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What’s not to love about Valentine’s Day? Pretty much everything - overpriced cards, tacky teddy bears, office workers taking your eye out on a packed bus as they transport their already half-dead bouquet of roses home, bad set menus, and restaurant staff trying to rush you through your shared medley of mini-desserts because they need the table back for the next sitting. If you're in a situation where Valentine’s Day just needs to be done (new relationship, rare offer of babysitting, making an 'effort'), we’re here to steer you in the right direction, with restaurants that will make you feel all the love, without the ick-factor. The best place for new couples: L’Gueuleton, Fade St The first Valentine’s Day together can be a bit of a landmine. Sure your new love has told you they don’t want a fuss and to just book whatever you want, but how to strike a balance between scaring them by going OTT and disappointing them by hoping they’ll be okay with a toasted sandwich in Grogan's? Under two candy-striped canopies on Fade Street, you’ll find L’Gueuleton , perfect for when you want of rustic French charm without too many bells and whistles. The menu is bistro-style with lots of classics like French onion soup and short rib bourguignon, and there are plenty of dark corners to hide in. The best place when you don't care what date it is, you just want seasonal food: INK Café, Dún Laoghaire Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year so expect restaurants to be even more packed than usual. The first of INK in Dun Laoghaire’s seasonal supper clubs of 2020 also falls on Friday the 14th, and their 6-course Spring Harvest Dinner sounds like a very civilised way of passing the evening. Priced at €52.83, tickets are available here . The best place when you want something quirky: Lilliput Stores, Stoneybatter After a seasonal break, Lilliput Stores reopens in the evenings in mid-February, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The menu of snacks, cheese and charcuterie boards, and shared plates eaten in the cosy artisan grocery store alongside many beautiful bottles of wine is basically our definition of romance. The best place to eat with your galentines/palentines: Da Mimmo, North Strand If your version of love is being surrounded by your friends and lots of carbs, head to Da Mimmo for an Italian feast. The restaurant is small inside and you’re always within eavesdropping-distance of personal conversations, so Valentine’s night won’t feel any different. Plus, if you’re not going to be kissing anyone you may as well go heavy on the garlic. The best place if you're going to propose and want everyone to know about it: Shanahan’s, St. Stephen’s Green Yes, we’re cynics when it comes to Valentine’s Day but, if you’re going to propose on Feb 14th (and we can’t talk you out of doing it in public), you may as well do it somewhere that’ll look great on your Instagram stories. Shanahan’s may set you back a month’s worth of mortgage/avocados (delete as appropriate), but it will make for a memorable night, and the steaks really are very good. The best place if you can't get a babysitter: Rascals Brewery, Inchicore Getting a babysitter on Valentine’s night is difficult enough, but add in the fact that it’s also a Friday and you might find your options are limited or non-existent. On that basis we suggest heading somewhere child-friendly so the whole family can feel the love. You may not want to bring your kids on a brewery tour (or you might - we won’t judge) but Rascals Brewing has an on-site pizza restaurant that’s exceptionally child-friendly. It’s also right next to Gravity Climbing Centre, so you can all head there afterwards to burn off some steam. The best place for a belated Valentine's: Gursha Supper Club, North Circular Road If you want to mark the occasion, but won’t be able to spend the 14th with your loved one, Gursha has some availability for their Ethiopian Supper Club on March 12th, 19th, 20th and 21st (but they're selling fast) so you can postpone your night out to a time when Valentine’s day is a distant memory, and the last of the reduced Lindor heart truffles have been removed from supermarket shelves. Tickets are €25 per person and available here . The best place when you just want great food: Bistro One, Foxrock We’re a little bit in love with the food at Bistro One in Foxrock and so would happily brave the hordes of couples who will descend on its white-linened tables on the 14th to fight for the barbequed line-caught mackerel and a piece of that salted caramel tart. The best place when the date went really well: Union 8, Kilmainham If the date went well and lasts into the next morning, you may as well grab some brunch to replenish your energy. Union 8 has a varied brunch menu with decent cocktail offers, and is right near Kilmainham hospital and IMMA if you want to drag the date out even longer.

Our bi-monthly list features the most talked about restaurants in Dublin right now. We recently had to increase it from 20 to 25 and currently we're seeing no reason to bring it back down again. 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 . Allta (New) Where: Setanta Place The hype for formerly London-based chef Niall Davidson's first Dublin opening was big, and when Allta finally opened in November it delivered on its pre-opening promises. The handmade pastas, charcuterie and hand-dived scallops have been a hit with *most* of the critics, with Leslie Williams saying it blew his mind, and Niall Toner calling the crab bigoli everything he ever wanted. Read our Allta 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 . 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 last year's Food & Wine awards, we'd say they're pretty even right now. Read more about Clanbrassil House 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 . Glas (New) Where: Chatham Street Vegan and vegetarian restaurant Glas opened at the end of October, and has quickly become the place for those looking to avoid a meat-based meal in the city centre. The critics who've visited so far have seemed pleasantly surprised at how much they've enjoyed it, with Catherine Cleary saying "there's much to like", and Gillian Nelis praising their "very clever work". Read more about Glas 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 . 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 Dumpling (New) Where: Little Mary Street What was formerly (and very short-lived) Fudo Izakaya reopened as Little Dumpling in December, and once word got out about the handmade dumplings they've been some of the hardest seats to nab in town. Expect a queue at peak times but you can book in advance by calling. Don't miss the duck xiao long bao (soup dumplings) and the beetroot dumplings with prawn and crabmeat. Read our Little Dumping 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 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 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 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 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 October 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 . Volpe Nera (New) Where: Blackrock Ex- Etto head chef Barry Sun's first solo restaurant was the subject of much excitement in the industry at the end of last year, and our article on the opening was one of the most read of the year. The food is definitely Etto-esque, and it's been a straight smash of reviews so far, with Gillian Nelis advising booking early and often, and Tom Doorley describing the food as "outstanding". Read more about Volpe Nera here . Ones to watch... - Amy Austin , the new wine bar from 777 and ex-Luna owner John Farrell - yes we're still waiting - Stone pizzeria opens in Stoneybatter in the next couple of weeks. The chef's from Puglia and that's about all we know but more when we have it - Little Forest, the new Italian in Blackrock from the guys behind Forest Avenue has gone completely quiet. Best not to hold out too much hope for that one for the time being

It's all about the new this week, from Dublin to Cork, and New Orleans to Sichuan province, but as usual, some were more successful than others... In the Irish Times Catherine Clearly was wild about everything at Allta except what she perceived to be the misleading name (it means 'wild'). She says a wine bar serving delicious food is "as wild as a potted yucca" - seems she was expecting them to catch and trap their own animals. Still, at least she didn't ask for bottled water. After a few more complaints she "parked the nark" to describe a room that felt "cosier than it should", their "small but beautiful" table, and the general "stylish" vibes. BBQ lamb with seaweed pappardelle was "the stunner of the night", Cromane oysters with rhubarb vinegar a "perfect mouthful", and a charcuterie plate tasted of "good meat well treated". She calls the cappelletti with smoked gubbeen "ordinary", while admitting it would be "standout" in most other places, and describes the nitro ice-cream for dessert as "a Snickers ice cream crushed up against a Solero in the newsagent’s freezer, only a hundred miles better." Despite only trying five small plates (there's restraint and then there's self-flagellation) she liked it enough to give it 9/10, calling it "controlled, accomplished cooking which is already proving wildly successful with the after-work crowd". Read her review here . Read our Allta once over here . In the Irish Daily Mail Mister S are back on top after that Catherine Cleary review we shan't mention, with Tom Doorley saying everything about the Camden Street barbecue joint is "ace". He calls head chef Daniel Hannigan "a name to watch", praising his "subtle, carefully judged" use of smoke, and his "understanding of how flavours work in concert the like of which I've rarely (ever?) experienced in this kind of food". Like everyone before him he liked the gambas, flatbread and bisque butter so much he was tempted to lick the last of it off the plate, rich rendang spring rolls worked "impressively" and smoked beef short rib was "perfect". The Andarl pork tomahawk was "a fine piece of real pig meat ... turned into something even better", brown butter miso roasties were "a crisp, salty, intensely savoury alchemy", and a crisp meringue filled with apple and blackberry compote and seasoned with a smoked plum vinegar was "ace". He says Mister S is not just a good idea, it's one executed with "panache and ease", with a "real buzz and friendly service", calling it "very good news". (Review not currently online but you can read our Mister S once over here ) In the Irish Examiner Leslie Williams apologetically declares Krewe on Capel Street to have some authenticity issues. The BBQ shrimp Po'Boy ("surely the world's greatest sandwich if done well") was "untraditional" and "rather bland", a crayfish 'roll' was actually crayfish on brioche toast, and blackened cod tasted of "damp paper" and was "badly overcooked". Luckily for the 'krewe' it wasn't a total write off, with buttermilk chicken tenders "wondrous" with "properly tangy" aioli, Jambalaya "excellent" and the beignets in the beignet bowl "correctly made" with "good" dipping sauces. The cocktails also impressed with a Sazerac one of the best he's tasted, but flip that over when it came to the wine - "the most boring and conventional list I’ve seen in the last three years" - we've looked at it, he's right. He gives Krewe 6.5/10 for food and 8/10 for value, calling it "New Orleans-inspired". Read his review here . In the Irish Independent Katy McGuinness reckons that Nunki Tea House in Dun Laoghaire is going to be packed as soon as word gets out about how good it is. From the two pages of dishes that have to be ordered 24 hours in advance, she took a punt on stewed radishes with oxtail, and beer-stewed duck in Sichuan style, both she describes as "excellent". Braised beef with chilli sauce, noodles and greens (their most popular dish) left their "tongues tingling pleasantly", mapo tofu was "vibrant and exciting", and the only thing they didn't like was shredded potato stir-fried with vinegar, which sounds a bit like crisps but obviously wasn't. Honey cake for dessert was "delicious and light" and she calls Nunki "a special place", giving it 9/10 for food. Read her review here . No review from Niall Toner in the Sunday Times today as it's the annual McKenna's Top 100 Restaurants list. In proof of what a high energy year it's been for restaurant openings, notable additions for Dublin include Allta, Crudo, Mamó, Michael's/Little Mike's, Mister S, Potager, Tiller + Grain and Volpe Nera (below). Get the full list for Dublin here , and the countrywide list here . In the Business Post Gillian Nelis advises sitting at the counter in new Cork opening Goldie , so that you can get cooking tips from the chefs. She says it's a place that's "good for the stomach and good for the soul", praising the "lovely staff" and "nice vibe". They had a succession of serious seafood including oysters in a "perfect" tempura batter with ponzu dipping sauce, "beautifully cooked" ray wing with celeriac and a red wine sauce, and "delicious" pan-fried pollack with fennel and Café de Paris butter. Desserts were a "wonderful" blood orange posset with white chocolate and tarragon ganache, and a "rich" and "well made" chocolate marquise with a mascarpone and espresso mousse, and she advises grabbing a seat to enjoy the "great grub" when you can. Read her review here . And finally, Lucinda O'Sullivan in the Sunday Independent was at Cork's other buzzed new opening, "hot new hipster-style fire and fusion restaurant" The Glass Curtain . A spiced pumpkin soup "hit the spot" for Brendan, while salt cod croquettes were "big round chaps with crisp outsides and silky centres" - will take that all as positive. A 24 hour cooked short rib (below) was "delicious and so satisfying", but she doesn't deliver a verdict on her spatchcocked red mullet, simply describing what it came with. Honey tart for dessert was "lovely" and she praises their non-alcoholic drink selection, for which it appears she even skipped the bottled water. (Review not currently online) More next week.

