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In between showers, that big yellow ball in the sky has been hanging in there (albeit intermittently), and the accompanying wash of colour on plates across the city is making us feel berry happy (sorry). Everywhere we look right now we're seeing brightly coloured berries of every type, so we've pulled together some of our favourites. Go forth and eat. Elderflower Ice-Cream With Berries at Shelbourne Social Soft-serve ice-cream is enjoying a resurgence at the moment (thank you Gertrude and Two Pups ), and Shelbourne Social ’s version with fresh strawberries, freeze-dried raspberries, and sauces makes us forget we ever wanted a 99. Raspberries With White Peach At Clanbrassil House Crispy sable biscuit, white peach, tart raspberries, and a scattering of verbena, this dessert from the gang at Clanbrassil House is ticks all of our boxes for texture and taste. Vegan Oat Ice-Cream Cookie Sandwich From Bear Lemon We struggled to pick just one item from Bear Lemon to showcase what the're doing with berries right now. From strawberry and chocolate vegan, oat-based “ice-cream” sandwiches, to raspberry loaf cakes, Ciara Lennon is turning out cakes and treats that are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. You can find her creations in a number of Dublin cafés like Unfiltered Coffee in Inchicore, who will be selling these mega looking things this Saturday. Pancakes At Eathos With a focus on healthy dishes and fresh ingredients, it’s no surprise that the menu in Eathos is heavy on seasonal fruits and berries all year round. These buckwheat pancakes with berries and coconut whip will give you that feeling of indulgence, with no excuse for guilt of any kind. The Summer Salad At The Cake Café The tang of goat’s cheese combined with the sweetness of strawberries from The Cake Café isn’t a traditional pairing, but one we very much approve of. More sweet/savoury combos please Dublin. Strawberry Mojito, Rustic Stone Is it a cocktail? Is it a dessert? We’re not sure, but we don’t really care. Give us a spoon and a straw (paper, natch), and we’re happy to have the best of both worlds with Rustic Stone ’s take on a strawberry mojito with sorbet and lime mousse. The Tonga Toast At One Society Our love of French toast here in ATF is well-documented , but this Tonga Toast from One Society is a new one on us. Thick bread stuffed with banana (bananas are technically berries - honest), fried, and topped with berries is the breakfast/dessert hybrid we didn’t know we needed. The Berry Tart From KC Peaches We’ve long been fans of the baked goods from KC Peaches , and this tart looks like instant nostalgia, evoking memories of summers spent harvesting hedgerows for blackberries when visiting our grannies down the country. The Strawberry Parfait From One Pico While never attracting as much attention or accolades as its sister restaurant The Greenhouse , One Pico has always had a quiet confidence, and this parfait with gariguette strawberries (a sweet French variety), tarragon ice-cream and a Sichuan pepper sable is the perfect illustration. BuJo's Summer Wine Mixers Our milkshakes may bring all the boys to the yard, but seriously, who wants to have a milkshake when you can have wine instead? BuJo ’s Catalina wine mixer is a refreshing mix of Sauvignon Blanc on-tap with summer berry puree, mint leaves and a lime kick, and it's about to replaced by the Sandymount sangria, with organic Malbec, freshly squeezed OJ, strawberry purée and loads of crushed ice. Fill our glasses. The Raspberry Rhapsody Doughnut from Off Beat Donuts Does Dublin have a doughnut shop at every turn? Pretty close. That said, there’s a reason Off Beat Donuts have secured a loyal following, and creations like this raspberry-glazed doughnut topped with crème aux framboises will give you your berries on the go… or on the couch, we’re not here to judge you. The Summer Berry Pavlova From China Sichuan Because sometimes retro is right. Especially when it's topped with all the berries and comes with a side of lemongrass cream, like at China Sichuan in Sandyford.

Another week, another blasting for the Old Post Office in Blackrock. Surely you'd just stop letting the photographers in? You don't really need to read this to guess what Tom Doorley in the Irish Daily Mail thought, but the topline is - shockingly expensive, pretty crap food. He went solo to try the €50 'early bird', and for that princely sum had a "very small" vegetable wonton, salt and chilli prawns (a whole three of them), in a batter both crispy and oily, and fillet of Hereford beef, broccoli and green pepper, with no discernible green pepper, and a taste akin to a takeaway. The beef itself however is described as "extraordinary ... quite mushy, turning to a sticky paste in the mouth". That Wongs menu is looking ever more appealing. After that feast it was time for the "Irish cheese selection", featuring Wicklow Blue the texture of plasticine, smoked Gubbeen, and the pièce de résistance - Dubliner cheddar. Don't all run to book at once now. He calls the wine list "staggering" with prices starting at €50 a bottle and "gibberish" tasting notes that look like they've come from google translate. And for this multi-sensory experience he had little change out of €100. Anyone else think this could be some sort of social experiment? (Review not currently online) A far more pleasant experience for Catherine Cleary in the Irish Times , who calls Argentinean café Alma in Portobello "very special". She says the "daughter-dominated" business are "serving the food they love to eat", and that there's a "friendly thoughtfulness" to everything. She describes a loaded batata with Argentine sausage ragu, limed sour cream, spicy nuts and fresh leaves as "the perfect lunch dish", and steak with chimichurri, eggs, potatoes and kale was "cooked as it should be: steak juicy, potatoes crisp and the kale freshly sauteed". A lemon and poppy-seed pistachio cake for dessert was "an excellent piece of baking", and a brownie "gorgeously fudgy", and she says Alma are "cooking the food you love, with excellent ingredients". She gives it 9/10 and you can read her review here . We're also giving Alma the once over in this Tuesday's mail out - you can sign up for that here . In the Sunday Business Post Gillian Nelis was silenced by the "gorgeous, uninterrupted" views in Portmarnock Hotel's Seaview Restaurant - and the food wasn't bad either. We're currently borderline obsessing about the "chicken and rabbit sandwich" - a meaty terrine between wafer-thin slices of pastry, on a nettle purée with truffle aioli and slivers of raw asparagus, which she calls "beautifully balanced and full of flavour". Salmon cheesecake also delivered on flavour, with "fatty and unctuous" tartare, and halibut was perfectly cooked, if the lemon emulsion seemed to be missing the lemon. Another main of duck was overcooked, but the garnishes of white onion and truffle purée, beluga lentil salad and new season cabbage were "great", and she "adored" her dessert of Floating Island with local strawberries and a strawberry and elderflower consommé. She even liked the other dessert of white chocolate mousse with marinated sweet peaches and oat crumb, despite being a lifelong white chocolate hater. She calls it "an impressive showing", and says the food more than matched the views. Read her review here . In the Sunday Times Niall Toner is falling for Frank's on Camden Street, and doesn't bat an eyelid at all the rules, like having to order sherry with your almonds or the possibility of standing around for two hours to get a table, saying it's worth the wait. Read his review here . In the Irish Independent Katy was having the summer meal of our dreams in the wilds of Connemara. She was at the Sea Hare long-table pop up in Joyce's Bar in Cleggan, complete with "hyper-local" ingredients like seaweed pesto, horseradish crab, and pollack with a tomato and shallot concasse. Her highlights were the veg - freshly shelled garden peas and French beans, floury potatoes in seaweed butter and simply dressed bowls of garden leaves, and a raspberry fool for dessert was "simple and perfect". The only disappointment of the night was the pub wine (standard), but she gives the food, ambience and value 8/10. Read her review here . Another pretty unhappy camper in the Irish Examiner where Joe McNamee was at Table Restaurant in Brown Thomas, Cork, with "The Granny" in tow. A penne pasta with pesto and Parmesan impressed, and a Moroccan lamb tagine with couscous was "a decent dish", but things went downhill with his bacon cheeseburger, whose meat was "overworked, dry" and "grievously under-seasoned", and the "skinny fries" he'd been craving were actually chunky, skin-on chips, which were "mealy and bland". The Granny's cod was good, save for soggy sautéed potatoes, and he says that while Table is an improvement on the last BT's restaurant, it was "an underwhelming lunch". Read it here . Finally in the Sunday Independent, you guessed it. It's another top 20 from Lucinda . This week featuring the country's best "foodie views", and unusually there's nowhere in Dublin on there. Places that do get a mention include Aghadoe Heights in Killarney, The Lodge at Ashford Castle in Mayo, and Spillane's in Dingle, and if you fancy dinner with a water view in Dublin it sounds like you could do worse than reverting to Gillian's Nelis' review above. (Not currently online) Lastly, if you work in the hospitality industry you might want to sign up for our jobs emails starting tomorrow. Find out more about ATF Jobs here . More next week.

After weeks of teasing and a very gradual opening of doors, The Well on St Stephen's Green officially opens today. Encompassing a café, bar, restaurant and co-working space, they're calling it "the local for the digital generation", and hope their 'millennial' cocktail list and the fact that they have Dublin Pizza Company on site will help in attracting them. The main space at ground level is a bar/café/meeting space with free co-working desks (complete with wifi, plenty of plugs and USB connections - the dream), Dublin Pizza Company in the back and loads of seating. ‘These Hands’ coffee shop opens into the ground floor space and out onto the green serving Imbibe coffee, pastries and yoghurts from 07:00 - 19:00, and Dublin Pizza Company will serve wood-fired pizza, cheese and charcuterie boards from 12:00 - 22:00. The drinks list is definitely a step up from the average city centre bar with several wines more commonly seen in some of the city's best wine bars and restaurants, and a beer list featuring craft breweries and missing a lot of more well known brands - you won't find Heineken or Guinness but you will find Pilgrims Pale Ale and Shandon Stout. The 'millennial' cocktail list includes ingredients like matcha, aloe vera and collagen (whatever you're having yourself), and one comes dipped in edible glitter - the stuff Instagram dreams are made of. While the fit out of the old Dandelion building (remember those nights?) looks pretty high end, most of the materials have been recycled or refurbished, and they're pledging to only use materials that are sustainable and have been ethically produced. They have eight wines on tap, won't be giving out straws or napkins, and are aiming to keep waste to a minimum. The basement level will get going in September as an events space, late bar and live music venue, and they're planning on showing sport on big screens too. We can't help thinking The Well is the answer to two eternal Dublin questions. Where can I set up my laptop to work with no pressure to buzz off as soon as my coffee's finished? And where can we get good food and drinks on a Sunday/Monday night? Liquid collagen on request. The Well 130 - 133 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2 Sun - Thu 09:00 - 12:00, Fri - Sat 12:00 - 02:30. www.thewelldublin.ie

This weekend's Irish Times review illustrates the importance of finishing the job after a restaurant rebrand. It's pretty widely known (and if not easily googled) that the former Dunne & Crescenzi in Sandymount has been taken over by the owners' two sons and rebranded as ' Crudo '. It's already featured in the critic reviews three times (as 'Crudo'), but CC flips between calling it 'Crudo' and 'Dunne & Crescenzi', noting that the only place she can see 'Crudo' is at the top of the menu, and Dunne & Crescenzi is still over the door. We're not sure if this is a misunderstanding on her part or an attempt to not confuse the Sandymount socialites, but either way, time to get a new sign lads. Despite the name confusion, she calls it "a hearty neighbourhood place" with "rustic Italian cooking". Chargrilled asparagus on toast with whipped ricotta and an egg and mint dressing had a "picnic vibe off it, in a good way", battered monkfish was "lovely" and came with an equally lovely apricot and cumin ketchup, and veal with truffle gnocchi was an "all-Italian tribute". Her main of