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If you're not already thinking about where to get the turkey, ham and mince pies for the 25th then it's time to turn off the news, put away the antigen tests and focus on something much more enjoyable. From at home boxes covering the whole dinner, to our favourite places for individual sides, sweets and pies, here's where we'll be doing our Christmas Day food shopping this year. The Main Event - Christmas Dinner Margadh, Howth & Dublin 2 Head to Margadh if you want to do the turkey and ham yourself but have someone else do all the heavy lifting when it comes to the sides. Their Christmas shop has everything from d uck fat roast potatoes with confit onion, garlic & thyme , to gratin dauphinoise & applewood smoked cheddar ; g lazed fresh stem carrots with spiced honey butter & pistachio s, to g lazed brussels sprouts, chestnut & sage brown butter , and there's sticky toffee pudding if you're not into desserts full of dried fruits. Collections from Howth or their RHA site in town. Order here . Beach House At Home One of our favourite lockdown food experiences was Beach House in Tramore's weekly food deliveries, packed with pork rilettes, seafood stew and leeks au gratin, and for their sins they're now offering to provide your Christmas starters, sides and dess erts. You can get treacle cured Gravadlax with marinated beets, horseradish cream & homemade brown bread; trimmings of gravy, bread sauce, pork, sage & onion stuffing, cranberry & blood orange relish; and desserts of their signature almond tart with clementine cream, and mince pies with brandy custard. Get it all or mix and match here . Old Street, Malahide Old Street have the whole thing covered, with their family Christmas dinner box serving 4-6 people with leftovers. For €269 you'll get a boned, rolled and stuffed turkey; a whiskey and ginger braised ham; sausage and chestnut stuffing, duck fat roast potatoes and dauphinoise, various fancy veg like brussel sprouts with a spiced cranberry crumb, and braised red cabbage with apples, gravy, cranberry sauce, mini desserts and a Christmas pudding. There's also a full instruction and timings booklet. What could possibly go wrong. Order it here . Fallon & Byrne Fallon & Byrne is a one-stop upmarket shop for the starters, dinner, snacks, drinks - because what even is Christmas without turkey and stuffing crisps and a Christmas coffee blend. From the truffle mash to the chocolate chip and amarena cherry panettone, it's Christmas with notions, and if you're having a smaller than average gathering and don't want a full turkey, they do boned, rolled and stuffed turkey breasts for two. Spend all of your money here . Le Poulet Bonne Femme B ad news. Poulet Bonne Femme 's Christmas feast has sold out, but you can still get slow-roasted, free-range Irish bronze turkeys, and honey-roast hams. They come fully-cooked, so no brining, braising or glazing will have to take place, and this is one for when you just can't deal, which is most of us right now. Order here . The Village Butcher If you're searching for something different this year, The Village Butcher in Ranelagh have goose, pheasant, beef Wellington, and even capon - a French chicken fed on milk or porridge that's said to have a richer flavour. They've also got every type and joint of ham and turkey you could possibly want if you're sticking with the tried and tested. Order here . McNally Farm N ow that we've got our own order in, we can tell you that McNally Organic Farm in North County Dublin is the absolute best place to get your Christmas veg from. Everything is grown on the extremely impressive farm, and can be collected from the farm shop or at one of their markets in Stillorgan and Glasnevin. They also sell jams, relishes, homemade yoghurt, dried goods, and McNally Christmas puddings, amongst others. Order on their website . Eatto Meal delivery service Eatto has everything from just the trimmings to the full feast, and individual side options too if you want to pick and mix. There's also vegan nut roasts, veggie lasagne and desserts. Delivery dates are going on a first come first served basis so don't hang around if you're interested. See what's on offer here . Drop Chef If you want to do the cooking yourself, but find the whole thing a bit intimidating, Drop Chef will deliver you all the ingredients plus recipe cards for their free-range, Irish woodland bronze turkey, brussel sprouts with bacon and shallots, and homemade stuffing. There are loads of add-ons like West Cork ham, smoked salmon and Irish cheeses, and there's a plant-based roast stuffed with chestnut, cranberry and mushroom if there are any non-meat eaters at the table. See the menu and prices here . Dessert No Messin' W e've yet to be convinced there's a better mince pie in the country than No Messin 's suet filled, crumbly pastry wrapped, Highbank Orchard's brandy butter topped masterpieces. Pre-orders have sold out but they'll be available in Proper Order Coffee Co. every day in December, and you can still order their puddings, brandy butter and butterscotch to be packed and waiting for you. Order here . Bread 41 For another Christmas baking masterclass, head to Bread 41 's online shop to tie down your Christmas eve pastry pick up. Mince pies, morning buns, sausage rolls - what a way to wake up on the 25th. You can also fill the freezer with bread for all of those turkey and ham sandwiches. Order here . Bragadeiros For an after dinner treat with a South American twist, Bragadeiros sell box sets of the beautiful Brazilian truffles in different flavours, as well as choccotone, and Brazilian honey cakes. They also have DIY gingerbread men kits, which would be fun to make on Christmas eve and leave out for Santa. They deliver nationwide or you can collect in Dublin 1 for free. Order here . Mud Bakery Mud are good, that's all you need to remember, and we're expecting their Christmas puddings and mince pie filling to be no different. Puddings are available for nationwide delivery, or you can pick up both at their stand at Honest 2 Goodness market in Glasnevin. Hopefully you'll get lucky and also manage to grab a Crimbo cruffin with spiced custard, clotted cream, pan-fried pudding and a gingerbread star. Order here . Cream Of The Crop We've already told you about this one as we gave it away to one of our lucky ATF Insiders last month, but we're still reeling over the rum and raisin gelato stuffed panettone - imagine unveiling that on the 25th. Also in Cream Of The Crop 's deluxe dessert hamper you'll find four limited edition flavours of their gelatos, and the Irish food products that inspired them, like Harry's nutbutter and Katie's kombucha. Available for delivery in Dublin up until the 18th December. Order here . Bistro One's Christmas Pudding There are few things more convincing than the words "family recipe", so when we saw Bistro One were selling Granny O'Connor's christmas pudding, made by chef Rory Shannon's mum Vivienne, we knew we'd be onto a winner. They'll be ready for collection from the Foxrock restaurant from the 15th December and you can order one here . Coconut & Moo Moo's Cheesecakes Can't understand the dried fruit fascination at Christmas? Looking for something (anything) different for Christmas dessert? Coconut and Moo Moo 's Basque burnt cheesecakes come in original, Belgian chocolate, coconut mocha and matcha latté flavours, and for Christmas they've launched a limited edition with gold leaf on top - if you're into that kind of thing. They're delivering in Dublin on Christmas eve, or there's a collection in Sandyford on the 23rd. Order here . A Cheese Box From Iciar If you don't fancy a trip to your nearest cheesemonger for some slabs of their finest, there is an easier option. Iciar is a new Blackrock-based cheese venture by Parisian Julien Comte, who is living up to his birthname impressively. Everything is French, and options include the Paris box with five cheeses, the Lyon box with mixed cheese and charcuterie, and the Courchevel box, made for that Raclette machine in your stocking. Cheeses come beautifully presented so it's just a case of opening it up and popping it on the dinner table. The perfect option if you're tasked with providing the cheese for Christmas dinner, but also a great gift for the host. See the range here .

In part three of our ATF Christmas gift guide, we're looking at the best edible and drinkable gifts, because how better to say it (anything) than with food! Or wine. Or cocktails. Or stuff to eat them off and drink them out of. Here are our top picks for the year that's in it... Edible A Dolce Sicily Panettone Italian café Dolce Sicily are selling not one, not two, but seven different types of panettone this Christmas, from pistachio to chocolate, fruits of the forest to one that's supposed to resemble a volcano. Supermarket panettones might tick the box, but these are the ones to buy for someone special. Toonsbridge Cheese & Cracker Hamper Toonsbridge has plenty of different hamper options this season, but we love the cheese and cracker hamper - very affordable at €32, and who doesn’t love cheese?! The perfect hostess gift for any get-togethers, it comes with three cheeses, crackers and some chutney, and if that doesn't float your boat you can see their full selection of hampers here . Lilliput Christmas Hampers Our favourite food-filled treasure trove never disappoints at Christmas time, full to the brim of pantry favourites for your loved ones (and yourself). Lilliput Stores are running their annual Hamper Market for two weekends this December so you can potter down and pick up your favourites to create your own, or if you prefer them to do the work for you there are plenty of pre-selected hampers at varying price points available on their website . Hen's Teeth Hampers You can always count on Hen's Teeth to get you out of a last minute gift jam, they have all the cool stuff, and Christmas is no different. They have three hampers from €50 - €125, or you can make up your own, but we love the €50 'Ah you're very good' option, with Hey Yum gummies, a bottle of Craft Cocktails, Ocelot chocolate, Piccolo contemporary garden seeds, and a Clean Slate candle. They'll even let you swap out items for something else, which is very sound. Buy them here . An Olive Oil Tasting Club For the budding chef or general food obsessive in your life, Sarah and Olive's tasting club will deliver top class olive oil to them throughout the year (one every three months) along with tasting notes, food pairing suggestions and recipe ideas. Sign us up please. A Flavour Of The Boyne Valley The Boyne Valley seems to be Ireland's newest food destination, with growers, producers and makers everywhere you look. Boyne Valley Flavours have put together some great gift boxes at different price points featuring loads of local food companies, like Bán goat's cheese, Oriel sea salt and Bakealicious' Christmas puddings - it's like going on a food tour over Christmas, but not having to get dressed at any point. Buy them here . A Jam Selection Box If you know someone who loves jam as much as we love jam, this limited edition Christmas box of Irish Folláin jams and marmalade is the business. Featuring flavours like mulled wine and winter berry, Christmas spiced marmalade, and spiced Irish apple jelly, as well as two jam serving spoons (the spoon we never knew we needed), it's currently €25 reduced from €30, and it comes wrapped and ready to go under the tree. Buy it here . The N atural Bakery's Gingerbread House Perfect for the child (or adult) in your life who needs occupying over the Christmas season, this gingerbread house from The Natural Bakery comes either pre-constructed or to be assembled at home , but where's the fun in the first option? Weekl.ie Hamper Weekl.ie is another great spot to pick up a hamper containing so many of our favourite things, like Assassination Custard's piccalilli, Cocoa Atelier's cranberry marshmallows, and their own homemade cookies. They range from €35 for a small one to €145 for large, and you can order on their website . Drinkables Craft Cocktails Christmas Collection We could credit Craft Cocktails with getting us through a few lockdowns over the past 18 months - the zesty cocktails we ordered for our birthdays eased the sting of the fact that we were celebrating it on the couch...again. They've just added some festive flavours to their core range which is just another reason to place an order. The Yuletide Negroni, Gingerbread Punch and Festive Old Fashioned are available in a small 2-serve bottle for €12.50, or large 7-serve bottle for €35. They are available in over 20 independent retailers around Dublin or online . Boujee Booze Boujee Booze was set up by two best friends who worked in hospitality and just love food and wine. It shows in their online shop, which they would probably describe as "full of bangers" - and they'd be right. They've got gift sets ready to go with just wine, or wine and food, but the fun starts with their food pairings and recipe sections. Buy someone a bottle or six and they can go online and see what to cook or order with it. We'd suggest buying this for your other half so you can reap the rewards of all that experimentation. Vice Coffee's Espresso Martinis We loved Vice Coffee's Irish Coffee kits last year, but this year is all about the Espresso Martini. It's a bit of a faff to make at home, so these pre-made bottles with their house espresso, cacao infused Absolut Vodka & Kahlua are ideal - just decant into a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until your hand's about to fall off, and strain into a chilled glass. €25 buys you four serves and you can order them here . Kombucha Brewing Kit All About Kombucha are all about that gut health, and if you know someone who dreams of having a kitchen filled with scobies, this gut box is for them. They'll learn how to ferment tea (i.e. make kombucha), as well as pickle food, all intended to improve your gut, and the box contains everything they'll need to get started, including the scoby, jars and teabags. They also deliver nationwide. Ely Wine Club Know someone who wants to learn more about wine? Without actually picking up a book? Ely's 'Sommelier Selection' wine club sends out three or six bottles a month with a specific theme or from a particular region or variety, along with winemaking details, tasting notes and food pairings. Would also make a great 'gift to self' for getting through the past 18 months. Sign up here . Virgin Mary Christmas Kits If you’ve followed us for any length of time, you’ll know that we love a tipple or two (three?!), but the recent transformation in the non-alcoholic market has had us reaching for the Seedlip on more than one occasion when we start to feel thirsty. The Virgin Mary Bar is one of our favourite spots to go when we want a cocktail sans hangover, and they've put together a few kits for the non-drinkers amongst us. This would be an amazing gift for a tee-totaller, but it’s also just a very handy collection to add to the bar cart alongside the usual spirits. Christmas Kits range from €40 to €450 but their online shop also has a variety of drinks available by the bottle. Take a look here . Stuff To Eat And Drink With Fermoyle Pottery If you've been lucky enough to nab a table in Ichigo Ichie or Allta you've definitely admired their uniquely beautiful tableware. Fermoyle Pottery is where the best of the best go to complete the experience they're creating for their customers, and for good reason. Hand-thrown and hand-built, each piece is one of a kind, making them even more special. The Christmas webshop opened on December 5th so move quickly if you want to nab something special. Note's Glassware We can't stop staring at this glassware from Kinto , Japan, available at new wine bar Note on Fenian Street. When you're there you can drink out of it at the Bureau in the morning, then take some home to put under the tree. Loose Canon Wine Glasses The Loose Canon swimming pool glasses have been the camera subject of practically everyone who's visited since the summer, and now they've made them available for purchase. They're €50 for a set of six and are collection only, because they ain't putting glass in the post - wise. There's an Instagram story highlight here with more information. You can find our other gift guides here: Part 1 - Cookbooks, memoirs and classes Part 2 - Experiences and subscriptions Part 4 - Gadgets and stocking fillers