Kitchen 85 , a new Cantonese restaurant specialising in Chinese roast meats and hot pots, has opened on Marlborough Street. It's the latest venture from the team behind M&L Chinese (known for those stir-fried green beans with dried chillies) and The Vintage Teapot , a dumpling and tea shop across the road. Kitchen 85 is just around the corner from both, and owner Angie Wang thinks it's a complimentary experience to M&L - "one a little sweet, and one a lot spicy". Kitchen 85 has an extensive Cantonese menu, but expect the signatures to be the Chinese roast duck, Char Siu pork, and hot pots for two, three or four people with a choice of over 30 ingredients including razor clams, Chinese yam, lotus root and even pork blood. Other interesting sounding dishes include fried capsicums and eggplant with minced fish, braised duck wing with Chinese mushroom, and whole steamed turbot with chillies and spring onion. Like sister restaurant M&L, Kitchen 85 is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and offers €5 corkage on wine, so we're fully expecting this to become another industry favourite. You can follow them on Instagram here , and the website below is due to go live this week. Kitchen 85 85 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1 Mon - Sun 12:00 - 22:00 www.kitchen85.com

In this weekend's Sunday Independent, Lucinda O'Sullivan ponders whether Niall Davidson's new wine bar Allta is "too cool", saying she felt "a tad uncomfortable" there. It all got off to a rocky start when they couldn't source an unopened bottle of water for her (they only have filtered still and sparkling because it's 2020), but she says that after a history of water-borne illnesses she only drinks unopened bottles when out and about... This whole drama only came about in the first place because she drove to the wine bar - mistake number one - and says she didn't fancy the only non-alcoholic option of kombucha with food, water being the clearly superior choice for food pairing. She does admit to loving their first two dishes of skate wing lollipops and cuttlefish in a gooseberry beurre blanc, but the other dishes that have been wowing the general public failed to soothe O'Sullivan. She thought the barbecued lamb with seaweed pappardelle was "pleasant enough", but her friend removed the "unannounced" raw egg yolk from the spider crab bigoli (head exploding emoji), which she calls "very short on protein" - it definitely would have been less short on protein if they hadn't removed the egg. She describes the staff as "overfamiliar" and "matey", calling this a professional no-no, and it doesn't sound like she'll be returning for what she called "petite portions" at "plump prices", or shoulder pats from the lovely staff. (Review not currently online) In the Business Post Gillian Nelis is the latest person to add her name to the petition calling for One Pico to have a Michelin star. She calls the food "some of the best you will eat on this island", singling out a starter of seared scallops with crab bisque and winter truffle, a "magical" plate of cured sea trout with pickled cucumber, Goatsbridge caviar, and a buttermilk and sheep's yoghurt dressing, and a southern fried chicken thigh with "juiciness and flavour that Colonel Sanders could only dream about". She says she'd brave any weather for their dessert of Valrhona Manjari delice with blood orange curd and vanilla ice-cream, and the cheese selection made her "weak at the knees". She says she's eaten in Michelin-starred restaurants around the world that don't hold a candle to the quality of the food at One Pico, and hopes the tyre company pay them a visit on their next trip over. Read her review here . In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley has what sounds like a very 'meh' meal at Casper and Giumbinis in Dun Laoghaire, with the high point sounding like the "exceptional" wine list. Buffalo wings were "unremarkable", calamari rings "somewhat flaccid", and pan-fried Irish salmon was overcooked with a side of "bland" hollandaise. French onion soup was "cheesy", "deep and savoury", and a sirloin steak was juicy and flavoursome, but desserts brought things down again with a "too sweet" chocolate mousse and a "clodhopping" crème brûlée. He says although the food was "rather underwhelming", they had "a hugely enjoyable evening" thanks to the staff and the atmosphere, and that it's made Dun Laoghaire a better place. (Review not currently online) In the Sunday Times Niall Toner thought the duck soup dumplings at new opening Little Dumpling were like a fairground ride for his mouth. He also admits to ordering another portion of the "brilliant" nutella dumplings, despite imagining them to be an abomination (check them out in action here ). Read his review here , and look out for our Little Dumpling once over next week . In the Irish Times Catherine Cleary calls Lignum in Galway "the most exciting Irish restaurant, from a young team, in years." She thinks it would look at home in Oslo or Copenhagen, and says it has "all the energy and enthusiasm you'd expect when a restaurant child gets the keys to the kitchen." Biscuit-crisp pastry filled with liquified cheese was "lucious", squid with lovage, Savoy cabbage and squid ink pate was "beautifully judged", and 27-day dry aged duck with hasselback style Swede was "a juicy treat". She describes pastry chef Gráinne Mullins' sourdough as "spectacular" and her desserts as "astonishing", including cranberry sorbet with olive oil and a baked Alaska spritzed with whiskey, and gives Lignum 9/10 calling it "innovative, accomplished and delicious". Read her review here . Finally in the  Irish Independent Katy McGuinness was in London at Richard Corrigan's new opening Daffodil Mulligan , and says she liked it "very much". Puffed paprika pork skins with smoked apple sauce was "a huge plate of crunch and flavour", crubeens with Colman's mustard were "piggy deliciousness", and she says prices seem "on the low side for London". Whipped smoked cod's roe was the only lull - "disappointingly heavy" - but a pheasant and mallard game pie was "utterly delicious", with "properly hung game", and a baked pink lady with prune and Armagnac was one of the best desserts she's tried in a long time. She gives them 9/10 for food, ambience and value and you can read her review here . More next week.

Flip , a new vegan and vegetarian burger bar from the owners of Blazing Salads , has opened in George's Street Arcade. Father Joe along with daughters Pamela and Lorraine Fitzmaurice, say their burgers have been so popular at festivals, and they've had so many requests from customers for a healthier fast food experience, they felt they had to bring their burgers to the public. Their burgers, which include black bean and quinoa, millet and sweet potato, and a sweetcorn and feta fritter, are handmade using organic grains, pulses, vegetables and seeds. Fries are hand-cut, mayonnaise is vegan, and the ketchup is sweetened with dates - looking forward to trying that one. They do also have regular cheese if vegan cheese is a step too far for you. The multi-seed buns are organic too, and they say they've come up with a fast food offering that keeps the integrity of their company ethos - using nutritious ingredients. Blazing Salads first opened in the Powerscourt Centre in the 1980's. The current deli on Drury Street opened in 2000, and twenty years later they're hoping Flip will resonate with "a new generation". Flip is open now and serving from 11:00 - 17:45, Monday - Saturday. Flip 32 George's Street Arcade, Dublin 2 Mon - Sat 11:00 - 17:45 www.instagram.com/flipvburger

Dry January, Veganuary, Ginuary - there’s no shortage of bandwagons to jump on this month. While we’re not big on bandwagons (with the obvious exception of Ginuary), we do love food in all forms, so happily flex between meat-based and veggie/vegan meals, but this week there's been a notable increase in the amount of heart rate increasing meat-free dishes popping up on our Insta feed, so we figured we may as well get involved. 1) Turkish Eggs From Daddy's Rialto newbie Daddy’s is hot out of the traps with their take on Turkish Eggs, telling us that they’re made in the same way as Peter Gordon’s now closed London restaurant The Providores - Nigella Lawson’s former go-to spot, for the Turkish eggs. Poached eggs with garlicky greek yogurt, melted butter and red pepper flakes are served with toasted sourdough for dippage, and if it’s good enough for Queen Nigella… 2) Waffles From East Village Coffee Frozen potato waffles were the first widely-available vegetarian meal in Ireland, and we all loved them - mainly because we grew up in 1980's Ireland and didn’t know any better. This version from East Village Coffee in Clondalkin, topped with guacamole, tomato, and a sriracha-laced drizzle of maple syrup look like the adult upgrade we need. 3) Cheese And Potato Cake From The Washerwoman We could think of worse ways to spend a dark evening than heading to The Washerwoman in Glasnevin for cheddar cheese mixed with potato, breaded, fried, and served on a bed of cabbage with pickled walnut, cauliflower puree, and romanesco. It sounds like the perfect mix of winter warmth with a tease of spring textures, and we’re very ready for it to be spring already. 4) Spinach Dumplings from Little Dumpling Another new kid and the early buzz online seems to suggest that Little Dumpling is worth checking out. These spinach dumplings with wild mushrooms will be top of our list while we’re there, but we’re also keen to try everything else, including the roast duck xiao long bao (soup dumplings) which have been getting a lot of Insta love recently. 5) The Coronation Chickpea Sandwich From Junior's We could all do with some added oomph at this time of the year, and Junior’s sandwich of chickpeas in a curried vegan mayo, with spinach, carrot, and pickles on brown bread is the healthy injection of vitamins and colour that our Christmas-ravaged bodies are crying out for.