puttanesca with mackerel was "gutsy" but the leathery green olives had to go, and panna cotta to end was as good as any she's had in Dublin. She gives it 8/10 and says they're serving food "several notches above what you might get on a trip to the brighter lights of the city centre." And the even better news is that they're closing tomorrow for refurbishments - including a new sign. Read her review here . In case we needed any more proof about how the standards in Irish food are currently going through the roof, Katy McGuinness in the Irish Independent gives her third set of full marks in two months to Aimsir , after also awarding faultless scores to Chapter One and Liath . We'd make a guess that this has never happened before - 10/10's (or in this case 30/30's) are a rarity, and to have three in such short succession is an eyebrow raiser. We presume it also made up for last week 's insect in crap salad incident. Like the critics before her she doesn't even attempt to go into all 18 courses, but cites standouts as the opener of violetta potato with Boyne Valley Bán cheese, pickled black garlic and Irish truffle, a Flaggy Shore oyster with roasted koji butter and apple balsamic, and the soda bread cooked in beef fat with "celestial" raw milk butter (above). She says Aimsir has "soul, a commitment to beauty and a deep understanding of flavour and texture", and urges you to go for yourself before the new Michelin guide comes out in Autumn and prices will surely go up. Read her review here . In the Irish Examiner Leslie Williams is the latest critic lured back to Chameleon after their little refresh earlier this year (amazing what some new paint can do), and calls the food "supremely tasty". Particular praise for the "deeply flavoured complex Satay Ayam" with free-range chicken, the "pillowy soft" bao with pork belly and 'fish fingers' (not in the same bun), and the perkedel - a crispy potato and chickpea cake. He says the joy in Chameleon is in the mix of dishes and flavours to try, and recommends going with as many people as possible so you can have all the food. Read his review here . In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley was living it large at Michelin-starred L'Ecrivain , where he says eating feels like "a proper hug", in comparison to some other restaurants cooking at the same level. Amuses bouches of ice cream cones filled with tuna tartare and Dublin Bay Prawns in Ketaifi pastry were "jewel-like and ethereal", and starters of foie gras and poached Irish lobster tail were "absolute classics". Earthy squab pigeon was "rich, moist, nicely bloody", and John Dory was "roasted to the nanosecond of perfection". Crème brûlée and cheese to end didn't let the standards slip, nor did the wine pairings throughout, and he calls it a "splendid repast". (Review not currently online) In the Sunday Independent we're probably half way through Lucinda 's summer of round-ups, and are counting the days until normal service resumes. This week it's her best seafood spots, and getting a mention in Dublin are Aqua in Howth, Fish Shop , Little Mike's , The Seafood Café and Sole . It's not currently online but clearly we've all got seafood on the brain as we also did a guide to the best places to eat it in Dublin last week. Find that here . In the Sunday Business Post Gillian Nelis was very excited about taking a spin on the extended M11 to Wexford (it gets three mentions), but even without it says she'd go back to Crust in Wexford town. The Neapolitan style pizza with Irish ingredients "more than stands up to what the capital has to offer", with a base "as light as air", sauce "full of flavour", and a mushroom deluxe with smoked black ham and truffle oil is described as "a triumph". Affogatos for dessert were "great ice cream, topped with equally great coffee", and she recommends checking out the new road (and the pizza) for yourself. Read her review here . Finally in the Sunday Times , new food critic Niall Toner is impressed by the whole, chargrilled fish at Prado - less so by the raw red pepper in the salad and the charred, bitter broccoli. He gives it 3.5/5 and you can read his review here . More next week.

Welcome to the point in the Irish summer where the conversation has drifted from the current state of the weather to how the summer is running away like a bold child, thus cutting the actual summer in half. If you’re trying to ignore the summer haters, eating seafood in the sun is a good way to hang on to the warm weather, because we’re back to potatoes in around a month. Little Mike's and Michael's Owner Gaz Smith has set his restaurants Michael's and Little Mike's out from the rest by making a point of sourcing a lot of his seafood straight from the boats, an unusual (and successful) tactic for a city restaurant. Also this is one of those places where everything is cooked in floods of butter but in the best way possible and you’ll never want to leave. Octopussy's Seafood Tapas We all need a spot on Howth pier for seafood tapas for when you’ve gotten too hot because you’re Irish and feel the need to fling yourself at the sun whenever the opportunity arises and you eventually need to find shelter inside because you’ve now turned yourself into a lobster. You'll feel at home at Octopussy's . Get the seafood platter for one or two and cool off with some white wine. Klaw and The Seafood Café Niall Sabongi’s Dublin fish empire has become a mainstay in Dublin. Between Klaw and the Seafood Café , you’ll find a casual setting that will make you feel like you’re living the carefree summer life you intended. Crab on toast and skewered prawns are some of our go-tos, but they have regularly changing specials. Lobstar Lobstar in Monkstown provides a very suitable and soothing space to ease you back into the warmth of autumnal cooking in the form of meaty Irish lobster and steaks - because it will probably be raining outside. We love them for their commitment to Irish Lobster year round. During a stormy period last year when they were no lobsters coming in from the Irish sea they were explicit in telling guests that they'd had to buy in Canadian, while some other restaurants around town claimed they were still serving Irish. Cliff Townhouse & Urchin A more sophisticated place to dine on seafood because you’re not always straight from the beach with sand clinging to every item of clothing you have. You also have two options for whether to go to the Townhouse for a blowout (might we suggest the seafood platter) or else go