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It's all about Allta this week, with three reviews dedicated to the crab bigoli and Gubbeen cappelleti, and varying degrees of impressed-ness... (Look out for our Allta once over in this Tuesday's mail out ). In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley was officially first in with his 'hot take' on Niall Davidson's new wine bar. While he "liked Allta a lot", he says he worries "it will not be fully understood by a lot of diners" - translation: your parents - but he says what's happening there is "impressive". He thought the charcuterie plate was "very good", with pancetta that melted on the tongue, "meaty" fuet and "tangy spicy ventrecina", and the marinated mushrooms they came with were so good he drank the juices from the bowl. He really liked the "meaty, moist" skate wing with seaweed cream, saying he'd go back for that alone, but also for the "silky" cappelletti filled with "molten, savoury, rich" Gubbeen cheese in a "smoky" broth of maitake mushrooms. He calls the BBQ lamb with seaweed papardelle and wild marjoram "the most intriguing dish of the evening", and despite the fact that he found both the marjoram and the seaweed in the pasta "elusive", the lamb was "bloody brilliant", and together "it worked very well indeed". He found dessert of nitro ice-cream with sea buckthorn, white chocolate and smoked honey "puzzling" but "no hardship", and while Young Buck cheese was "ambitiously priced" at €9.60 a portion, the black bee honey and vinegar it came with was "an attractive touch". He says Allta is about "subtlety", and while prices may be "adventurous ... this is a place, and team, to watch". (Review not currently online) Gillian Nelis in the Business Post was also in early doors, and while she has plenty of good things to say about the oysters ("fresh as a daisy"), housemade charcuterie ("grazing fodder par excellence") and pollock crudo in a cherry blossom vinegar with umeboshi ("beautifully light"), she found what came next a bit "rich". She seemed to like the chicken scarpinocc, smoked Gubbeen cappelletti and crab bigoli by themselves, but thought one after the other "they just didn‘t work ... the flavour of one competing with the other." She describes the solo nitro ice-cream dessert as "bizarrely bad", and says that despite the "lovely" staff and "great" atmosphere it was a "slightly frustrating visit". Read her review here . A much happier visitor in the form of Niall Toner in the Sunday Times , who loved every dish, and like Tom Doorley even drank the juice from the bottom of the bowl of pickled mushrooms. He describes the crab bigoli as everything he ever wanted, the lamb BBQ pappardelle as a perfect marriage, and the ice-cream dessert as indulgently moreish. Chalk and Cáis na Tíre. Read that here . Another new opening in the Irish Times , where Catherine Cleary is first in with a review of new Dublin vegan/vegetarian restaurant Glas , and apart from the vegan parmesan ("It’s a toss-up which is worse, texture or taste"), she quite liked it. Sweetcorn and jalapeno fritters were "lovely", white truffle and “forest mushroom pâté spread "tastily" on toasted bread, and spicy cauliflower ribs ("a stretch" for florets) were "nicely roasted, with a sticky, satisfying sauce." Her 'orisotto' with fermented barley, pickled pumpkin, cauliflower, radish and horseradish was "almost perfect", but she longed for cheese or butter to bed everything together. Dessert of poached pear with spices, oat-milk ice-cream and candied hazelnuts was her favourite course, and she calls Glas a "hard-working, professional restaurant bravely putting vegan dishes on a brasserie-style menu", giving it 7/10. Read her review here . In the Irish Independent Katy McGuinness booked Peploe's for a Friday lunch in November, finding it "hopping ... full of people who know how to live." She calls the food "classic", but says it "surpassed expectations by a mile", with high points including veal kidneys with wholegrain mustard, grapes and Gubbeen chorizo ("as rich and delicious as they sound"); turbot with chorizo risotto, Argentinean red prawns and spider crab sauce ("gutsy fabulous"); and Wicklow pheasant with bread sauce, fondant potato, braised cabbage and port jus ("the essence of winter comfort"). A Rick Higgins T-bone with prawns was "sublime", while a hazelnut and chocolate Paris-Brest was "impeccable", and she says "it's hard to think of a restaurant anywhere in Dublin that combines such a genuinely warm (but not smarmy) welcome with top-class service, a ferocious buzz and exemplary food." She gives it 9/10 for food and 10/10 for value, and you can read her review here . In the Irish Examiner Joe McNamee find another great café in Kinsale, Cork - the "little cracker" that is St. Francis Provisions . Roasted root veg soup with "pleasingly perky kale pesto" was "homely", sweetcorn, chard and Macroom buffalo mozzarella fritters with a mixed vegetable salad and ajo blanco dressing was "healthy, wholesome, and crucially, bursting with balanced flavours", but it sounds like the toasties stole the show. He says it would take "fair effort" to improve on the ones in SFP, slathered in butter and "grilled to golden, glistening, crunchy crisp". The standout sounds like the grilled cauliflower with Gubbeen, Young Buck, Hegarty’s cheddar, Dijon mustard and jalapenos - "a wildly sumptuous affair" - and he says St Francis Provisions is "another unique addition to a town fast regaining its magical masticatory mojo". He gives them 8/10 for food and you can read his review here . In the Sunday Independent, lest any of the country folk feel left out, this week Lucinda is suggesting the best places for Christmas meet ups outside Dublin, after last week's focus on the capital's top spots. Among her twenty choices are Cask in Cork (below), Everett's in Waterford, Hooked in Sligo and Thyme in Athlone. (Not currently online) More next week.

Christmas gifting can be hard. Some people are really good at it, others are not. We can't help with those people who love cars, clothes or cold hard cash, but we can help with the ones who love to eat and drink, and if you're sick of your mother getting you hand cream and socks every year, maybe subtly drop this in the family whatsapp. Part 1 is for those of you who feel the need to give a physical gift that you can wrap. Part 2 featuring experiences (that can't be wrapped) is coming next week... 1) Chocolate from the Cocoa Atelier Pop-Up In Brown Thomas When Cocoa Atelier 's Drury Street shop closed in early 2018 wails were heard across the city, and although their pre-boxed chocolates are still available in Dollard and Co and Donnybrook Fair, there hasn't been a base to go in and design your own - until now. The handmade chocolate makers have popped up on the third floor of Brown Thomas until the 27th of December, so you can once again make your own box of 16, 24 or 36 chocolates (€20/€30/€40) or pick up a chocolate Christmas tree filled with velvet almonds, Provence hazelnuts or candied almonds. It's also very important that you pick up a bag each of milk and dark chocolate drops, along with their handmade marshmallows, then go home and make the Cocoa Atelier hot chocolate, which is jaw-droppingly good and will ruin all other hot chocolates until the end of time. 2) A Ballykeefe Gin Gift Set Is there anyone who doesn't like gin? If there is we haven't found them, but this one's a bit special. Kilkenny-based Ballykeefe Distillery took home gold for their Lady Desart Gin in this year's USA Spirits Ratings - kind of a big deal, and the inclusion of three oriental peppers in the distillery makes this on a bit more interesting than the average. Wild forest and long red peppers are sourced from mountain forests in Vietnam, while the mondulkiri red pepper comes from Cambodia, and we really like this simply served with tonic, but you can also add sliced strawberry and peppercorns. Gift sets which include glasses and mini bottles of their regular gin and sloe gin are €49.99 and are available in selected SuperValu stores. 3) A Sheridan's Cheese Club Subscription Anyone with even a passing interest in cheese will enjoy this, but cheese fiends will plan the whole month around delivery day. For €40 a month Sheridan's will send you four cheeses (or sometimes three and a jar of something like their famous truffle honey) with a theme (e.g. mountain cheeses, Irish cheeses, Italian cheeses) and notes about each one. You'll learn who made it and how, and why it's tasting particularly good right now, and it's basically an education in cheese. You can buy a gift subscription for a set period or just as a once off, and if buying for your own household make sure there are plenty of cheese lovers there as you get a lot of it. Sign up to the Sheridan's Cheese Club here . 4) A Coffee Subscription From Bean Delivered Bean Delivered is a new coffee subscription service which launched in June this year, sending out a new Irish roasted coffee each month, from places like Carrow Coffee in Sligo, Tra Coffee Roasters in Waterford and Brother Hubbard's Farmhand Coffee in Dublin. Coffee subscriptions start at €20 a month, and they've just launched their Christmas gift boxes for €50 or €70, containing coffee, a French press, a reusable cup and chocolate. Sign up here . 5) A Bottle Of Grower Champagne If you know someone who's really into their wine, there are few nicer gifts to give than a bottle of grower Champagne (where the house grows their own grapes - a rarity in the region). Unfortunately there aren't that many available in Ireland, but look out for names like Bereche, Laherte Frères, Egly-Ouriet and Larmandier-Bernier in places like Green Man Wines , 64 Wine and Sheridan's , or buy online from SIYPS . Not cheap, but will be very much appreciated. 6) A Homemade Hamper From The Fumbally Market Are you the crafty type? If so head to the Fumbally Christmas Market on the 13th/14th/15th December, fill your bags with fermented foods, Scéal 's mince meat and brandy butter and White Mausu 's *new* cashew nut crunch, then head home and pile it all into a gift basket with tissue paper, plastic wrap and all the ribbon. If you're the not so crafty type, The Fumbally will also be selling their own, pre-packed gift hampers in the café. 7) A Reusable Cup If your shaming of that family member who refuses to invest in a reusable cup is falling on deaf ears, take matters into your own hands by gifting them one for Christmas - and with cafés like Bread 41 and Tiller + Grain trying to slowly phase out single use coffee cups, you might save them from being in a coffee-less situation one day. We're big fans of the original KeepCup with glass and cork, but there are so many options available now, including the fashion forward Huskee cups that you can find in Indigo and Cloth in Temple Bar. Find them in most cafés or online. 8) A Bento Lunch Box From Reuzi More reusable equipment from minimal waste lifestyle store Reuzi in Foxrock. We love this bento box and it's many compartments, which we would take great pleasure in filling with a variety of lunch items, but there are so many great gift ideas online, including snack bags, flasks and pocket cutlery. See their eat and drink collection here . 9) A Tour Of Ireland Hamper From Indie Fude Co. Down based Indie Fude champion the best of Irish food, and while their shop might be a bit of a trek, they have so many great hampers available for delivery, and unlike a lot of online hampers you're not restricted to non-perishables. We're talking butter, cheese, meats, smoked salmon - all the good stuff. We would be all over their "food tour of Ireland traveller suitcase" in small or large versions (always large), containing products like Abernethy butter, Ballyhornan Smokehouse salmon, Ballyhoura mushrooms, digestives with Irish seaweed, bacon jam and Cloudberry sea salt caramel spread. See everything that's included here . 10) A Personalised Cheese Board From Slated Back to that cheese lover. How better to let everyone know who's cheese subscription it is than with a personalised cheeseboard? Get one from Irish homeware brand Slated , run by husband and wife team Ed and Tara Hammond. A small is €38 and a large €57, and you can order them here .

In the Irish Independent this week it's fair to say Katy McGuinness was less than impressed with Spitalfields in The Coombe, criticising the temperature as well as the food - "The woman at the next table wears her coat throughout her meal" - and you can feel the fury when she recounts how no one could tell her the provenance of the chicken in the cock-a-leekie pie. Only three of the five Parker House rolls in a portion contained meat - "inexcusably sloppy" - although the ones that did were "delicious", and a côte de boeuf was "nicely cooked" but "lacked flavour". It wasn't all bad. Loughshinny brown shrimp with aioli and Espelette pepper were "sweet and perfect", a Barnsley lamb chop with tapenade and salsa verde was "good", and a pistachio, pear and chocolate millefeuille to share was "as good as it looks". Despite the complaints she gives the food and value 7/10, saying the high point was manager Declan Maxwell's hospitality. Read her review here . In the Irish Times Catherine Cleary goes where no critic has gone before - the Oireachtas member's restaurant at Leinster House. With all that money to spend on printers you'd think it would be caviar and fresh truffle central, but not so. She finds it "slightly rudderless", comparing it to "a pricey nursing home where most of the residents are out at aqua aerobics". Parsnip soup tasted mainly of potato, a super food salad with quinoa, pomegranate and watery tomatoes made "little sense", and she beautifully delivers this mouth-watering description of some spinach-and-ricotta tortellini: "gnarly pasta parcels rapidly cooling to the texture of bath-softened toenails are covered with what can only be described as despair in sauce form." Desserts were "a trolley dash through the fancy dessert aisle by a cook whose guests would have loved a calming crumble", and she gives it 5/10, saying that the lovely staff saved it from going lower. She ends by saying that while it could be "a showcase for what we do brilliantly", instead it "feels as if we’re a long way from even beginning to work out what that is." Read her review here . In the Sunday Times Niall Toner is first off the mark with his review of ex-Etto head chef Barry Sun's new Blackrock restaurant Volpe Nera . He calls the room and food small but almost perfectly formed, loving the many connections to the season (like the venison below), and it manages a very rare Toner four out of five. Break out the fizz. Read his review here . In the Irish Examiner Leslie Williams was in his birth town of Athlone, and was pleased to report improvements to the formerly chain-ridden main street, as well as the food scene. His destination was Thyme , after they were awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in September (the only restaurant in the Midlands with one), and he calls it "a treat of a restaurant, with prices to encourage regular visits". Starters were "uniformly excellent", including wild wood pigeon with black pudding, pickled grapes and romanesco, Young Buck mousse with pickled pear and crackers, and ham hock with celeriac mousse and a breaded deep-fried egg. Loin of West Cork Waygu beef was "as tender and flavourful as you could hope for", and a squash, mushroom and Carlow sheep's cheese pithivier looked "perfect" with "good" flavour but could have done with a little more texture. Chocolate mousse and sticky toffee pudding to end were equally good, and he says Thyme is "perhaps the best ... reason to visit Athlone right now", giving them 9/10 for food. (Review not currently online but should be soon here .) In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley jetted off to London to Richard Corrigan's new opening Daffodil Mulligan . He admits early on that they know each other 30 years and have written a book together, which explains why he appears to have tasted everything on the menu. It verged from the fantastical (slow-cooked crubeens, "their gelatinously sticky meat fashioned into two little cushions, encased in a crisp overcoat") to the sublime (mashed potato topped with melted bone marrow and toasted crumbs - "from a solar system far superior to ours"), and he calls it "a consistently brilliant meal". He mentions fourteen dishes in total, and if we go we'll be ordering the "padron peppers from Cavan ... just blistered and scattered with pork crackling", and Peter Hannan 's sugar pit pork with roasted pineapple, lychee and mint. (Review not currently online) In the Sunday Independent Lucinda's back on her top 20 buzz, this time the best Christmas spots for "meeting and eating in Dublin" (waits for everyone outside Dublin to take offence at being left out). Amongst the lucky 20 are Davy Byrne's , which she describes as "a cosmopolitan refuge from the Grafton Street crowds", The Intercontinental Hotel which is "really the biz", and Marco Pierre White 's steakhouse where there's "always a buzz". She also recommends The Commons at Moli for its "delightful setting", The Shelbourne as it's "synonymous with Christmas", and The Trocadero for it's "rich, theatrical atmosphere". Knock yourselves out this festive season. No review in The Business Post this week - instead they've published their Christmas gift guides for foodies. Watch out for ours starting this week. More next week.