We’re two weeks out from the debauchery that was December and New Year's and the overarching theme of the month is the ephemeral but prevailing 'Dry January'. It's a concept some seek longingly after the overindulgence of the holiday season, while others lean on it as a way to begin stepping back from alcohol altogether. For whatever reason you might be avoiding alcohol, in January or any other month, non-alcoholic drinks are becoming increasingly popular, and bars and pubs across this once-drink-devoted city of ours are taking notice. 2019 saw the opening of The Virgin Mary on Capel Street, Ireland’s first alcohol-free bar that's notched up headlines in Irish and foreign press. Led by award-winning bartender Anna Walsh, the team recognised the need for somewhere (that isn’t a coffee shop or smoothie bar) people could go to get a drink minus alcohol, but still reap the ambience of a bar. It was also a big year for alcohol-free beers and wines which seem to be growing pace, particularly in some of the more progressive bars and restaurants around town (and if you want to read more about the growing 'lo and no' trend ATF editor Lisa Cope wrote about it recently in the Irish Times) . If you want to go out for a drink but avoid the alcohol, these five places are ready and waiting to cater to you. BrewDog Scottish brewery Brewdog opened their long-anticipated Dublin outpost in December and have responded to Dry January in a uniquely generous manner. Making the endeavour that bit more enticing, they’re offering unlimited refills on any of their draft non-alcoholic beers. Once you’ve bought your first, you can keep topping up, for free. The bar also boasts a sizeable outdoor area that already has us salivating for summer Fridays, a hefty bar menu, shuffleboard and ping-pong. Read more about Outpost in our December openings round up . The Virgin Mary If Christmas-time is a regular bar's busiest period, January should by extension be The Virgin Mary ’s, thus probably the best time to go for a little buzz and to sample the always-intriguing menu. Their non-alcoholic cocktail and beer range is in a league of their own and superior to anywhere else in Dublin, and the “Pink Preacher” with alt-gin, muscat, raspberry, jasmine and white tea flies in the face of what one would understand, or dare to call, a 'mocktail'. They’ve become such a standard bearer for alcohol-free quality and coolness that our next on the list has asked them to collaborate on their own Dry January offering. The Shelbourne The Shelbourne ’s Bar Manager Sean McGoldrick has collaborated with The Virgin Mary’s Anna Walsh to launch a list of alcohol-free cocktails in the Stephen’s Green surroundings for the month of January - an innovative approach from a Dublin institution. The menu features cocktails ranging from simple and sweet to exotic, like the 'Tiki Street' with hibiscus, pomegranate molasses, black cardamon, vanilla and lime, and the 'Ceder Crisp' with sparkling wine, Thomas Henry tonic, Darjeeling tea and chamomile bitters. MVP Brewtonic , who are killing it for non-alcoholic options across all of their premises, ran a “Sober Sunday Series” at MVP last year and while it’s not official in 2020, their non-alcoholic beer and cocktail menus still remain some of the most robust in the city, and with cocktail ingredients from Seedlip spice, lapsang souchong tea and orgeat syrup (made from almonds, sugar and rose water), you won’t be wanting for flavour. And there’s dogs - lots of dogs - perpetually in attendance at the bar. House Ask for pretty much any cocktail under the sun - with or without alcohol - and House will be able to do it better than most bars in Dublin. Always at the forefront of drinks innovation, their boozeless take on the espresso martini using Irish distilled non-alcoholic spirit Silk Tree caused quite the ruckus last year and it's now their best-selling non-alcoholic drink. They continue to innovate and expand their alcohol free ingredient offering, have have recently onboarded alcohol-free aperitif makers Æcorn from the UK for their 2020 menu. We're excited about this one.

A pretty disappointing week for food, so thankful for this beautiful plate of Annagassan smoked salmon and Clogherhead crab at Dax for the launch of this year's Irish Restaurant Awards . As lovely to eat as it was to look at - Lisa. A low point came in the form of the pizza slices from Mercato in Howth Market. The one pictured was actually not the worst offender, but was drowned in chilli flakes - a bit of restraint goes a long way when it comes to making food edible. The most offensive was one with black olives, sundried tomatoes and pesto which was like something you'd knock up at home with a few jars from Lidl - Lisa A more successful experience at BaaBaa in Chapelizod after a few months of low-key Insta-stalking. It’s a beautiful little cafe, serving a small but well thought-out menu. The chai French toast is delicious, topped with stewed apple, blueberries, and pistachios. The only slight complaint is that €9.50 is on the more expensive side for one slice of brioche, and when you add a coffee you’re not getting much change from €15. Also got to taste their pistachio and orange polenta cake which was as good as it looks - Helen A visit to double 8 on the last day of their Dublin pop-up resulted in very mixed feelings - delight in how lovely everything was, followed by the disappointing realisation that I’ll have to go to Bray for my next dumpling fix. Highlight was the joo-yuk, fried pork and cabbage dumplings - Helen Back on the disappointment train, a salad from Kennedy's in Clontarf came with 70% rocket and the most anaemic, mealy tomatoes I've encountered in years. The goat's cheese with walnuts and carrot hummus saved it from being a total disaster, but this could have (and should have) been so much better - Lisa More mixed feelings on a trip to Dingle where there are lots of lovely restaurants, but so few of them open regularly outside of the peak summer season - do Dingle residents not eat? Finally struck lucky and found My Boy Blue open, where the smoked salmon bruschetta with goat’s cheese, beetroot, walnuts, and pickled veg was freshness on a plate and bursting with flavour - Helen Finally, a rushed toasted sandwich after queuing with millions of children and dogs at Olive's Room in St. Anne's Park on Sunday was surprisingly good. Quality bread, thick cut ham, cheese, pickles and onion marmalade gave us the energy to fight through the crowds to get out again.

Some timely reviews this week, with two critics upping the veg post-Christmas, and another celebrating Chinese New Year. No such dietary restrictions with the others, although Niall Toner probably wishes there had been, then maybe he could have avoided this week's "mess" of a meal... After last week 's slating of barbecue joint Mister S , Catherine Cleary in the Irish Times is back in her happy place at vegetarian restaurant Cornucopia . She gives it a very respectable 8/10, despite saying there are things she would change, like the oval plates which reminded them of being in hospital, the plastic straws in the smoothies and the Thai curry which was "Thai mild", and missing the "fire, sweetness and brothy fish-sauce (obviously a no-no) umami kick of salt, sweet and heat." Goulash was "a lovely plate of fresh flavours", salads were "impressive", and a nut-topped brownie was "terrific". It doesn't read like the most spectacular of meals, but she calls Cornucopia "the benchmark for simple hearty good food". Read her review here . Someone else ensuring they got their January five-a-day was Gillian Nelis in the Business Post , who was at new vegetable-focused restaurant Glas . She says you won't get lectures here, but you will get "a tasty meal that just happens not to feature any meat or fish". A ricotta and citrus salad with mizuna, endive, candied hazelnuts and a grapefruit and blood orange dressing was "joyous", Jerusalem artichokes with roast baby beets, a "superb" artichoke purée, and bulgur wheat with cranberries worked brilliantly, and the King oyster scallops with tarragon and smoked almond pesto was the dish of the night, and "very clever work". She says despite the lack of meat, the "great cooking, charming service and affordable prices" at Glas mean you’re unlikely to feel deprived, and you can read the full review here . In the Irish Examiner Leslie Williams took the approaching Chinese New Year as an excuse to go to Ka Shing on Wicklow Street, and he says it's "probably the best dim sum menu in the city" (we visited earlier this year and agree). Two of them shared 12 dishes - impressive work - with highlights including "excellent" BBQ Pork in a rice noodle roll, crispy won tons which were the crispiest he's ever tasted, and pork sui-mai dumplings which were "outstanding with fruity rich pork flavours". He suggests sucking on "silky, fatty" chicken feet in black bean sauce at least once (we've done this and do not recommend it), and also dove into the sweet vinegar and ginger pork feet (another dish we would be happy to never eat again), and says a new dish of fried dough drizzled in sugar syrup was "delicious". He suggests going with a group and ordering it all (this we agree on), and you can read his review here . In the Sunday Times Niall Toner bravely visits new Press Up opening Mackenzie's so we don't have to. It's not far off every Press Up review that's ever been written (but definitely on the harsher side), and there's some pretty entertaining insights and anecdotes in there - like when he compares Mackenzie's to an industrial food and drink facility where the end produce is packed into actual humans. It also gave him the opportunity for his first one star review. Read about the "mess" of a meal here . In the Sunday Independent, Lucinda O'Sullivan was at new Blackrock opening Volpe Nera , and it's a clean sweep so far for Etto 's ex-head chef Barry Sun, with Lucinda declaring her own review "a rave". Service was "exemplary", and food was "top-notch", with particular praise for the "sublime threesome" of cep dumplings, the "heavenly" Iberico pork and olive croquettes, and the "tender and moist" pheasant, which was complimented "superbly" with pickled quince, blackened endive and a polenta chip. Granny Smith sponge with caramelised apple and Calvados ice-cream was "light and airy", and she advises "beating a path" to get there. (Review not currently online) In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley says that newly opened The Glass Curtain is "the most exciting thing to happen to food in Cork in a long time". He says the food is "punchy" and "full of colour and assertive flavours", like the grilled leeks with cashew sambal dressing, Jerusalem artichokes and trout roe, and the smoked beetroot with tofu/horseradish cream and crisp seaweed - "sweetness, sourness, saltiness and spiciness all in concert". Butternut squash gnocchi with kale in a smoked gouda sauce were "outstandingly good", and charred veg with yoghurt and tahini was "an exhuberent, joyful plate". Their take on a bounty bar for dessert was the only low point being "just okay", but an affogato with crunchy praline was "simply ace", and he says that considering the level of cooking the prices are very reasonable. (Review not currently online) Finally in the Irish Independent Katy McGuinness drove to Belfast for lunch (who says critics don't leave Dublin), and says if she lived locally she'd be booking into Michelin-starred Ox on a weekly basis. They went all out with the tasting menu, starting with "perfect" Coolattin cheddar and beer gougères, followed by "beautiful, luxurious" shredded celeriac with grapes, trompette mushrooms and shaved winter truffle, and a "bold and assertive" tartare of wild Wicklow venison with St Tola cheese, red cabbage, punchy mustard and mooli radish. We could go on but don't want to torture you. She calls Ox "truly elegant, properly seasonal, Michelin-starred food served with buckets of charm in one of the most stylish and relaxed dining rooms on the island", and gives them an overall score of 29/30. Read her review here . More next week.