downstairs to Urchin for some small plates and cocktails. Fish Shop Benburb & Queen Street The place you go in town for a casual dinner that turns into you being over excited by the wine list and blowing your midweek budget on booze and fish. Both sites are just as good as each other so it’s up to you if you want bougie fish and chips in Benburb or a table d’hote menu down the street in Queen Street . If you're around on a Monday don't miss Benburb's Monday Wine Club, with quite frankly ridiculous prices on wines by the glass - but beware, they sometimes only open one bottle so get there early to avoid devastation. Sole Sole seems to have done a turnaround after a few, if not many, bad reviews that mainly focused on their lack of provenance when it came to seafood and their sky high prices. They seem to have listened and their menu now boasts sourcing from the coasts, with a much bigger focus on Irish seafood. Shaka Poke If we can get over eating fish as an ‘island nation’, we can get over eating raw fish, especially if it’s incorporated into a poke bowl with a load of healthy toppings to make you feel even more virtuous. Shaka Poke are in Blackrock Market and St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, as well as several markets around the city. Did we miss your favourite seafood spot? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

It’s increasingly clear that we’re going to have to make the most of whatever ‘summer 2019’ is - so that means grabbing any sunshine you can. Step outside, find a patch of grass and kick your shoes off, not with a sad sandwich, but with a bright box of something special. More picnic guides to follow but for the time being we’ve ticked every gate close to St Stephen's Green (or Iveagh Gardens, or Trinity. Go nuts). Weather permitting of course. Tiller + Grain Tiller + Grain has been a hit from day one and proof that you can be both instagrammable and incredibly tasty. Generous bowlfuls that are worth a blow out every now and then, it’s genuinely hard to choose from the heaped platters of salads, fishes, roasted meats and grains which all manage work beautifully together. All of it is good, all of the time. Tang Tang's rainbow colours will brighten up even a cloudy day, as their Middle Eastern flavours make you warm from the inside out. An always friendly spot where some of the best Irish producers meet the souk, their daily changing salads and flatbreads are full of spice, crunch and of course tang. Green Bench Café Rain or hail the (fast moving) queue is deep on Montague Street where every element of the Green Bench Café 's food shines. Thoughtful, creative and full of daily surprises, house made cakes and their sausage rolls on Fridays are often gone before 1pm. If you get the hot pot and sandwich combo that’s dinner taken care of as well. Kokoro Sushi Bento For premade fridge bento Kokoro 's are as good as it gets in Dublin. Pretty and lots of choice of nigiri, hosomaki and sashimi, all with miso, or build your own box with fishy pick-n-mix for a quick grab and go. And maybe a little aduki bean dorayaki for afters. Shaka Poke Showing no signs of being a fad, poke now has a permanent spot in Stephen’s Green shopping centre, where Shaka Poke will pile you up a towering bowl of freshness to eat in or take away. Any of their signature bowls are worth trying (even the fishless ones) but ours is an "off the wall", with salmon, edamame, carrot, red cabbage and mango. Cloud Picker Café A bit of a hoof to the Green from Cloud Picker Café but there’s plenty of green space in Trinity either. The Dublin coffee roasting favourite are now packing it out daily at their own space with chunky exciting salads and breads, and they offer discounts for people who bring their own food containers. Don't forget a Polish yeast bun for afters. Sisu Another bento, this time from Sisu on Stephen's Street, whose €10 bento is now available for takeaway. It changes every day and you probably won't need dinner after the generous amount of food. Industry Another of our salad favourites, Industry on Drury Street is Dublin's answer to Ottolenghi (them and Tiller + Grain - see above). The portions aren't huge, but thankfully the flavours are. Balfe's Cash rich and time poor? Need to make a really good first impression or make a serious apology? This is the answer. Balfe’s will make you up a wicker basket of cheese, charcuterie, paté, bread, crackers, salad and strawberries along with a blanket, plates and real cutlery, and either mini bottles of Pommery pop champagne for €110 or pink lemonade for €60. You will feel like a legend in your lunchtime. Then it’s back to work. Bah. Contact Balfe's directly at least 24 hours in advance to arrange.

We're seeing an abundance of stuffed foods on the Insta this week, and let's face it. What's better than taking a food that you love (say for instance an artichoke) and stuffing it with another food that you love (like cheese - see below). Here are the ones we most want to stuff in our faces. 1) The Sushi Burrito From Take A Veg Forget the terrible name. This has nothing to do with a burrito. It's just an enormous, vegan sushi roll that we need in our lives. Take A Veg have a very dedicated vegan following and we could possibly be converted (maybe for a portion of the week) by this creation with grilled tempeh, Pad Thai sauce, spring onions, sriracha, carrots and Teriyaki dipping sauce. Available in deep-fried or fresh - there's only one right answer. 2) The Batata From Shouk We can't get enough of Shouk (and neither can a lot of other people as it's permanently packed) and their new loaded batata stuffed with lamb and beef on a labneh and sumac sauce has given us another reason to plan ahead to eat there. 3) The Ricotta-Stuffed Artichoke From Osteria Lucio Love artichokes. Love cheese. Love artichokes stuffed with cheese. Especially when it's ricotta and there's also has some Gubbeen guanciale hiding in there. Osteria Lucio have set the stuffed bar high. 4) Tempura Cauliflower Tacos From The Pepperpot Café When it comes to tacos, the answer is always yes, and these ones from The Pepperpot Café actually sound quite healthy, with tempura cauliflower, pickled cabbage, chimmichurri, brown rice and black bean salad. It's an excuse to eat even more. 5) The Cookie Ice-Cream Sandwiches At Chimac We waited, and waited, and to be fair they look worth the wait. Chimac 's stuffed cookie ice-cream sandwiches have landed and we are eager to get involved. Cornflake coating FTW.