In part two of our ATF Christmas gift guide, we've rounded up some of the experiences and subscriptions we'd like to find under the tree this year. We're all trying to limit how much 'stuff' we have, and studies every year show that consumers increasingly value experiences more than physical items, so considering classes, tours and food-based breaks away is always a good idea, and the subscriptions are all consumable, so minimal waste and clutter will be created in the giving of these gifts. Experiences A Stay At The Wicklow Escape Save this one for someone you really love, and maybe book yourself a slot too because fair's fair. This site was previously The Elbowroom Escape, a well known yoga retreat, but The Wicklow Escape is a brand new destination with fêted Northern Irish chef Danni Barry running the kitchen. The food is the main event but the grounds and accommodation don’t let the side down either. This is somewhere to relax and be fully taken care of from the minute you walk through the door, with all of your meals taken care of, from wood-fired dinners to picnics in the woods. There are different experiences available and stays start at €246 per person, but vouchers from €50 are available and they now accept Blue Book vouchers too. Find out more here . River Run Ferments Fermenting is a life skill that we could all benefit from, and who wouldn't love having pickles, sauerkraut or kombucha in the fridge, ready for flavour emergencies. River Run Ferments run fermentation workshops on drinks (kombucha, ginger bug, water kefir, and plant milk kefir), kombucha and kraut, and sourdough bread-making to name a few, and there's even a class on making koji, miso and amazake for the fermentationally advanced. You can book January classes now on their website . A Slane Food Circle Tour The Boyne Valley in Meath is full of passionate food producers and growers, and the Slane Food Circle tour is a brilliant way to get a (literal) taste of what's happening there. The fully guided tour provides the opportunity to meet four local food producers at Rock Farm, Mullagha Goat Farm, Newgrange Gold Oils, and The Cider Mill, and try their products while they tell you all about what goes into making them. With access to working farms and a tasting plate to top it all off, this would be a brilliant day out for anyone interested in learning more about where their favourite foods come from. Take a look at the full package here . Howth Foraging Trip We've been watching Nicole Dunne's foraging tours in Howth for a while now and are amazed at the colours and varieties of plants, berries and mushrooms she's been unearthing in North Dublin. Her foraging trips involve identifying and collecting wild foods, learning what plants are edible and which have medicinal benefits, followed by a cookery lesson and lunch, for €50 pp. Tours change with the seasons, and up to date information on what's coming up can be found on her Facebook page. She sells gift vouchers too, perfect for the wannabe forager in your life this Christmas. Delicious Dublin Tours Ketty Quigley comes from the Loire Valley in France but has made Dublin her home. She's also made knowing the best places to eat and drink in the city her business, and has been running Delicious Dublin food tours for a number of years to showcase the best the city has to offer. An afternoon spent walking around Dublin, stopping at award-winning eateries and food shops in the city to taste some delicious food, would be right up the street of any food-loving friend or family member, and tours are €62, including the food along the way. Find out more information and book here . Subscriptions ATF Insiders A shameless plug perhaps but a subscription to ATF Insiders is a brilliant gift for someone interested in keeping up with the hottest news, openings and events on the Dublin scene. Insiders get automatically entered into our nine monthly giveaways for restaurant vouchers, gourmet breaks and food gifts, and get exclusive invites to our events, as well as access to our writers' knowledge bank for any questions about where, what and when to eat. It's the gift that keeps on giving for just €4 a month or €44 a year, and we'll send a postcard welcoming them to the club either by email or in the post. Find out more here . Calendar Coffee Calendar Coffee are a seasonal roastery in Galway. This means the coffees and origins they work with are always changing, depending on which countries are harvesting and the coffees that tastes best that month. Their subscription service starts from €16 a month and is tailored to each person's tastes and needs. Read more about it and sign up here . GIY Grow Box Have a wannabe gardener in your life? Sign them up for a GROWBox from GIY in Waterford. These guys are so passionate about getting people to grow their own that it's infectious, and their seasonal subscription (89.99) involves four deliveries a year of seeds, pots, compost discs, growing guides and plant labels. It starts in early Spring with tomatoes, chillies, beetroot and lettuce, and ends in Autumn with rocket, Oriental greens, radishes and spinach, and dedicated green fingers will end up with a lot of homegrown produce for that initial investment. See more and order here . Molly Baz Recipe Club Chefs are changing the way they interact with their followers and Molly Baz , a veteran of the Bon Appetit test kitchen, is a case in point. While she published her first cookbook earlier this year she has also launched a Patreon-backed Recipe Club which you can join for €4.50 per month. Her cookbook is a joy, both recipe-wise and aesthetically, and we have no doubt that her weekly recipes which she sends exclusively to Recipe Club members will be no different. Sign yourself or someone else up here . Bean & Goose Chocolate We don’t know anyone who doesn’t love chocolate, and if they’re out there we don’t want to know them. Wexford-based Bean and Goose is the best around, made with sustainable ingredients and hand-tempered on marble slabs. Subscriptions are available in 3 month, 6 months and 12 month options and the recipient will get two 70g bars of chocolate each month. Find out more here . The Little Cheese Shop What is life without cheese? Sad, that's what. You can ensure that someone you love won't run out of cheese for months with The Little Cheese Shop 's monthly cheese subscription. Each month the Dingle based shop sends out generous portions of four Irish cheeses, crackers and a chutney (€38), and while it's certainly limiting to stick to just cheese from this island, it will open your eyes to just how many wondrous wheels of beauty are being made from Irish cows, goats and sheep. Deliciously educational, and one best saved for someone you live with, for obvious reasons. Sign up here . Bean Delivered Bean Delivered deliver coffee from a different Irish roaster to your door each month, ensuring you never run out (depending on how much you drink), and get to discover who your favourites on the Irish coffee scene are. A three-month subscription is €65 and a six-month €115, and you can add a keep cup for another €15. The first delivery from Christmas orders will arrive in the first week of January, and you can see more and sign up here . Interested in giving the gift of cookbooks, memoirs and subscriptions this year? See part one of our Christmas gift guide here .

It’s that time of year again - fighting through the masses in town and wading through Black Friday deals online. It’s a tricky business and rarely a good time, so luckily for you we have done the hard graft and put together some of the best options for your food-loving friends, family and partners. Avoid the trepidation as they unwrap that perfume and body wash set you bought them in the pharmacy - will they love it? Spoiler alert - they won’t. Here are some of our favourite food related gifts that will be sure to wow them on Christmas day. First up - cookbooks, memoirs and cookery classes. Cookbooks and Memoirs Taste: My Life Through Food, Stanley Tucci We’re sure we’re not the only ones to fall a little bit in love with Stanley Tucci after the viral video of him calmly making his signature ‘quarantucci’ cocktail during lockdown. He was the cool, suave escape we all needed at a difficult time. Stanley has two cookbooks under his belt, and while this book does have some recipes throughout, it is actually a memoir of his life both in and out of the kitchen. As an instant New York Times Bestseller, this is sure to be under a lot of trees this Christmas. Find it your local book store, but we also found it online in case you can't get there. Growing Up In A Nyonya Kitchen, Sharon Wee ' Growing up in a Nyonya Kitchen ' was first published in 2012, but is being republished again this month after a scandal involving London-based chef Elizabeth Haigh, who has been accused of plagiarism in her cookbook 'Makan', which was pulled from shelves in October. Nyonya cuisine emanated from Malaysia and has influences from Chinese, Malay, Javanese and South Indian cooking, and the original has recipes for nasi biryani, curry puffs and pineapple tarts, as well as endearing stories from Wee's childhood and her mother's cooking. Buy it here . To Asia With Love, Hetty McKinnon Hetty McKinnon made a name through her community kitchen in Sydney where she earned the nickname ‘Salad Lady’. Her first three books follow this theme of salads, but her most recent book, To Asia with Love, takes a different approach and focuses on the food she grew up with. While this book isn’t hot off the press (it actually released in 2020), it is one of the most used cookbooks on our shelf and a perfect gift for someone interested in everyday Asian cooking. We haven’t spotted this in many Irish book stores but you can get it on Book Depository . Jew-ish, Jake Cohen We first came across this book when Cohen did an episode of The Sporkful podcast , and loved his stories of merging his Jewish food (based on Eastern European cooking) and his new husband's (based on Middle Eastern cooking), particularly the part about how quickly the women of the family accepted him when he asked if he could learn from them in the kitchen. The book is a mix of recipes spanning it all, with some up to date twists from Cohen, and while we're struggling to find ingredients like Matzo ball mix and amba in Dublin shops, there's plenty in here to make from what's readily available. We've earmarked the challah for some Christmas baking. Buy it here . The Blasta Books Collection, Various This quarterly collection of cookbooks came about through a Kickstarter created by publisher Kristen Jensen. The fundraising target was smashed, showing the enthusiasm for the cookbooks written by some familiar faces from the Irish food industry, like Lily Ramirez-Foran from Picado, and Eoin Cluskey from Bread 41. We would also buy the books purely for the beautiful illustrations by Nicky Hooper, and we were lucky enough to nab one of her pantry prints during the Kickstarter. You can pick one up here for €15, or splash out on the collection of four for €50. And For Mains, Gaz Smith & Rick Higgins It’s no secret that we (along with most people in Dublin!) are big fans of Michael’s in Mount Merrion, and this might be our chance to re-create some of our favourite dishes at home. Gaz Smith has paired up with his friend and butcher Rick Higgins to create a self-published book combining Gaz’s famous seafood recipes with Rick’s knowledge of meat and butchery. This is one for your carnivorous friend who loves a bit of a weekend project, and hopefully they’ll invite you over to taste the end result. The book can be found online and is also stocked in Higgins Butchers in Sutton and Michael’s. Heartburn, Nora Ephron This is an oldie but we recently discovered that Meryl Streep reads the audiobook, which made us appreciate its greatness once more. It's really a story of a marriage breakup, but it's interspersed with so many food anecdotes and recipes that we were hooked on a few levels. The fact that it's semi-autobiographical, based on the breakdown of her own marriage to Carl Bernstein makes it all the more gripping. Find it in Gutter Book Shop or Dubray Books . Cooking Classes Sourdough Bread Classes, Bread 41 No introduction needed for this business - if you haven’t had a chance to physically visit Bread 41 's café you have surely drooled over their pastries on their social media. They hold regular three-hour evening courses so it’s perfect for someone who dabbled in the sourdough trend during lockdown, and who would be interested in learning more. Participants will leave the class with their own sourdough starter and some of Bread 41’s own bread recipes. Hands-on courses ranging from €130-€150 per person depending on the number of people in the class and can be booked here . Indian Cooking Class, Rasam For something a bit different, Rasam in Glasthule village runs demo style classes where participants will watch their dinner being made while they learn about different types of spices, traditional Indian cooking methods, and have an opportunity to pick the chefs brain about anything they please. At the end, you get to enjoy the results with a two-course meal. This class needs a minimum of six people, so this would be a great option for a group gift instead of the normal kris kindle. Classes are €60 per person including your meal and they will send you off with some of their own spices to cook with at home. More information here . Silk Road, Kimmage Silk Road Café in the Chester Beatty Library is one of our favourite hideaways in the city for a relaxed lunch in a gorgeous location. They also run a cookery school in Kimmage, offering one of the most wide ranging class schedules we’ve seen - they’re all Mediterranean or Middle Eastern inspired but vary from ‘Vegan Mezze’ to ‘Moroccan Tagine’ to ‘All Things Kofta’. The hands-on classes are all €65 and would be perfect for a vegetarian or vegan friend, but they cater for all. See the full range of classes online . Dublin Cookery School Dublin Cookery School holds over 100 cookery classes a year in their Blackrock cookery school, from pasta making to handmade tacos, cooking for friends to classes just for the guys. There are evening and weekend classes, and you can buy gift vouchers on their website . See the upcoming calendar here . Pinocchio Italian Cookery School Pinocchio restaurant in Temple Bar do a sideline in Italian cookery classes several times a month. As you'd imagine, handmade pasta and pizza feature a lot, but there are 2022 classes focused on recipes from Rome, a full Tuscan dinner, and even a couple's Valentine's Day class where you'll prepare a three-course meal with your other half while sipping Italian wine. If you don't want to pick the class you can buy vouchers for one, two or three classes, and you can see what's coming up here . Howth Castle Cookery School Based in the original 18th Century Georgian kitchen in Howth Castle, this cookery school does cooking classes for no more than 10 people with topics from simple fish suppers, to nutritious family food, to DIY sushi. The setting is beautiful, and there are classes for every experience level. Gift vouchers are available on their website , and you can see what's coming up here . Teach Scoile, The Happy Tummy Co. The founder of Happy Tummy Co. Karen O’Donoghue caught our attention with an impassioned post about the true value (and cost) of the food we eat and the investments we should be making to nourish our bodies with the best we can afford. Her bakes (including her ‘magic poo bread’ for €25 a loaf - we’ll leave that with you to investigate more) are available to sample in her cafe and workshop in Westport and to buy online, but we're mostly intrigued by her ‘Bread as Medicine’ course. This would be a great gift for anyone tuned into what they put into their body and the ways in which we can use food to improve our health. A full day class costs €180 per person and includes drinks, lunch and some low intervention wine at the end of the day. It's in Mayo so if Dublin based they'll probably want to work in an overnight stay but all the more fun. Check it out here . Ballymaloe Cookery School Online Attending a week-long course in Ballymaloe Cookery School is a dream of many foodies, including ourselves, but unfortunately for us our budget doesn’t quite stretch that far. Until it does, we can make do with their online cookery school to get live demos from some well known faces including Darina Allen, Rory O’Connell and Rachel Allen. You can choose a one-off online class for €60 or splash out on a yearly membership for €500. Take a look at their offering here . Interested in giving experiences and subscriptions this year? See part two of our Christmas gift guide here .