The first restaurant reviews of 2020 and it's all kicked off over barbecued meat and a stark difference of opinions. In the Irish Times it's been a very disappointing weekend for Mister S as Catherine Cleary pummels them, saying "the menu reads well but eats blandly to badly". She says the beef rendang spring roll was the best dish (but that the beef would have been better by itself), describes the smoked organic chicken thighs with romesco (below) as "flaccid", saying they "taste okay but not smokey in the least", and says that as the marinated pork tomahawk cooled it was like "gnawing on hipster satchel leather". She didn't even particularly like the brown butter and miso roast potatoes - frequently thrown around as one of the best potato dishes in the city - and there's barely a mention of their impeccable food sourcing, which is usually music to her ears. For a restaurant that's had much of the city in raptures since opening, and managed four knockout reviews so far in the Business Post , Irish Examiner , Sunday Times and Food and Wine , this has caused a lot of confusion and even anger, with Mister S fans out in force on Twitter and Instagram yesterday, determined to put the world to rights. It has echoes of the Circa review last summer, which also seemed out of step with public opinion at the time and had customers and critics jumping to their defence - they went on to be awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand a few months later so presumably hold no grudges. It does beg the question of whether one visit is enough to base a national review on. Unfortunately we can't see any Irish restaurant critic being given unlimited expenses and the opportunity to visit a restaurant multiple times to ensure that what they're writing is a fair appraisal and it wasn't just "a bad night", but others would argue (and have) that she just recounted her experience, and that's what she's there to do. To be continued... A better weekend for Blackrock-based Volpe Nera , with Gillian Nelis in the Business Post saying ex-Etto head chef Barry Sun's food is "as delicious as ever". Salt-baked celeriac with truffled stracciatella cheese and hazelnuts, as well as cep dumplings in a "deeply flavoured soy broth" were perfect, and her roast pheasant with polenta, braised endive and pickled quince was "the main course of dreams". A malt panna cotta for dessert came with a "gloriously sharp clementine syrup and candied pistachios", and she calls Volpe Nera "the happy new home of one of the country’s finest chefs". Read her review here . In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley made a Dublin 8 discovery in the form of Middle Eastern Fayrouz - a new one on us and another addition to the " where to BYOB " list. The baba ghanoush, olives and tabbouleh all get the seal of approval, with the skewered tower lamb shawarma "a splendid affair ... perfectly cooked and impeccably seasoned". Lamb koftas were "ace", falafel "very pleasant", and he says "there is a generosity at Fayrouz that we greatly enjoyed and would cheerfully return to." (Review not currently online) In the Sunday Times Niall Toner was first through the door of new Baggot Street wine bar Bobby's , with Holly Dalton doing the food. He really, really liked her pickled mussels, and the rest, and says they've hit the ground running. He gives them four out of five and you can read his review here . No review from Katy McGuinness in the Irish Independent this week, instead it's some predictions for food in 2020, including fin-to-gill eating and fancy food trucks. Read that here . In the Irish Examiner Joe McNamee was at The Bookshelf at The Elysian in Cork, attempting a health kick with smoothie bowls, overnight oats and chia pudding - mostly pleasurable with the exception of the "seasonal fruit" consisting of banana, kiwi and strawberries. Someone needs an Irish growing guide. Once the healthy stuff was out of the way they moved onto a floury bacon bap with Lisduff black pudding, a fried egg, melted cheese, homemade relish, and "smashing" leek and potato rostis; a "very tasty" breaded chipotle chicken breast in brioche with coleslaw, pickles and "fine" chunky chips, and an open brioche with poached egg, crab meat and "lovely" seaweed hollandaise, but mashed avocado just short of freezing. He calls it "a delightful addition to the local dining scene", giving them 7.5/10 for food and 9/10 for value. Read his review here . Finally in the Sunday Independent Lucinda O'Sullivan barely let the new chef at the Lake Room in Aghadoe Heights unpack his bags before booking in for dinner. She was dying to see what ex-Gordon Ramsay's head chef Jacob Jurusik was going to bring to Killarney, and the answer is truffle eclairs ("gorgeous pop-in-the-mouth, cream-filled balls of choux pastry delight"), game pithivier with venison and duck ("excellent"), and scallops with cauliflower and chicken nuggets ("the crispy little chicken bites added texture and contrasting taste to the silkiness of the molluscs"). Pistachio semifreddo for dessert was "lovely", and she says considering the five-star surrounds, service and food it was "jolly good value". (Review not currently online) More next week.

2019 was the year of great food in Dublin. For the most part it was very easy to think of somewhere to eat, and sidestep the fear of a disappointing experience, or a meal that wasn't worth writing about. Every month seemed to bring a new opening more exciting than the last, or an established restaurant pushing themselves to the next level. We can't wait to see what 2020 has lined up, but these were our 10 favourite once overs in 2019... 10) Bun Cha Moore Street Vietnamese Bun Cha was one of our favourite meals of last year and the best Vietnamese food we've found here to date. Although it's quick and simple, we think about the smoky chargrilled pork and blisteringly crisp spring rolls an abnormal amount, and if our remit wasn't to try as many restaurants as possible so that we can tell you about the best ones, there's a good chance we'd be there every week. Read the Bun Cha once over here . 9) Alma The lovely family-run operation that is Alma in Portobello seemed to have weekend brunch queues from day one, but an August weekday was an ideal time to try their steak, eggs and chimichurri, and dulce de leche lattés, and experience their now famous Argentinean hospitality. Read the Alma once over here . 8) Host After a visit to Host in March we left wishing every niehgbourhood had one. How many Dublin suburbs have a place to call their own for handmade pasta, natural wine and snappily dressed wait staff all dressed in white. Lucky Ranelagh. Read the Host once over here . 7) 3 Leaves After several failed attempts to get a table in the ever popular 3 Leaves in Blackrock Market, we finally bagged a table for Sunday lunch in April, and instantly understood why they've gathered such loyal fans. There's no doubt in anyone's mind that this is what they'd be eating if they travelled to India and did their restaurant research properly, and this is as far away from take-away tikka masalas and supermarket samosas as you can get. Read the 3 Leaves once over here . ​ 6) Mister S Fire makes everything taste better. That's what we left Mister S thinking in September. Dublin finally has a bone fide barbecue restaurant, and what head chef Daniel Hannigan and team are doing here with beef short ribs, pork tomahawks and fire is nothing short of magic. Read the Mister S once over here . 5) Mamó There was a lot of excitement about the new restaurant from ex-Etto front of house Jess D'Arcy and ex-Charlotte Quay/Chapter One head chef Killian Durkin in Howth, and Mamó is everything the North Dublin fishing village has been waiting for. They buy much of the menu from local producers and direct from the boats, and the talent both in the kitchen and front of house makes it well worth travelling across the city for a visit. Read the Mamó once over here . 4) Allta Niall Davidson's return home after previously opening Nuala in London had the city's foodies at fever pitch, especially after the opening was delayed by six months. It was worth the wait though, and gave Davidson, along with chefs Hugh Higgins and Christine Walsh, more time to scour the country for the best Irish produce and perfect their pasta recipes. Read the Allta once over here . 3) Potager From the first moment we heard about Potager anticipation was high. An ex-Chapter One head chef, selecting from the bounty of food grown and produced in North county Dublin, and opening in the pretty seaside town of Skerries, which up to that point didn't have anywhere to make us jump on the train for a food journey. Enter Potager, one of our best meals of 2019. Grown up dining but never dull, expect the unexpected in Skerries. Read the Potager once over here . 2) Variety Jones Just before Christmas of 2018 we hightailed it up to Thomas Street to get the scoop on Keelan Higgs' bootstrapped new restaurant in the Liberties. Early reports of the food cooked over fire were encouraging, but two visits there early in the year had us thinking this was some of the most exciting food in Dublin. Michelin obviously thought the same as they awarded them a star in October, just 10 months after opening. Read the Variety Jones once over here . 1) Liath The most remarkable food experience of 2019 was a visit to Liath , the second incarnation of Heron & Grey. We didn't think they needed to change anything, but on walking into the completely transformed, Scandi-esque dining room, we were wowed. Chef Damien Grey's food is never less than goosebump inducing, and in Liath he and the team are the best they've ever been. Read the Liath once over here .