A few months ago we asked on Instagram stories what cuisines Dublin was missing, and were surprised at the amount of people saying Ethiopian food. Well your dining prayers have been answered, as an Ethiopian supper club is coming to Dublin, complete with marinated lamb, berbere chicken stew and Ethiopian greens, all served on injera (a type of African flatbread). Mel Roddy is from Ethiopia but has been living in Ireland with his sisters and parents for more than 20 years. They've never had the chance to eat the food from home in restaurants here as nowhere was serving it, and after a trip home last year he decided he wanted to introduce the Ethiopian way dining to Dublin. The supper club is called Gursha , which means 'mouthful', or the act of feeding someone else at the table - a sign of friendship and love. Ethiopian food is generally eaten from a communal plate with four or five people, but you can ask for your own plate if that's not your thing. The injera that the food is served on is used as a plate, and to pick up the various dishes. Gursha's chefs are two family friends who have also been living here for years, one of whom used to be the chef in the Ethiopian Embassy in Dublin, and the seven course supper club will take place from 7pm on Friday and Saturday nights in Cloud Café on North Strand Road. If it goes well they want to look at opening a permanent site. Gursha starts on Friday 9th of August and tickets are a ridiculously good value €25, with wines and soft drinks available to buy on the night. Get tickets here .

First up, in yesterday's Irish Daily Mail, Tom Doorley was dining solo at Shelbourne Social , and says the "eccentric meal" left him "underwhelmed". He says he's given them time to "bed down" after initial mixed reports, but like the critics before him, felt "confused" by the multi-sectioned menu . Akami tuna (below) was fresh and summery but the portion was "minute", while torched Dexter beef with garlic, confit egg, Parmesan and kohlrabi was "slightly strange" but he liked it, except for the odd gristly bit. Pork belly with artichoke and squid was "a pleasant enough bowlful" but ambitiously priced at €30, and a dessert of strawberry kakigori with green tea dust, pistachio cream and "outstandingly delicious" strawberries sounds like the highlight. He says he expected more culinary fireworks, and a more coherent menu, and left "a little underwhelmed". Those guys cannot catch a break. (Review not currently online) In the Irish Independent Katy McGuinness found an unwelcome visitor in her salad at Bewley's on Grafton Street, which only added to her "quite shocking" lunch. The wriggling insect was living in some "past-their-prime, brown-spotted lettuce leaves", on the side of a "not good" quiche Lorraine, with "adequate" potato salad. Yum-my. A macchiato was good and a Mary cake (almond sponge, apricot centre, chocolate mousse) "rich and delicious", but her main gripe resided around the fact that as somewhere that's likely to be on every tourist's hit list, Bewley's should be a showcase for excellent Irish food, and on that front it's "failing miserably". She describes the menu as "all over the place", and cites the Coronation Chickpea Tartine (an open sandwich to the unwashed) featuring chickpeas mixed with vegan mayonnaise, soya yoghurt, mango chutney and curry spices, topped with grated carrot and red cabbage on walnut and raisin sourdough bread, as an example of food that looks as "dispirited and confused" and it sounds. She calls it "a missed opportunity to showcase great Irish ingredients", and gives the food and value 4/10. Read her review here . In the Sunday Business Post Gillian Nelis was purging herself after her trip to The Old Post Office in Blackrock a couple of weeks ago, and the antidote to a "laughably expensive ... poor to mediocre" meal was China Sichuan in Sandyford. She could have eaten the "man and wife" beef slices and the Chinese turnip cake all day, baby back pork ribs were "a simple, delicious delight", and a ‘golden apricot’ for dessert made from almond crème brûlée, hazelnut sponge and a sea salt and apricot gel centre was "the perfect light, zingy finale". She says, "everything about China Sichuan is generous: the flavours, the service, the welcome, the range of dishes on offer", and she's now fully cleansed. Read the full thing here . In the Irish Times Catherine Cleary calls Chimac "addictive chicken for a new generation". Despite the wait list for a table, and the 30 minute wait for food once they got in there, she says it was absolutely worth it. XL nugs with sriracha caramel were "delicious", as was a cucumber salad, and they nailed the cauliflower wings "right in the middle where this vegetable gets silky and nutty". A chicken burger with Korean hot sauce had "funk" and a "savoury growl to the spicy heat", and the chicken had "shellac crispness". Desserts of cookie ice-cream sandwiches were "jaw-achingly sweet" and felt like a work in progress, but she's hopeful that any teething issues will soon be ironed out, as Chimac has "the kind of complex layers and brilliant flavours that you hardly ever find between two burger buns". She gives them 8.5/10 and you can read her review here . Also feeling the Chimac love was new Sunday Times food critic (and long-standing Lifestyle editor) Niall Toner. It's a marked improvement on last week's write up of The Donnybrook, both in food quality and entertainment value, and you can read it here . In the Irish Examiner Joe McNamee enjoyed the "stunning ocean view" at Stranded in Kinsale, as well as the pan-seared scallops ("delicious little bonbons of juicy marine umami"), gambas pil pil ("exquisitely meaty prawns") and a Spanish tortilla ("an extremely tasty dish"). He says Stranded are cooking "straightforward dishes but with real care and regular flashes of considered originality", and gives the food 8/10, and the value 10/10. He also compares himself to a whale, so if you see him around give him a hug. Read his review here . Finally in the Sunday Independent it's another round-up from Lucinda , this time of the 20 best spots to eat along the Wild Atlantic Way, including Michelin-starred Mews (below) and Restaurant Chestnut in Cork, The Fishbox in Dingle and Little Fox in Ennistymon (watch a lovely video about them here ). Not currently online but should be on her website soon. More next week.