Natural wine has gained a surge in popularity in Ireland lately, and we are here for it. The philosophy behind natural wine is simple: nothing additional should be added - except naturally occurring sulphites - and nothing should be removed, which is why you often end up with grainy sediment at the base of your last glass. Whether you see yourself as a connoisseur of biodynamics or have simply dabbled with an Austrian orange, then, oh boy, do we have the places for you. Note, Dublin 2 Note has barely reached its toddler phase, and bookings are already being snapped up at the speed of light. This gorgeous new space comes complete with a buzzing atmosphere and wines by the glass, the bottle, and our personal favourite: the magnum. Order the Ageno by La Stoppa and all the snacks and thank us later. The full restaurant menu is due to start in December. Table Wine, Dublin 8 Kevin Powell and Brian O’Keefe signaled the departure of famed brunch spot Meet Me In The Morning, much to public outcry, but have mitigated it somewhat with the arrival of brand new wine bar Table Wine . Open from Wednesday through ‘til Saturday, their new setup will combine a mix of local produce with some of the best natural wines on the market. They're not currently taking bookings but we're hoping that changes soon. Fish Shop, Dublin 7 We have been singing the good word of Fish Shop from day one, but natural wine lovers need to get in on their Monday Wine Club, where they pick a selection of bottles to serve by the glass at half their usual price. Their latest rendition consisted of a Jura takeover, and we heard through the grapevine that attendees enjoyed a taste of some EXTRA special and much sought after wines, limited to 50ml per person as quantities were so limited. Keep an eye on their Instagram feed for what's coming up each week. Margadh, Howth and Dublin 2 Margadh has branched out from its roots in Howth to overseeing the restaurant space at the RHA gallery, so city folk can finally get a taste of the goods. Their Croque Monsieur is a thing of beauty oozing with bechamel, ham and mustard, and the Arndorfer Grüner Veltliner is the perfect bottle for sharing. If you're feeling spendy pick up a bottle of Laherte Frères grower Champagne. It's worth the price tag. Hen's Teeth, Dublin 8 Killian Walsh and the Hen’s Teeth crew have been churning out some of the most aesthetic and appetising dishes that we’ve clocked our eyes on recently. Equally as eye-popping is their extensive selection of natural wines with some of the big hitters in the industry, including Frantz Saumon and DB Schmitt. Order a glass from the menu, or head to the shelves and check out the bottles for yourself. The Fumbally, Dublin 8 The Fumbally has transitioned from being the best coffee and brunch spot in Dublin 8 to becoming a neighbourhood grocery kitted out with McNally’s veg, Sheridans’ cheese and lots of tasty condiments and treats. We've missed their dinners, but they should be making a comeback in early 2022. In the meantime you can drink wine by the glass until 17:00. Loose Canon, Dublin 2 Wine shop/bar Loose Canon on Drury Street is a one-stop shop for all of your natural wine needs, with juice by the likes of Claus Preisinger, Gabrio Bini, Milan Nestarec and loads more. We highly recommend picking up the Triple Rose by Ballylisk while you’re there, and you can't leave without a toastie. Frank's, Dublin 2 Frank’s originally started as an intimate neighbourhood restaurant serving small plates but has since evolved into a bottle shop and natural wine bar selling everything from Aroa’s Le Naturel (a good entry point into natural wine) to Meinklang’s delicious Prosa. The team certainly know their stuff, so don’t be afraid to ask for a recommendation, and if you’re based beyond The Pale, Frank’s also deliver nationwide. Piglet, Dublin 2 Hidden away on Cow’s Lane in Temple Bar, Piglet has garnered a reputation as the place the hospitality industry (and the rest) go to drink good wine. Tables are only available outdoors (due to the pandemic), but it is worth layering up and grabbing a table under the heaters to experience the list. Try a glass of the Garganega Riva Arsiglia by Menti Giovanni, and before you know it, you might end up ordering the whole bottle. 64 Wine, Glasthule Based at 64 Glasthule Road, 64 Wine is an award-winning wine bar and deli specialising in artisan wines from a wide variety of small winemakers, and all of the natural big hitters are here (and have been for years). Currently they have four tables outside on the terrace (Monday - Saturday) and have limited tables indoors from 17:00 on Friday and Saturday nights, when you can drink anything off the shelves for €15 corkage. From Monday - Thursday it's a more casual affair with sandwiches and pastries, and no - that's right, no - corkage charge if you want to drink a bottle outside. Reservations for indoor seating are essential and can be booked here . The Wine Pair, Dublin 8 Despite launching only three months before the pandemic erupted in Ireland, Canice and Mags McKee survived the storm and continued serving and selling wines to locals in Dublin 8. Though The Wine Pair 's wine list is extensive, the menu is minimal, but perfect for accompanying a bottle between friends. You can drink any wine off the shelf for €10 but get there on a Sunday to avail of free corkage. Amy Austin, Dublin 2 A relative newcomer on the block, Amy Austin had a stop-start opening last December before having to close their doors once again due to the restrictions put in place by the Irish Government. We firmly believe it was worth the wait. Led by the team behind Dillinger’s, 777 and The Butcher’s Grill, Amy Austin pairs contemporary cuisine with an eclectic mix of wines on tap and by the bottle. Fallon & Byrne, Dublin 2 The Exchequer Street Cellar beneath Fallon & Byrne has served as a fantastic resource for wine lovers since its inception in 2006. Today, over 300 wines grace their shelves from all corners of the globe. Dublin might be quiet from Sunday - Tuesday, but the cellar transforms into a hive of activity when thrifty drinkers flock there to take advantage of their €1 corkage. More Options For Takeaway If you’re looking for takeout rather than drink in, you can also check out Pete’s Provisions in Raheny, Lennox Street Grocer in Portobello, Neighbourhood Wine on Leeson Street and in Dun Laoghaire, Brindle Coffee & Wine (will be doing drink in soon), and our longtime favourite Green Man Wines , who will reopen their brilliant instore wine bar in early 2022. Chin chin.

Things have started very early this year, with the first sightings of turkey, stuffing and ham sandwiches appearing at the start of November. In previous times this would have been considered heresy, unthinkable, we're barely past Halloween for God's sake - but these days we'll take our joy where we can find it, and these five sandwiches look like a whole lot of joy... 1) The Santa Baby From Goat's Gruff Drive through coffee shop Goat's Gruff were first off the mark this year with the return of their "Santa Baby" in the second week of November. We can think of no better reason to get in a car this week than their sourdough ciabatta with baked ham, turkey, stuffing, brie and cranberry sauce. Grab a coffee, head for the Phoenix Park and have yourself a lovely winter picnic. Plus plenty of miles to walk this monster off afterwards. 2) Greenville Deli's Christmas Special Good news for anyone eyeing up Greenville Deli 's Christmas special of carved roast turkey, maple glazed ham, homemade herby stuffing, cranberry sauce and mustard mayo on sourdough. You can not only get it in their Inchicore café, but also in the cafés they supply sandwiches to, like Bua in Drumcondra, Surge in Clontarf and Grounded in Clonskeagh. 3) The Honey Truffle Festive Sandwich At the risk of sounding like a Docklands builder with a dirty mouth, look at the cranberries on that - there's no fear of a dry turkey mouth with this one. Honey Truffle 's festive sandwich features home baked Irish ham, roast turkey, sage and thyme caramelised onion sourdough stuffing, ruby cranberry and port sauce, and mayo on Firehouse Bakery's sourdough. We're coming for you. 4) The Turkey, Stuffing & Cranberry From Provider Provider in Harold's Cross are going simple but effective with their turkey, stuffing and cranberry sambo - one for when you won't have the opportunity to retire to bed for a few hours after lunch. 5) The Christmas Sandwich From Hush The Hush Christmas sandwich is back in Rathmines, with turkey, glazed ham, herby stuffing, homemade gravy and cranberry sauce on toasted sourdough. If you don't want it toasted we're sure they'll oblige, but either way you may want to wear loose fitting pants for this one.

As winter gets closer and the nights get darker earlier, the colours around town are just getting more vivid! Here are the five bright and beautiful things we want to eat in Dublin this week... 1) Mackerel Tartare With Sour Cream And Waffles At Bastible Cold weather gives us strong Nordic vibes, and clearly Bastible are feeling it too by the looks of this sharing dish from their current menu. Mackerel tartare comes with preserved gooseberry & red meat radishes, smoked sour cream, Goatsbridge trout roe and glazed buttermilk waffles. Not sure we've ever wanted anything more. 2) Stuffed Calamari With Romanesco At Grano Trust Grano in Stoneybatter to bring the sunshine whatever the weather. This current dish of stuffed calamari comes with romanesco, red pepper mayonnaise, spicy sardella emulsion, and baked olive breadcrumbs, and they recommend a glass of their Calabrian Greco Bianco to go with it. We're willing to take one for the team. 3) Cauliflower Overload At Shouk What Shouk does with vegetables is nothing short of a modern miracle, and the latest addition to the menu is this dish of cauliflower (three different types) on a labaneh, tahini and amba (like a mango pickle) sauce. We're quietly confident that it's going to taste as incredible as everything else on the menu. 4) Scallop Ceviche At Dax Who says ceviche's just for summer? These words would literally never leave our mouths, so we're very happy to see that Dax have added this starter of Celtic sea scallop ceviche with dashi, créme fraiche and dillisk. 5) Too Savage Special From Coke Lane Pizza We're all trying to eat less meat, and while we'd generally rather eat vegetables than fake meat, we're really liking the look of Coke Lane 's new collab with Too Savage mayos. The marinara comes topped with plant-based pepperoni, pickled red jalapeños and cashew ricotta, and it's served with Too Savage's smoked garlic mayo. Meat or no meat, that sounds like a hell of a lot of flavour.

Did somebody say…. ‘Christmas’?! We know, we know, we’re barely past Halloween, but there’s no denying it – the lights are up, the nights are setting in, and if you don’t have your Christmas dinners booked, give these places a ring… (introducing the ATF jingle). We LOVE Christmas, but it can be a tricky time to eat out, especially as most restaurants introduce a set menu for the month. We get it. Most of the bookings are big groups, some who don't eat out very often and might be happy with a starter and a G+T, and it makes it easier for the kitchen during a non-stop month, but it can be inhibiting (and annoying) to be forced into spending more than you wanted, and commit to multiple courses every time you eat out. So, we've rounded up a few of our favourite places where it's business as normal right up until Christmas Eve. Grano, Stoneybatter One of the best places in Dublin for fresh pasta, Grano is forgoing the set menu and offering its à la carte menu throughout the month. The premises is small and busy so get in touch with them as soon as possible to get a Christmas booking. They’re also closing from December 22nd to give their team a well needed break so bear that in mind too. Read more in our once over here . Bistro One, Foxrock This longstanding establishment in Foxrock village has been a local’s favourite for years, but more recently with the arrival of the owner’s son Rory Shannon in the kitchen, Bistro One has gotten the attention of the wider city. This is a bistro menu with a twist - traditional steak and guinness pie alongside lasagne fritti (which we regularly salivate over when it pops up on Instagram). Apart from their Sunday lunch menu which is always set, they’ll be running their à la carte menu throughout the season. Read our once over here . Volpe Nera, Blackrock Volpe Nera is another suburban spot who describe themselves as casual and cosy, but their food is way more refined than the average - wherever you live it's worth a trip to Blackrock. Owner/head chef Barry Sun is an Etto veteran and he has managed to emulate the same relaxed vibe with excellent food, and *those* hash potatoes. Read our Volpe Nera once over here . Token In our opinion Token might be the perfect place for a Christmas night out with your work crew – catch up over a burger or tenders (both with vegan versions available) and then battle out any office tensions in the arcade – win win! Rosa Madre Rosa Madre were busy over the lockdown introducing their packaged fresh pastas which you’ve probably seen in specialty food shops across the county, but they’re back open and offering their normal à la carte menu for the silly season. This Italian menu puts seafood prominently on their menu, has an extensive wine list and there’s always a fun atmosphere in their dining room. Soup One and Soup Two Our favourite ramen place, Soup is making things simple for us this Christmas and keeping their menus in Dun Laoghaire and Smithfield as standard for the season. The perfect place for a fun dinner with friends, and a break from the traditional meat and two veg that we’ll all be sick of by mid-December. Their excellent playlists set the scene for the night and make sure you don’t miss out on their small but perfectly formed cocktail list. Read our once over here . Michael's & Little Mike's December bookings for sister restaurants Michael's and Little Mike's in Mount Merrion opened last week, so we advise you to move quickly to secure a table. They've got some of the freshest seafood in town and their signature seafood platters are the stuff of dreams. A few of these for the table alongside some delicious wine and you have yourselves the perfect Christmas night out. M & L Chinese Sichuan restaurant M&L off O’Connell Street has become a bit of an institution over the years with many claiming it as the best Chinese food in the city. Their menu is extensive, so we recommend you stick to the Chef’s recommendation, or be adventurous and order a traditional Hot Pot, and for God's sake don’t forget an order of stir-fried French green beans for the table. As an added plus, their corkage is only €5 so you can bring festive wines and drink them at comparatively discount prices. Read our M&L once over here . Rita's Pizza is always a good idea and Rita's is sure to be a hit with even the pickiest eaters in your group. Delicious, affordable and right in the centre of Ranelagh – this is the spot to kick off a big night out. Big Fan Bao From our recent sold-out takeovers of this place, it’s clear that there's a lot of love for Big Fan Bao from both the meat-eaters and the veggies among us. You may have come across their at-home kits during the lockdown but now’s the time to get in there and work your way through the menu. They serve mostly small plates at decent value so a great opportunity to try a bit of everything if you’re with a group. Read our once over here . Featherblade So technically Featherblade are doing a set menu for diners from 4pm, but their lunch slot is à la carte so this is the perfect place if you’re angling for a daytime session. With such a central location, this is a great place to meet some friends for a special steak lunch (with all the sides) before finishing your Christmas shopping or checking out the windows all dolled up. Or just heading for a mini pub crawl. Hakkahan, Stoneybatter One of most recent once overs takes the final spot and we’re glad to see Hakkahan in Stoneybatter haven’t succumbed to set menu madness. They'll be sticking with their à la carte menu, including dumplings, chilli and salt squid, and Thai basil Silverhill duck. Please try the black pepper short rib of beef for us - it wasn't on when we visited and clearly we're still not over it. Read our once over here . And finally, if you’re a smaller group, try one of these places who only have set menus in place for larger parties: Shouk (set for 10 or more), Asador (set for 10 or more), l'Gueuleton (set for 8 or more), Spitalfields (set for 8 or more), Drury Buildings (set for 8 or more), Hang Dai (set for 7 or more).