It's been a year of endless new openings, nowhere near as many closings as predicted (although the first few months of 2020 could be interesting), and a constant build of excitement about just how good the Dublin dining scene is getting. These were our most read stories of 2019... 10) Ex-Etto Chef Opens Volpe Nera When news broke that Etto head chef Barry Sun had left and was setting up alone in the 'burbs we knew this was going to be a big one. Despite only being published a month ago, our story on new Blackrock opening Volpe Nera is already the tenth most read of the year. Read it here . 9) Four New Dublin Openings You guys really love a new opening. The only thing you like more is four new openings, and this late October round up with the details on Glas, Leneghan's, Woodruff and One Kinda Folk comes in at number nine. Read it here . 8) Where To Go For An Early Bird In Dublin Clearly we all love a bargain, and our round up of the best early birds in the city (where quality doesn't decrease with price) is at number eight. Read it here . 7) Our Ultimate Guide To Brunch In Dublin There's always time and money for brunch and good coffee, no matter what else is going on in your life, and this year we've felt particularly spoilt for choice when it comes to French toast, granola bowls and every type of eggs. In at number seven, read our ultimate guide to brunch here . ​ 6) Where To Eat In Ranelagh And Rathmines Our food and drink guide to south Dublin suburbs Ranelagh and Rathmines comes in at number six, and with options like Fia, Manifesto and Night Market it's fair to say anyone living in reach of here has it very good on the food front. Read it here . 5) Spitalfields Opens In The Coombe At number five it's the 'restaurant with a pub' from the guys behind The Pig's Ear . It seemed like everyone was lying in wait for their Parker House rolls dipped in bone marrow gravy and the cock-a-leekie pie for two, and the pre-opening comparisons to London's Harwood Arms didn't hurt. Read our new opening story here . 4) The 20 Hottest Restaurants In Dublin For March Our first hottest restaurants list was a popular one, with everyone wanting to know where's being talked about, what's being Instagrammed and who's saying what. From new openings like Grano, Gertrude and Alma, to established restaurants like Etto and Rosa Madre, our first hot list was the fourth most read story of 2019. Read it here . 3) Mamó Opens In Howth The opening of Mamó from Jess D'Arcy (ex- Etto ) and Killian Durkin (ex- Charlotte Quay ) was our third most read story of 2019, with many hoping this was the restaurant the sleepy village had been waiting for. Every critic who's walked through the door so far reckons it is. Read about Mamó here . 2) Sprezzatura Brings Handmade Pasta To Dublin The news of a handmade pasta bar where nothing cost over €10 had our readers in a serious spin, making this the second most read story of the year. Sprezzatura got off to a great start and only seems to be getting better - look out for our once over in the New Year. Read the story on Sprezzatura here . 1) The Hottest Restaurants In Dublin For May An amazing 21,000 of you read our hottest restaurants for May list, featuring new additions Circa, Crudo and Groundstate Coffee, as well as teasers for some very exciting openings to come in the second half of the year. Read Dublin's hottest restaurants for May here . Got any stories you'd like to see in 2020? Let us know - info@allthefood.ie.

We see you. You're still full from Christmas dinner, you've barely moved in three days, yet you still can't put down the chocolates. You're officially done with turkey and ham sandwiches and even the cheese board has lost its shine, but you're not emotionally ready to cook again after the military efforts of the 25th. This will be all of us at some point between Christmas and New Year's, and that's when you need our list of the best restaurants to order food from wherever you are in Dublin, because there's more to food delivery than pizza and chips (but that's there too if you want it - no judgement). This is where we'll be ordering from this festive season, thanks to Just Eat . Bullet Duck And Dumplings, City Centre Delivery areas: Dublin 1, Dublin 2, Dublin 8, Dublin 7, Dublin 3 Bullet Duck and Dumplings opened in August boasting of chefs from China and Hong Kong who are all grandparents - that's a lot of combined years of experience. They specialise in roast duck and pork, cooked in their bullet oven flown over from China, and their dumpling selection includes har gau prawn with sesame seeds and micro herbs which Irish Independent food critic Katy McGuinness called "excellent" when she reviewed them last month. Order from Bullet Duck & Dumplings here . Shaka Poké, City Centre Delivery areas: Dublin 1, Dublin 2, Dublin 4, Dublin 8 Irish poke specialists Shaka Poke serve Hawaiian fish bowls like the 'Heatwave' with Ahi tuna, wakame, jalapenos, cucumber, sweetcorn and chillies, and the 'Off The Wall' with salmon, edamame, carrot, red cabbage and mango, and we guarantee that this will swipe the last remnants of Christmas dinner from your system. Order from Shaka Poke here . The Juicery, City Centre Delivery areas: Dublin 1, Dublin 2, Dublin 8, Dublin 4, Dublin 6, Dublin 7 Now is actually the perfect time to give your body a little break so you can do it all again over New Year's. If you're feeling sluggish and weighed down by too much rich food (safe to assume this applies to everyone except maybe vegans), you need some cold-pressed goodness from The Juicery in George's Street Arcade. With the menu solely consisting of juices, smoothies, acai bowls and bone broth, there's nothing to even remotely pull you off course. Order from The Juicery here . Zaytoon, City Centre Delivery areas: Dublin 2, Dublin 6, Dublin 8, Crumlin Everyone's favourite kebab house Zaytoon had a slick makeover earlier this year in advance of their expansion to Swords and Ranelagh, and the new menu is better than ever. Try the kubideh - delicately spiced and skewered beef and lamb mince, which comes with fresh bread, salad and chilli garlic sauce, or go old school with a lamb doner. Order from Zaytoon here . Konkan, Clanbrassil Street & Dundrum Areas covered: Dublin 8, Dublin 6, Dublin 12, Dublin 14, Dublin 18, South Co, Dublin Konkan (which has two branches so covers most of South Dublin) specialises in South-Western Indian food, like chicken Chettinad with coconut and curry leaves, Kerala lamb and potato karri with green chillies and tomatoes, and spinach and buckwheat chaat (pakoras topped with yoghurt and chutneys). It's constantly mentioned by those in the know as somewhere that's amongst the best Indian restaurants in Dublin, and it's very good news that you can also eat it from your couch. Don't forget a side of creamy Tarka dahl. Order from Konkan Clanbrassil Street here , or Dundum here . Pizza Yard, Ranelagh Delivery areas: Dublin 6, Dublin 4, Dublin 8 Nothing keeps the festive mood going like a yard (or two) of pizza, and sure you've well and truly fallen off the horse at this stage, you may as well keep going. Each yard can combine up to three pizzas, like the 'Chilli Gambari' with crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, prawns, garlic and chilli, or the 'Mountaineer' with garlic olive oil, mozzarella, chorizo, goat’s cheese and wild mushrooms, and it's pretty perfect entertaining food when you want to impress but definitely do not want to set foot in your kitchen until the New Year. Order from Pizza Yard here . Rucchi, Blackrock Areas covered: South County Dublin Anywhere that's good enough for Cher is good enough for us, and after eating in Indian Ruchii during a trip to Dublin in October, she liked it so much she went back the next night. BUT they were full so even the Goddess of pop had to make do with a takeaway. Be like Cher with a Nali Gosht (lamb shank simmered with golden onion, green cardamom, star anise and ginger), or a prawn biryani with caramelized onion, cardamom, fresh mint, rose extract and saffron. Order from Ruchii here . Musashi, Blanchardstown Delivery areas: Dublin 15 We are all about delivery sushi. It's one of the only cuisines that will look as good on your plates as it does on the restaurant's, and Musashi are one of Dublin's go-to sushi spots. They have everything you might be craving due to cabin fever, from your basic salmon sashimi and spicy tuna rolls to the more adventurous soft shell crab tempura futomaki or eel and avocado temaki. Order from Musashi Blanchardstown here . Kathmandu Kitchen, Malahide & City Centre Delivery areas: North County Dublin, Dublin 1, Dublin 2, Dublin 8, Dublin 6, Dublin 7 Kathmandu Kitchen specialise in Nepalese cuisine like their Himalayan prawn curry with cashew nuts, natural yogurt, fresh coriander, green chilli and sweet onion, and Nepali biryani with coconut rice, spinach and lamb. They also have a tandoori clay-oven for their Hansko Masu duck legs with curry, ginger and coriander, and their jumbo prawns marinated in Nepalese spices. They also have two locations, in Malahide and the city centre, so cover much of North and South Dublin. Order from Kathmandu Kitchen Malahide her e and city centre here . San Sab, Drumcondra Delivery areas: Dublin 9, Dublin 3 How better to make yourself forget that it's completely baltic outside and you're a total eejit for not just booking those flights to Thailand for Christmas than with a papaya salad and Massaman curry? San Sab in Drumcondra has a kitchen full of native Thai chefs, and everything is cooked from scratch on the premises, so it's basically like being there, without the weather. Order from San Sab here . This article is in partnership with justeat.ie , Ireland’s leading marketplace for online food ordering and delivery, with over 2,100 takeaway restaurants and over 40 cuisines online and on the app. Order on just-eat.ie or download the Just Eat app for delivery to your home or office. You can also follow Just Eat on Facebook , Twitter or Instagram .