Last week involved a lot of amazing things in Aimsir , Kildare , spread across 18 courses with drinks pairings. Highlights (the whole thing was a life highlight) included a Killary Fjord oyster gently poached in roasted koji butter and apple balsamic to give it a nutty tone; dry-aged turbot with foraged sea lettuce and a fermented celeriac and sheep whey sauce; wild duck breast with beetroot and cherry that was elevated to another level by the addition of a punchy lavender gel (below), juiced crown price pumpkin with salted rapeseed pumpkin and seed brittle (below), and of course, that soda bread cooked in beef fat. Petit fours of raw sheep's milk fudge, toasted koji tart and douglas fir filled sweet buns were another highlight - Helen Drinks were varied and beautifully matched, ranging from a red ale with the bread, to a Killahora apple ice wine produced in Cork that was produced with a perfect piece of Young Buck cheese and divided opinion somewhat with the port-purists, but is definitely going on our Christmas list. Believe the Aimsir hype - Helen We also managed to bag seats for Allta 's soft launch where everything was 50% off. All The Food readers got first dibs on seats and managed to crash their system with the demand, and boy did it live up to the hype. Every dish seemed better than the last, but the handmade pastas in particular were stand outs. The chicken liver scarpinocc was outrageously rich, the gubbeen capellati with maitake were smoky, cheesy, popping parcels of joy, and the barbecued lamb with seaweed papardelle and cais na tire cheese has kicked all other lamb we've eaten this year (with the exception of Aimsir) into the dust. It's made with the last of this year's organic mayo lamb, salted and confited, then smoked over birch and glazed with homemade bbq sauce, black apple purée, brown butter and salted cherry vinegar. That sound you just heard was your own mind blowing - Lisa We also paid a visit to Old Street in Malahide who had invited us to a Charles Heidseick Champagne dinner. We loved this Champagne and mushroom risotto with fresh truffle, wild trumpet mushrooms and pecorino foam, served with CH's Blanc de Blancs NV, made from chardonnay - Lisa To The Old Spot for Sunday lunch. They have an á la carte menu with weekly specials, but also a choice of roast chicken or beef. Tough choice but we went for the beef (requesting it rare) which was served with roasties, carrot, broccoli, cheesy cauliflower, a Yorkshire pudding, and gravy. It’s huge, delicious, comforting, and just the way to round-out a busy week before heading home for a sofa coma. Pro tip: order a side of the onion rings and pepper sauce for dippage - Helen Loved this loaded, charred aubergine during a quick stop in Brother Hubbard North . It was topped with pomegranate, grapefruit, tahini, pistachio and herbs with a homemade flatbread on the side, and it was so good we were tempted to take another one to go - Lisa

Mackenzies , the latest opening from hospitality group Press Up Entertainment , has opened on Hanover Quay overlooking the Grand Canal, with a menu ranging from sushi to barbecue to pizza - although they're describing the food as "American inspired classics". Menus are of the "something for everyone" variety (a Press Up favourite), with snacks featuring Italian, Mexican and Japanese dishes, a sushi and sashimi section, steak and fish from a wood-fired grill, pizzas, pastas, burgers, sandwiches and salads - we're dizzy just thinking about it. Desserts look interesting, with an oven-baked chocolate & gingerbread cookie skillet with bourbon vanilla ice-cream, and a honeycake ice-cream sundae, and there's plenty of good stuff on the wine list, including some very high end bottles for those Silicon Docks spenders. Press Up do a good terrace, and the one at Mackenzie's overlooking the Grand Canal is likely to be jammed come summer, like sister restaurant Angelina's further down the canal. Brunch is available at the weekends, as well as bar dining, and a pre-theatre menu at €29.95 for three courses is being pitched at those heading to a show at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre . Mackenzie’s is open daily from 12:00 – 22:00, and from 10:00 at the weekends, with brunch served until 16:00. Mackenzie's Ground Floor Unit, Opus Building, 6 Hanover Quay, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin 2 Mon - Fri 12:00 - 22:00, Sat - Sun 10:00 - 22:00. mackenziesdublin.ie

No sooner had we gone live on our Best Food Events Left In 2019 article, even more food events started trickling into our inboxes. We felt it was only right to continue to share the good food news. 4 Hands Food Studio At The Fumbally Stables When: Saturday 7th December, 18:45 - 22:30 What: Chef Rose Greene and partner Margaux returned to Ireland last year to set up 4Hands Food Studio in Westmeath and have been running pop up events ever since to showcase their sprouting, fermenting and dehydrating. They return to The Fumbally Stables next month to host an intimate 7-course dinner using the best organically grown produce from the locality served at a communal table. Mains will be prepared for sharing with optional wine pairings as well homemade fermented drinks available on the night. Tickets are €70 and can be booked here . Eatyard's Winter Wine & Cheese When: Various dates from Friday 22nd November – Saturday 14th December. For full list of times, see here . What: Wine and cheese lovers who remember the joyous summer evenings spent in the Iveagh Gardens with copious amounts of wine and even more cheese will be delighted to hear you can get your fix of the festival again this winter in Jam Park in Swords. The cheesetastic puns are back for the festive season with loads of events including Crimbo Limbo, Live Cheesy Singles – we weren’t joking about the puns – and include wines on tap from Winelab, Le Caveau and a ‘Rhone Burgundy’ bar. Tickets cost €15 plus a booking fee which gets you entry, wine on arrival and access to all the entertainment. Feta-bulous! Sorry, we went there. Get tickets here . Ink's Winter Harvest Dinner When: Thursday December 19th, 19:00 - 22:00 What: FoodSpace Executive Head Chef Conor Spacey is working hard to promote and educate on the issue of zero waste when it comes to food. He's taking to the stage at Taste of Dublin in the RDS this weekend, and will host a Winter Harvest Dinner in FoodSpace's INK Café in the DLR LexIcon library Dun Laoghaire later in the month to celebrate Christmas with a seasonal six-course menu that's zero waste and has a low carbon footprint. Tickets are €52.83 and can be booked here . A Taste Of Dublin At Overends Kitchen When: Saturday 7th December - reservations available throughout the evening What: We're big fans of Glendalough Distillery so when a dinner comes about that includes their cocktails on arrival we're already sold. Make it happen on an urban farm? Where do we sign up... It's the season for thinking about sustainability and where what's on your plate has come from – let's face it, every season should involve thinking this way – and Luke Matthews has teamed up with Taste of Dublin to create a menu including snacks and a five-course menu using all seasonal produce from the grounds of Airfield Estate. Tickets are €70 or €65 for annual pass holders and can be booked at www.airfield.ie .

As the city sprawls and restaurants - decent restaurants that is - open in the suburbs and outside of the vacuum that is town, we’ve rounded up our favourite places for pre-dinner cocktails throughout the city. Some of the list is made up of bars that we’re sending you to because of cocktail mastery, others because their views of the city are unparalleled and quite a few happen to be disguised by the restaurant out front or downstairs. You might never have realised they were even there. 9 Below, Stephen's Green There are only a handful of bars in the city where we would recommend sitting down for a martini, and this is one of them. If like so many others, ordering a martini looks to be a discernibly difficult task - vodka/gin, dry/dirty, olive/twist etc. - the guys at 9 Below will help you out. From the same people behind 37, House and The Oak, this bar is their (ultra) plush outlet, and with hidden library rooms and caved ceilings, it’s a pretty cool way to start, or end, an evening. Every minute detail has been poured over to create as sophisticated a bar experience as you’ll get in the city, right down to the glassware and the spikes on which your olives are presented (should you choose them). A must-visit, if you can get in. The VCC, Temple Bar Search for a hidden doorbell in Temple Bar and you’ll find the Vintage Cocktail Club . In the middle of the mania, the VCC has become a haven from which to drink and delight in some of the city’s most creative cocktail creations. If you can, book ahead. Inside, there’s a menu that would confound most given its density, but for us, the unpronounceable “Phyotica” is a great way to start your evening. Light, smooth but packing a punch for your first drink of the night, you can head to dinner with the perfect Chartreuse-induced buzz. The Gold Bar at Hang Dai, Camden St It’s no secret we’re pretty big fans of Hang Dai , with the disco chinese restaurant seeming to get a new lease of life recently. Last year it launched the Gold Bar upstairs, a cool, compact space that fits about 25 people between the terrace and the bar itself, and is staffed by some decidedly cool bartenders. Get a “Men with broken hearts” for an interesting aperitif and digestif liqueur mix that produces an unusual result. The Sitting Room at Delahunt, Camden Street Another quaint bar sits above Camden Street mainstay Delahunt . Removed from the noise of the street below, this is a quiet spot for a really, really good pre-dinner drink (and you don’t have to be eating downstairs in order to grab a table). You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but we’d recommend the simple “Cognac and Orange” to cleanse the palette for whatever deliciousness is to come after. And yes, that is “Delahunt” imprinted on the ice cube. Details, folks. Bar 1661, Smithfield Poitin, which is making a comeback if you haven’t heard, is the toast of Dave Mulligan's Bar 1661 off Capel street, and with Gillian Boyle at the helm, who was also behind the launch of Hang Dai’s Gold Bar, they’ve carved out a creative cocktail menu and brand with a niche spirit. International Poitin Day was last week, and they celebrated by launching eight new cocktails, of which we think the “Brother Hubbard” with vanilla butter, Irish apple brandy, regal rose vermouth and rose hip sounds particularly appealing. The Baths, Clontarf A pretty slick addition to the Clontarf food and drink scene, and Dublin’s answer to the Sydney Icebergs club, The Baths has had an interesting go of it since reopening last year, and while it seems it's yet to find its feet food wise, we’d definitely recommend stopping by for a drink, if only for the €2.4m refurb surroundings. Ambient and with views for days, we’d recommend getting the “Baths Basil” as you watch the world go by outside. Even if you’re not sticking around for food, it’s a must visit if you find yourself in the vicinity. Upstairs Bar at Kinara Kitchen, Ranelagh Where the food scene in Ranelagh is sprawling and it boasts some great bars, cocktail-wise it’s a little short on offerings. The award winning “secret” bar upstairs in Kinara Kitchen has been around for a number of years, mastering the classics with a singular Pakistani flair, and if it were up to us, everyone would have to try the “Maharini” or the “Rested El Presidente” at least once. Whether you’re heading downstairs for some of the best Eastern food in the city, to Thai Nightmarket or critics’ favourite Host , it's definitely worth a pre-dinner visit. The Rooftop at The Marker Easily the city’s best view, if only for how cool Grand Canal Dock looks lit up at night-time, The Marker Hotel 's rooftop is a pre-dinner drink worth getting into a lift for. If you’re heading to Charlotte Quay across the dock or down to Osteria Lucio , you would be seriously remiss to skip a drink here beforehand. Their G&T menu is nice and robust - if expensive - so while you’re there, you might as well indulge in a Monkey 47. Not stocked in every bar in the city but something to be tried at least once, if only to enquire if it tastes any different to those gins with less than 47 botanicals in them. Just to note: during the winter season, the rooftop opens only for Friday and Saturday evening service. The Sidecar at The Westbury Given the abundance of busy restaurants in The Westbury’s vicinity, it’s nice to visit a place removed from the bustle of Grafton Street before you venture out into the thick of it. The Sidecar is idyllic in this sense, a serene step away from it all, with a great cocktail list to boot. One of the hotel’s most recent renovations, the 1920's style bar is probably our favourite place in the city for a cocktail, with a smokey "Mezcal Smash” that's as yet unbeatable. Circa, Terenure Before Circa arrived, you would have been hard-pressed to find a decent cocktail anywhere in Terenure, but amongst a few things the guys have gotten right here is their cocktail offering. IF you can nab a seat at the bar for some pre-dinner sipping, you’d do well to order the Circa Rebujito, because basil and bergamot make everything that comes after tastier. While you’re there, you may as well eat, but if they're fully booked you've also got Green Man Wines down the road and Craft is a 15 minute walk away.

