that's also a valid reason to visit. There are also vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian menus which can be booked in advance. Dates subject to availability and T&Cs apply. 5) Champagne and Oysters from Sligo Oyster Experience Sligo Oyster Experience will be delivering a taste of the Wild Atlantic Way from the shore to the door of one ATF Insider this month, with one of its signature ‘Fresh From The Sea’ Champagne & Oyster Gift Boxes worth €100. It includes a dozen Sligo bay oysters, a bottle of champagne, recipe book, Wildwood barrel-aged wild balsamic blackberry vinegar, Scarlet For Yer Ma whiskey hot sauce, an Irish seaweed Blend by Prannie Rhatigan, lemon and red onion for serving, a shucking knife, and a handmade oyster shell candle. We love the idea of enjoying quality oysters at home with zero fuss, and if you do too, they're available here . 6) A Three-Month Cookie Subscription from Good Fortune Cookies We've been hearing tales of 'Corkies' , including Barrys' Tea shortbread, Beamish cookies and Hadji Bey Rose Cookies, coming from 'the real capital', and Sarah Cremin is the woman behind Cork-based Good Fortune Cookies . The pandemic-born business has been supplying the goods tor cookie connoisseurs countrywide using premium quality, local and ethically sourced ingredients, and there's no palm oil in sight. We've got a Three Month 'Treat & Repeat' Cookie Subscription to give away this month, meaning freshly baked, seasonally-inspired cookies direct to your door, and if that doesn't satisfy your cookie cravings, nothing will. 7) Oui Chef Corkscrew and a Case of Róisín Curley Wines Oui Chef produce some of the best tools for chef kitchens (you'll find them in Aimsir, Dede and Bastible among others), and the small Irish company has recently added a corkscrew to their range, complete with the option of personalisation. We've got one to give away this month (with either your own name of the name of a lucky recipient), and they're also throwing in five bottles of wine from brilliant Irish winemaker Róisín Curley so you can put it to good use. Time to get out the fancy wine glasses. 8) A year's subscription to Sarah & Olive's Tasting Club While Sarah Merrigan was working as a chef in Barcelona, and after discovering the producers, tastes and benefits of olive oil, Sarah & Olive was born. We know dipping your bread in olive oil is more of a Mediterranean custom but using good quality ingredients, especially olive oil makes all the difference, and once you dive in it's hard to go back to the substandard stuff. We've got a year's subscription to Sarah & Olive's Tasting Club to give away so you can step up your olive oil game and try some of their award-winning bottles, complete with tasting notes, food pairing suggestions and recipes. Make sure you have some bread on hand. 9) A Folláin x Nutbutter Gift Box Folláin is the Irish word for wholesome and this wholesome jam business has been producing preserves in the West Cork Gaeltacht for nearly 40 years. Folláin recently teamed up with the folk at Nutshed to produce a nut butter, relish and jam gift box, and the lucky winner of this prize will receive one of these limited edition sets, along with a full hamper of Folláin goodies. Make sure to check out the series of Folláin X Nutbutter recipes on @follainirishpreserves , like their PB&J milkshake or thumbprint cookies. See the collaboration box here . Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders for November will be automatically entered into the prize draw. If you're not signed up yet join here and support independent content in Dublin and beyond, and get answers to all of your burning questions about eating out, here and abroad, directly from us.