Is French Toast even French? Well, kinda. The French did invent it (as pain perdu, or “lost bread”), but it’s not until it hit British shores in the 1600's that French Toast as we know it today got its name. We can never get enough of the good stuff, so to make up for missing Bastille Day on July 14th, we’ve put together some of the best Dublin cafés and restaurants leading the French (Toast) Revolution. Two Pups Coffee The toppings change with the seasons, but the guys in Two Pups never fail to deliver incredible looking (and tasting) plates of French toast all year round. Recent takes have included salted-baked pineapple with white chocolate and coriander, and Speculoos with rhubarb. Five Points Not being dramatic, but Five Points ’ summer French toast is the fix you've been crying out for. Try and nab an outdoor table to soak up some sun, and take your time over these wedges of gooey bread topped with berries and tart lemon curd. Utter vibes. Brother Hubbard North When this picture popped up our Instagram feeds we had to take a moment. Brother Hubbard 's inspired combination of fluffy brioche French toast with peach compote, peach slices, and a white chocolate mascarpone has monopolised our thoughts ever since. Déjà Vu Ever classic, ever totally delicious, Déjà Vu in Malahide's homemade brioche with perfectly crispy bacon and maple syrup is faultless every time, and proves that it if ain't broke, don't even attempt to fix it. Slice While not a constant feature on the menu, Slice in Stoneybatter regularly serve up French toast specials that are joy in food form. This recent dish with poached rhubarb, walnuts, and berries gave us all the summer feels. Yes, it’s indulgent, but we’re jotting this one down under “Self Care”. The Cake Café Not to be outdone by its little sister Slice, The Cake Café ’s brunch menu has a weekly French toast special. Head there for coffee in the courtyard, and a stack of toast that will take all your Monday worries away (or at least let you momentarily put off the Sunday fear). San Lorenzo's “What did you have for breakfast?” “Oh, just some cereal, with a banana.” You’re not technically lying. The guys at San Lorenzos serve a mash-up of French toast coated in crispy Coco Pops, served with caramelised bananas, peanut butter, mascarpone, and a chocolate drizzle. You won’t want to eat it too often, but you won't forget it in a hurry. Ladurée Hungover AF and need to pretend to be a functioning adult sharpish? Grab your biggest sunglasses, a faux-Hermes scarf, and nab a table by the window of Ladurée to do some serious people-watching while sipping tea, and delicately dolloping chantilly cream on dainty slices of French toast. Did we miss your favourite place for French Toast? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

There's a bit of a café vibe going on this week - must be summer in the air and the need for salads and outside seating. In The Irish Times Catherine Cleary reckons she might have found the two best cafés in Dublin, after visits to Cloud Picker and Bread 41 , both on Pearse Street. In Cloud Picker she found salads that "deserve a bit of time", including sweet potato, sheep's yoghurt and rayu, and lemony aubergine with bulgar wheat, walnuts and cranberries. A seasalt caramel square and paleo ginger cake did exactly what they should, and coffee was "great". She calls neighbours Bread 41 "a beautiful operation", making "delicious sourdough breads and dangerously huge morning buns". A Thai noodle salad and chicken banh mi were "delicious" and "gorgeous", with the sandwich doused in a house fermented hot sauce with pickled carrots and roasted peanuts. She says she loves both cafés for "their food and their philosophy", and that they're making Dublin "better from the inside out". Read her duo review here . In the Irish Independent , Katy McGuinness is the latest person to fall in love with Argentinean café Alma on the South Circular Road, calling it "a small restaurant with big personality". A salad bowl of sautéed kale, spiced chickpeas, pickled onions and carrots topped with soft-poached eggs in an anchovy and tahini dressing was "filling and tasty", while a loaded batata (whole grilled sweet potato) with Argentinian sausage ragu, fresh peas, spiced nuts, herbs, leaves and lime sour cream had flavours and textures that were "spot on". Tomato, red pepper, basil and Parmesan soup was "delicious", banana and pistachio bread with dulce de leche needed more caramel but was still good, and she thought the coconut and raspberry dark chocolate bounty bar gave vegan desserts a good rep. She found the service as charming as everyone else who's walked through the door, and says she loves it, giving the food 8/10 and the ambience 10/10. Read her review here . In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley was also swooning, this time for Frank's , (who have yet to have a negative word said about them), calling it "a cracker of a new restaurant". Some of the swoon-worthy dishes included watermelon, cucumber, almond and herbs - "delicious ... a very happy combination of textures and herbs" - and ripe nectarine with ricotta, brown butter and shortbread crumbs - "one of the simplest and best things I've had in ages". He says Frank's is "not just brilliant, but generous almost to a fault". (Review not currently online) In the Sunday Business Post Gillian Nelis was feeling all the good vibes at Tiller + Grain on South Frederick Street, who she says are making business green in "the right way". Salads, meat and fish, including rare beef and broccoli cooked on a Big Green Egg were "far removed" from most others in the city, and carrot cake was "divine", with a polenta and lemon curd muffin so light and fresh that it tasted almost healthy. She says that Tiller + Grain "injected plenty of sunshine and good vibes" into her day, and that if there was ever a café to prove that eating well and sustainably isn't a chore, this is it. Read her review here . In the Sunday Independent Lucinda O'Sullivan 's on her annual reviewing hiatus, instead giving us various round ups, this week of the best food trucks and trailers in the country. Making the grade in Dublin are Container Coffee , Eat My Veg , Happy Out , Lala Poutine , The Market Kitchen , The Taco Truck and Vietnom , and from what we're hearing Órale Street Food in Stoneybatter should probably be added to that list. (Not currently online) In the Irish Examiner Joe McNamee calls OHK Café in Kinsale one of his "new most favourite places in the world to eat", which seems marginally more for the atmosphere (which he gave 10/10 for) than the food (8/10). Despite the menu being "top heavy" with sandwiches and salads, a mozzarella, pesto and tomato toastie and a "sublime" Spanish tortilla made up a "champion brunch", that he'd "travel the length of the country" to eat again. Read his review here . Finally in the Sunday Times it's Niall Toner again, and if there was ever an argument that food critics should be people who know and understand food, it's the depressing lack of descriptors in this review of Oliver Dunne's revamped gastropub The Donnybrook . He doesn't have a whole lot to say (and admits as much), other than it wasn't very exciting, and gives it 2.5/5. Read his review here . More next week.