Bars, restaurants and dating in person are back with a bang, and gone are the days of aimless ambles around the streets of Dublin in a bid to get to know a prospective partner. You both swiped right and managed to secretly verify one another through social media - now comes the time to assess your compatibility, and what better way to size someone up than through what they put in their stomach. Judgey? Us? Note Wine Bar, Dublin 2 Put your date’s natural wine knowledge to the test with a visit to new kid on the block Note . The shelves are stacked with bottles by some of the best producers, from Austrian Gut Oggau to renowned French winemaker Patrick Bouju. The full Bureau menu is yet to launch, but chef Essa Fakhry (formerly of 777 and Amy Austin) has designed a short spread of snacks made to be shared - quickly if you're not clicking. Read more about Note here . The Big Romance, Dublin 1 Meeting someone in real life for the first time can be daunting. However, The Big Romance have designed a dark and dim but inviting space to put those fears at bay. It boasts a spectacular selection of records from David Kitt (the inspiration behind the name) and Aphex Twin, combined with an extensive menu of Irish and international beers from Whiplash to Lervig. If you feel peckish, you can order a bowl of the Nocellara olives or share a gloriously cheesy Quattro pizza made and delivered by One Society . 1661 Bar, Dublin 1 Cocktails were so hot during the pandemic that the bartenders behind the Irish Craft Cocktails brand have now opened a cocktail factory in Dublin 7, Cuckoo Lane, to compliment their original Bar 1661 . The bartenders undoubtedly put on a show as they shake, stir, and serve, which acts as the perfect antidote to any awkward silences that might emerge. We recommend a cheese plate washed down by their house cocktail aptly named Green Street. The Virgin Mary Bar, Dublin 1 Of course, first dates aren’t all about booze; The Virgin Mary Bar has curated a menu using the finest alcohol-free spirits mixed with ingredients like fungi, adaptogens (herbal pharmaceuticals) and botanicals. The concept has become so successful that proprietor Anna Walsh and the TMV team are now preparing for their international debut in Abu Dhabi. Pair your mocktail with a Malaysian dish from neighbouring restaurant Kopitiam . A Stór Café, based in Soup, Smithfield, Dublin 7 We don’t expect you to break out terms of endearment on the very first date, but the Irish word for my treasure or my love might become a term to remember if sparks fly over coffee and cake at A Stór. Founders, Andrew and Jack, retain this Irishness by supporting and serving local roasters, including Bailies, Farmhand and Upside, and if the date goes well, you can stick around for dinner and a drink in Soup . But maybe don’t order the ramen, it might get messy. Margadh At The RHA, Dublin 2 The exit through the gift shop strategy usually means that museums and galleries end up with a bog standard café that masquerades itself as cultured through its association with visual art, but the RHA and, more recently, the Hugh Lane, are changing that. Break the ice by being immersed in contemporary art and pop into Margadh for a cheese selection and two glasses of the Prazo de Roriz red afterwards. Fish Shop, Dublin 7 Is there anything better than a salty aphrodesiac on your first date? Aside from the Kelly gigas oysters, Fish Shop serve up a feast of seafood with one of the best wine menus on the northside. Straight up fish and chips is always a winner but we dare you to take it a step further and order the whole baked fish which comes with chips and tartare to share. If the date’s successful, plan a visit to their sister restaurant in Tramore for your first anniversary. Vice, Wigwam, Dublin 1 Baby, it’s cold outside, and if those first-date fireworks aren’t quite doing the trick, head to Vice in Wigwam for a toasty Irish coffee. Tom and the Vice team have created modernised versions of this old classic with the Plain Jane, the Luxurious Linda, and the award-winning Fancy Frankie made with a drop of Teeling Small Batch and lashings of espresso. Loose Canon, Dublin 2 Yes, we just mentioned it’s cold outside, but the people-watching from Loose Canon just cannot be beaten. Get there before their acclaimed toasties sell out and indulge in some gloriously cheesy goodness with wines by the glass (or the bottle). Disclaimer: it is very likely that you will get spotted by a pal but it’s worth it. Vietnom, Dublin 7 Sometimes a first date is best spent with a pint of plain and some casual conversation. Thankfully, The Glimmer Man in Stoneybatter pour a perfect pint to enjoy in one of their cosy snugs. To keep ravenous bellies at bay, Milly and Alex from Vietnom churn out the tastiest Vietnamese small plates onsite, but be sure to order one of everything so that you don’t get food envy. Small plates are also a great way to find out if your date shares food - a deal breaker obviously. Where do you bring fellow foodies on a first date? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

We might not be American, but that doesn't mean we can't piggyback on their holidays. After all, they've taken "St Patty's Day" and made it their own haven't they (sigh). Here's where you can get involved with turkey day in Dublin... 1) The Merrion Hotel's Thanksgiving Menu For the plushest, no work needed option, head to The Merrion for their Thanksgiving menu, which is available from Monday 22nd to Sunday 28th November. Start with New England clam chowder (€15), follow it up with turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes, pumpkin crush with marshmallows, chestnut purée, brussel sprouts and cranberry sauce (€28.50), and finish with glazed pecan pie with Bourbon vanilla ice-cream (€15), all in five-star surroundings. To book email dining@merrionhotel.com or call them on 01 6030608. 2) Fallon & Byrne's Take Home Thanksgiving Dinner If you want to celebrate at home, Fallon & Byrne have a full meal for two available to take home in oven-ready trays with cooking instructions from their chefs. It's €35 and includes turkey breast, cranberry sauce, mashed potato, steamed green vegetables, maple roasted sweet potatoes, sage and onion stuffing, turkey gravy, and two individual pumpkin pies for dessert. It's available from Wednesday 24th to Saturday 27th, and can be ordered here . 3) La Cocina Cuevas' Thanksgiving Tacos La Cocina Cuevas , the taco shack in the Naul, North County Dublin, wouldn't let something like Thanksgiving go by without throwing a few specials on the menu. Head north on the 25th and you'll be rewarded with turkey in mole rojo tacos, and three sisters tacos with spiced butternut squash and creamy pinto beans. 4) The Butcher Grill The Butcher Grill in Ranelagh is another place to head for if you want Thanksgiving dinner at home without any of the preparation. They'll give you dinner for two (€75) or four (€150), with instructions on how to heat and serve, including turkey crown, stuffing, mash potatoes, gravy, green beans with shallot butter, cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie for dessert. It's pre-order only for collection on Wednesday 24th, and you can add on cocktails too - why wouldn't you. Order here . 5) Beer Tasting and American Food at 57 The Headline Dublin City Brewing 's November tasting club just happens to fall on Thanksgiving, so it would be rude not to run with it. They've decided to collaborate with Michter's American Whiskey for a beer and whiskey tasting, with food from 57 The Headline. Tickets are €60 for two people and includes all tastings, as well a Thanksgiving themed food platter for two featuring Michter's sour mash glazed ribs, chicken wings, twice cooked fries, corn on the cob, Frank's & blue cheese dip and Michter's bourbon truffles to finish. It starts at 19:00 and you can get tickets here .

Dublin has a new wine bar as of 17:00 this evening, and we're staking a claim that this is the most exciting new opening for Dublin since before the virus we shall not name. The guys behind Note on Fenian Street (a four-minute walk from Pearse Street Station, in the building that previously housed Probus Wines) describe it as a 'Bar, Bistro and Bureau', and the space is unlike anywhere else in the city. Major London/Copenhagen/Parisian wine bar vibes. It's owned by brothers Essa (previously head chef at 777 and Amy Austin ) and Ahmad Fakhry (Creative Designer at AB Projects who are behind spaces like Hen's Teeth and Bastible , and now Note), as well as Andy Collins, who owns upscale lifestyle store and café Indigo and Cloth in Temple Bar. It's managed by Katie Seward (formerly at Neighbourhood Wine , Forest & Marcy and Brawn in London), and from what we've seen of the wine list so far we're planning on being in here a lot. The team say they want Note to be a fun place to share a bottle with friends, a mix of old favourites and new producers, but most importantly they're going to serve what they love to drink. They'll have 10 wines by the glass that rotate weekly, and nothing's off limits - the more dynamic and interesting the better. Expect a big focus on natural, as well as some big hitters for those with cash to splash. Note will start with the wine bar opening this evening, the bureau will follow soon - they'll be open during the day for specialty coffee, pastries and some high end retail - and the bistro should be open by the start of December. Until then they'll have bar snacks like olives, charcuterie and cheese. They describe the forthcoming bistro as a "place to eat delicious, seasonal dishes that take influence from Parisian bistros, Copenhagen wine bars and a collective ambition to offer the best produce in a fresh and unexpected way." A reservations system will be live shortly via their website , but they're going to keep daily space for walk ins, so consider that minute panic of "where should we go for a glass of wine with no booking" answered. Follow Note on Instagram here . Note 26 Fenian Street, Dublin 2 www.notedublin.com

Listen, we're still on the pumpkin buzz, it's absolutely everywhere, and honestly we're not even remotely sick of it. It's all going to change to turkey sandwiches and deep-fried brussels sprouts in a few weeks, so we're going to continue to gaze at gourds while we still can... 1) Squash, Goat's Cheese, Grapes & Sage At The Pig's Ear Things were quiet at The Pig's Ear for a long time, but Stephen McAllister and team are back with a new menu, and we very much want to eat this plate of grilled squash, St Tola goat's cheese, muscat grapes, seeds and sage. 2) Pumpkin And Barley Risotto From Shouk Shouk does no wrong - we've never had even a mildly disappointing dish there - and this pearl barley risotto with roast crown Prince pumpkin, toasted barley sage and harissa is the latest delicious sounding and looking addition to the canon. 3) Pumpkin Spice Cannoli From Toonsbridge J ust when we thought pumpkin spice was limited to pies, cookies and lattés, Toonsbridge bring out the big guns with these pumpkin spice cannoli. How could these not be on your pre-Halloween eating list? 4) Pumpkin Juk From Jaru We love a cheeky little Jaru order. Now that all the restaurant meal kits have dried up, they're a great go-to when you want restaurant quality food that's ready to reheat or cook at home, and they deliver Dublin-wide Wednesday and Friday. This pumpkin juk with steamed Hokkaido pumpkin, butternut squash and glutinous brown rice, topped with potato gnocchi, kidney beans & pine-nuts is the latest addition to their online ' Mart ', and it's natural, vegan and a steal at €5.20 5) Lamb Shank Braised In Barolo From Gigi's Gigi's in Ranelagh are bringing an autumn/winter mash up to the table this week, with this braised lamb shank in a spiced barolo red wine sauce, served on butternut squash purée and brussel sprouts (offensively early but we'll allow it) with gremolata on top.

Pumpkins have long been part of Halloween celebrations in Ireland, but in more of a decorative sense. Unlike our American friends it’s taken us a while to embrace their full culinary potential, but that seems to have shifted in recent years, with the humble pumpkin now appearing on our plates as much as our doorsteps. For those who appreciate it inside and out, here are some of the best pumpkin products on shelves right now to keep a triangular eye out for. Prunotto Pumpkin Pesto Find it: Sheridan’s Cheesemongers, Fallon & Byrne, Fresh Avenue Ballinteer We love the rich flavour and warm, autumnal colour of this organic pumpkin pesto made on the Prunotto farm in the Piemontese Hills of Northern Italy. A liberal dollop is delicious on pasta with lots of black pepper and parmesan, and it adds a pleasantly mild sweetness to a cheese toastie. Assassination Custard's Spiced Pumpkin Piccalilli Find it: The Wine Pair, Evergreen, Daddy’s Rialto, The Fumbally, The Pepper Pot Powerscourt Shopping Centre, Hen’s Teeth, Camerino Merrion Square, Provider Harold’s Cross Is it even Halloween without it? Not for us anyway. A seasonal spin on Assassination Custard 's famous Piccalilli (which is available year round), we eagerly await news of this come October every year and are pleased to confirm that it’s back, but much a child's trick or treat haul it doesn’t last long, so grab a jar while you can. Risotto Alla Zucca Find it: Lennox Street Grocer It doesn't get much better than a thick, creamy risotto paired with a glass of Italian wine on a chilly evening - or does it? Lennox Street Grocer are stocking this autumnal version of one of our favourite comfort dishes and we're looking forward to adding it to our pantry. Add some diced, roast pumpkin, crispy sage leaves and grated parmesan on top for maximum chef points. Rossi Ravioli with Pumpkin Find it: SC Grocer, Italicatessen We love a bowl of ravioli, especially with unusual fillings, and this pumpkin-stuffed version is a wonderful combo of sweet and savoury. While you’re at SC Grocer , check to see if their pumpkin spiced croissants or spiced pumpkin soup are on the specials board. Patamore Fresh Pumpkin Gnocchi Find it: LaHoya Green, Fallon & Byrne If it’s more pumpkin pasta you’re after, these gnocchi should fit the bill - best served pan-fried crispy and golden, tossed in olive oil and parmesan cheese, with a nice salad. Cauliflower and spinach versions are available too. Sweet Pumpkin Porridge, Asia Market Find it: Asia Market Pumpkin for breakfast? More adventurous pumpkin heads might enjoy this sweet and soup-like pumpkin porridge . Asia Market also stock plain or green-tea flavoured pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on top for extra flavour. La Tourangelle, Toasted Pumpkin Seed Oil Find it: Fallon & Byrne We recently discovered this slow-roasted, artisan pumpkin oil in Fallon & Byrne . Made in the Styrian region of Austria it adds a rich, nutty flavour to everything from salads and pastas to cheese boards and baked goods. We recommend a drizzle on a piping hot bowl of sweet potato soup. Fallon & Byrne is a bit of a one-stop shop for pumpkin in October. They’re selling fresh pumpkin pies in their bakery for the month, and this is the place to stock up on tins of American-style pumpkin puree, if you can bear to disturb their elaborate displays. Meridien Organic Pumpkin Seed Butter Find it: The Hopsack, Rathmines A superb source of organic, fair-trade and ethnic food, The Hopsack also stock a wide range of organic fruit and veg, and that of course includes a variety of Irish-grown pumpkins and colourful squashes. This pumpkin seed butter is pretty special stuff. Use it as a spread on some of their pumpkin seed bread, or mixed into a dressing or glaze. They also stock this Irish-made organic pumpkin seed oil produced in Tipperary. Pumpkin Ale From The White Hag Find it: The White Hag online store Naturally, you’ll be looking for something to wash all of this down with, so why not opt for a limited edition pumpkin ale. The White Hag describe their Samhain Pumpkin Ale as having hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, and it flies off the shelves each year - we all love a gimmick.