A few things are apparent from looking at our Instagram feed over the past few weeks - there’s no slow-down with new Dublin restaurant openings, lots of spots are ramping up for Sunday openings in December ( Cirillo’s and Bread 4 1, we see you), and pies are very much en-vogue and on menus. Here are our picks for pies we want to eat this winter, and where to find them. Potager, Skerries Potager has been delighting customers and critics since opening during the summer with their 5-course tasting menus, and this pie, stuffed with layers of partridge, foie gras, and sprouts is basically a very fancy Sunday dinner wrapped in buttery pastry. Spitalfields, The Coombe At €42, this cock-a-leekie pie from Spitalfields represents a serious investment in both funds and time. To be fair, it is designed for two to share (we hear it would even stretch to three) so it’s best viewed as an investment in your relationship/friendship. Couple goals with a lattice lid. Brother Hubbard South, Harrington Street For pie purists, a pot pie with just a lid of pastry may not be kosher, but this version from Brother Hubbard South might change their minds. Basque-style chicken with chorizo and red pepper is the perfect spicy filling to go with flaky, buttery pastry. Osteria Lucio, Grand Canal Dock This pie from Osteria Lucio caught our eye because of the unusual cooking method. Caramelised onion is wrapped in puff pastry, and loaded up with a ragu of Irish lamb, and red peppers. Sounds like ideal winter fodder. The Old Spot, Bath Avenue One of our go-to spots for comfort food with an edge, The Old Spot ’s menu often features warming pies over autumn and winter. This braised beef pithivier served with buttery mash and carrots is just the kind of food we’d love to eat at home, but could never do half as well. The Legal Eagle, Chancery Place From Dublin’s home of great food with a 70's twist, The Legal Eagle ’s steak and ale pie with mushy marrowfat peas, chips, and gravy is not a meal for the faint-hearted. Team with a Kinnegar Scraggy Bay IPA and maybe don’t plan to do too much heavy-lifting for the rest of the day. One Pico, Molesworth Street Described as a quail and foie gras wellington on One Pico ’s menu, this did prompt a bit of discussion here in ATF as to whether it counts as a pie, but we’re happy to report that it did pass the “Pastry.Meat. Repeat” test and is therefore making it onto the list. Plus foie gras coupled with pastry is actual goals. Chapter One, Parnell Square Is foie gras in a pie now a thing? If so it's a thing we can get behind. Chapter One ’s winter menu traditionally includes a pithivier and this year it’s packed full of duck, foie gras, and bacon. Incredibly rich, but incredibly moreish. Richmond, Portobello Aside from their usual (and very tempting) á la carte menu, Richmond 's €42 Tuesday tasting menu is often used as an opportunity for the chefs to experiment with new dishes like this rustic rabbit and ham pie, which looks like a great way to try the lesser seen rabbit if you want to ease yourself in slowly. Circa, Terenure One for the non-meat eaters on the menu in Circa in Terenure. The potato, leek, truffle and durrus pithivier also features on the Christmas menu, so ample opportunity to indulge. Bistro One, Foxrock When we saw this pie on chef Rory Shannon’s Instagram feed, it was still in development but is due to hit the menu of Bistro One this week. Old-school suet pastry, packed with curried pheasant sounds like the kind of food we didn’t know we needed in our lives until now. Also, phwoar...

The world feels a bit mad at the moment. Our neighbours across the Irish Sea have lost the run of themselves altogether with elections and Brexit, Mariah Carey is advertising crisps , and a certain well-heeled Dublin street has been rebranded for Christmas in a move that has caused division, not just fractions. Don’t lose hope though, in a world gone mad there are certain things that will remain consistent; dropped toast will always landed buttered-side down, your mother will always tell you not to be wasting your money on her at Christmas, and Dublin will always be the home of the toasted sandwich, and this week these five are making us feel all gooey inside. 1) The Ham and Brie Toastie from Container Coffee If you haven’t been to Container Coffee on Thomas St this toastie packed with thick slices of proper ham, brie, caramelised onion, and token rocket - gotta get those greens - should be all the molten motivation you need to get down there. The filling to bread ratio here is perfect, and the thickness of that ham should be recorded by the National Standards Authority of Ireland. 2) Crab Toastie from Minetta Deli In a departure from the classic cheddar and ham, this toastie from Minetta Deli with spicy, zesty crab meat and gruyère cheese is one of their best sellers and we can see why. It’s basically lots of our favourite things in one perfect, sourdoughy package. 3) Chorizo and Manchego Toastie from BiBi’s Café BiBi’s in Dublin 8 covers all the café basics with scones and eggy options, but the Chorizo and Manchego toastie from the beautifully titled “Lunchier Dishes” menu has caught our eye. Served with chili mayo it looks like exactly what we need on these colder afternoons. 4) Cashew Nut Butter and Blackberry Toastie from Laine My Love Our love of cheese is well documented so the fact that we’ve included a cheese-free toastie on our list should probably tell you something. Laine My Love ’s breakfast offering with sourdough, cashew butter, and blackberry preserve is a sweet, salty, carby hug. 5) Turkey and Chorizo Melt from 147 Deli We’re not being dramatic, but if you haven’t been to 147 Deli on Parnell Street you’ve pretty much been living a half life. Rectify that soon, as their sandwiches and rolls are lovingly filled with a range of house-cooked meats and imaginative toppings, and alongside menu regulars the weekly special is pretty much guaranteed to be an epic creation, like last week's turkey and chorizo melt with extra chorizo crispy bits.

In this week's Irish Independent Katy McGuinness got momentarily trapped in Bullet Duck and Dumplings on Mary Street Little when the door jammed shut, and spends most of the review reminiscing about a time the same thing happened during floods in Galway. The food gets a brief look in towards the end, with har gau prawn dumplings "excellent", but siu mau ones "too sweet and solid". Pork and prawn wonton soup had a "good" broth but suffered from "bland" dumplings, and egg-fried rice topped with crisp pork belly and de-boned barbecue duck was "substantial and tasty, good cold weather food". She says she likes Bullet's "low-key charm", giving it 8/10 for food and 9/10 for value. Read her review here . In the Business Post (which has just rebranded from the Sunday Business Post) Gillian Nelis checks out new Stepaside restaurant Woodruff , whose chef Simon Williams she previously reviewed (and liked) when he was at The Gables in Foxrock. She calls it another "neighbourhood restaurant going above and beyond when it comes to sourcing great Irish produce" and says they left with "happy faces all round". Gambas with avocado and chipotle mayo were "beauties", roasted squash with gnocchi, ricotta and a salt-based celeriac puree was "faultless", and an Andarl farm pork cutlet disappeared fast, as did the cavolo nero, parsnip puree, pink fir potatoes and crispy crackling it came with. Irish game risotto was "less successful" with tough meat and under seasoned barley, but bread and butter pudding for dessert was "very good", while white chocolate mousse with beetroot meringue was "inspired". Read her review here . In the Sunday Times Niall Toner and his dining partner were the only people in newly opened Port House Cava on Camden Street one lunchtime. The food sounds pretty good, particularly the Puntillas (deep-fried baby squid), canelon (something like lamb canneloni), and Canarian potatoes, but once again the Toner 3/5 can't be budged. Read his review here . In the Irish Times Catherine Cleary thinks The Cheese Press in Ennistymon (yes there's somewhere else to eat in the Co. Clare town apart from Little Fox ) is serving the best toastie in Ireland - cue a stampede to Clare. The toastie in question was made with sourdough bread from the local bakery and raw Coolattin cheddar, and she says "putting this level of farmhouse cheese and properly fermented bread in a toastie outside of hipster brunch zones is a revolutionary act." A fried organic egg came with "perfectly spiced" chorizo and homemade sundried tomato paste, and a vegan plate came with "great" olives, freshly made hummus, "nicely pickled" artichoke hearts and "juicy" dolmades. She says The Cheese Press is "as much about creating community as it is about serving the country’s best cheese toastie", and gives them 9/10. Read her review here . In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley paid a visit to O'Mahony's in Watergrasshill , of which word was filtering out about via the local "bush telegraph". He calls it "ambitious ... unpretentious" and "wildly enthusiastic", with a "reassuringly short" menu. Lamb "arancini" with potato and pearl barley tasted "intensely" of Irish stew, crisp cauliflower in a spicy red sauce with sesame seeds and kimchi was savoury and spicy, and a Ballyhoura mushroom wellington was "pleasant" but could have been heavier on the mushroom. Mackerel was "impeccable" with an accompanying crab cake tasting "thoroughly of crab", and sides were "the antithesis of pub vegetables". Pear tatin was buttery and not too sweet, coming with "fabulous" liquorice ice-cream, and he notes the "terrific" selection of drivers' drinks. (Review not currently online) In the Irish Examiner Joe McNamee was living it large at Gregan's Castle in Clare, with an extensive tasting menu and some of the best lines of the weekend. A scallop in a sweet, peppery consommé with puffed rice, crisp brussel sprout leaves, mandarin and ginger was one of his dishes of the year: "myriad strands in sublime, singular expression", and a celeriac tart with salt-cooked egg yolk, black and white truffles and three cornered leek had "complex, hefty flavours yet resolves with zen-like clarity." He says he's usually wary of "certain tropes of classical French cooking", particularly the overuse of things like truffle and foie gras - "their impact too often a shallow veneer of ‘luxury’ masking homogenised, sickly-rich and ultimately bland fare for corpulent old buffers of gouty torpor and vermillion visage," and as that won't be topped we'll leave it there. He gives them 9/10 for food and value, and you can read his review here . Finally in the Sunday Independent Lucinda O'Sullivan was trying Dingle's "hot and happening" new tapas restaurant Solas , where the "one and only Nevin Maguire" was dining alongside her. She reckons chef Nick Foley's six years at Bentley's in London show in the food, with popcorn squid "perfect", dillisk and wild mushroom croquettes "instant tummy-pleasers", and octopus carpaccio "one of the stars of the show". Pork belly was "succulent and silky", while "perfectly pink" lamb chops were "heaven", and she adored their 24-month Manchego cheese with crispbread, quince, olives and gherkins, saying she can see why Solas has been "reeling in the locals and tourists alike for its great buzz and food". (Review not currently online) More next week.

Ex- Etto head chef Barry Sun has opened his own restaurant in Blackrock. Volpe Nera is described as "a cosy, friendly neighbourhood place", with the name meaning black fox in Italian - a nod to the restaurant being half way between Blackrock and Foxrock. The 50-seater restaurant is spread over two floors, and features counter dining at the bar as well as regular tables There's a similar Mediterranean influence to Etto , with dishes like ricotta malfatti with onion squash and slow cooked egg yolk, deer carpaccio with artichokes, pickled pear and juniper, and yellow fin tuna with fermented radish and black sesame. Snacks include guanciale, Iberico pork and olive croquettes and Brandy Bay oysters, with mains including roast pheasant with braised endive, pickled quince and polenta, and that côte de boeuf to share also looks like it's going to be a menu fixture. We think it's going to go particularly well with their 'beef dripping hash potatoes'. Barry Sun came to Ireland in 2002 when he was 19, to improve his English, and began working as a kitchen porter. He worked his way up through Dylan McGrath's Mint in Ranelagh, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Bon Appetit, Cleaver East and l'Ecrivain, before ending up as head chef in eternally popular Etto, where he was named chef of the year in 2018 at the RAI awards . The same year Etto won best restaurant in Dublin and in Ireland. Since he moved on to open Volpe Nera a few months ago, ex-Luna head chef Vish Sumputh has taken over the kitchen at Etto, and the food appears to be as good as ever. Volpe Nera is now open for lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Saturday, and for long lunches on Sunday from 14:00 - 19:00. Currently online reservations aren't available so email info@volpenera.ie to book. Volpe Nera 22 Newtown Park, Blackrock, Co. Dublin Wed – Thu 17:00 – 21:30. Fri – Sat 12:30 – 14:30, 19:30 – 22:00. Sun 14:00 - 19:00 www.volpenera.ie