When we first wrote about Circa opening in March, there was a mention of hiphop brunches once they found their feet, and it's safe to say that people got a little bit excited . The good news is they're kicking off this Sunday. The bad news is we think there's going to be a queue out the door, so if you want a side of Action Bronson with your French toast you'd better get there early. The guys in Circa say that adding something different to the brunch scene was important to them (you won't find eggs benedict or a full Irish here), and the menu features dishes like PB&J French toast with strawberry compote, mascarpone, peanut butter ganache and strawberry ice-cream, and avocado, Toonsbridge mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes on a toasted flatbread with a poached egg, pesto aioli and organic leaves (above). You can see the full menu at the bottom of this article. Expect tunes from Biggie Smalls, Action Bronson, 2pac, Drake and Run DMC, and loads of low abv drinks like spritzs, prosecco cocktails and aperol sours. Hiphop brunch is from 11:00 - 15:30 on Sundays and is walk in only. This one gona be busy. Circa 90 Terenure Road North, Terenure, Dublin 6 Wed - Fri 17:00 - 22:00. Sat - Sun 09:00 - 14:30, 17:00 - 22:00. restaurantcirca.com

A sushi-only restaurant has opened on Little Mary Street just off Capel Street. Fudo Izakaya is a sister restaurant to Sisu , the Japanese Izakaya near St. Stephen’s Green which opened last November. Their initial plan was to operate as an Izakaya like Sisu (a Japanese bar that serves snacks and hot food alongside drinks, hence the name Fudo Izakaya), but soon after opening decided to shift to sushi only. Fudo's head chef has worked and trained in sushi restaurants in Copenhagen for the past 10 years, and they say that what he was producing was so good that they decided to focus on just that - even the rice preparation is more laborious than they've experienced before. Big talk. Like Sisu, the sushi menu is on the creative side, featuring things the "Japanese roll" with seared beef, tempura prawn, tempura asparagus, spring onion and spicy mayo, and the "Hawaii roll" with grilled fresh scallops, kiwi, cucumber and yuzu mayo. We're super intrigued by the dragon roll with macerated Wexford strawberry, cucumber tempura prawn, avocado and mayo. Fudo is open seven days a week from 12:00 - 22:00, and while they currently only serve wine and plum wine, they plan to add more drinks, including a sake range, over the coming months. You can also BYOB with a corkage charge of €6 for wine and €1.50 for beer. Fudo Izakaya 28 Mary Street Little, Dublin 7 Mon - Sun 12:00 - 22:00 www.fudoizakaya.ie

Our bi-monthly list features the most talked about restaurants in Dublin right now. The ones the reviewers are reviewing, the instagrammers are instagramming, and where getting a Saturday (or any) night table can take military planning. These are the hottest restaurants in Dublin right now, 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 more about 3 Leaves 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. No critic reviews yet but it is only a matter of time. It's got Catherine Cleary all over it. Read more about Alma here . Bastible Where: South Circular Road Always a cornerstone of the Dublin dining scene, Bastible has been catapulted back into the limelight with the news that ex-Noma chef Cúán Greene is back in Dublin and their new head chef. Catherine Cleary was swiftly through the door, calling it "the start of something truly bloody exciting". Expect a stampede. Check out Bastible's hunger-inducing Instagram feed here . Bread 41 Where: Pearse Street Did cruffins even exist before Bread 41 opened last September? What did we have as a 'treat' breakfast? What did food bloggers pull apart for insta story videos? It's fair to say that Real Bread fanatic Eoin Cluskey's Pearse Street bakery burst onto the scene and shows no signs of slowing down. Watch the sad faces pile up around 10am when they find out that everything's gone and the next bake isn't till 11. Check out Bread 41 here . Chimac (New) Where: Aungier Street Korean Fried Chicken fever hit the capital last month when Chimac finally opened, after a year of rumours. Queues down Aungier Street became the norm, and for the first week they didn't seem to be able to keep chicken in stock for more than a few hours. Katy McGuinness in the Irish Independent praised their commitment to free range chicken giving the food 9/10, and you can still expect a wait. Read more our Chimac once over here . Circa Where: Terenure The new neighbourhood restaurant from four industry friends has given city diners another reason to get on a bus to Terenure, with 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". There's an interesting drinks list too. Read more about Circa here . Crudo Where: Sandymount Dunne & Crescenzi 2.0 is from the owners' two sons, who've given the Sandymount site a serious face lift. They burst onto Instagram in January with multiple images of food that made us want to run for the Dart, and as we know, provide the excellent images and the critics will come. So far Lucinda O'Sullivan , Tom Doorley and Ernie Whalley have given it their stamp of approval and we'd say there's more to come. Check out Crudo here . Etto Where: Merrion Row Etto has been dream dining since opening mid-recession in 2013. One of the most highly rated, consistent restaurants in the city, no one was surprised to see them take home best restaurant in Ireland at last year's Restaurant Awards . Katy McGuinness reviewed them for a second time last February giving out a very rare 10/10, and saying she wouldn't change a single thing about it. Read more about Etto here . Fish Shop Benburb Street Where: Smithfield Simple seafood, sherry and natural wines have been drawing the crowds to