Toto, we're not in salad territory anymore. We're in duck confit onions rings, cheese sticks and truffle polenta territory. We always forget how much we like Autumn until dishes like these roll around again. Here's what we really want to eat in Dublin this week... 1) Confit Duck Stuffed Onion Rings From Soup We shared these on Instagram during the week but they need to be immortalised in print. Soup in Dun Laoghaire are stuffing onion rings with confit duck, and serving them with manchego cheese velouté and black truffled honey. It's not often we're speechless when it comes to food but we're just going to let this one breathe... 2) Roman Pizza From Pala Rory Shannon from Foxrock's Bistro One opens his new outdoor, Roman-style pizzeria Pala this Saturday, and the opening menu features a margherita, a classic hot pepperoni, and this classic bianca topped with stracciatell and mortadella. Everything is sold by the slice and we're expecting it to be as good as the rest of Shannon's food. 3) Halloumi Cheese Sticks From Umi W e often think of Umi Falafel as somewhere you happily eat vegan without even realising it, so our eyes widened when we saw these breaded halloumi cheese sticks with a mango sauce. What's a bit of oozy, melting cheese between plant-loving friends. 4) Kale, Onion & Potato Fritters From Street By Sunil When walking around in Autumn, you should always have some warm food in your hands. That's where the kale, onion and potato fritters from Street By Sunil's street food menu come in. Dusted with spice mix and gram flour before being deep-fried, you can use them to warm your hands, or your insides. 5) Andarl Farm Pork With Truffle Polenta At Oliveto Oliveto in Dun Laoghaire have just released their new Autumn menu and the star of the show is this slab of Andarl Farm pork with truffle polenta, roasted celeriac and a pine cone syrup glaze. It's hearty, it's sexy, it's piney. It's Autumn.

We've been lamenting for years about the lack of dedicated taco joints in Dublin, but now after so long of such little choice, there now seem to be options coming out of our ears (although there's still not enough corn ears going into freshly made tortillas for our liking). Of course any new venture can be hit or miss, so we've done the hard work for you (it’s a tough job) and rounded up some of our favourites to try on your next taco trail. In no particular order, let’s taco ’bout tacos… Los Chicanos Los Chicanos has been a labour of love for owner Scott Holder. He actually sourced this truck around four years ago in LA, but due to some unlucky shipping issues and a painstaking renovation process it only opened up this summer at Elliot’s Cash and Carry, off Camden Street. Despite the delays, they've been a roaring success so far with a dedicated following and even an invitation to cater at the Mexican embassy – can’t get a better endorsement than that. We loved the lamb barbacoa with tomatillo mint salsa, and the salsa macha cauliflower with jalapeño crema and white cabbage. El Milagro We posted about El Milagro making their mark in Malahide Marina a while ago and since then they've expanded to UCD's Thursday market and Herbert Park's Sunday market, giving you even more opportunity to try these sensational tacos. The owner Julian is originally from Mexico and it shows in the quality of the ingredients he uses and the flavours that pack a punch. The tortillas are handmade from Mexican-run Balam , and you can taste the difference. 777 The OG modern Mexican restaurant in Dublin, 777 is a bit more spenny than other places but the quality of their food is second to none and their margaritas are some of the best, and most potent, in town. You are always guaranteed a good time here - this is the place to go to kickstart a big night out. Órale One of our favourites, Órale operates out of Eatyard and have just launched their new autumnal menu, including a gorgeous McNally pumpkin taco which we can’t wait to try. We are also waiting with bated breath for their (hopeful) return to Dun Laoghaire when their pesky staffing issues are sorted. El Grito El Grito was one of our first experiences in Dublin of real Mexican food at reasonable prices. Their tiny shop in Temple Bar was always welcoming and we wondered would their move to a larger premises on Mountjoy Square cause them to lose some of the charm? Luckily on a recent visit, we found that they’ve managed to maintain the charm, their dedicated customer base, and their inexpensive price point. La Cocina Cuevas We are probably not the only people to have become mildly obsessed with crunch wraps when we first spotted them on our feeds, and we definitely attempted our own version with varying levels of success, but if you want the real deal, you’ll have to head to the Naul. You may have come across La Cocina Cuevas at their Ted’s Gaff pop-up in Rathgar over the summer which we would love to be a permanent fixture at some point, but for now we’ll happily make the trip. El Silencio What is it about secret doors that get us so giddy, and will we ever grow out of it? We hope not because by the time you enter this little venue hidden inside Pablo Picante on Clarendon Street you're already primed for a great night out, and the tacos and margarita menu only add to it. El Silencio is also one of the best places in the city to drink Mezcal, if that's your thing (it's ours). Masa When they opened in 2018 Masa was a welcome addition to the Dublin food scene as a casual, inexpensive place to meet friends, and over the years (and a pandemic) it's held on to its popularity. It’s generally busy but because of the fast service turnover is quick so it’s rarely an issue rocking up without a booking – something invaluable in our eyes in a city where seemingly everywhere decent needs to be booked weeks in advance. Fuppin Delish Fuppin Delish landed in Dinetown in May of this year much to our delight. It’s run by a husband-and-wife team who have worked in food for years doing everything from supper clubs to catering, and now they've joined the food truck brigade. They're clearly passionate about their food, even grinding their own masa for their tacos, and experimenting with different specials along with their usual menu - Mexican Tayto mashup anyone?! They've sadly just left Dinetown which is currently closed for works, but are eagerly searching for a new place to park their truck or a permanent site. Paco's Tacos, Greystones Okay, okay, technically not Dublin but we can’t let something frivolous like county borders get in the way of important taco news. Paco's Tacos is a new venture from the guys at The Fat Fox - they've turned the yard of their Greystones shop into a buzzy outdoor eating area with tacos served from a very cool renovated milk truck. The design is geared for Instagram shares so you could expect that the food may be lacking, but luckily the small menu and natural wines do not disappoint. Did we miss your favourite place for tacos? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

There’s never been a better selection of independent and specialist food stores in Dublin, with somewhere to satisfy almost any culinary craving, curiosity or cookbook you may own. In part two of our favourite grocers series, here's our pick of the new and old on the Southside of the city that we love a good potter around (i.e. spending far more money than planned). Lennox Street Grocer This sibling-run, super friendly Lennox Street Grocer on leafy Lennox Street has become an institution in Portobello. Their products - everything from oils and vinegars to antipasti and wine - is thoughtfully chosen, with plenty of support for local makers. Sandwiches from Greenville Deli are available during the week, along with an ever-changing selection of seasonal quiche and tart specials that always make us swoon when we see them on Instagram . Pastries are delivered daily from Bread 41 (the Morning Buns sell out on the regular so act fast) and are best enjoyed on the bench outside with a cup of Moyee Coffee. Hero Product: Revolution Ragu . The Upcycle Farm uses nutrient-rich leftover coffee grinds from Lennox Street Grocer to grow the oyster mushrooms that they transform into this tasty vegan sauce . Brindle Coffee & Wine, Portobello This quirky little store is a joy to browse, and only a few doors up from Lennox Street Grocer. As well as boasting an excellent wine selection, Brindle stock all sorts of fun merch to load up on (we love the ‘I heart Portobello’ tote bags). There’s dips, pestos, pâtés and pastes aplenty here, many of which are made in-house - be sure to leave with some of their olive tapenade and red onion marmalade. The deck chairs outside are a coveted spot to catch up with friends over a cup of Roasted Brown coffee, and our absolute favourite discovery is their Mixtape Series - a box of wines delivered to your home along with a cheesy Spotify playlist to pair them with. Hero Product: Brindle Chai Syrup - add some to your baking, tea or a cocktail. Evergreen, Wexford Street A pocket of calm on busy Wexford Street, a colourful array of locally-grown fresh fruit and veg welcome you into Evergreen , from donut peaches to organic mushrooms of all shapes and sizes. There are shelves upon shelves of spices and herbs to look through with everything from vegan feta cheese to gourmet preserves in this small but homely space. Coffee comes courtesy of McCabes and there are sweet treats like custard tarts at the counter. Hero Product: Nirvana Hazelnut Butter - seriously smooth with a hint of vanilla, this nut butter is gorgeous on a piece of sourdough toast. We also love the trippy branding by illustrator Ross Carvill. A Taste Of Spain, Camden Street A Taste Of Spain , which also has a branch on Capel Street, is the go-to for all the delicious things that make Spain a food destination - wine, Iberian chorizo, olives, Manchego cheese, paella mix - but it also caters to Spanish people living in Ireland, stocking the snacks, biscuits, breakfast cereals and even some beauty products that they may be missing from home. The wine selection is first rate, and they also put together beautiful, bespoke foodie hampers that make thoughtful gifts. Their ‘New Mum’ hamper in particular is a lovely idea. Hero Product: Their Bravas Sauce. You can also pick up traditional ceramic tapas bowls here to serve your patatas in. Liston's, Camden Street Camden Street grocer Liston’s passion for ‘honest, healthy food’ has made it the perfect pitstop for wine, cheese, charcuterie, ready meals and everything in between. With over 4,000 products on their shelves you’ll be well and truly spoilt for choice. The deli at the back of the store serves sandwiches, food platters and hot foods like quiche and sausage rolls, while pastries come from The Blackpitts Bakery. The artisan chocolate selection will stop you in your tracks. Hero Product: Fresh Egg Pasta from Rosa Madre, or the Rose & Tarragon Sorbetto from the Dalkey Food Company. Forest Avenue - Grocer & Deli, Leeson Street Forest Avenue have always been innovators when it comes to food, and like the restaurant that came before it, their grocer and deli is no exception. The hot food counter has rotating daily specials (comté, mushroom & caramelised onion quiche and New York-style hot dog with pickles when we last visited), there's a dedicated wine shop upstairs, a grab and go area, ready-meal section (suckling pig ragu anyone?) and Little Forrest pizzas in the freezer. They also have an on-site micro bakery whipping up breads, focaccias and sweet stuff like brioche croissants and hazelnut pain aux raisin. There’s lovely canal-adjacent outdoor seating, a stylish nook and counter seating inside. Hero Product: Housemade spiced pita chips. Use them to dip into some aubergine caviar, guacamole with tomato salsa and cucumber gel or white bean hummus & walnut salsa. Picado Mexican Pantry, Dublin 8 Lily Ramirez’s extremely ‘grammable Richmond Street store and cookery school Picado has been whole-heartedly embraced by Dublin’s Mexican community, as well as Irish appreciators of real deal Mexican food. Grab a Frieda Kahlo reusable shopping bag and stock up on tacos, tortilla chips, sauces, spices, sweets and every type of chilli you can imagine. Day of the Dead preparations were in full swing when we visited, with colourful pinatas dotted about the store, and we’re looking forward to the return of Lily’s in-store cookery demos and legendary supper club. Hero Product: Tortilla Cosies - use these stylish, insulated pockets to keep your tortillas nice n’ toasty. They make a great gift for the foodie in your life too. Asia Market, Drury Street The family-run Drury Street store, operating here for 40 years now, boasts one of Dublin’s most beautiful window displays with its distinctive Chinese lanterns and pretty Cherry Blossoms in Spring, but there’s plenty more to catch your eye inside. An afternoon ambling around exploring Asia Market 's aisles of beers, candies, cooking utensils, sauces and more is always one well spent. Its sister store in Ballymount is even bigger and well worth the trip to the burbs. Hero Product: So many things - the Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli oil, the Ajinomoto dumplings, the kimchi, every Asian herb, spice and condiment you can think of, all the noodles, and the Japanese Mochi . These doughy balls of sweet rice paste have become a viral sensation on Tik Tok, and the flavours on offer here include coconut, green tea and red bean. Hen's Teeth, Dublin 8 Part grocer, part gallery and part café, the effortlessly cool Hen's Teeth is one of the few places in the city where you can browse art, vinyl and wine all under the one roof. Smoked almonds and padron peppers are a must-try on the ‘all day treats’ menu, and the lunch and evening menus change regularly to keep diners on their toes - you could find anything from whipped tofu tart with edamame beans to Thai-fried cauliflower with pak choy, peanut & puffed potato when you visit. It all tastes good washed down with a Mikkeller beer or some of their natural wines. Their hot sauce selection is top notch too with an emphasis on the locally-made - try the Smokey Lemon from Ellie’s Kitchen. Hero Products: The recently introduced G’wan Ireland Hamper - a box of treats from assorted Irish makers like Bean & Goose Chocolate and White Mausu sauces. Fallon & Byrne, Dublin 2 If you’re looking for something particular, an unusual ingredient or product, chances are you’ll find it in Fallon & Byrne 's vast food hall. The choice at all the counters - from cheese and meat to antipasti and wine - is extensive, and the staff are super knowledgeable and helpful. There’s a wide range of baking products on offer, with various flours, sugars and casings - even edible flower packets. If you don’t fancy baking it yourself you can pick up freshly-baked baguettes, sourdoughs, cakes, pastries and coffee here too. Fallon & Byrne is particularly magical at Christmas with its twinkling lights, and atmospheric at Halloween too with a pumpkin patch on display in-store. Hero Product: The house-made Nam Jing dressing is perfect for giving salad an oriental twist. Marlowe & Co, Dublin 8 This couple-owned and operated Dublin 8 store Marlowe & Co , something of a community hub, is a wonderful place to spend any amount of time. As well as salads, meats, potatoes and butters, you’ll find prints and fresh flowers. Sweet stuff comes from the nearby Blackpitts Bakery with The Pepper Pot café providing savoury items like sausage rolls. We love the ‘Tenters Triple’ - three items of your choice from the store packed up in a handy, carriable cardboard box. Hero Product: The always in-demand Pan di Stelle hazelnut cocoa spread rarely stays on the shelf for very long. The Fumbally, Dublin 8 ‘Food and community’ is the ethos in this thriving Dublin 8 café and store, with an emphasis on locally-sourced, all-natural produce. The divine smell of fresh baking from The Fumbally wafts pleasantly throughout with breads, sandwiches and pastries all made fresh daily on-site. Their ‘Fumbally Ferments’ project features a rotating range of fermented foods to sample, and the wine is chosen with minimal intervention and traditional wine-making techniques in mind. You’ll also find your cupboard essentials, fruit and veg, as well as arts, crafts and ceramics to browse. Hero Product: Their sourdough brioche. Try it with poached eggs, smashed avocado and pickled onions for a breakfast to remember. Shop Easi, Clanbrassil Street If you feel a spate of Indian cookery coming on, head to 'International Grocery' Shop Easi on Clanbrassil Street for all the pastes, pickles and frozen parathas you can imagine. There's a good selection of hard to get fruits and vegetables, a Halal butcher, and Eastern European products. Do not miss the Indian mangoes in season from April/May Hero Product: The mangoes - Alphonso, Bedami, Kesar. Buy whatever they've got by the boxload and savour one each night after dinner - who needs cake. You'll dream of the sweet, floral, perfumed taste again until they're back next season. Did we miss your favourite southside city grocer? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