There’s an awful lot of cooking at Christmas time. Whether eating at home or to bring to family and friends, you're probably going to spend a considerable amount of time over the stove (regardless of whether or not you want to). So on those days when it’s not absolutely mandatory to slave away in the kitchen, where’s open to satiate the end of year hunger? St. Stephen’s Day If you’re venturing into town on this, the most manic day of the year, you have a few options. Press Up are going gung-ho straight through to New Year's, with Roberta’s in Temple Bar,  Layla’s in Ranelagh,  Isabelle’s on Hibernian Way and the Stella Cocktail Club all open for business. Dylan McGrath’s Rustic Stone and Fade Street Social will also be ready to welcome you and your plentiful shopping bags with open arms. Alternatively a few of our favourite Asian restaurants are open (because who wouldn’t want post-Christmas dumplings?) along with a sandwich joint you might have a desperate craving for.  M&L Chinese For the Henry street shoppers, the institution that is M&L lies just off O’Connell street and is worth the stroll. It’s open all day on the 26th and if ever there was a time to share a hot pot or those green beans, we’d hazard a guess that it’s the day after Christmas feasting.  Xian Street Food Another post-Christmas superb Asian alternative is this mainstay off Grafton street. Be prepared to wait at least thirty minutes once your name is on the list, but let’s face it, it’s better than Subway. Xian Street Food opens from 12. Kathmandu Kitchen Open from 4pm and potentially just far away enough from the crowds that a table could be nabbed, we’d be into a mid-shop Kathmandu Kitchen  lamb rogan josh (if there was any chance of those of us here at ATF leaving bed on the 26th - there isn't). Happy Out A toastie by the sea will be an available cure should you need one. The guys in the container with the good goods, great coffee and otherworldly toasted sandwiches are open from 11-4 on the 26th and 10-4 until New Year’s Eve. They also on Christmas Day for a few hours with all proceeds going to charity. Round of applause for Happy Out . Post-Stephen’s Day Pretty much everybody is back in business by the 28th, with some operating on half-days or unusual menu offerings in the lead up to a decadent New Year’s Eve. There are however a few places taking a much-deserved break following the festivities - who can blame them - so do check before venturing out to avoid disappointment.  Soup Ramen: DEC 27, 5pm - 10pm, DEC 28-30, 2pm - 10pm If it wasn’t already obvious, we love ramen. All the ramen, all the time. Soup in Dun Laoghaire are back open from the 27th and are on our list for a post-Christmas feed because there is no way we’ll ever be able to replicate their ramen in our own kitchen, and won't even be bothering to try. Craft: DEC 28 - 31, Dinner Craft re-opens for dinner after the Christmas break with business as usual from the 28th. Should you manage to nab a table (there are some available), we hear tell the pheasant on the Christmas menu is really something.   Osteria Lucio: DEC 27-31, Dinner Post-turkey-pasta certainly has a ring to it. Trusty Italian Osteria Lucio  in Grand Canal has reservations open from Friday and is just secluded enough to feel like you’re really away from the city’s lunacy, and taxi tussles. Konkan: DEC 27-31, Dinner This Leonard’s Corner Indian will see you through the post-Christmas slump. Konkan 's (very reasonable) tasting menu gets you a tonne of great, authentic food minus the Camden street price tag.   Kerb: DEC 27-31, Brunch Kerb ’s first Christmas sees them take a mini break before resuming service with a brunch-y menu and a few new dishes. We’d hazard a guess that a brunch in here between Christmas and New Year's will make you feel way better about yourself than… ahem, McDonald’s. Wuff: DEC 28-31, Brunch A solid option for when you’ve run out of ingredients at home and can’t face another trip to Tesco. Wuff re-opens on the 28th and will be dishing out all the eggs and waffles through to the new year. Mr. Fox: DEC 27-30, Dinner If you need a warm food hug after a bad familial Christmas encounter or a burnt turkey, there’s reservations available for Mr. Fox on Parnell Square from the 27th.  Richmond: DEC 27, Dinner. DEC 28/29, Brunch and Dinner. You’re in capable hands any time you wander into David O’Byrne’s kitchen, but particularly at this time of year. Seasonal eats in abundance and a few reservations left for the last of Richmond ’s 2019 service.

Forgot someone? Last minute gift scramble brought on by too many pre-Christmas nights out (read: too many pre-Christmas hangovers)? Everyone has to eat, so a restaurant gift voucher is the perfect emergency present - especially when you can download it online and not even need to get dressed or brave public transport. You can order all of these right up to Christmas morning - in case you're that unorganised. Click on the name of the restaurant to buy a voucher. Pickle Amuse Bastible Clanbrassil House Potager Oliver Dunne Restaurants Forest Avenue Forest & Marcy Nightmarket One Pico The Greenhouse Bar Italia Etto Uno Mas 3 Leaves Mulberry Garden Featherblade Mister S Locks Charlotte Quay Coppinger Row Shelbourne Social Cliff Townhouse (can be used across whole group including The Cliff Hotel and Aimsir)

In the Irish Times this week Catherine Cleary ventured into the great unknown (Artane) and made a genuine, PR-free discovery, but she doesn't think the locals are going to thank her for spreading the good word about Pakistani/Eastern restaurant Taza . The 'Molly-Malone Masala' with mussels, cockles and salmon in a "velvety spiced coconut milk and tomato sauce" consisted of "delicious things, beautifully cooked", vegetable pakora came in a "nutty perfect" batter and house dahl topped with spicy paneer and spinach was "delicious". She says "nothing dips in the service or the flavours throughout our visit", and describes the lovely staff and manager as a "class act", saying "you’ll probably eat better here than between the canals". She gives them 8.5/10 and we sit in wait for the Instagram brigade (and everyone else) to jump on the number 27 bus. Read her review here . In the Irish Examiner Leslie Williams was having his mind blown at new opening Allta . He wandered in off the cuff on their first official night open, and hadn't planned to review it but says it was so good he couldn't delay sharing the news. The miso shiitake butter that came with their homemade bread had "layers of fascinating complexity", scarpinocc pasta stuffed with chicken liver mousse was "one of the most mind-bendingly, palate-blinding flavours of the night", and the "sweet, crispy" BBQ lamb with "salty" seaweed pappardelle was his favourite pasta dish. He calls Allta "one of the most enjoyable meals of the year with brilliant staff, excellent wines" and "out-of-this-world food", and gives them 9.5/10 for food and 8/10 for value. Review not currently online but should be soon here . (Read our Allta once over here ) Similarly excitable sentiments from Tom Doorley in the Irish Daily Mail who was at new Blackrock restaurant Volpe Nera , from ex-Etto head chef Barry Sun. He calls the food "outstanding", saying it's "much more" than a neighbourhood restaurant, and an example of "serious chefs" moving away from exorbitant city centre rents. Brandy Bay oysters came with a "thrillingly fresh" cucumber and apple dressing, cep dumplings with aged soy, chives and trompettes de mort was "very good" with a pairing of amontillado sherry "inspired", and perfectly grilled cod came with Beluga lentils in an "intense liquor". Roast pheasant with braised endive, quince and polenta was "an elegant game dish", while dessert of malt panna cotta with clementine was "genius", and he advises readers to "beat a path to Barry's door". (Review not currently online) More delirium from Katy McGuinness in the Irish Independent , who'd hopped on the Dart to Mamó in Howth, and echoes what everyone before her has said - Howth finally has a destination restaurant. She says she could eat a lot of their signature 'Cod Chip', while both Wolffish with tarragon mayonnaise and whipped chicken liver parfait with chicken skin were "excellent". A crudo of monkfish with grapefruit and pink peppercorn was "light and fresh", razor clams with garlic butter and a toasted macadamia crumb "gutsy fabulous", and a côte de boeuf to share from Rick Higgins in Sutton was "magnificent". Plenty more dishes sampled and approved of, including a "lovely" Howth honey and almond floating island, and she gives them 9/10 for food, ambience and value, saying it's "happy days in Howth." Read her review here . (Read our Mamó once over here ) In the Sunday Times Dara Flynn is standing in for Niall Toner again, and headed to new veggie opening Glas on Chatham Street with her meat-loving friend. It gets an impressive four stars out of five, with particular praise for the beer-battered shimeji mushroom, chile sin carne and the polenta fried with whipped garlic aioli so good she'd put it on her face. Read her review here . In the Business Post Gillian Nelis took a break from pre-Christmas deadlines to visit 1180 restaurant in Kilkea Castle, and says that head chef David Kane and team are "playing a blinder". Things started well with "superb" brown bread and snacks including "very moreish deep-fried polenta cubes", continued with beautifully cooked wood pigeon breast with figs, a stuffed raviolo and a "great" sherry-infused jus, and ended with a "bang on" ginger soufflé with butterscotch sauce and blackberry sorbet. The only dud note was a peanut parfait which needed to be "more nutty", and she says that while "wacky dishes and out-there flavour combinations" aren't going to fly in a hotel restaurant, "there are enough inventive touches here to make things interesting for everyone." Read her review here . Finally, the antidote to all that ecstacy - Lucinda O'Sullivan's take on the recently opened Old Bank in Dungarvan, in this week's Sunday Independent. It's as if they had a list of everything that makes her scowl and sat ticking them off one by one. Left waiting in a cold lobby? Check. Sat on a tiny table squashed up next to other diners? Check. A 45 minute wait for a cold antipasto starter? Check, check, check. Needless to say they won't be sharing this one on their social feeds. Other crimes included some mains (like the Sunday roast) only available for sharing (no mention of it on the menu), under cooked soft-shell crab (with reference to those "soft stomach bits"), and her barely eaten veal saltimbocca being removed without a word being said (expectation vs reality below). Thankfully desserts of 'gelati misti' and zabaglione were "delightful", but she says they left "hungry and cross", much like the team today we imagine. (Review not currently online) More next week.