Wondering how to get a foot firmly on the Dublin food map? Get yourself a visit from an international pop icon. We bet Blackrock Indian Ruchii couldn't believe their luck when Cher decided to climb the stairs to their dining room above a pub two weeks ago (and liked it so much she tried to go back the next night but they were full). After one lacklustre review from Ernie Whalley earlier this year (who compared it to a UK curry house), Tom Doorley paid a post-Cher visit for the Irish Daily Mail and calls it "divine". He sidestepped the 'Cher menu' (for realz, you can eat what she ate), loving a platter of starters including "succulent" tandoori chicken, "stunningly good" crispy, spicy cauliflower, and "revelatory" shredded pork in a sweet and sour tomato sauce. Kashmiri rogan josh was the best he's ever tasted (another "revelation"), and coconut marinated prawns with curry leaves and mustard seeds was "delicious". He says there's "so much to like about Ruchii", not least the "general sense of inventiveness and fun on the plate combined with great seriousness in the kitchen". If it's good enough for the Goddess of Pop... (Review not currently online) In the Sunday Independent another critic is bowled over by Mamó in Howth, where Lucinda O'Sullivan praises the "dream team in a dream location". She says rather than the neighbourhood restaurant they've pitched it as, it's more likely to be "a hot destination where the locals will be battling for a seat", and says she'd cross Dublin Bay for those cod chips (confit potato topped with taramasalata) alone. Crisp sourdough with vadouvan butter made her "weak at the knees", salt-baked celeriac with pickled girolles, orange and red onion was "most gorgeous", and brill with cauliflower, capers and brown shrimp was "moist and juicy". Comeragh mountain lamb was "mouth-wateringly tender", and she says they felt smug as "multifarious hipsters and the great unbooked were politely turned away". The poor hipsters just can't catch a break. (Review not currently online) In the Irish Independent Katy McGuinness found simple things done well at Osteria Lucio , with the exception of a very small, very expensive arancino at €7. Handmade spaghetti with Irish cockles, squid, courgette and scallions was "quite perfect", but tagliatelle with a ragu of duck, spinach and pecorino was "dull", lacking in meaty richness. Tagliata (below) was "flavoursome" and came with a satisfyingly crunchy cabbage salad, and a salsiccia pizza was was good as she remembered from home deliveries. She says the high point was "a warm welcome, excellent hand-made pasta and proper, professional service" and gives them 8/10 for food, ambience and value. Read her review here . In the Sunday Business Post Gillian Nelis is the second critic in the past few weeks to discover Riba in Stillorgan, which goes to show how effective a bit of social media self-promotion can be. She says based on the list of Irish producers they work with they were doing well before she even arrived, but a fritto misto with squid, prawns and cod with aioli and a green pepper, soy and chilli sauce was a great start. Flavoursome Sika venison from Wicklow came with vegetables that were "a joy" - "smooth as silk" celeriac, and cavolo nero that she'd eat a mountain of - and everything was Irish. Seafood tonnarelli with cockles, mussels, squid and prawns was "simple, and all the better for it", and an apple and blackberry crumble with zabaglione and ice-cream was her kind of crumble. She says she'll be back to spend her own money there because of the "very good cooking, the warm service and the commitment to supporting local growers and suppliers." Read her review here . In the Irish Examiner Leslie Williams was on the beer at Rascal's taproom and pizzeria in Inchicore, all of which he thought were "excellent". Strangely the wood-fired pizza oven was low on wood so they were using gas, but he said it made "little difference as the bases had excellent charring and bubbling". Their three pizzas had "well-thought out flavour combinations" which allowed the bases to shine, but the winner was the "Blue Belle" with mozzarella, pear, Cashel Blue cheese, candied walnuts and rocket. They also enjoyed the "Meat Me In Inchicore" and "Here Comes The Hot Stepper", although kale on the latter didn't work - would it ever on a pizza? A chocolate brownie for dessert was "wonderfully gooey and sticky" and he says go and support your local brewery. Read his review here . In the Sunday Times Niall Toner has done another two-for-one, with the headline inferring it's a review of Loose Canon , but half the review given over to a meal at The Seafood café in Temple Bar. Both get the ST seal of approval, but the Toner three stars (out of five) remains unmoved - although he says he was tempted to give a rare four. Read that here . Finally in the Irish Times Catherine Cleary is eating in another museum - this time the Bistro in the Guggenheim in Bilbao - and it was so good she went two nights in a row (clearly more organised than Cher). She calls it "a hidden treat", just like the hummus that was revealed when they lifted up a fish head to be spread on warm bread. A salad of "tangy, sweet, slippery, Spanish tomatoes" was so good she was still thinking of it weeks later, tomato gazpacho with cubes of pickled watermelon was "life-enhancing", and her "creamy rice" had subtle saffron and "sweet, juicy clams". Caramelised sheep curd for dessert tasted like "a tangy meringue melded with a cloud", raspberry ice-cream with violet meringue was "summer in one spoonful", and coffee on the terrace overlooking the river was the icing on the cake. She gives it 9.5/10 calling it "food culture at its finest" and you can read her review here . More next week.

Allta , the much anticipated wine bar from chef Niall Davidson officially opens next Wednesday, with bookings going live today. Earlier this week we offered ATF readers the first chance to eat there at this week's soft launch, with 50% off the menu, and so many of you emailed for seats that we managed to crash their system - oops. 'Allta' is the Irish for wild, and Niall who used to own Irish restaurant Nuala in London, along with head chef Hugh Higgins (ex-Luna) and sous chef Christine Walsh (ex-Loam in Galway) have spent the last few months travelling around the country finding producers to work with, and testing recipes, fermenting and curing in a Terenure test kitchen. The menu features housemade charcuterie, snacks like Croman oysters with rhubarb vinegar, and small plates like crispy skate wing with a seaweed cream. There's also lots of pasta like chicken liver scarpinocc (which looks to be a must order going off reports from last night), spider crab bigoli, and smoked Gubbeen capellatti with grilled maitake broth. Every ingredient used bar olive oil, pasta flour and white chocolate is sourced in Ireland. They're calling it a wine bar first and foremost, and sommelier Ian Fitzpatrick, who came from Adare Manor, has put together a list of 100 wines, with 30 by the glass, as well as sake, cocktails, beer and non-alcoholic options. Niall plans to open a less casual sister restaurant to Allta next year, with very few seats, a tasting menu and no choice. Hands up if you're excited for that one. Allta will take a certain amount of bookings, but generally the long table in the middle of the restaurant, made from an Irish elm tree, will be reserved for walk ins - although you can book it for groups. There's also a private dining room downstairs which will be available for bookings from the 1st of December. At the moment they're going to open from 5pm - midnight, Tuesday - Saturday, with the full menu available until 10pm and snacks from 12pm - midnight. Bookings for Allta until the end of December are now live here . Allta Setanta Place, Dublin 2 Tuesday - Saturday 17:00 - 00:00 www.allta.ie

It's wet, it's cold, it's gross. Stay indoors and eat fried chicken and dumplings. It's the only logical thing to do. Lucky for us the food purveyors of the city are always looking out for us and have come up with lots of ways for us to stay dry and full this November. Fried Chicken And Natural Wine at Bastible When: Sunday 24th November, 14:00 - sell out What: Bastible are throwing a Sunday shindig with Morita fried chicken and Cooldaniel cheese sandwiches, Gut Oggau wines by the glass, and ice-cream sandwiches made using Olly's Farm honey. One of their chefs is doing the music, and it's walk in only until they sell out. Clear the diary. Chimac Gives Us The Gift Of Brunch When: Every Sunday What: An excuse to eat fried chicken for brunch - as if you needed another one. Chimac 's new Sunday brunch menu includes chicken and waffles, a chicken breakfast burger, and their version of avocado toast - "soy marinated eggs, pickled red onion and fresh smashed avocado served on a high protein toast substitute (aka 100% Irish, free-range, twice fried chicken breast)". Yes to all of the above. Join the Aungier Street queue. Ciaran Sweeney At The Commons When: Sat 30th November and Sun 1st December What: Ex- Forest & Marcy head chef Ciaran Sweeney is popping up at the new Commons at Moli on St Stephen's Green at the end of the month to host two tasting dinners. The new café/restaurant from Domini and Peaches Kemp opened in the beautiful Georgian building, home to the Museum of Literature, last month. The 5-course menu is being billed as "a celebration of Ciaran's modern Irish cooking", and is priced at €65. A specially chosen selection of wines and non-alcoholic home-made drinks will also be available to purchase on the evening, and as it's a set menu dietary requirements or allergies can't be accommodated. Book by emailing info@thecommonsmoli.ie. Double 8 Dumplings Are Coming To Ranelagh When: Various dates in December What: Bray's handmade dumpling shop Double 8 is popping up in Lock 6 in Ranelagh for a few Fridays and Saturdays in December bringing their pork and cabbage soup dumplings, spice bag chicken dumplings and sea salt and banoffee versions to Dublin 6. They're also promising a seasonal menu (turkey dumplings?) as well as Boyne Brewhouse beers and cans of Ramona. They'll be there on Friday 6th, Friday 13th, Friday 20th, Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd December and it's walk in only. Fumbally Christmas Market When: Friday 13th - Sunday 15th December. What: The Fumbally are holding a Christmas market in the middle of December featuring local food producers like Scéal, Fumbally Ferments and White Mausu. There's going to be a craft and design section upstairs, and on Sunday the café will be filled with even more stalls. Friday 13:00 - 20:00, Saturday and Sunday 13:00 - 18:00.

We love the city but sometimes we need to escape in search of fresh air and head space, so were very interested to hear about a new food and drink tour that picks you up in Dublin, ferries you around Wicklow to meet some of the county's best food and drink producers, and drops you back to the city that evening full of cheese, whiskey and fruit wine. Sounds like our dream day, so we went off to check it out... What is Meet The Makers Wicklow? It's a collaboration between Kilruddery House and Gardens , Wicklow Way Wines , Wicklow Wolf beer and Powerscourt Distillery , led by Mia Tobin from Brewery Hops , to bring you on a day of food and drink tasting without the hassle of arranging individual appointments - or having to drive yourself home afterwards, because who wants to be the designated driver after visits to a winery, brewery and distillery. Major buzzkill. The tour collects and drops you back to Nassau Street in Dublin city centre, so the only thing you need to do is get yourself to the Kilkenny Shop, maybe slotting in a pitstop en route to Bread 41 or Tiller + Grain for coffee and cruffins (we did this, it's always a good idea). It's fully guided by Mia throughout the day, with commentary en route to Wicklow and between stops. Where do you go on the tour? The first stop is Kilruddery House where owner Fionnuala Ardee takes you on a tour of the house which dates back to the 17th century, then down along the grounds and into the walled kitchen gardens and poly-tunnels, to pick tomatoes, salad leaves, herbs and edible flowers for a mid-morning snack. Once the baskets been filled up it's back up to the courtyard for homemade sausage rolls, salad, brownies, marshmallows, tea and coffee, and if it's a Saturday you might get a chance to have a wander around their weekly farmer's/craft/vintage market. After Kilruddery House it's back on the bus and onto Wicklow Way Wines , whose award-winning Móinéir fruit wines are made from strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Winemaker Brett Stephenson takes the group on a tour of the winery, showing them how the fruit is pressed, fermented and aged, before heading upstairs for a cheese, chocolate and wine tasting. Once you've had your fill of fruit wine it's time to head to Wicklow Wolf brewery around the corner. They've just moved here from Bray so it's all brand spanking new, including the lovely wooden and corrugated iron tasting room where you'll get to taste through their current range of beers, and see some of the hops they've grown themselves in the Wicklow mountains - a work in progress. You also get a walk through of the brewery, beer in hand, then it's back into the tasting room for a beer of your choice and pizza from Firehouse Bakery in Delgany. The next and final stop is Powerscourt Distillery , which is a new distillery on the grounds of Powerscourt Estate which opened in March of this year. After being taken into a mini-cinema for a video about the distillery, who's behind it and their multi-award-winning distiller, you'll get a tour of the distillery and hear how whiskey is made, before being taken into the barrel room to see how it's aged, and learn about 'whiskey chocolate' - a type of sediment that builds up on the outside of the barrels from whiskey seeping out - we weren't quite up for tasting that one. Once the technical stuff is done, it's time for the fun part. The tasting. You'll head upstairs to one of the private tasting rooms for a tasting of their three Fercullen whiskeys, which retail for between €40 and €90, paired with cheeses, meats and crackers. After that you'll be rolled onto the bus full and happy, for a final drive past the sugarloaf, before heading back for Dublin. What time does it leave and return to Dublin? The mini-bus leaves from across from the Kilkenny Shop on Nassau Street at 09:30 and will drop you back there at 17:30, after which you can head home full and happy, or keep the day of piggery going by heading for dinner and drinks. You're already in town sure. What's the damage? €150, which includes transport to and from Dublin, and all of your food and drink for the day. Stuck for Christmas present ideas? Sorted. How do I book? Tours for select dates can be booked here , or private tours can also be arranged if you can round up a group, or convince your boss to fund a team-building day out. Gift vouchers are also available. For more information click the link below. www.meetthemakerswicklow.ie

Winter is hard. It’s cold, there’s been a winter's worth of rain already, and it’s just too dark - bring on 2020 and the end to this clock-changing nonsense. While it’s probably too early to yearn for tidings of comfort and joy, we’re very much in need of some comfort right now, and think these five things will give us that food hug to get us through these darker days. 1) The Smoked Bacon And Marmalade Sandwich From Velvet Café We love sweet and salty combos, but this one made us pause for thought when it come up on our Insta feed. We’ve never thought of putting bacon and marmalade together but Velvet Café in Portmarnock have, and now we can think about nothing else. 2) The Secret Saucy Burger From The Saucy Cow One of our favourite things to do on a cold weekend has long been to wander around Eatyard and heat up as we eat. With the sad loss of the Bernard Shaw, Eatyard has had to relocate and they’ll be open again from 15th November at Crossguns Bridge, between Phibsboro and Glasnevin. As ever, they’ll have a mix of vendors catering to lots of different tastes, but this vegan take on a Southern-fried chicken burger from The Saucy Cow is calling us to the Northside. Loaded with pickles, garlic sauce, and their secret burger sauce, this looks like the best kind of hot mess. 3) Ham Hock Croquettes With Charred Pineapple From The Woollen Mills There’s nowhere nicer to be on a cold, rainy day than indoors - ideally by a big window looking out at people trying to keep their umbrellas upright. The Woollen Mills is prime people-watching real estate and these ham hock croquettes with celeriac slaw, cider-soaked sultanas, charred pineapple,and chorizo mayo will make you happy to give the cold shoulder to anyone who tries to tell you that Dublin has hit peak croquette. 4) Slow-cooked Oxtail With Polenta From Sprezzatura The appeal of comfort food is very straight-forward: it’s food we could cook reasonably well ourselves if we had the motivation and time to do so. Could we take a piece of oxtail and roast it slowly until it comes away in sticky strings? Probably. Could we make polenta that’s creamy and comforting and the perfect foil to the fatty meat? Most likely. Are we going to order Sprezzatura ’s new oxtail and polenta dish with a side of potato focaccia for mopping? Definitely. 5) Toasted Marshmallow Fluff Hot Chocolate from Three Twenty Ice-Cream Lab While we rarely miss the opportunity to eat ice-cream, whatever the weather, the team at Three Twenty Ice-Cream Lab have made it that bit easier to opt for a creamy treat without sustained teeth-chattering. Made with Valhrona chocolate and topped with toasted marshmallow fluff, this not only looks delicious, but it’s practically an act of charity if it means those guys don’t have to stand over mixers of liquid nitrogen all winter.