Pumpkin arancini, pumpkin tortelli, pumpkin pizza, even pumpkin cookie sandwiches are popping up on menus right now. Halloween is definitely on the way, and here's what should be on your October eating list in Dublin... The Zucca Zucca Pizza From Coke Lane Not content with just topping a pizza with pumpkin, Coke Lane are using it as the base in place of tomatoes, adding nduja & smoked scamorza for maximum flavour. Pumpkin Arancini From Two Pups Two Pups have just added sage & Autumn pumpkin arancini with Gubbeen cheese to their menu, and we've been obsessing over them a lot. Pumpkin Spice Buns From Sourdough And Beyond New pastry alert. Sourdough and Beyond in Dublin 15 have come up with these pumpkin spice buns with what looks like about 6,000 layers of flaky pastry. They deliver all over Dublin 15 or you can collect. Pumpkin Cookie Sandwich From Chimac It's not like Chimac to pass up the opportunity for a themed photoshoot, and Halloween is the latest excuse to get their famous nails out. Their pumpkin ice-cream cookie sandwich takes chewy pumpkin, cinnamon sugar and white chocolate chip snickerdoodle cookies, stuffs them with 3fe cold brew ice-cream and dips them in Belgian white chocolate and a cinnamon crumb. More sweet than spooky but we're not complaining. Walnut Parfait With Blackberries And Fig Leaf Oil From Bastible W e can't get enough of blackberries right now, but add in a walnut parfait and fig leaf oil à la Bastible and we're looking up bus times to Clanbrassil Street. Wild Mushroom Tortelli With Pumpkin From Osteria Lucio There are few things nicer than a big bowl of pasta when the weather turns cooler, and this wild mushroom tortelli with pumpkin, pistachio and sage from Osteria Lucio screams Autumn. Spiced Pumpkin Cruffin From Bread 41 Of course Bread 41 have a spiced pumpkin pie cruffin with brown butter and cinnamon crème pâtissière, crown prince pumpkin and maple purée, finished with pumpkin ganache and V alhrona dulce and salted pecan shard. What else would we expect from the seasonal pastry Kings and Queens of the city. Pumpkin Custard Tart From Locks Locks in Portobello are famous for their custard tarts, but this seasonal pumpkin version sounds like a great excuse to give new head chef Andy Roche's menu a spin. Blackberry Hotcake From Two Boys Brew I f you haven't had a Two Boys Brew hotcake what are you actually playing at. Their latest creation is blackberry and chocolate flavoured with cherry compote, fresh blackberries, vanilla mousse, sour cherry gel, and a white chocolate ginger nut biscuit crumb. It's Autumn in fluffy, pillowy pancake form. Wicklow Venison With Butternut Squash, Barley & Chestnut Mushrooms At Spitalfields Game is still only trickling onto menus in the city but we're very much here for this haunch of Wicklow venison with butternut squash, barley and chestnut mushrooms at Spitalfields in Dublin 8. Barmbrack From Bread Naturally Nostalgia alert! No word on whether there are any rings in there but they were always a choking hazard anyway. Bread Naturally are bringing the barmbrack everyday until now until October 31st. We can already taste it, piled with butter in one hand, cup of steaming hot tea in the other. Pumpkin Spiced Latté From Tír Tír's pumpkin spiced latté is not your average big-brand syrup, coffee and milk. Their homemade syrup is made from Irish pumpkins, sugar and spices including cinammon, star anise, ginger and nutmeg. If you're going to hop on a trend, do it right.

In a post-lockdown world, we're all trying to carve out the time to meet the friends we've missed over the past 19 months. Saturday night cocktails, Sunday brunch and mid-week early birds are all great, but there's nothing like a Monday evening to start the week as you mean to go on. Unfortunately, thanks to issues currently hitting the hospitality industry, many of our Monday go-tos aren't currently operating early on in the week, but here are 17 options that will help you eek a little more out of your weekend. 1) Big Fan B ig Fan Bao on Aungier St. is open 7 days a week and is the perfect spot for Monday night cocktails, bao, duck wings, jellyfish salad, corn ribs, and those cheeseburger dumplings. Pro-tip: over-order and bring leftovers home for a very happy Tuesday. 2) Full Moon Thai We loved Full Moon Tha i when we visited , and figure that the Pla Kapong Luy Suan (deep fried whole sea bass with a herb salad and a serious amount of spice) is probably best eaten as early in the week as possible to give your tongue a chance to recover before the weekend. If you're not feeling quite so brave, the menu is extensive and properly Thai with no allowances for an Irish audience, so it's a great choice if you're with a small, adventurous group. 3) Sano Pizza Sano Pizza operates out of two locations - Ranelagh and Exchequer Street - and both open on Monday nights. Apart from the obvious benefits (i.e. getting to eat pizza), it's a great call if the Monday you're eating out on happens to be the Monday before payday, as there is some seriously good value to be had here with a 12" margherita and a glass of house wine coming it at under €14. Impressively Italian. 4) The Chophouse If you're looking for something a little more substantial to kick off your week, The Chophouse on Shelbourne Road is a gastropub with a focus on quality Irish ingredients. The main draw here is the steak, but lots of seafood and classics are on offer alongside an extensive wine list and an even longer list of Irish suppliers. 5) Drury Buildings In a word where you can be anything, why not be the person who spends Monday nights sipping cocktails and eating oysters, gambas, and arancini on a D2 terrace? If you're not organised enough to book a table, Drury Buildings usually has space for walks-in too. 6) Ukiyo Ukiyo is the ideal Monday spot. The restaurant has a great all day small plates menu (lobster sliders, anyone?) and the bar is buzzy and fun. Sadly (or not, depending on the kind of person you are), their karaoke booths are currently out of action but we're told it's likely they'll be back in time for Christmas, and are getting a bit of a facelift. 7) Glas With a vegetarian menu and lots for vegans, Glas on Chatham Street is open 7 nights a week and offers an early bird from 16.30 - 18.00 each day with two courses for €28. Start the week as you mean to go on - with veggies and wine. 8) Sprezzatura Homemade pasta, wines on tap, a sustainable ethos, seriously pocket-friendly, and open seven days a week in both the Camden Street and Rathmines locations; is there anything Sprezzatura doesn't do? Well, coffee, but that's a whole different conversation. Try to book a table, but walks-in are often accommodated when space allows. 9) Happy Endings 99% of diets start on a Monday, and if you're on a fried-chicken-and-poutine-fries-with-a-bucket-of-cocktails diet, you're in luck because Happy Endings on Aston Quay is open on Mondays. 10) Fallon & Byrne's Wine Cellar Fallon & Byrne 's wine cellar has just reopened with the usual cheese, charcuterie and small plates, but now with added pizza and pasta. Their €1 corkage offer on all wines is also back. See you there. 11) Pi Pi 's Neapolitan style pizzas are available seven days a week and they usually have space for walk ins. Try the 'Nduja' with crushed tomato, basil, scamorza, nduja, honey, parmesan and garlic, or the 'Salsiccia', with crushed tomato, basil, piquillo peppers, pickled chillies, Gubbeen chorizo, Toons Bridge Fior di latte and parmesan. 12) Fish Shop, Benburb Street Fish Shop 's Benburb location is an easy spot for a seafood dinner and a glass of wine. The menu is short, simple and changes frequently, but the fish and chips and fish burger are always on. Interesting, natural wine list with one of the city's best selection of sherries, and as of this week Monday night wine club is back, meaning a limited number of bottles at stupidly good prices. 13) 777 If you’re looking for a more lively night out, 777 always comes with a buzz. The 2 margaritas for €16 on Mondays can be dangerous, but there are plenty of tacos, tostadas and tortilla chips to soak them up. 14) M & L Chinese One of the few places in Dublin to get Sichuan food, the dumplings and fried green beans with chilli at M&L have been the start of many new habits forming over the years. Corkage is €5 but go easy on the chilli oil if you're taking something nice. 15) Piglet Piglet ’s supper menu is easy going, with pasta, fish and côte de boeuf for the very hungry. It's a cosy spot for a plate of food and some great wine, and if you find yourself in Temple Bar surrounded by camera bearing tourists and “The Auld Triangle” ringing in your ears, it's a good place to run for cover. Expect to find yourself surrounded by hospitality folk early in the week when their own restaurants are closed. 16) Pichet French style bistro Pichet has been a staple in Dublin for years. It’s always reliable for a good meal with a buzzy atmosphere, and new head chef Harry Quinn (formerly at Clanbrassil House) has introduced new dishes like onion soubise with a soft egg, poached organic chicken, grilled maitake mushrooms and a chicken skin crumb. 17) Ka Shing Ka Shing is a great city spot for dim sum that's open seven days a week, so there's no restriction on your ability to get 15 different types of dumplings, barbecue pork buns and fried turnip cake. The wine's not up to much so perfect if you're trying to stay off the booze after a heavy weekend.

We’ve all noticed it – heavy traffic, bigger queues for your favourite coffee pitstop in town, increased sightings of workwear paired with Asics runners. There’s no way to avoid it any longer … it’s time to return to the office. After a long 18 months, there are mixed feelings about it – nerves, dread, trepidation, a bit of elation to get some headspace from the kids. However there are a host of business owners and hospitality staff delighted with the recent changes after over a year of *just* hanging on. It’s time to give old favourites and some new faces some love and treat yourself to a delicious meal in the process – it’s your civic duty. There are dozens of amazing establishments to visit, but here are some of our favourite city-centre options for under a tenner. 147 Deli, Parnell Street Starting strong with possibly the best sandwiches in all of Dublin - 147 Deli . This is not somewhere to go for a light lunch or when you’re trying to ‘be good’, but life is too short for that kind of thinking anyway. These sambos are full to the brim and you will probably be much the same when you’re leaving, but you’ll be very, very happy. Keep an eye on their Instagram for their weekly specials which are always something, well, special! Lunch sandwiches are all €7.95 and the weekly special can be closer to a tenner but is always worth it. Green Bench Café, Montague Street A favourite of the Harcourt Street corporates (no, we’re not talking about Coppers), Green Bench Café is small but mighty and have operated on a takeaway-only basis for years, long before the pandemic. They have a limited menu of sandwiches, wraps and usually a soup or hotpot for regulars to take with them and enjoy in the Iveagh Gardens. The beef brisket is the priciest at €8. Meltdown, Leeson Street & Montague Street Whoever is running Meltdown 's socials deserves a raise – every time they pop a picture up we immediately start craving melted cheese, it's like magic. These sandwiches are glorious so it’s no surprise that they grew from an initial pop-up in 2018 to having two permanent locations on Leeson Street and Montague Street (which moonlights as Winedown in the evening). You can pick one up with a coffee for €10. Don’t sleep on their hot sauce which they are now bottling and selling nationwide. Dosa Dosa, Grand Canal Street Lower Dosa Dosa started as a food truck in January 2020, possibly the worst timing in history, but they made it work touring around Dublin serving Southern Indian dosas to the masses, and they did so well they're now operating from a permanent container in Grand Canal. We love their Paneer Dosa, which will set you back €10, but have no doubt that everything on this menu is a winner. They only open from Wednesday to Sunday right now but here’s hoping that changes as town gets busier midweek. The Commons Café at MoLI Perfect for the person who’s not quite ready to delve into the outside world, The Commons at MoLI is a little hidden oasis right in the centre of town. Their indoor area is bright and spacious, and they also have a lovely outdoor terrace overlooking their courtyard garden. You could even have a wander around the museum, or if you’re like us, just head straight to the gift shop for a browse. Their toasties range from €8.50 to €9.90 but they also have a hearty bowl of soup with Guinness bread available for €5.50 Honey Truffle, Pearse Street Gone are the days when salads were an afterthought at the side of your plate, a limp piece of lettuce and some flavourless tomato and cucumber (for the most part anyway). Nowadays Dublin has a great selection of eateries offering healthy options that don’t leave you feeling wanting, and Honey Truffle is at the forefront of this, serving varied and nourishing salads at a great price. Top this off with a great coffee and irresistible cake selection and you have a perfect lunch. A medium salad box is €7 with the option to add on extra protein. Tiller + Grain, Frederick Street South Colourful Tiller + Grain is serving hearty salads for a tenner with an option to add on meat or fish at an extra cost, but trust us when we say that the extra is not needed (but happily welcomed if you have cash to spare). There is no scabbiness to be found here, as they pile beautiful beetroot, squash, freekeh, cauliflower and much more into your bowl. The salads are stunning with a distinct whiff of Ottolenghi – no coincidence as owner and chef Clair Dowling worked for the Israeli chef during her time in London and clearly picked up some lessons in flavour from him. While salads are their speciality, they also have sandwiches and beautiful cakes. Tang, Dawson Street & Abbey Street Tang were dishing out one of the best dinner boxes over lockdown, but now we’re ready for the real thing. One of our favourite spots for breakfast, lunch and now dinner, we can't wait to get back for a feast. While the food is phenomenal, these guys are also committed to reducing their environmental impact and using their reach to do good. Recently they were giving out free flatbreads for every email sent to local representatives calling for climate action and they’ve invested in an electric cargo bike to ferry their goods around town. Flatbreads come in at around €7.50. Tir, Baggot Street Upper A new face for many people coming back to the office, Tír Deli only opened in April 2021 but have already made their mark on Baggot Street. They have a simple menu, and they admit themselves that they’re not the cheapest around (ranging from €8-€10) but they're committed to using only the best quality ingredients around, and doing lots of foraging, fermenting and curing in house. They also put crisps in their smoke-roasted beef sandwich which we can really get behind.