Dublin has another new wine bar, as Bobby’s opens today on Baggot Street. It’s in the basement space formerly home to Cavern , with Holly Dalton (ex- Gertrude ) heading up the kitchen, and Mr Fox sommelier Scott White having picked the wines. The wine list consists of ‘Classics’ (“generally well known”) and ‘Mavericks’ (“a bit edgier”), but we’ve had a look and there’s some seriously good bottles on there, with Raul Perez’s ‘Ultreia’ Godello, La Stoppa’s Trebbiolo and Vina Tondonia’s ‘Cubillo’ just a few of wines available by the glass. The food menu consists of bar snacks, toasties, cheeses and meats with a Holly Dalton spin, like breadsticks with umami mayo; roasted corn and chickpea hummus with crudités, fermented hot sauce, chive oil, and pickled mussels with sourdough and whipped salted butter. Toasties include ‘Cais na Tire, Connemara air-dried ham, gherkin, onion marmalade, tarragon mustard’ and ‘pickled peppers, fermented hot sauce, feta whip’. The solo dessert is their take on an Iceberger – a ‘chocolate and malt ice-cream sandwich’. The name comes from Sir Robert Bagod, who Baggot Street was named after, and the interiors are bright pink and green (photos of that tbc, they’re still cleaning in preparation for tonight’s opening). Bobby’s opens at 5pm this evening (on Friday 13th for luck), and will open Tuesday - Saturday from 17:00. Bobby's 17 Baggot Street Upper, Dublin 4 Open: Tue - Thu 17:00 - 23:30. Fri 17:00 - 00:30. Sat 17:00 - 00:00. www.bobbys.ie

It’s that time of year again: no parking, no taxis, no reservations, queues for days - no wonder it's known as the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas in the capital: we wouldn’t have it any other way (except maybe the no-taxis-in-the-rain part), but the season also brings with it food and drink items that would turn any cranky shopper-to-be into their cheeriest selves. We’ve rounded up some of the most good looking Christmas food the city has to offer right now, that we will be attempting to systematically get through before the year is out. The Christmas Kebab From Kerb Ingenuity at its best: brussel sprouts in a kebab. Kerb have outdone themselves with this effort, and frankly swinging by Foxrock just to enjoy a turkey, crush carrot, crispy brussel sprout, stuffing and cranberry mayo kebab is well within the realms of possibility for those hairier days over the Christmas season. Gingerbread Choux From Chapter One Chapter One pastry chef Darren Hogarty never lets us down, and when it comes to seasonal desserts the standard is as high as ever. This gingerbread choux, part of the petit four selection, has a brown butter bun, candied clementines and gingerbread mousse, and looks like a particularly festive way to polish off a Christmas lunch. The Gobbler Sandwich From Greenville Deli Honey glazed ham, turkey, crispy onions, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mayo. If there was a prize for best festive sandwich in the city, we think Tara Street café Greenville Deli 's edition would be in with a shot. Mini Panettone From Alma Argentinean café Alma 's mini panettones are the perfect excuse to pop over to the South Circular road for some pre-shopping lunch featuring all the Argentinian deliciousness. You'll need your energy after all... Happy Out's Christmas Toastie There’s never an excuse needed to visit this container for a sandwich, however, a chow down on Happy Out 's Turkey-brie-cranberry combo seems like a particularly perfect reason to pop over and refuel after a chilly stroll on Dollymount strand. Craft's Christmas Pudding You know it’s going to be good when it’s pipped by pastry chef Gary Corrigan as “mam’s Christmas pudding”. This one comes with a dollop of custard, milk crumb and vanilla ice cream for all the flavours you expect when you visit Craft in Harold’s Cross. Sherry Trifle From Beo Wine Bar + Kitchen Sherry trifle - a mildly contentious Christmas dessert - when executed right can make for the champion of festive treats, and even though Beo in Stoneybatter's version is atypically vegan, we'd hazard a guess that it's pretty good. Veginity's Cranberry Canoli More accidental veganism, but this savoury cannoli from Veginity is like none we have ever encountered before. It's filled with smoked almond mascarpone, and is served on a cranberry chilli jam, and honestly we're intrigued. Brother Hubbard's Christmas Salads Think you hate brussel sprouts? Bet Brother Hubbard can make you change your mind. One of their seasonal salads this week is a sprout extravaganza with pomegranate seeds and hazelnuts, and we promise it will banish all memories of those over boiled, feet smelling monstrosities you most likely grew up with. The Christmas Sandwich From Junior's The Christmas sandwich arrived back at Junior's in Beggar's Bush yesterday, and they sound pretty excited to be serving the turkey, ham, bacon, stuffing and rocket filled roll again. We're equally excited to eat it. Mince Pies And Custard At Gertrude You didn't think we could get the whole way through this without mention the M word did you? There’s nothing - nothing worse than a lonely mince pie. Thankfully Gertrude understand this and are drowning theirs in custard. We are very appreciative. More Mince Pies From Three-Twenty Ice-Cream Lab And one more for good measure. Three-Twenty Ice-Cream Lab has teamed up with The Cupcake Bloke to provide the mince pies, which they warm up and serve with Baileys nitro ice-cream. It's what Christmast dreams are made of.

Dublin is well and truly in Christmas mode and you can barely move without touching a mince pie, or walk down Grafton Street for fear that Bono will start busking at you. Sure, it's December, but if you're just not ready for fruit cake, turkey sandwiches and tins of Quality Street, feel free to say “no-ho-ho” and substitute one of these completely non-Christmassy items instead... 1) Tinned Sardines From The Chew @ The Big Romance Basically the anti-Christmas. Escape from December for five minutes in The Big Romance on Parnell Street, where Chew Food are serving these summer sardines with salad and warm sourdough. Sardines + Salad + Sourdough = Summer, and definitely not Santa season. 2) The Potato Risotto From Woodruff Woodruff , the newist addition to Stepaside, describes itself as a neighbourhood restaurant serving modern Irish food, and this starter sounds like they’ve hit the brief. A risotto of purple potato from Ballymakenny Farm, pickled onion, and Hegarty’s cheddar looks like just what we want of a cold December evening. 3) The Chicken Spice Bag Dumplings From Double 8 We first paid a visit to Double 8 in Bray back in September and have been thinking about their homemade dumplings ever since. Now that they’re opening as a pop-up in Lock 6, Ranelagh, on December 13th, 20th, 21st and 22nd there’s limited opportunity to get down there and sample all the dumplings, so use this time wisely. 4) A Smoothie Bowl From Kale + Coco Are you minding yourself? It's always a good idea to stop, take a breath, and ask yourself this question - especially in the height of winter when reserves can feel that bit lower and you're probably partying more than your body will thank you for. Take some time out and brighten up your day while stocking up on lots of lovely vitamins with a fruit-topped smoothie bowl from Kale + Coco in Stoneybatter. 5) Garlic Butter Crab Claws From The Seafood Café Crab claws are always a winner in our book, but this version from The Seafood Café is served with a veritable waterfall of hot garlic butter. It’s the stuff of dreams, if you dream mainly about food and butter, like we do.

Back to Allta to be rewarded with this new dish of hand-dived scallops, gooseberry beurre blanc and hazelnuts. It's officially over for all other scallops. Read our full Allta once over here - Lisa. A group trip to Sprezzatura proved to be the ideal place for a gang - quick, cheap, booze on tap, what more could you want? This wild mushrooms tagliatelle made from foraged Irish mushrooms and thyme was one of the standouts of the night - Lisa Dinner at Soup Ramen in Dun Laoghaire featured a special of fried gambas with fennel, smoked butter, pickled cabbage and pistachio on toasted sourdough. So good with lots of different flavour profiles. Also had the fried kimchi and still think it’s one of the best things to eat in Dublin. Read our Soup Ramen once over here - Helen We think about Pickle 's kid goat mince with pao (Indian bread) far more often than is healthy, so were very happy to get back there for lunch last week and scratch an itch. As good as ever - Lisa There was some pretty decent food at Taste of Dublin: The Festive edition , in the RDS last weekend (not many actual restaurants though, it was pop up central - not that we're complaining). Our highlight was Lil Portie 's orange mojo Cuban pork shoulder tacos with Peruvian green sauce and crispy Clonakilty black pudding. Mega flavours - Lisa On a short trip to Dingle we ended up in Flannery’s The Fish Box . It’s a fantastic spot with a huge menu of daily specials. Keen to try all the food, we went for the eponymous Fish Box - a mountain of chips, calamari, tempura prawns, monkfish, and cod. Added on the crab arancini to keep us going for the drive back to Dublin - Helen While stopping off in Newry we headed for what we'd heard was the "only" place to eat there - Finegan and Son . We loved everything about it, but especially these Eggs Benedict with pastrami and sriracha mayonnaise. An inspired flavour combination - Lisa A cranberry and white chocolate scone from Gertrude . Had to wait for this to be taken out of the oven and to cool down enough to have the white chocolate added. Totally worth it - Helen