Find part 1 of our alternative Christmas party list here ... Try as you might you can’t hide from the fact that there's less than seven weeks until Christmas (cue screaming) and the venue recommendation requests have been sliding into our DMs recently. If you haven’t booked your office Christmas party yet, or are planning to head out with a gang of friends but don’t know where to go, now’s the time to start seriously thinking about it before you’re left with nothing but a plate of dry turkey in the function room of a dodgy hotel - or Milano's. If you love food, but dread Christmas gatherings for the aforementioned reasons, here are some alternative party venues. Vegetarian Festive Spooks with Phantasmagoria This is definitely not your average Christmas gathering. Sinéad Baily Kelly and Deirdre Young of creative agency H&G Creations have run Christmas dining experiences across Dublin for the past seven years, utilising spaces that are often left vacant. This year there’s a distinctly 18th century Georgian feel to Phantasmagoria (you know - a sequence of real or imaginary images like those experienced in a dream) taking place in Orlagh Country House in Rathfarnham on December 5th, 6th, and 7th. Slice are behind the 3-course vegetarian menu (the menu and décor are designed with sustainability at the forefront), it’s BYOB, and you’ll be on the edge of your seat listening to your host Spooky Beuor telling the tale of the spirits who call the grounds home. Tickets are €65 each and available here . All The Vegan Food And Wine At Beo Kitchen And Wine Bar Eating a plant-based diet can mean limited options at the best of times, but Christmas in particular seems to relegate even the most versatile vegan to nut roast or gnocchi. Beo Wine Bar + Kitchen is fully vegan, offer lots of options for groups, and the organic/natural wine list will help to keep hangovers at bay. It’s not a big spot so better suited to smaller groups. Full details and menu options are on www.beokitchen.ie . Teppanyaki at Tippenyaki Seated at a table hosted by chef who put on a show as they cooks, you’ll be highly entertained and well fed at Tippenyaki in Rathmines. The menu features sushi and hot Japanese dishes, and you may even get a chance to flex your own culinary skills at the grill. Details are on www.tippenyaki.ie . Share The Love (And Food) At Brother Hubbard North Christmas is all about sharing and Brother Hubbard North is giving you an opportunity to do just that with up to 199 of your closest friends or colleagues. Shared mezze starters, a selection of large-plate mains, and a pretty dreamy dessert mezze featuring brown sugar pavlova with poached pear and pomegranate are on the menu, and if dinner isn’t what you’re after, they’re also doing Christmas breakfast and brunch parties. Info is on www.brotherhubbard.ie . Katsu and Karaoke at Ukiyo Bar We all know how this goes- nobody wants to go to a karaoke bar but you book it anyway and, before you know it, you can’t get the mic off of Sharon in Accounts and someone is crying while swaying back and forth to My Heart Will Go On. Ukiyo is great for groups, serves lovely Asian food, is really central, and once you’re all karaoke-d out you can dance on with the DJ until 02:30. See www.ukiyobar.com for more info. Private Dining at Airfield Estate Airfield Estate hosts a range of Christmas activities including crafting workshops, and visits with the man in red (Santa, not Elton John) that are great for the whole family, but if you want to spend some quality time with your work family, the estate’s Overends Kitchen is offering private dining for groups of 50-120 people at a cost of €59 each. The menu is quite traditional, featuring turkey with all the extras you’d expect, but is served sharing style to encourage collegiate conversation. If you’re looking for activities for a smaller group, we think wine on (or near) the deck, or a baking class with resident chef Shane Smith fit the bill. Deets on www.airfield.ie Lunch or Dinner at Shelbourne Social Dylan McGrath’s Shelbourne Social is a year-round twinkly oasis in D4 so we’re looking forward to seeing how extra they go for Christmas. It’s a big spot, seating over 100 diners over 2 floors, so we think it’s the ideal place for wining, dining and cocktailing clients that you want to impress. The three-course dinner is priced at €68 but we’re tempted by the €45 lunch menu featuring a sugar pit pork chop that’s making us feel very merry and bright. Info and booking details on www.shelbournesocial.ie . City Centre Dinner at The Woollen Mills When arranging a Christmas party, it’s important to pick a venue that’s convenient to get to, but more importantly has good transport links when everyone’s heading home at the end of the night. The Woollen Mills , right at the Ha’penny Bridge, fits the bill for those grabbing a bus, tram, train, or taxi. Yes, your friends may be getting an overnight stay in a country hotel with the tab picked up by their employers, but you can feel smug knowing you don’t have to traipse to some off-ramp hotel accommodation to eat turkey that’s been sitting over a bain marie for seven hours. If you like a side of schnitzel with your schadenfraude, this one from The Woollen Mills, served with sprouts, parsnips, cranberry relish, and gravy, is the way to do it. Information on www.thewoollenmills.com .

Our bi-monthly list features the most talked about restaurants in Dublin right now, and things are hotting up so much we've had to increase it from 20 to 25 this month. This is where the reviewers are reviewing, the instagrammers are instagramming, and where getting a Saturday (or any) night table can take military planning, in alphabetical order... 3 Leaves Where: Blackrock Market The tiny Indian in Blackrock exploded in 2018 with zero PR attached - just word of very satisfied mouths. Soon it was being called "outstanding" by Tom Doorley and "a revelation" by Katy McGuinness and it was firmly on the Dublin food map. Expect very tasty, very good value food, and the fact that you can BYOB is another reason it's difficult to get a table in. Read our 3 Leaves once over here . Alma Where: Portobello The Argentinean café opened in mid-January with slick imagery and a very different menu to what's currently available on the food scene, and seems to have had a queue since day one. You have definitely seen the dulce de leche pancakes on social media and have probably stood on the SRC waiting for a table. Catherine Cleary called it "very special", while Katy McGuinness said it's a "small restaurant with a big personality".. Read our Alma once over here . Bastible Where: South Circular Road Always a cornerstone of the Dublin dining scene, Bastible has been catapulted back into the limelight with the news that ex-Noma chef Cúán Greene is back in Dublin and their new head chef. Catherine Cleary was swiftly through the door, calling it "the start of something truly bloody exciting". Expect a stampede. Check out Bastible's hunger-inducing Instagram feed here . Bread 41 Where: Pearse Street Did cruffins even exist before Bread 41 opened last September? What did we have as a 'treat' breakfast? What did food bloggers pull apart for insta story videos? It's fair to say that Real Bread fanatic Eoin Cluskey's Pearse Street bakery burst onto the scene and shows no signs of slowing down. Watch the sad faces pile up around 10am when they find out that everything's gone and the next bake isn't till 11. Check out Bread 41 here . Chimac Where: Aungier Street Korean Fried Chicken fever hit the capital at the start of summer when Chimac finally opened after a year of rumours. Queues down Aungier Street became the norm, and for the first week they couldn't keep chicken in stock for more than a few hours. Katy McGuinness in the Irish Independent praised their commitment to free range chicken giving the food 9/10, and they've just added brunch. Read more our Chimac once over here . Circa Where: Terenure The new neighbourhood restaurant from four industry friends won a Michelin Bib Gourmand within six months of opening, and has given diners across the city reason to get on a bus to Terenure. Leslie Williams in the Examiner saying Circa's "future looks bright", and Ernie Whalley in the Sunday Times calling chef Gareth Naughton's cooking "stylish with inspirational touches". Read more about Circa here . Clanbrassil House Where: Clanbrassil Street It's always a bit of a tie between who's getting more love - OG Bastible (above) or newer sibling Clanbrassil House, but between Cúán Green heading up the kitchen in Bastible and Clanbrassil head chef Gráinne O'Keeffe being named "best chef under 30" at this year's Food & Wine awards, we'd say they're pretty even right now. Read more about Clanbrassil House here . Crudo Where: Sandymount Dunne & Crescenzi 2.0 is from the owners' two sons, who've given the Sandymount site a serious face lift. They burst onto Instagram in January with multiple images of food that made us want to run for the Dart, and as we know, provide the excellent images and the critics will come. So far Lucinda O'Sullivan , Tom Doorley and Ernie Whalley have given it their stamp of approval and we'd say there's more to come. Check out Crudo here . Etto Where: Merrion Row Etto has been dream dining since opening mid-recession in 2013. One of the most highly rated, consistent restaurants in the city, no one was surprised to see them take home best restaurant in Ireland at last year's Restaurant Awards . Katy McGuinness reviewed them for a second time last February giving out a very rare 10/10, and saying she wouldn't change a single thing about it. Read more about Etto here . Fish Shop Benburb Street Where: Smithfield Simple seafood, sherry and natural wines have been drawing the crowds to Smithfield since day one, and it's one of the food & drink industry's favourite hang outs . Catherine Cleary likened it to "a world class tapas bar", Katy McGuinness called it "perfection", and their Monday Wine Club is without doubt the best value place to drink quality wine in the whole of Dublin. Champagne for €7.50 a glass anyone? Read more about Fish Shop Benburb St here . Frank's Where: Camden Street When Frank's butcher's shop on Camden Street became vacant, the owners of Delahunt a few doors up decided to take it over and turn it into a wine bar, leaving the butcher's frontage as is. Catherine Cleary in the Irish Times called it her "new favourite restaurant", and Aoife Carrigy in Food & Wine compared it to a cocoon, calling the food "top-class". Read our Frank's once over here . Grano Where: Stoneybatter We don't remember a new Italian restaurant ever having the impact Grano had in just a couple of months of being open. By January this year they were booking out weeks in advance, and on the two occasions we ate there, countless people were turned away all evening. Catherine Cleary called it "terrific", and Lucinda O'Sullivan said if she lived locally she'd be there every night. Read our Grano once over here . Host Where: Ranelagh Host opened in Ranelagh in 2017 and was like a corridor of London transported into a street in need. Soon the neighbourhood had a new favourite hangout for handmade pasta, sharing steak and great wine, and more than one critic complained about not being able to get a table. Host is still killing it in the popularity stakes and their fans frequently travel across the city to eat there. Read our Host once over here . Le Perroquet (New) Where: Leeson Street Nick Munier and chef Chris Fulham's French "bar and comptoir" have been whipping the Champagne-loving ladies of D4 into a frenzy over their small plates, and it's gone down well with the critics too. Catherine Cleary in the Irish Times called the food "truly enjoyable", and Lucinda O'Sullivan in the Sunday Independent said she "couldn't get enough" of it. Check out Le Perroquet here . Liath Where: Blackrock When Damien Grey split from Heron & Grey business partner Andrew Heron late last year it was a big shock, but Grey revamped and reopened as 'Liath', and reviews soon confirmed it was better than ever. All eyes were on the Michelin awards last month to see if they'd regain the star they effectively gave back on closing the restaurant, and of course they did. Read our Liath once over here . Little Mike's Where: Mount Merrion We didn't think it was possible for Michael's in Mount Merrion to be overshadowed, until little brother and wine bar Little Mike's opened a few doors up. It's left a clean sweep of critics swooning ( us included ), with Ernie Whalley describing the seafood small plates as full of sincerity and generosity, and Tom Doorley calling it "a delight". The counter seats with a view of the kitchen are the ones in demand, and the wine experience is at the same level as the food. Read more about Little Mike's here . Mamó (New) Where: Howth The reaction to Mamó would make anyone think it was Howth's first ever restaurant, and their snack take on fish and chips - taramasalata on confit potato - has already reached cult status. Tom Doorley in the Irish Daily Mail loved the "jewel-like explosions of flavour", while Catherine Cleary in the Irish Times called it "a breath of fresh sea air." Read our Mamó once over here . Mister S (New) Where: Camden Street When the guys from Featherblade said they were bringing real open-fire barbecue to Camden Street we were cautiously optimistic because of everything that's come in that genre before, but Mister S surpassed all expectations. Leslie Williams in the Irish Examiner called it "one of the best openings of 2019", we had similar sentiments, and wait times of two hours on Saturday night have been reported. Read our Mister S once over here . Potager Where: Skerries There was a lot of excitement in the industry when it was announced in January that ex-Chapter One head chef Cathal Leonard was taking over the old Red Bank in Skerries. He and partner Sarah Ryan opened the doors in June and unusually Catherine Cleary from the Irish Times was the first in. She called the evening tasting menu "the best money you'll spend on food in Dublin", and after eating there we'd be inclined to agree. Read our Potager once over here . Spitalfields (New) Where: Dublin 8 The revamped pub in Dublin 8, taken over by the owner's of The Pig's Ear, hit the ground running, with SIX critics in the door within a couple of weeks of opening. Catherine Cleary in the Irish Times called the beef cheek and bone marrow parker house roll "one of the best beef dishes in town", Niall Toner in the Sunday Times called it "lovingly crafted comfort food", and the place is hopping. Read more about Spitalfields here . Sprezzatura (New) Where: Grantham Street The story on Dublin's newest pasta place where every plate costs less than €10 has been one of our most read this year so far, and while only one critic has been in so far, our timelines have been flooded with diners partaking in cacio e pepe and nduja 'tyres' with an Irish ingredient twist. Tom Doorley said they're serving the best ragu he's found in Ireland, which is quite the compliment. Read more about Sprezzatura here . The Greenhouse Where: Dawson Street Both Irish and international food critics have cried for years that the The Greenhouse was a two-Michelin starred restaurant with a one-star rating, and last month in London no one seemed more visibly relieved than head chef Mickael Viljanen when Michelin finally made the dream real. It's now one of only two two-starred restaurants in the city and the team seems to be stronger than ever. Read more about The Greenhouse here . Two Pups Where: Francis Street Casually going about their breakfast, lunch and brunch business since 2016, Two Pups is still one of the most sought after brunch spots in Dublin, and if you go on weekends prepare to queue. They're single-handedly responsible for one of the world's greatest pairings - avocado and garlic peanut butter, and the French toast with plum compote and white chocolate reached legendary status. Read more about Two Pups here . Uno Mas Where: Aungier Street The second, Spanish-influenced opening from the guys behind Etto almost kept us waiting as long as Gertrude, but from the day they announced they were opening at the end of November there's been a steady stream of critics, bloggers and just breathing humans coming out awestruck at the gildas, the mussels, the flan. It also has some of the best bar seating in town and some is saved for walk-ins. Jackpot. Read more about Uno Mas here . Variety Jones Where: Thomas Street The first solo opening from chef Keelan Higgs has given the Liberties in Dublin 8 its first Michelin star, and Dublin's only new one for 2019. They opened just before Christmas last year, got the fire going in the hearth at the back and started cooking, and pretty soon reports were coming in about some of the most exciting cooking in the city. It was hard to get a table before Michelin took notice, now it's almost impossible - but keep trying. Read our Variety Jones once over here . Ones to watch... - Chef Niall Davidson 's Allta (Irish for 'wild'), opens next week, and it's already a given that this will be on the next list - Amy Austin , the new wine bar from 777 and ex-Luna owner John Farrell is taking an ungodly amount of time to open - Press Up's next opening, MacKenzies, opens soon on Hanover Quay. Not sure that's going to make any hot lists but in case you wanted to know - Little Pyg are talking a big talk about their "Michelin guide pizza" coming to Powerscourt Townhouse this week. Of course a new restaurant can't be in the Michelin guide, but the chef/partner behind it has quite the rep in Naples, where his pizzeria is. Whether this one follows suit remains to be seen... - Little Forest, the new Italian in Blackrock from the guys behind Forest Avenue and Forest & Marcy is delayed due to building issues, but we're eagerly awaiting news of an opening date