We never bought into hot girl summer, but we are 100% here for cool person autumn. If your aesthetic is more ankle boots and cosy scarves than kaftans and flip-flops, we know that you're already looking forward to a switch to golden leaves and heartier autumn menus. Here are five delightfully autumnal dishes that we want to eat this week. 1) Turmeric Spiced Porridge from Kerb Hands up if you love porridge. Our hands are up but you just can't see it because we live inside your computer and our hands are probably holding food anyway, but they're definitely up. One of the best things about autumn is the appearance of porridge everywhere, and this one from Kerb is spiced with turmeric and autumn fruit compote. 2) Dulce de Leche Brownies from Bakeology There are some people who will tell you that caramel is not an autumn food, but those people are mean fools who have never heard of caramel apples so we don't listen to them. These coconut and caramel mini-brownies from Argentinian bakery Bakeology are even better than caramel apples due to the absence of apples and addition of brownies. 3) Wild Irish Reuben from Tír Deli Tír Deli on Baggot Street have added this decidedly Irish take on a classic reuben sandwich to their specials menu to see how customers feel about venison before it gets added to the autumn menu. House-cured venison pastrami with fermented veg, horseradish mayo, and Irish cheese on sourdough from The Old Bakery Store sounds pretty incredible to us. If it sounds good to you too, get in there so we can all have access to it all autumn long. 4) Irish Whiskey Cake from Loretta's If you listen closely, you can hear our little minds explode as we think this one through - an Irish whiskey cake with fermented, pickled and fresh blackberries, served with a turf-smoked ice-cream. Looks amazing, sounds amazing and, as Loretta's themselves describe it "it's almost like being back in your grandmother's sitting room in that horrible couch". Perfection. 5) Guinea Fowl from The Pierhouse Restaurant " ATF, are you really sending us to a seafood restaurant for guinea fowl?" "Yes, loyal reader, we totally are. And you will thank us". "Okay, we trust you. And we love you" "Thanks, reader, we love you too" Sea-facing The Pierhouse in Howth might not be where you would expect to find pan-seared guinea fowl with puy lentils (the King of Lentils), baby carrots, and salsa verde, but it's giving us all the autumn feels.

Dun Laoghaire has always been a bit of an anomaly – by its seaside location you would imagine a town teaming with fresh seafood restaurants and interesting eateries, but it's never really had the pull factor that neighbouring villages of Glasthule and Monkstown have. In recent years, however, there's been real investment in the area, and if you ignore the weirdly deserted shopping centre smack bang in the centre, the area is looking up. There’s a great choice of eateries to try on your next trip – throw in a walk on the pier and a root in one of many charity shops in the area and you have yourself the perfect day out. Coffee Kick off your day at Shoe Lane who are serving up the best coffee in Dun Laoghaire, as well as plenty of pastries and delicious sausage rolls. They've also just announced that they’re starting to accept re-usable cups again – more of this please! Two Beans is another great spot for coffee in the area and they hold sustainability at the centre of their offering, only partnering with roasters who source their coffee directly from farmers and pay them fair and square. So you can feel extra virtuous as you sip your brew. Breakfast You’ll probably spot Strudel Artisan Bakery by the hungry looking queue forming outside from around 8am. One glance at their Instagram will make you understand how they won Bakery of the Year at the Independent Retail Awards, just one year after they opened in 2018. Get there early as they are known to sell out. The newest addition to the area, Portobello native Bibi’s has opened a little outpost right on the seafront. They have tables outside and recently opened indoor dining too, and we can’t wait to see how this place develops over the next few months. It's a perfect place to grab a bite to eat and take a stroll down to the 40 Foot for a dip. You may not come across The Cali Kitchen by chance as it's a little hidden away on the grounds of the Royal Marine hotel, but it's worth a trip for the most Instagrammable brunch around. Lunch Almost time for elevenses and we’re headed to Le Chocolat de Frèd , which is a little bit of France on our own doorstep. As you can deduce from the name, chocolate is their game (it's on tap, literally), but they also have a savoury galette menu for a light lunch. Breakaway Coffee operates from an unassuming little hatch on York Road, but are dishing out lovely coffee and recently started sourcing toasties from Golden Brown which look verrrry gouda (sorry). Cakes are sourced from local favourite Rustic Honey , and it's the perfect spot to visit after a stroll down the West Pier. Dinner While Soup have expanded into Smithfield, their original Dun Laoghaire location will always have our hearts. They're serving up some of the best ramen in Dublin and their specials board is always full of interesting options. If you see prawn laksa, do not miss it, trust us, plus a portion of deep-fried kimchi ‘for the table’, naturally. Oliveto at The Haddington House is home to possibly the nicest beer garden in all of Dublin. They have a full menu indoors, but there is really nothing better than nabbing a precious outdoor table here on a sunny day and wiling away the afternoon munching on pasta, pizza and risotto, and sipping cocktails. The sister restaurant to DeVille’s in Dalkey (which is notoriously difficult to get a booking in), Casper & Giumbini’s is a bigger location which allows us to quench our French onion soup craving on a more regular basis. The menu has something for everyone, so this is the place to book for a family lunch or girls’ night out. You probably recognise Zero Zero from the food market scene over the years, and since they opened their permanent shop a few years ago they've certainly built up a dedicated local following. They have limited indoor seating at the moment but have commandeered a few parking spaces out front to create a relaxed outdoor area. If you're a sushi fan, Michie Sushi is the place to go in Dun Laoghaire. It's a very small shop with only around 20 seats so take this to go and enjoy it in People's Park. Dessert An authentic Chinese restaurant may not seem like the usual place to stop in for dessert (and this one clearly could have gone in the dinner section also), but alongside a broad menu including some dishes showcasing different Chinese regions which are only available through pre-order, Nunki Tea House is serving up some of the most beautiful handmade Japanese cakes and milk tea to finish off your day. Afters Pop into The Lighthouse Bar on your way back to the DART for a drink and you might get swayed by a gig in the Top Deck as they kick off a series of socially distanced shows. This spot is a sister of Eatyard so expect some good bites including Nice Guy burgers if you’re still peckish. Have we missed any of your favourite Dun Laoghaire spots? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

We tend to dread the end of summer - beach days, iced lattés, all the salads - but then the evening chill creeps in and reminds us that there's lots to love about Autumn. Apples, plums, blackberries, pumpkins, game - prepare to see some serious menu swivels over the coming weeks, and here are some of our favourites on menus right now. Plum And Peach Tart From Urbanity We're not sure whether to eat or frame this tart from Urbanity in Smithfield with ginger & star anise poached plums and peaches, on an almond frangipane tart⁣. Expect lots more Autumn dishes almost too beautiful to eat over the next few months. Apple, Raisin & Cinnamon Malt Dough From Bread 41 Bread 41 are never not on it when it comes to seasonal takes on a staple, and their September bread special is this apple, raisin and cinnamon malt loaf. Lashing of butter, hot coffee, the perfect Autumn breakfast. The New Plum Dessert From Loretta's Loretta's are showcasing the glut of plums available right now with this new plum, almond sponge and white chocolate dessert. We're eyeing up their striploin of beef with hash brown and horseradish for mains. Apple Gelato From Cream Of The Crop Cream Of The Crop in Dublin 8 take unwanted, unloved and imperfect fruits and vegetables to make their delicious gelato, and with their apple pie flavour they're not only using up surplus apples, but planting more trees from the seeds! Daddy's Souped-Up Blackberry Tart We love nothing more than a bit of blackberry picking at this time of year, followed by some rustic crumble making, but Daddy's are making a show of all of us with this blackberry, pistachio, coconut and frangipane tart. Show-offs. Baa Baa's Blackberry, Apple & Thyme Pie Also upping the ante in the blackberry stakes is Baa Baa in Chapelizod, with their blackberry, apple and thyme pie. That pastry... The Pepperpot Bakery's Apple Turnovers Extinguish the memories of supermarket bakery, far from flaky, apple turnovers with a trip to The Pepperpot Bakery in George's Street Arcade. They're inspired by a recent trip to Paris, and best eaten still warm, but we can't see them hanging around long enough to get cold. Pumpkin, Burrata & Prunes From Charlotte Quay Pumpkins are only just starting to make their menu appearances, and Charlotte Quay are setting the bar high with this plate of pumpkin, burrata, prunes, Pedro Ximénez vinegar, pumpkin seeds and extra virgin olive oil. Blackberries & Baked Cream From Clanbrassil House Wild blackberries, baked cream and fennel is the new dessert on the Clanbrassil House block, and as good a reason as any to check out new head chef Jimmy Dobson's cooking.

We all slip up sometimes, eat something we shouldn't, live with diner's regret for days afterwards, and there are few things as tempting as an Egg McMuffin after a heavy night out. But why would we willingly give our money and daily calorie allowance to a global corporation responsible for inflicting so much damage on the world when we could eat one of these infinitely better breakfast sandwiches instead. Bookmark this for your next hangover... Benedict's Egg Shop, George's Street Arcade The Meet Me In The Morning / Loose Canon guys have gone into the egg game with their simple but very effective Benedict's Egg Shop . The 'classic' has softly scrambled eggs, fried onions, melted cheese with chives and breakfast sauce on a brioche bun, and you can add bacon or salmon if you want to take it up a gear. Happy Endings, Aston Quay Flavour overlords Happy Ending 's breakfast sambo comes with scrambled egg, American cheese, spring onion and Maggi mayo on a toasted onion and poppy seed bagel. These are the types of twists we welcome at breakfast time. Tír Deli, Baggot Street Tír Deli 's sausage and egg sandwich comes with a 'seasonal sausage patty', free-range fried egg, cheddar and tír seasonal relish on a pillowy brioche. They had us at seasonal sausage. Brasserie Sixty6, George's Street Brasserie Sixty6 have put a French spin on the humble breakfast sambo with egg omelette (is there another type of omelette?), melted cheese and onion lyonnaise in a soft brioche bun. Do we want to eat it? Bien sûr. Mad Yolks, Glasthule This weekend is Mad Yolks ' last one in the Eagle in Glasthule, meaning it's your last chance for the foreseeable future to get your hands on their classic 'Mad Yolk' with scrambled eggs, fresh chilli, chives, caramelised onion, smoked applewood cheddar, rocket and sriracha mayo on toasted brioche. Or you could upgrade to the 'Bad Yolk' with fried eggs, a black and white pudding patty, streaky bacon and beef tomato. After this weekend they're focusing on finding a permanent home of their own, so hopefully they'll be back slinging eggs before we know it. Is there an amazing breakfast sandwich in Dublin that we don't know about? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

Shopping for local and independent produce doesn't necessarily mean a trip into town anymore, with lots of specialist food stores popping up in the suburbs - meaning those more unusual items and ingredients that might typically send you further afield are getting easier to source. With plenty of pots, bottles and jars to marvel at, as well as snacking and sampling to be done on the premises, these friendly Southside indie grocers have become foodie destinations in themselves, and they beat a trip to the supermarket any day. Lahoya Greens Sitting opposite a busy junction in Terenure Village, in a space once occupied by an Eddie Rockets, Lahoya Greens is a welcome new addition to Dublin 6W, with a colourful array of fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers spilling out onto the street. Inside there’s plenty more to browse with everything from artisan condiments to free-from products, many of which are Irish made. Be sure to check out the wine pantry, and their impressive refill tower at the back where you can top up on dried fruit, nuts and grains. There are tasty-looking sandwiches available during the week which we’ll be back to sample, and we’re told a coffee counter is coming soon. Before you leave… Enjoy a scoop of the hot pink, Bubblegum ice-cream. Saltwater Grocery, Terenure Seafood specialist Niall Sabongi’s grocer is a stone’s throw away on the other side of the crossroads and also new to the area. Saltwater Grocery has a buzzy vibe with 3fe coffee and pretty pastries in the window pulling in passers-by. It also packs an awful lot into a small space, with organic wines, cured meats and cheese, but of course the fish counter is the main draw. Sabongi’s seafood BBQ boxes over the summer months were very popular, and the sushi, made fresh in-store, is unmissable. Keep an eye on their Instagram for upcoming in-store events now that restrictions have eased, like oyster & wine pairings. Before you leave… Grab a green matcha latté and pick-up some handmade black sole ravioli with lobster from the ready-meal section. Robbie's Greengrocer & Food Store, Churchtown Tucked away at the far end of a suburban shop-strip, Robbie’s Greengrocers is fairly new to Churchtown having opened over lockdown. Owner Robbie Malone’s flagship premises in Kilmacud has a dedicated following, and his second premises here is already no different. Robbie’s is a good place to source ingredients and seasonings for ethnic cooking, with a chilli pepper selection that’s second to none, and staff happy to indulge you spending ages photographing them. Before you leave… Cute coffee shop The Cosy Bean is next door. Play Russian Roulette with a mixed bag of their mini doughnuts, which come with chocolate, custard, jam or salted caramel fillings. Provider, Harold's Cross Stocking artisan snacks, spreads, sauces and everything in between, it's easy to see why HX locals have whole-heartedly embraced Provider . Their hampers make lovely, thoughtful gifts for food enthusiasts, and they’re well-known for championing up-and-coming foodie brands. The sandwiches here are dreamy too and popular with the lunch crowd, so get in early for the best pick and enjoy it in Harold’s Cross park nearby. Before you leave… Get something sweet for dessert and stock up on your sourdough at The Old Bakery Store on the same stretch of road. This artisan bakery doubles as a gourmet deli with delicious made-to-order baguettes and its cosy, garden terrace is one of the southside’s best-kept secrets. Fresh Avenue, Ballinteer From exotic fruits to fresh olives and ceiling-high shelves, Fresh Avenue is one of those places you could easily lose an hour in. The owners are passionate about getting behind the little guys, preferring to deal directly with producers over large distributors. Community spirit is strong here too - the store was part of a superb Isolation Support initiative over lockdown, supplying meals and groceries to those in need. Before you leave… Get a cup of coffee and a pastry while they ring up your purchases, Did we miss your favourite southside grocer? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

September brings a lot of change; adjustments to routines as kids head back to school, the weather changes as we welcome the return of coats with pockets deep enough to hold snacks, and many of us finally have to change out of our leggings-and-hoody uniform as we return to our actual offices. One thing that never changes though is our constant search for the best food in Dublin. Here are the five things we really want to eat this week. 1) Croissant Ice-Cream from Cold Boi We've all seen 'em, the croissants stuffed with everything from sticky toffee pudding to birthday cake. We know them, we love them, we constantly surprise ourselves at just how happy we are to see stuff stuffed into croissants. But Cold Boi have gone full Uno Reverse card on us by stuffing croissants into ice-cream. Let that sink in a mo. Double baked croissant ice-cream with a chocolate espresso ripple and hazelnut praline. It's basically a full continental breakfast in an ice-cream. We're intrigued. It's available this Saturday from their stand in St. Anne's Market, and you're going to have to beat us to it. 2) The Vermouth Menu from Las Tapas de Lola Nobody ever needs an excuse to visit Las Tapas de Lola , but consider this your sign from the universe to get in there ASAP for a long-awaited catch-up with a friend over vermouth and snacks. Inspired by owners Vanessa and Anna's love of a little vermutillo, €45 gets you two glasses of the aperitivo (laced with an anchovy-stuffed olive, natch), and basically all the classic tinned snacks that Spain has to offer; cockles, mussels in escabeche, even more anchovied olives, plus crisps and salsa. Perfect if you're feeling sad about forsaking holidays this year. 3) Rice Kheer Pudding from Doolally Do we go to Indian restaurants for dessert? No. Do we go there for the saag gosht, pilau rice, side of yellow lentils, and an extra naan because we like leftovers? Oh yes. But if anything is going to convince us to forsake our peshwari naan for a dessert, it's going to be this one from Doolally . Spiced rice pudding with rose-scented sago, and a pistachio crumb. Sure, you'll roll out of the restaurant, but you'll be very happy. 4) Anchovy Pizza from Village Pizza Things that do not belong on a pizza: chicken, BBQ sauce, Nutella. Things that do belong on a pizza: anchovies (and also, pineapple. Don't @ us). This bianca pie from Village Pizza has the correct portion of anchovies (i.e. loads), Toons Bridge mozzarella, and gremolata for a citrusy, chili kick. 5) All the Japanese Baking from Gopan E ver feel like your friends are hanging out somewhere without you? Hate to be that person, but they are; they're all on our timeline eating curry bread, shokupan (that amazing chonky Japanese toast bread), and taiyaki (cute fish-shaped waffles filled with a sweet vanilla cream or red bean paste) from Gopan in Bray. The best news is that they deliver to Dublin on Wednesday and Saturdays, but you do need to get your orders in two days in advance through their Instagram page.