Okay so we've done the things that you can wrap and leave under the tree looking very impressive, but if you can't handle the shops and/or want to give the gift of an experience this Christmas (apparently it's what people really want anyway), here are some ideas to keep the food and drink lover in your life busy in 2020... 1) A Sourdough Making Class If you, like us, spend a terrifying percentage of your weekly food budget on sourdough bread, it's probably time to learn to make your own - apparently it's quite easy - and buying it for you and a pal is a the ideal way to also give back to yourself this Christmas. There are some great classes around the city, but Bread 41 and Scéal Bakery would be at the top of our wish list. See details on Scéal classes  here (currently booked out until the end of February) and on Bread 41's here (currently booked out until May). 2) A Trip To The Stella The Press Up group get a lot of flack for their identikit restaurants, but a trip to The Stella cinema in Rathmines is pretty special. Where else can you cosy up on a couch, glass of wine in hand, food en route to your side table. The bill adds up quickly so it's an ideal gift. A €50 trip to the cinema is much more enjoyable when someone else has paid for it. Buy vouchers or book here . 3) Do The Dublin Wine Trail Know someone who needs to broaden their horizons beyond Pinot Grigo and Rioja? Hop on board the Dublin Wine Trail . Guide Mari brings small groups of people around Dublin's wine hot spots stopping at places like Loose Canon, The Legal Eagle and Fallon & Byrne, for wine, snacks and chats, learning how to tell if a wine is good quality, and how to pair them with food. Another gift that you can easily buy for yourself also so that they don't have to go alone. Get a gift voucher for Dublin Wine Trails here . 4) A Baking Class At The Cake Café Know someone who turns into a TV zombie every time GBBO rolls around? Send them on their own baking class. The Cake Café off Camden Street run evening classes several times a month, with all ingredients provided and four master recipes on the agenda, including cakes, pastry, cookies and bread.​ Classes are €60 and run from 18:00 - 21:00, and you get to take home what you've baked at the end of the evening. The next class is on Monday 27th January and you can book here . 5) A Poitin Masterclass Despite being 'Ireland's native spirit', it's safe to say that not many of us are overly familiar with poitin. Dave Mulligan and Gillian Boyle are on a mission to change that, and two weeks ago their poitin focused Bar 1661  in Dublin 7 was named 'cocktail bar of the year' at the Irish Craft Cocktail awards. If you know someone who you think would appreciate an introduction, they run masterclasses for €25 per person, where you learn about the history of it right up until the modern day, and try four different types. See dates for poitin masterclasses  here . 6) Send Them To Meet The Makers More and more Irish food producers are coming together to put on tours and some are just a quick spin out of the city. Meet The Makers Wicklow picks you up on Nassau Street in the morning and drops you back that evening, full of food and drink (read more about that and how to book in our feature here ), and a similar one takes place in Slane, but you'll need to drive yourself to that one. More details and how to book here . 7) Go On A Walking Food Tour Of Dublin Fab Food Trails have been going for over 10 years, and their Dublin walking tour has been called the  "the gold standard for urban food tours in Dublin" . The three hour walking tour includes stops at 6 or 7 independent food and drink spots like Loose Canon, The Seafood Café or Temple Bar food market depending on the week, sampling food at each stop. Tours run most weekends and cost €60. For more details and how to book click  here .  8) Book Them A Table At A Hard To Get Into Restaurant Yes this will take planning, multiple alarms on phones and making sure your fingers are ready when the clock hits release, but if you can bag a table at Liath, Aimsir or Variety Jones for the New Year your love/friend/family member will be forever grateful for your persistence - and until then an IOU might suffice. Liath is booked out until February with tables for March released on February 1st at 10am, Aimsir is also booked out until the end of February with March tables becoming available on the 1st of January, and January/February bookings for Variety Jones are due to open in mid-December. Keep all eyes peeled. You might also want to include a voucher to at least pay for part of dinner. It's not always the thought that counts.

There are three distinct categories of people when it comes to Christmas shopping; those who have everything bought, wrapped and ready to go by mid-September; those who will make a dash to their nearest 24-hr supermarket on Christmas Eve en-route home from the pub; and those who’ll join the throngs of shoppers on Dublin streets in search of presents, atmosphere, and some sustenance. If you're the latter, we've rounded up some places to head when you need to put down the bags, and pick up some food. Bread 41 If you’re anywhere near Grafton Stre… Quarter, you’re a short stroll from Bread 41 and their lines and lines of cruffins, croissants, and other baked treats. The café offers lots of breakfast and lunch dishes, there’s pizza on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, brunch at the weekends, and they’ve recently started opening on Sundays. Pick up a few custaros to eat later when you’re trying to battle your way out of a packed car park to keep hanger at bay. Lucky Tortoise A popular spot because of the sheer amount of tasty food conveyed to your table for an exceptional price (€12 for the lunch deal or €20 for the entire menu), Lucky Tortoise is likely to be very busy across the majority of December, but it’s always worth sticking your head in to see if they have some space. You might get lucky. Sprezzatura Just off Camden Street, Sprezzatura has wine and beer on tap. Best of all, it’s seriously affordable with a selection of small plates, and all main course pastas are under a tenner. Ideal when you’ve just given the credit card a serious workout. Mad Egg Mad Egg now has three locations to cover you northside and southside. If you’ve braved the madness of town, or Dundrum Town Centre, reward yourself with some free range fried chicken. There’s no reason quick eats shouldn't be heavy on taste. Allta New and already in demand, Allta is just around the corner from Grafton Street. Since opening in mid-November, they've been swamped with bookings, but space is kept for walk-ins so it’s worth trying your luck after an exhausting day pounding the pavement. If you do grab a table we recommend ordering everything. Sure it’s Christmas. (Read our Allta once over here ) 147 Deli Parnell Street is best known as a melting pot of Asian restaurants these days, and we love that, but 147 Deli remains a constant monument to the humble sandwich. Weekly specials, and a menu packed with regular favourites like the 147 Cheese Steak make it the perfect pitstop close to Henry Street. Xian Street Food Galway staple, Xian Street Food opened on Dublin’s South Anne Street earlier this year and has been drawing crowds with hand-pulled noodles and traditional Chinese dishes ever since. You may have to wait for a table, but the queue moves quickly, and it’ll be worth it when you’re tucking in to a steaming hot bowl of beef biang biang noodles. Chimac Nothing says Christmas like Korean fried chicken. Okay that’s not true, but there’s nothing to stop you making this a thing. Chimac is one of our favourite openings of 2019, offering huge chicken burgers, topped nugs, and fries - and only free-range chicken. Maybe save this one for when you're finished, as if you go all out and end with the ice-cream cookie sandwich you probably won't be able to move very far afterwards. Clanbrassil Coffee Shop The baby sister of the Bastible/Clanbrassil House family, Clanbrassil Coffee Shop serves soups, sandwiches, pastries, and specials from Monday to Saturday. Ideal when you’re looking for something quick and tasty award from the crowds, before begrudingly heading back to the shops. The Cellar Bar At The Merrion Hotel We’ve done extensive research and can confirm that the nicest Christmas tree in Dublin can be found in the lobby of the Merrion Hotel . The Merrion has a number of dining options, including Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, but if you’re looking for something a little more casual, head to the Cellar Bar to share a seafood tower or any number of pub classics. Mister S Mister S , from the team behind Featherblade , is relatively meat-focused with lots of cooking over fire, but flame-licked fish and vegetables also feature. They recently started taking reservations, but space is still kept for walk-ins so it’s the ideal spot to take a load off when you don't know what time you're going to tick the last thing off your list. The miso roast potatoes will leave you feeling very merry and bright. Cirillo's Usually open 6 days a week, Cirillo’s will open from 13:00 to 21:00 on Sundays in December, so you have extra opportunity to get in there for a pizza, antipasti, or ragu with venison and chestnuts, which is the Italian/Christmas mash up we've been waiting for. Caffe di Napoli If you’re heading towards Pearse Station for your Dart home, you’d be well advised to pop in to Caffe di Napoli . What looks like a café houses a beautiful Italian restaurant downstairs, with classic Neapolitan food including lots of pizza and pasta. If Caffe di Napoli is full their new winebar Enoteca di Napoli has just opened around the corner on Fenian St. The menu is smaller, but similar, and portions are very generous. Spitalfields If you’re shopping around The Liberties and thinking of eating in Spitalfields , you’re probably best off planning ahead and making a reservation, but it’ll be worth it when you’re tucked-up inside the cosy former pub. Set lunch and early evening menus start at €19.50 for two courses or you can go all out and opt for the mega cock-a-leekie pie for two at €45. Tiller + Grain Christmas doesn’t mean we have to overdo it at every opportunity, and Tiller + Grain ’s menu of nourishing soups, hotpots, and salads will ensure you don’t have a mid-shop slump, because nobody wants to be found snoozing amongst the Fendis in BT's.

Dublin 8 has a new wine bar, as the The Wine Pair is the latest addition to the South Circular Road. The new opening from husband and wife Canice and Mags McKee is in the old Salt + Stove site, and at the moment the menu consists of wine, olives, almonds, cheese and meats, which they pair with the wine. Bread is from the Bretzel Bakery , and current cheeses on the list include Coolatin, Brie de Meaux and Mont d'Or, but this will change from week to week. The couple, who live locally and have had a love of wine for as long as they can remember, say they've seen the area flourish over the past few years, and wanted to contribute to the growing food and drink scene. The concept and offering is simple - somewhere to kick back with good, well-priced wine, which they will pair with different cheeses and meats for you, but you can also just pop in for a drink. They say they were tired of the "silly pairings" being made elsewhere, and wanted to keep things fuss free. Wines are mostly European, with plenty of organic and natural choices on the menu, as well as a selection of wines on tap. There's also a wine shop and corkage on anything off the shelf is €10 - a bargain by city centre Dublin standards. You can also take the wines on tap to go in 500ml or 1 litre refillable bottles. The Wine Pair is open now, and will open every Wednesday - Sunday from 16:00. The Wine Pair 79 Clanbrassil Street Lower, Dublin 8 Open: Wed - Thu 16:00 - 22:00, Fri - Sat 16:00 - 23:00, Sun 16:00 - 22:00. www.thewinepairdublin.com

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 .