This week's reviews are a pretty good illustration of the general divide between the capital and everywhere else right now, with Dublin operating on the frisson of fresh pasta, French small plates and temples to tea and cakes, and everywhere else having a sole focus on Irish produce and three course dinners. Novelty vs substance? Innovation vs sitting still? We won't get into a Twitter spat about it... In the Irish Independent Katy McGuinness took a real-life French person to Le Perroquet , to size it up for, well, 'French-ness'. They won a point for having legit French music on the stéréo, another for a vintage lollipop stand, and a few more for dishes like "properly tasty" beef tartare with sour cream and sheep's cheese, and "full of flavour" scallops with cauliflower and pancetta. Roast leg of lamb with seaweed potatoes and pickled pear had a "deliciously sticky" jus, but a cassoulet divided them due to a lack of the traditional sausage or duck - the second time a reviewer has passed comment on those meat-free beans. Parmesan Aligot (the cheesy potato of your dreams) lacked the "essential stringy pull", and the 'Cinema' dessert with popcorn, caramel and ice-cream had "unwelcome" cola jellies. She says she'd like to know a bit more about the provenance of the food, but she enjoyed Le Perroquet's "unpretentious ways". The French friend gets the last word, calling it "good modern French food", and they get 8/10 for food and value. Read her review here . In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley discovers "a temple to real tea" in Dun Laoghaire with "splendid oriental cakes", at recently opened Nunki Tea House . It's wasn't all cake and tea though (but it was a lengthy diatribe on why stale, plastic-filled teabags are the actual devil). Gyozas were among the best he's tasted: "delicate, thin wrappers and proper savoury fillings", Kung Pao chicken was "stickily, savourily, saltily good", and "crunchy, salty" deep-fried green beans concluded a "lunchtime feast". He calls it "excellent value for money", saying he suspects they'll be regulars. (Review not currently online) For the last of this week's Dublin reviews Niall Toner in the Sunday Times hated El Grito on Mountjoy Square, but a late night trip to new pasta place Sprezzatura made everything right with the world again. Perfectly cooked pasta trumps dry, tired tacos for the record. Read his review(s) here . In the Irish Times Catherine Cleary thinks the whole country needs to visit Farmgate Café in Cork's English market, saying it "sets a standard for cooking any Irish restaurant should be proud to follow." Freshly shucked oysters from a stall downstairs with shallot vinegar, lemon, soda bread and Glenilen butter was "one of the best Irish food experiences money can buy, while lamb stew was "like it should be", with "generous chunks of gnarly soft brown meat". Steamed potatoes had "such an exuberance of flouriness" it was "almost comical", and an apple tart to finish was "ground zero for all apple tarts". She says nothing innovative but everything important is happening here, giving it 9/10 and calling it "a perfect lunch". Read her review here . In the Sunday Business Post there's similar patriotic rhapsodising from Gillian Nelis who was at Brunels in Newcastle, Co. Down. She was pleasantly shocked to find someone rocking the goat's cheese and beetroot boat, serving her "gorgeously creamy" goats' cheese mousse with a pumpkin gel, toasted pecans and peppery mustard frill leaves. She doesn't think she's ever tasted a smoother parfait than their one of smoked duck liver with spiced plums, walnuts and balsamic, and slow-roast Mourne lamb shoulder and belly with organic carrots and dukkah was "superb" and "magic". Braised shoulder of venison with celeriac and mushroom purée (above) was "packed with flavour" but they can hold the roasted coffee beans next time, and in an epic feat of customer plamasing it came with two types of potatoes - champ and roasties. They enjoyed their desserts of espresso crème brûlée and "top-drawer" Armagh apple crumble, and she says she couldn’t fault anything they'd eaten, calling the service "flawless". Read her review here . In the Irish Examiner Joe McNamee was delighted at the "vibrant yet intimate" Pigalle Bar & Kitchen , which has had a few iterations but according to Joe has finally found one with staying power. He says head chef Mark Ahern has a "serious commitment to sourcing the very best of local produce", like his "plump fleshy" mussels in a creamy sauce of seaweed and Little Fawn IPA, with nduja pork salume. Chunky, fresh monkfish fritters came with squid ink aioli and a "cracking" in-house shichimi chilli pepper condiment, "tasty" battered cauliflower came with "tender, carmelised" Crown Prince squash, pickled cauliflower and sautéed kale, and his Carrigcleena duck had "already superb flavours" maximised with some dry-hanging, before being cooked medium-rare and served with pumpkin, kale, and a puff pastry tarte tatin (phwoar). The wine list was "tidy", the service had "genuinely friendly charm", and he ends by saying: "Ahern’s cooking is smashing: consistently superb produce is always honoured and delivered with a maturity and humility, his adroit hand and keen palate forever seeking an elemental purity of flavour over any need to showcase his own ego", calling the food "as authentic a strand of contemporary modern Irish cuisine as any out there." Read his review here . Finally in the Sunday Independent, Lucinda O'Sullivan was living it up at Kim and Kayne's honeymoon destination - Castlemartyr Resort in Cork. She says through the boom and the bust head chef Kevin Burke has been delivering "stunning food", and a terrine of rabbit, ham hock and foie gras was "top notch", while Union Hall smoked salmon with beetroot and radish was "fabulous". Skeaghnore duck with parsnip purée and blackberry port jus was "wonderful", and her all time favourite thing to order, sole, was lightly chargrilled, with ratte potatoes, leek, mussels and lemon oil. Their signature dessert of Castlemartyr honey and camomile parfait, with honeycomb and milk purée was "superb", and she thought the sub-€150 bill was reasonable. (Review not currently online) More next week.

All Dublin again this week, bar a trip to Lough Erne (*sits back and waits for capital-induced outrage to ensue*), and some happy, medium happy, and ever so slightly ripped-off feeling reviewers doing the rounds. In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley is first in with his verdict on new pasta place Sprezzatura , and proclaims they're serving the best ragu he's found in Ireland. The meaty oxtail sauce came with "perfectly al dente" ribbons of pasta, "impeccable" gnocchi came with sage butter, and penne with nduja and Toonsbridge ricotta was "a simple triumph". He was surprised to find an Irish tomato salad "jumping with sheer flavour", and Toonsbridge straciatella was "rich, creamy and almost buttery". He calls Sprezzatura "a breath of fresh air, not just in terms of sustainability and local produce, but also in putting it up to the so-called trattorias of Ireland" - meow, but also, fair - who serve "rubbish pasta with an Irish accent". He reckons it's as close to Bologna as you'll find in Ireland, and says he hopes the low prices (and presumably tight margins) can be sustained, so get in there and support them. (Review not currently online, read more about Sprezzatura here ). In the Sunday Independent Lucinda O'Sullivan liked new Dublin 8 addition Spitalfields , but had issue with some of the prices like Gillian Nelis a few weeks ago, peppering the review with shocked sounding dialogue like "How much did you say Biddy? In a pub? Are they mad?" You get the drift. They stuck to the small plates (how very 2019) and thought the yellow-tail tuna fillets with burnt orange and soy were "delicious". Half an avocado with crab meat and trout caviar was also "delicious" but she took umbrage with the €13 price tag, and Poulard clams with nduja were "tasty" but "again a tad petite" for €14. Coffee and orange creme caramel for dessert was "divine", and she calls Spitalfields "very good, Biddy, but pricey". (Review not currently online) In the Irish Times Catherine Cleary is way more impressed with the Commons at Moli than Katy McGuinness was a few weeks ago, calling it "a new city favourite". She says it's "a different level" to what's happening in sister cafés Hatch and Sons , and her two favourites dishes were "properly delicious" roasted carrots with radicchio leaves, dukkah and a yoghurt-thick sauce, and the "beef tea" with spiced beef in a clear broth with carrots and horseradish crème fraîche. She says the Commons is still finding its voice, but "a few more tweaks and we’ve got a classic on our hands". She gives them 8.5/10 calling the provenance "fab", and you can read the full review here . In the Irish Independent Katy McGuinness seems lukewarm about Frank's on Camden Street, saying it feels "just a little too cool for school". They liked a dish of purple sprouting broccoli, hazelnut, parmesan and anchovies, but pumpkin with kale and curd was "nut hugely flavoursome" with "bland" curd. 'Salsify, walnut, pear' had flavours that were subtle ("perhaps too much"), but they did have a favourite in the form of the "most flavoursome" dish, quail, plum and chanterelles, although they would have liked some bread to mop up the tasty sauce. Not much comment about a dessert of chocolate, banana and peanut, other than that there was "good" ganache, and she wasn't a fan of an onion marmalade-smeared potato farl that came with a piece of 16 month old comté. She gives Frank's 7/10 for food, ambience and value and you can read her review here . In the Irish Examiner it's another lukewarm-ish review from Leslie Williams of newly opened Cava on Camden Street from The Port House group. Apart from a complaint about the lack of hot padrón peppers, most of it was "as you would expect", with highlights including torreznos (crunchy fried pork belly pieces), morcilla with fried quail's egg, and jamon croquettas (but he does recommend side-stepping the chicken and spinach versions), and the best thing thing they ate were courgettes stuffed with chorizo and cheese in a light batter served in a ciabatta bun. Chorizo in wine was not worth the €8.50 price tag, but pastel de natas for dessert were "excellent", and he calls it "a great addition to this busy restaurant-filled street". (Review not currently online but should be soon here ) In the Sunday Business Post Gillian Nelis ended up at at FX Buckleys in Monkstown after a failed attempt to eat at what sounds like Kerb in Foxrock, blaming the wrong opening hours on their website (now fixed). She says she's still dreaming about the kidneys in a bacon and mushroom sauce, and both a fillet steak and a ribeye on the bone with grilled bone marrow, shallot purée and watercress and were things of "meaty beauty" and "full of flavour". Beef dripping chips and creamed spinach were "top notch", but a chocolate and orange mousse with hazelnut cream for dessert was "terrible" with a "grainy" mousse, "cheap tasting chocolate" and no flavour of orange, but despite the disappointing end they left happy. Read her review here . Finally in the Sunday Times Niall Toner took a trip outside Dublin to Catalina in the Lough Erne resort in Eniskillen. He was suitably impressed with chef Noel McMeel's obsessive local sourcing, resulting in an eel dish of ecstasy, and in a Sunday Indo style development, the food pictures look like the critics own, rather than the usual polished sort we've come to expect from the ST. Tough times out there... Read his review here .

All the cheese and all the meat at a charity event in Loam , Galway, after a spell-binding day one of Food on the Edge (if you work with food or just consider it a very important part of your life and you're not at this every year what are you doing!) The meat and cheese were from Sheridan's and we were fawning over a massive hunk of Delice de Bourgogne and the Spanish cecina - like Bresaola but 100 times better than any we've had in recent memory. Earthy, funky, floral, does beef-based charcuterie get better than this? - Lisa Sausage rolls from Pie Man in Temple Bar (left - pork, black pudding and pear) and Greenville Deli (pork, pancetta and fennel) near Tara Street - research for our definitive list of the best sausage rolls in Dublin. It's a tough job but someone's gotta do it. Both good, but Pie Man is riding high at the moment - Helen A date and apple scone from Avoca in Malahide - also research for our definitive scone list. Always large, always well baked with a good amount of filling, but 45p extra for jam is taking the proverbial. Pro tip - leave the takeaway section and head into the restaurant to score all the free jam you can load on before running back out hoping no one's seen you - Lisa Porridge from Gertrude . We've long been fans of Gertrude’s porridge with strawberries and homemade Nutella so were sad to see it go, but it’s been replaced with this very autumnal version featuring plum compote, whipped yogurt, cinnamon sugar, and hazelnuts. It’s tasty, but we're hoping the Nutella makes a return - Helen Fish fingers at Kai , Galway. Food on the Edge also provided a long overdue opportunity to visit Kai, and these fish fingers make a mockery of all others. Bright, flaky fish in a crisp breadcrumb coating with tartare sauce meant many hands were reaching into this bowl - Lisa Crab on toast at Klaw Temple Bar. A Klaw classic and the crab is always fresh, but €16 felt punchy - Lisa The Kimcheese burger in Chimac . It was worth braving the waiting list on a rainy bank holiday Friday for this chicken and kimchi fix. Loaded with Ssamjang and cheddar sauce, gochujang mayo, and kimchi it packed just the punch. The prosecco frosé is also the only acceptable way to drink prosecco in 2019 - Helen A custardo from Bread 41 . While popping in for weekend cruffins and coffee one of these crumbly, flaky, creamy custard tarts was shoved into our hands, and it's the nicest we've had in Dublin to date. All hail the custardo - Lisa Chargrilled lamb with blackberries and elderberries at the Sunday Lunch Roots pop up at McNally Family Farm . OMG levels of flavour and swooning over this one. Read the full Roots once over here .