Every now and then, a meal pops up on Instagram that makes you think “I could make that”, but you know you’re kidding yourself. We know you’re kidding yourself. Just stop, it’s embarrassing. This week the 5 things we most want to eat in Dublin remind us that, no matter how highly we rate ourselves in the kitchen, we will forever be in awe of chefs but do it so much better than we ever could. 1) The Salt Beef Bagel from Token Sure, you could grab a pack of bagels from Tesco, add Philadelphia and pretend you made a lunch that you’re proud of, but you'd only be fooling yourself. It wouldn't be a patch on this poppy seed number packed with salt beef, pickles, fresh dill and a gribiche sauce from Token . 2) Glazed BBQ Ribs from Bahay Good news Bahay fans, the roving Filipino pop-up will be at Taste of Dublin . Their festival menu includes chicken adobo, BBQ charred tofu, gambas with Zamboanga sauce, and these monster glazed ribs that make our weekend BBQ attempts look like we've handed the charcoal and tongs to a small child with poor fine motor skills. 3) Beef Tartare Taco from Richmond Our usual MO for making tacos is to do it only in the company of very close friends, because we know they’re not going to be pretty, and we don’t even mean the kind of pretty like those girls in 90's films when Freddie Prinze Jr. removed their glasses, messy buns and sexual inhibitions. Then in walk Richmond with this beef tartare taco from the snack menu that makes us never want to attempt them again. 4) Duck Heart Tartine from Volpe Nera Tartine is basically toast. You can do toast. But can you do toast with duck hearts and fermented plum like this one from Volpe Nera ? No? Sucks to be you (and us). 5) Halloumi Burger from Soup Two Soup Two is one of those lockdown openings that has flown frustratingly under the radar. Their specials board is a constant thing of beauty, especially when it comes to this week's halloumi burger with pineapple jam, mint yogurt and fries. They had us at pineapple jam.

If, like us, your love of food doesn’t start and end with what you’re served in restaurants and cafés, your kitchen shelves are probably groaning under the weight of jars, pots and packs of your favourite products, but that doesn’t mean you’re not always on the look-out for your next favourite thing to dip, smear or spill down the front of your t-shirt. Friends don't let friends go without the best condiments, so from now on we're going to be sharing our favourites with you. Here are the foodstuffs that have been sparking joy in our lives lately. Blanco Niño Tortilla Chips We'll admit that up to recently we’d often viewed tortilla chips as a fairly bland vehicle for transporting the much-more-interesting salsa into our mouths, and we were wrong. To be fair, a lifetime of pale, bland (or over-seasoned), greasy, mass-manufactured tortilla chips led to that conclusion, but then we discovered Blanco Niño . Made in Tipperary with corn and other ingredients from heritage producers in Mexico, lightly salted, chili & lime, and ancient grain flavours are available, but chili & lime are our favourite; punchy, spicy, sour, crispy - basically all of our favourite things in one triangle. Free delivery from Blanco Niño but we’re seeing them pop-up in lots of places so you’re likely to find a local stockist here . P.s. If you happen to buy them from Hen’s Teeth , keep an eye out for Rascal Sauces chunky tomato salsa. It’s a Belgian brand and not always on shelves, but it’s one of the nicest we’ve tried. Conbini Condiments We were very excited when Dublin chef Holly Dalton announced that she would be launching a line of Japanese-inspired sauces earlier this year, so we wasted zero time getting our hungry mitts on some. Currently, there are three sauces in the Conbini Condiments range - Onsen Hot Sauce (a fermented chili sauce), Katsu Ketchup (a ketchup/curry sauce hybrid) and, our personal favourite, Sunday Sauce (a sweet, tangy, umami sauce that’s described as being somewhere between Teriyaki and Tonkatsu). We would recommend stocking up on all three and you’ll find no end of uses - add to stir-fries, use as dumpling dipping sauces, dips for chips… we once spiced-up a very bland chicken soup with Sunday Sauce and regret nothing. See their stockist map here . Builín Blasta Smoked Onion Mayo Smoky, tangy, creamy, this smoked onion mayonnaise from Builín Blasta in Galway is one of those jars that won’t last long in the fridge because you’ll find yourself adding it to everything. We’ve put it in burgers, on hot dogs, and even spread it on the outside of cheese sandwiches before toasting them - actual genius move. It's available from their website , along with lots of other sauces and chutneys, but we’ve found it in loads of shops including Fallon and Byrne . Craic Foods Salted Caramel Sauces with Miso Salted caramel is a bit of a Marmite one for some people, as can miso depending on the audience. Unsurprisingly we’re in the “love” camp for both, but when we saw that Craic Foods had created a line of miso-flavoured salted caramel sauces, we were cautious. Salt, caramel, and fermented soybeans? But it works, incredibly well. The result is a complex taste profile that’s initially sweet with a secondary slap of umami, and the range has expanded to include new flavours like miso salted caramel with stout, pistachio kalamansi fruit, tahini, and fennel pollen. We’ve been eating our way through most of them for the past few months and haven’t around a dud yet. Great on yogurt, popcorn, ice-cream, a spoon, a finger… Irish Black Butter Don’t let the name put you off, it’s not some kind of putrefied dairy product that’s been unearthed from a bog somewhere in the midlands. Irish Black Butter is a thick, dark, intensely-flavoured condiment made from bramley apples. Uses are pretty much infinite - we’ve spooned this over porridge, yogurt and ice-cream, spread it onto scones and pancakes, dolloped alongside cheese and roast pork, and smothered it over joints of bacon and ham as a glaze. Stockist information is available here . Do you have a favourite condiment or food product lately? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

You may not know everything. You probably don’t know Nicole Kidman’s middle name*, the country that won the Eurovision in 1968, or what county in Munster those Olympic gold medal rowers hail from. That’s okay. Read this and you will know about the most important things - food events happening very soon. *Mary, her middle name is Mary. Rías Baixas Wine Dinner at Circa Hosted by wine writer Leslie Williams, Circa are celebrating the end of summer (and the addition of some new team members; the restaurant equivalent of gold dust), with a specially curated six-course menu matched with Rías Baixas wines from Northern Spain. We’re told it’s going to be a laid-back evening with a menu that includes dishes like swordfish ceviche with chili, ginger and yuzu, croquettas with nduja, and red snapper with brown shrimp and hispi cabbage. Kicking off with pre-dinner drinks and snacks at 18:30 on August 30th, dinner with wine is €90 per person and can be booked by e-mailing info@restaurantcirca.com . Barbecues, Budding Chefs And Lunchbox Inspo At Airfield Estate We love Airfield Estate ’s line-up of demos and workshops that have just gone live on their website. From barbeque sides to Thai and Italian there’s lots there for adults, but also classes focused on younger food fans including a two-day teen baking workshop, a Young Chef workshop, and a three-day camp aimed at preparing college students for life away from home, that covers everything from recipes to knife skills to safe food storage. In early September the family-focus continues with back-to-school midweek dinner demos, and a class that will leave you with lots of ideas for healthy school lunchboxes. Courses need to be booked in advance through their website . Harvest Day at Eatyard If you’re a keen gardener, or looking for a bit of inspiration to finally give it a go, book your place in Eatyard on September 4th and be prepared to be amazed at what venues like The Lighthouse, The Square Ball, Wigwam, The Back Page and The Bernard Shaw have managed to grow in backyards and on rooftops. Various producers and vendors will also be there to talk about their experience and share learnings. There’s a food market with fruit, vegetables and sustainable goods, a flower market, demos, panel discussions, quizzes, competitions and, of course, lots of food and drinks, including a garden to table menu. The event runs from 10am to 4pm and booking details are on the website . Spanish Gastronomy Tasting Menu At Urban Brewing Spain beer brand Estrella Galicia has launched Gastronomy Month for September, and they’re teaming up with Urban Brewing in the IFSC to offer a special tapas plate paired with Estrella Galicia lager for the month. On September 25th, Head Chef Daniel Keane will host a tasting menu using Irish and Spanish ingredients and dishes like Morcilla boxty, confit salt cod with smoked trout roe, Spanish pork, 35-day aged sirloin, and a dessert of coffee Diplomat with salted chocolate soil and milk sorbet. Ideal if you’re missing Spanish beer and Spanish food in actual Spain. Tickets for the five-course tasting menu with beer pairings are priced at €50 per person and can be booked here . Taste of Dublin Running from September 1st - 5th, Taste of Dublin is back in the Iveagh Gardens for 2021. This year's restaurant line-up includes Pickle, Hang Dai, The Salty Buoy, Three Twenty Ice-cream, King Sitric, Naughty Neighbour (a new venture from Daniel Hannigan of Treehouse Treats and ex-Mister S), The Port House and Jackrabbit. The demos line-up is pretty packed and features chefs and producers including Holly Dalton, Eric Matthews, Aoife Noonan, Kevin Thornton, Jordan Bailey and loads more. Info and booking details are on the website .

The weather seem to be changing faster than a Kardashian’s husband, and we’re slowly coming to terms with the fact that the hope we were holding out for a decent summer is slipping through our grubby (but beautifully sanitised) little hands. BUT here are 5 things we want to eat in Dublin this week that will make you feel happy, whatever the weather. 1) Japanese Soufflé Pancakes from Kakilang In case you’ve forgotten, jiggly things are better than non-jiggly things - we refuse to believe that this could even be an argument. For the ultimate in jiggle, we need Kakilang ’s Japanese soufflé pancakes, made with beaten egg whites to create a fluffy texture. While we’re warned that there is a 30 – 45 minute waiting time, we think it would be totally worth it. Available with fruit and cheese foam (relax, it’s a sweet cream cheese foam, with a slightly cheesecakey taste) or bacon and maple syrup. Bring a friend and order both. 2) Deep Fried Croissant from Brasserie Sixty6 Some people may look at a vanilla custard-stuffed croissant that's been deep fried and ask "why?" but we ask "why not?" and also "can we have another one please?" It’s rare that we feature a restaurant in two consecutive 5 Things We Want to Eat This Week but there was no way we were letting this one from Brasserie Sixty6 slip past without letting you know about it. 3) Lamb Kebab from Ananda Ananda in Dundrum has done a bit of Cinderella-esque magic on the humble lamb kebab, elevating it from Ugly Sister to Insta-worthy Princess. This hand-pounded kebab with lamb shank, stuffed sweet pepper, parsnip and apple and raisin slaw is served on a pool of lovage pesto. Bippity-boppity-beautiful. 4) Seafood Udon From Musashi Lightly spiced salmon, tuna, prawns and squid in a 14 hour broth isn't what we thought we'd be craving mid-August but here we are, and we're just going to go with it. Find it at Musashi . 5) Earl Grey and Lemon Scone from Old Street Look outside, it’s cardigan weather. You know what that means - cardigans obviously, but also scones. Fruit, brown, cheese, chocolate; we love them all, and this Earl Grey and candied lemon version from Old Street will definitely ease you gently into the colder days.

Looking for Dublin eating inspiration this week? Here's five things on menus right now that we can't stop thinking about... 1) Suppli al Telefono Cacio e Pepe Just when you couldn't love cacio e pepe any more, Stoneybatter Italian Grano take it, roll it around in breadcrumbs with some rice and deep fry it. 2) Watermelon Pizza From Fade Street Social While calling this 'pizza' is a bit of a stretch, we're still interested in trying these watermelon triangles topped with feta cheese, kalamata olives, herbs and smoked olive oil from Fade Street Social . Before our actual pizza comes. 3) Chicken Fried Rice And A Cocktail Bucket From Happy Endings Happy Endings on Aston Quay have just added two new things to the menu - Gai Yang (Thai) chicken fried rice and a three-litre bucket of Japanese Iced Tea, with vodka, gin, Midori, cucumber, apple & kiwi. What a pairing. 4) Duck Confit Topped Chips From Brasserie Sixty6 Topped chips are everywhere we look right now, but these triple cooked ones from Brasserie Sixty6 with malt vinegar, sticky duck confit, cheddar cheese, chives and spring onion are hovering around the top of our loaded chip list. 5) Amarena Cherry & Almond Frangipane Italian Doughnut From Back To Dine Back To Dine 's menu is now available to eat in San Lorenzo's or as the original take home box, and we'd be tempted to orderly it solely for this Amarena cherry and almond frangipane Italian doughnut filled with Diplomat cream that they give you for the morning after.