The dating scene in Dublin has changed. Firstly, it’s now called “dating”, and secondly, the source of most of these dates seems to be app-based. While we here in ATF HQ are more likely to swipe right on a pizza, we do know some of the best spots for meeting the potential new person in your life. We have some base criteria. The food must be great so if the date is awful, at least you’re left feeling somewhat satisfied, the prices must be reasonable to avoid any awkwardness when it comes to splitting the bill (nobody wants to pay for half of a stranger’s fillet steak), decent alcohol options are a must, and it needs to be easily accessible so you can get out of there if things go awry. The "I haven't been on a date for a while" date You’ve taken some you-time and now you’re ready to get back out there. It’s going to be tough to pull yourself away from Netflix but heading somewhere new and chilled will ease you back in. Where to go: Meet your date near Camden Street and stroll down to Mister S for some chats while you wait for a table. What to eat: The smoked Angus short rib and the brown butter and miso roasties. If things go well, share the salted caramel Bubble Pudding. If things don’t go well, order it anyway, but refuse to share. The "maybe I should have used a more recent profile picture" date We all have our favourite photos with that great light that exist forever as social media profile pics as if we have escaped the ageing process. Yours is from 2003 when you spent a summer tanned and hungry on a J1 in the States, but that’s fine - your date will love you for you. Eventually. Where to go: Dim lights and loud music are your friends here. Head to Hang Dai on Camden Street Lower. What to eat: The côte de boeuf for two - it’s never too early to establish if a potential boyf or girlf can behave themselves when it comes to sharing food. If things go well and you’re ready to commit, maybe now’s the time to book a table for the following week and pre-order the whole duck in advance? The "I don't really fancy them but I hope I make a friend" date You’ve gone through all of their profile pics numerous times, and while they’re not 100% your type, you’ve been messaging back and forth for a while and this is definitely a person you want to get to know, even if it doesn’t lead to anything romantic. Where to go: Chimac , Aungier Street. because friends who eat Korean chicken together are the best kind of friends. What to eat: The Kimcheese burger. It’s messy, you’ll get your hands covered in sauce, but your new bestie won’t care. The "I'm here for the belly rubs" date You swiped right because they have a dog in their profile picture and that’s pretty much 90% of what you look for in a future spouse. If you’re clever, you’ll be able to engineer a date location that combines great food with the ability for them to bring the pooch along. Where to go: The bar of The Old Spot on Bath Avenue. What to eat: It’s you, your date, and the dog; opt for the huge roast every Sunday for that instant family feel. The "I've just broken up with my ex and can't go to any of 'our' places" date This is a tough one. You’ve been part of an established couple and have lots of spots where you both go regularly but you’re not a couple anymore and you’re not ready to be seen there with someone else, or worse - bump in to your ex and their new partner. The adult thing to do would be to sit down together with a map and a red marker and agree who gets where but, until then, stick with somewhere new that neither of you have been before, and hope for the best. Where to go: Still pretty new, Le Perroquet on Upper Leeson Street is likely to be unclaimed territory. Get there before your ex does. What to eat: The menu is French-themed but there’s lots of choice between small plates and larger dishes so you can feel out our dates food preferences and decide if you want to take this any further. Go for the duck croquettes and the savoury French toast, and save room for a French/Irish cheeseboard. The "fake it till you make it" date You’re not feeling confident. You’ve been down this road before, and are feeling a little delicate from the knocks that dating has thrown at you. You need to get dressed-up and get a cocktail in your hand pronto. Where to go: Peruke and Periwig on Dawson Street. It’s beautiful inside and out, just like you. What to eat: Stick with small plates like the patatas bravas or pork belly, and ask the staff to pair the cocktails so decision making is at a minimum. The "this is my third tinder date this week" date Despite starting out eager and sliding in to more DMs than Rebekah Vardy, the law of diminishing returns is quickly becoming evident and you’re getting through first dates at a rate of knots. You can’t keep meeting, or eating, at this rate, so need to keep it light. Where to go: Pang on Kevin St. Lower. It’s casual, affordable, and ideal for a light meal where you want to avoid alcohol. What to eat: Bánh mì- a Vietnamese sandwich loaded with spiced meat or tofu and pickled veg. Don’t forget to add a side of the yellow curry lentils - it’s one of the best things to eat in Dublin and a steal at €3. The "I'm pretty sure I'm going to be catfished" date It’s all going well, maybe a little too well. Your prospective date is perfect but there’s a little niggle at the back of your head wondering if it’s all too good to be true. You want to meet them, but you think there’s a chance that they’re going to bail while you’re on the bus. Where to go: Anywhere on our Where To Eat When You’re Dining Solo guide would fit the bill here but we’d start with Loose Canon . Worst case scenario, you’re left alone surrounded by cheese. What to eat: Cheese. All the cheese. The "I'm double-booked" date Dates are very like the 46a. You wait ages for one that inevitably disappears off the screen when it's one minute away, and then two come along together. Hey, you’re a busy person and it can be difficult to fit it all in so, if you’re in the enviable position of managing to book yourself two dates in one day, brunch is the best way to start the eating without peaking too early. Where to go: Head for San Lorenzo’s on South Great George’s Street. What to eat: The Coco Pops French Toast will keep you going until dinner. Plus, if date number two turns out to be disappointing and you need to cut it short, at least you’ve already had dessert today. The "my date's a fussy eater" date Nope. Not happening. Block and get yourself a take-away. Where to go: Nowhere. What to eat: Whatever you fancy. Add a tub of decent ice-cream while you’re at it.

We don’t want to alarm you, but there’s approximately 90 days left in this decade. Just let that sink in for a minute. 2019 is hurtling past us and we’ve barely eaten any Halloween-appropriate food yet, but let that panic dissipate. We’ve pulled together a list of five things you can eat in Dublin this week that will help you ring in the seasonal change, and make you forget that we’re six months away from summer. 1) Barmbrack From Brother Hubbard North If there’s anything we love more than a spicy, fruity cake, it’s a spicy, fruity cake in miniature. This one from Brother Hubbard North is adorable and the perfect size to keep you going right through Samhain. You won’t find a ring, but you will find a whiskey buttercream, which is obviously better. 2) Pumpkin Risotto From Delahunt Poor pumpkin sometimes gets a bad rap in Ireland, where we tend to just see the huge, tasteless varieties used for carving, but it's one of our all time favourite vegetables. This week we have our eyes on this pumpkin risotto from Delahunt on Camden Street who are using sage and hazelnuts to take it to the next level. 3) Apple Tart Tatin From Chapter One Nothing is more evocative of Halloween than a good game of “bobbing for apples”. Thanks to Chapter One , you can now bob for those apples between buttery layers of pastry and caramel. The puff pastry is spiced, and served with a brown butter ice-cream. Sounds frightfully good. 4) Pumpkin Cappellacci From Host There was never going to be a list on ATF featuring Halloween-appropriate food without mention of the handmade pumpkin-stuffed cappellacci with sage from Host , was there? Not on our watch. 5) Pumpkin Bread With Maple Butter From Laine, My Love We can always count on Laine, My Love to bring the big guns and this year one of their many pumpkin based treats is this pumpkin bread with maple salted butter. Beats toast and jam any day. *BONUS* Something we want to drink While we don’t normally feature drinks in Five Things We Want to Eat, a pumpkin spice latte wouldn’t raise any eyebrows so we think a pumpkin beer deserves the same treatment. We’re big fans of independent Irish breweries and Trouble Brewing ’s special pumpkin beer is sold at various bars throughout Dublin, including The Legal Eagle .

Barely a bad word this week from Dublin to Dingle - with the exception of some stringy beef and watery cauliflower, but all was forgiven. Two critics gush about seaside-situated Mamó this weekend. In the Irish Dail Mail Tom Doorley hopes they never take the "delightful" cod chip (confit potato with taramasalata) off the menu, saying he could have eaten "vast plates" of them. A starter of tarragon gnocchi with king oyster and shiitake mushrooms was "silky and delicate", while another of seared bonito, avocado, sesame and yuzu was "simpler but not less lovely". He thought that in comparison to the "jewel-like explosions of flavour" in the snacks and starters, the main courses showed "a reluctance to mix things up", but "commendably so." Black pollack with romesco, charred courgette and razor clams had sharpness, sweetness and salinity, while pork belly with sobrassada and coco de paimpol beans (the bean of the moment) had "exquisitely tender" meat and a deeply savoury broth. Blackberry parfait with crunchie like shards of Howth honey "tasted properly of itself" (another phrase for the list ), and he calls it "an excellent meal", while also thinking that the kitchen is only getting into its stride, and the really dazzling stuff is still to come. (Review not currently online) It sounds like Niall Toner from the Sunday Times was there within a day or two of Tom as they had an almost identical meal. He claims the clams with drinkable olive oil, garlic and chargrilled toast made him so emotional he knocked over his glass of wine, and heaps similar praise on the tarragon gnocchi, brill with romesco, charred courgette and razor clams and that blackberry parfait. He says it's the best restaurant in Howth and worth the outing wherever you live (and we agree ). Read his review here . In the Sunday Business Post Gillian Nelis says the Andarl pork tomahawk at Mister S "will blow your mind" if you grew up with an Irish mammy who incinerated pork chops - "Who knew it could taste this good?" Gambas in a bisque butter on flatbread had "an incredible amount of flavour", the smoked Angus shortrib was another example of "great cooking" and the brown butter and miso roasties were "peak potato". The salted caramel bubble pudding for dessert was too rich for her, but another of strawberries, elderflower, sponge and yoghurt was "great". She says it makes her weep to think of the money people are paying for mediocre food in Dublin when you can eat this well for €50 a head including drinks (Amen to that), and that they're dolling out "superb food, great value, a really warm welcome from the young staff and a buzzing atmosphere". Read the full review here . Read our Mister S once over here . In the Irish Times Catherine Cleary is heaping yet more praise on a new opening - this time Spitalfields in Dublin 8, summing it up with one of our favourite lines of the weekend: "the leap from a packet of dry-roasted peanuts ripped from the cardboard strip beside the till (if you’re lucky) to an €18 bar snack of grilled bread, Perle Imperial caviar and sour cream is audacious." She says she rarely eats meat these days, but the "less is better" beef dish of cheek and bone marrow Parker House roll is "the best in town", while a brother with shittake mushrooms, sweetcorn and an egg yolk was "a miso laced bowl of warmth". A juicy fillet of slip sole with grapes, potted brown shrimp and rainbow radishes was jazzy, Crown Prince pumpkin wedges with cooked burrata (controversial) and dukkah was "as satisfying as meat", and the only disappointment was some watery roast cauliflower. A hazelnut and chocolate mille-feuille for two was "a Mannings Bakery close-of-day scale shoebox of a portion with hazelnut and chocolate creams piped between layers of freshly baked pastry", and she gives them 9/10, calling it "a Dublin pub with deliciousness squared." Read the full review here . In the Irish Independent Katy McGuinness was trying to coax out an overdue baby (not hers) with a meal at Pickle on Camden Street. It sounds like they thought the amount of food rather than the spiciness would do the job as this was a feast and a half, but she says they took enough home for a substantial lunch the next day. She calls the food "delicious, considered, distinctive", like the sharing chaat ki rehdi - a pick-and-mix of vegetarian street-food dishes - with deep-fried kale leaves topped with coconut and green chilli yoghurt, semolina 'bubbles' (pani poori) filled with potatoes, pomegranate and mint and coriander-infused spiced water, and aloo tikki chaat - potato cakes served with chickpeas, sweet yoghurt and date and tamarind chutney. Some of the other dishes in the procession included a Khatti fish curry with stone bass, onion, green chilli, tomato, preserved lemon, fresh coriander and house-made lime pickle; farmer's butter chicken with fenugreek, ginger, green chilli and cardamom in a tomato sauce with garlic, coriander and onion; a lamb and bone marrow curry complete with a piece of bone full of marrow to be sucked out, and a slow-cooked black lentil dahl - "the ultimate comfort food". Desserts were "a revelation" and she gives them 9/10 for food, value and ambience. Read the full review (and get extremely hungry) here . In the Sunday Independent Lucinda O'Sullivan was in Kinsale at newly Michelin-starred Bastion , reminiscing about all the restaurants who've come before. She calls it "classic Michelin French-fine dining territory, with exquisitely prepared elegant food". The eight-course tasting menu featured dishes including a whole carrot with crumble and Velvet Cloud yoghurt, roasted cod with Jerusalem artichoke purée, Iberico ham and apple matchsticks, and a "superb" rabbit and foie gras roulade with golden raisins, Sauternes and violet mustard. She "wasn't wild" about some "stringy" beef fillet but the accompanying pickled girolles, candied hazelnuts, shallots and bay oil were "to die for". Dessert of French toast came with "mouth-watering" Frangelico-soaked medjool dates, salted caramel ice-cream and mascarpone, and as it often the case she ends without a wrapping up or final thought, but it all sounds lovely. (Review not currently online) Finally in the Irish Examiner Joe McNamee was in Dingle at another recently Michelin-awarded Land to Sea - this time for a Bib Gourmand. A seafood appetiser plate of Dingle crab, home-smoked salmon, Glenbeigh Mussels and a Cromane oyster showed that the chef was "sensible enough to allow quality produce do the heavy lifting", and a charcuterie plate, with everything from saucisson sec to chorizo made in-house, was the best he's had in any Irish restaurant. A butternut squash and Cashel Blue pithivier was "deeply comforting", and John Dory with roasted lemon and caper butter was "excellent produce, superbly cooked". He says Land to Sea are serving "excellent food delivered with earnest, utterly heartwarming sincerity and an honesty of endeavour that is palpable", giving the food 8.5/10. Read his review here . More next week.

When it was announced that the Bernard Shaw was closing last month it's fair to say the city went into mourning, but the good news is it's coming back - and so is Eatyard . The new Bernard Shaw opens in the old Whitworth/Porterhouse site on Cross Guns bridge, in between Glasnevin and Phibsboro on Friday 15th November, with Eatyard hosting some new food vendors. Joining the line up this season are La Cocina Cuevas , who've had people trekking to the Naul this year in search of tacos, raw and vegan specialists My Goodness who've gained a serious following in cork for their fermented foods and loaded nachos, and The Saucy Cow with vegan comfort food like "saucy spice bags" and deep-fried PB&J sandwiches. The Big Blue Bus is back and will be pulling up outside to serve their stonebaked pizzas, and Buttercream Dream will be returning with their vegan cupcakes, traybakes and brownies. Eatyard's days and times will be the same as the original site, opening from Thursday - Saturday from 12:00 - 22:00, and Sunday from 12:00 - 20:00, and there's a full programme of events planned. More details coming on those soon. Eatyard @ The Bernard Shaw Cross Guns Bridge, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 Thu - Sat 12:00 - 22:00, Sun 12:00 - 20:00 the-eatyard.com

The owners of Fish Shop in Smithfield have announced that they're closing their Queen Street location and opening a new restaurant in Tramore. Before mass panic sets in, the more casual Benburb Street location will remain open, so there will still be somewhere in Dublin to have fish and chips with natural wine. Owners Peter Hogan and Jumoke Akintola said on Instagram that they're looking forward to opening a bigger restaurant by the sea, with Peter originally from the Waterford seaside town. The Beach House in is due to open in Spring next year. Fish Shop opened in Smithfield four years ago, after initially starting as a fish and chips shack in Blackrock Market the previous year. Their second location, a fish and chip shop/wine bar on Benburb Street followed. They were seen as part of a wave of exciting new restaurants in Dublin that started during the recession, along with others like Etto, Forest Avenue and Bastible, and seemed to universally impress critics and diners, with Katy McGuinness saying she was "in food heaven" after a visit there in April. At this year's Irish Restaurant Awards they took home 'Best Seafood Experience in Ireland'. Fish Shop Queen Street will serve their last service on the 21st December, and you can book tables before then through the Tock system on their website . To check on progress with the Beach House Tramore follow them on Instagram here .

A full run of Dublin reviews this weekend which is selfishly our fav. Sorry to anyone outside the capital feeling neglected, but there are many reasons below to take a trip soon. In the Irish Times Catherine is as taken with Mamó in Howth as we were , calling it "a breath of fresh sea air". Bread with vadouvan butter was like a "version of curry and carbs chipper pleasure", ceviche of monkfish with orange and pickled cucumber was "a beautiful plate of food", and clams with lime juice, olive oil and garlic was "the dish of the night". Comeragh lamb had "gorgeous meat flavour", brill was "as fresh as you'd expect", and their Howth honey tart turned "seaside village terroir into spoon licking pleasure". She says Mamó is "a clever, kind restaurant that manages to be both fresh and comfortingly familiar" and gives it 9/10 - quite the opening score in their first week. Read her review here . Read our Mamó once over here . In the Irish Examiner Leslie Williams comes over all priest-like after a pilgrimage to Bastible in Dublin 8, quoting Jesus himself and saying the food made him "feel humble in the presence of genius and with my spirits exalted". It started with some of the best bread he's had "all decade", followed by breaded chicken thighs topped with a pickle - "utter deliciousness". After that came the "peasant favourite" swede which was elevated to "royal status" by being baked in ginger oil and served with pickled girolle mushrooms and mole sauce made from pulped roasted pumpkin seeds, Marmite and kelp stock - "2-star Michelin level flavour-layering" apparently. Mains of barbecued mackerel and braised lamb neck were "a triumph", while dessert of fluffy milk chocolate mousse encasing roasted yeast ice cream was made "other-worldly" by a sweet-sour syrup with fermented malt and beer. He says what head chef Cúán Greene and owner Barry Fitzgerald are doing "needs to be experienced", and it was "as close to a religious experience as I’m ever likely to have". They get 9.5/10 for food and drink and you can read the full thing here . In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley was back at Delahunt looking for any reason to justify them losing their Michelin Bib Gourmand a few weeks ago. He couldn't find one. Beef tartare was "perfect", Jerusalem artichokes with blue cheese and walnuts were "perfectly in tune with the season", and skate wing was "cooked perfectly". Lamb with sheep's cheese and romesco (below) was "creative and clever" and a dark chocolate mousse with peanut foam was "more than the sum of its constituent parts" - which is going on our list of 'most hated critic phrases' - more of those below. A baked Saint-Marcellin cheese with rosemary honeycomb and sweet and sour chutney was "ace", and he describes the whole meal as "flawless". (Review not currently online) In the Irish Independent Katy McGuinness was in Stillorgan at neighbourhood restaurant Riba . It's safe to say she enjoyed it judging by the score but there's lots of constructive criticism in there. Fritto misto was "a little dull" with garlic aioli needing "more oomph". A Rick Higgins rib-eye was "cooked impeccably" but the accompanying salsa verde was "more like a pesto" and needed more punch. Roaring Water Bay mussels were "luscious", despite the redundant sourdough shards on top, and chocolate tart suffered from pastry that was too thick and "filling-threatening" honeycomb. She says Riba is "treading the line between being a neighbourhood restaurant that is all things to all people, while being interesting enough to satisfy us food nerds", giving them 8/10 for food, value and ambience. Read her review here . In the Sunday Independent Lucinda O'Sullivan seemed to like Mister S on Camden Street, despite a slightly trepidatious Instagram post about the "bum-numbingly hard wooden benches". She calls the food "as refined and elegant as any high-end fancy pants spot" with the "plumptious" gambas (another adjective for that list) described as "lick-the-plate-clean stuff", and her skate in dashi beurre blanc "delicious". She says they regretted the lamb skewers with the "greasy" lamb belly keeping her awake that night (TMI perhaps), but they enjoyed the tender, smoked Angus short rib, and she's still dreaming of the hispi cabbage with feta and sobrasada. Review not currently online but you can read our Mister S once over here . In the Sunday Business Post Gillian Nelis says she can still taste the Irish black sole she had at Little Mike's in Mount Merrion, part of the seafood sharing platter which also included John Dory, swordfish, Lambay Island crab claws, lobster fishcakes, Clogherhead prawns and mussels, as well as "top-drawer" chips - a "plate of fishy perfection". Sixteen-hour slow-roasted ox cheek arancini with hollandaise were "divine", monkfish fritti were "crispily delicious" and wine was "gorgeous". She says she'd encourage everyone to eat in places like Little Mike's , who actively support Irish suppliers and love to answer questions about their food, and Tomás Clancy calls the wine list "a wide-ranging delight". Read her review here . In the Sunday Times Niall Toner loved the gloriously hip Soup Ramen in Dun Laoghaire, where he found an apple and honey lemonade that was "way more than the sum of its parts" (oh look there's that phrase again), ramen that teetered on the divine, and an umami salad that was a delight. Read his review here . Read our Soup Ramen once over here . And if you were hanging on the edge of your seat waiting to hear where Joe McNamee was last week we can put you out of your misery - he was in Malarkey in Killarney where he found "big, booming flavours" and "fine, comforting fare". Read that here . More next week.

The week started in London with Monday's Michelin awards (more on that here ), where many, many delicious things were eaten - there is no city in Europe as exciting to eat in as London right now. Highlights included jalapeno cornbread with scrambled eggs at Rovi , and 40 day aged beef with Taipei butter rice at Bao in Borough (after Padella was closed, the stuff of nightmares). Also worth getting on a flight for - the LiangPi (cold skin) noodles at Master Wei in Bloomsbury, and the straciatella with fragola grapes and olive oil at Flor . If you are heading over soon check out some of our favourite places here - Lisa Back on home turf there were two appearances in Bread 41 in a 12 hour period (said as if that’s an unusual event). First stop was Friday night for their evening pizza service and a margherita with both the kimchi mayo (nice) and parmesan fondue (very nice). As you’d expect, the crust was excellent with a real sourdough tang, and hours for pizza are being extended on a phased basis so get there before word gets out and the crowds gather. After the pizza coma it was back in the Saturday morning pastry queue for the limited edition Tiramisu croissant. This monster filled with espresso-soaked sponge fingers and mascarpone cream, topped with curls of dark chocolate was completely worth the wait - Helen After three days of stalking Gertrude’s Insta stories, a walk to the office was finally timed just right in order to grab a still-warm apple crumble scone to eat al-desko. The picture doesn’t do it justice. It’s approximately the size of a small family car. Chunks of sweet apple are dotted throughout, and it’s topped with a sweet, buttery, cinnamony crumble - Helen The new dessert cocktails at Old Street in Malahide. We left with a grá for the tikki one with rum, falernum, passion fruit purée, orange syrup and limes, with a pineapple and ginger tequila jelly and a slice of peanut crunch. A “quick” Sunday lunch in Little Mike’s turned into a three hour affair ending in a (shared) seafood platter later. There were no regrets - Helen Garlicky, herby razor clams with a macadamia nut crust at Mamó in Howth. Read our full Mamó once over here - Lisa A star-studded invite to dinner in Ox in Belfast on Sunday night where Alain Passard (chef/owner of three Michelin-starred L'Arpège in Paris) was cooking, turned out to be one of the best meals of the years so far. Too many highlights to name but if in gun-to-head situation would give it to a gougère filled with Irish Coolattin cheddar, Lobster in a Vin Jaune sauce with smoked potatoes and cabbage, and a pre-dessert of sheep's yoghurt, blackberry, liquorice and olive oil. Already planning a pre-Christmas festive return and the last train home after lazing away the evening in Ox Cave - Lisa.

Searching for a sausage roll in Dublin is like looking for a sockless barista with a beard - you’ll find loads but unfortunately not all are created equally, and the overly flaky, greasy ones that came out of a giant box in the freezer are best avoided. Yes the option of buying three for a euro in your local deli may be tempting but we would encourage you to resist the mass-produced rolls of questionable content, and present to you five alternatives that are on our list to seek-out this week. NB: This is not a definitive Dublin sausage roll list. These are just some that we currently have our eyes on. A definitive list is on the way after some more taste testing... 1) Alma, Portobello Sometimes feels like the team in Alma don’t just feed us, they educate us. Before they came along,we didn’t realise we had a loaded batata-shaped hole in our lives, nor did we realise that the humble sausage roll could be elevated to new heights with the addition of chimmichurri. A revelation. 2) Greenville Café, Tara Street When we heard that Tara St was getting a new café, we raised an eyebrow. Greenville Deli is within strolling distance of Shoe Lane Café, Póg, and Bread 41 so lots of competition from established names with loyal followings, but seeing these pork, pancetta, sage, fennel seed, and onion sausage rolls shot it to the top of our detour list. 3) Strudel Bakery, Dun Laoghaire Strudel tried calling these hot dogs, but customers started referring to them as 'Frankfurter Thingies', so it stuck. They’re sausages with mustard baked in flaky pastry so we’re calling them sausage rolls. 4) Green Bench Café We’ve long been fans of Green Bench Café and their gigantic sandwiches, but are very open to mixing it up in this cooler weather in favour of these meaty mouthfuls when they’re hot out of the oven every Friday. The start every October weekend needs. 5) Love Supreme We couldn't discuss Dublin's sausage rolls without mentioning Love Supreme . They’re huge, beautifully misshapen, and the varieties on offer are varied and imaginative. If you’re looking for a pasty all-pork filling, you won’t find it here, but you will find pork with pear & cardamom, red bean with chilli and coconut, or lamb with cranberries, sumac, and sriracha. Consider this to be the official launch of our petition to get the turkey, ham, stuffing, and cranberry sausage roll back on the menu in time for Christmas.

Beau-Vino , a new wine bar from the owners of The Lo-cal Kitchen , has opened in Castleknock Village. Husband and wife Stephen and Jenny Connolly say they thought the area desperately needed an alternative to "traditional boozers and family restaurants", and that they wanted to scratch their own itch for somewhere to go locally for wine and small plates. Beau-Vino is in a new retail development beside Lidl, and during the day operates at The Little Lo-Cal, serving coffee, breakfast, lunch and cake, but from 7pm Friday - Sunday it turns into a wine bar serving small plates and sharing boards. They say they want the focus to be on the wine, with all house options on tap and a rotating bottle list displayed on their 'wall of wine'. They're also selling wine 'en vrac' in refillable glass bottles to take home. Beau Vino is open now with table and counter seating inside and more seating outside under a heated awning. They're walk in only, but will take private party bookings from Monday - Thursday. Beau-Vino Lidl Neighbourhood Centre, Castleknock, Dublin 15 Fri - Sat 19:00 - 00:00. Sun 19:00 - 23:00 www.instagram.com/beau_vino