Smithfield since day one, and it's one of the food & drink industry's favourite hang outs . Catherine Cleary likened it to "a world class tapas bar", Katy McGuinness called it "perfection", and their Monday Wine Club is without doubt the best value place to drink quality wine in the whole of Dublin. Champagne for €7.50 a glass anyone? Read more about Fish Shop Benburb St here . Forest & Marcy Where: Leeson Street The second opening from the team behind Forest Avenue and chef Ciaran Sweeney is another place you'll find most of the city's restaurant staff hanging out on Sunday nights. It was originally walk in only, but thankfully they changed it and now take bookings, which is good because these are some of the hardest to get seats in town. Read more about Forest & Marcy here . Frank's (new) Where: Camden Street When Frank's butcher's shop on Camden Street became vacant, the owners of Delahunt a few doors up decided to take it over and turn it into a wine bar, leaving the butcher's frontage as is. Catherine Cleary in the Irish Times called it her "new favourite restaurant", and Aoife Carrigy in Food & Wine compared it to a cocoon, calling the food "top-class". Check out Frank's here . Grano Where: Stoneybatter We don't remember a new Italian restaurant ever having the impact Grano has in just two months since they opened, with 5 critics in already. By January 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 . Groundstate Coffee Where: Dublin 8 This seasonal café and yoga studio was put on the national map in March when Catherine Cleary in The Irish Times called it "one of Dublin's best cafés", quickly followed by Katy McGuinness in The Irish Independent who said the food was "properly tasty". Both praised the "exemplary" food provenance and cemented its place as one of the best brunch spots in Dublin right now. Check out Groundstate Coffee 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 Heron & Grey announced they were splitting up late last year, anyone who's eaten there (or was never lucky enough to get a booking) sobbed inwardly, but when Damien Grey announced he was opening the restaurant under a new name, 'Liath', sighs of relief were heard across the city. It opened in March to raves all round, and expect reservations to be like hen's teeth for the foreseeable future. Read our Liath once over here . Little Mike's (new) 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 . Potager (new) 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 . 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 opened five days before Christmas with no fuss, they just got the fire going in the hearth at the back and swung open the doors. Pretty soon reports were coming in about some of the most exciting cooking in the city, and all seven national critics had paid a visit in the first two months. Almost all left very satisfied. Read our Variety Jones once over here . Ones to watch... - We're very impatiently waiting for Niall Davidson 's new opening Allta (Irish for 'wild'), expected by the end of the summer, which will bring small plates and pasta to South Frederick Street - Ex- Etto staff member Jess D'Arcy and her husband will open Mamó in Howth in August, and we are tense with anticipation for this one - There's a new barbecue spot coming to Camden Street that we're dying to tell you about. More when we're allowed to shout about it - Amy Austin, the new wine bar from 777 and ex-Luna owner John Farrell should be open in the next few weeks, and it sounds like something we're going to get excited about - The owners of Deville's in Dalkey will open Casper and Giumbini's in Dun Laoghaire in late July, and with the ex-manager of 64 Wine looking after the wine list we've got a good feeling - Little Forest, the new Italian in Blackrock from the guys behind Forest Avenue and Forest & Marcy is delayed due to building issues, but we're eagerly awaiting news of an opening date

You know the feeling. You’re having a lovely night, the food's great and the conversation's flowing, but you've been handed the dessert menu and nothing appeals. Alternatively you've eaten too much and are in desperate need of a stroll to break the meal and rediscover your appetite. When either happens, you've got options. These are some of our favourite spots for post-dinner dessert that open late - and if you're really stuffed, dessert cocktails are also an option. (Note: we would never encourage leaving Uno Mas without the Flan de Queso) Mr Fox Pro tip: loads of excellent restaurants will be happy to let you in for dessert if you give them a call in advance and they have space. Head to Mr Fox for their take on the Iceberger or Super Split, or the PB&J that will send you home with a nostalgic spring in your step. Gertrude The guys at Gertrude are always happy to see you for a nightcap and some apple fritters, or the strawberries, mascarpone and roasted white chocolate, or the 3fe Espresso Ice Cream, and they're such good value at €4-6 that we recommend getting one of each. A cheese plate and sweet wine is also a vibe. Peruke and Periwig Dessert in a glass - we're into it. Prop yourself up with Peruke & Periwig 's 'The Cold S’mores' - marshmallow infused vodka, crème de cacao, kahlua, milk & cream with a biscuit rim & toasted marshmallows, or try the Key Lime Pie gimlet - citrus and vanilla vodka, tarte citron, lemon, lemonade, a biscuit rim and meringue foam. No matter how full you are when you enter, the likelihood is you'll find room for seconds. Ely Wine Bar Ely Wine Bar 's elegant Georgian room is a comfy place to carry on the conversation and finish out the night with ‘just one more glass of wine’. Desserts features things like poached Irish rhubarb, jelly, nuts and vanilla ice-cream, and burnt honey cheesecake with bitter almond ice-cream, and excellent cheese is a given. Dolce Sicily We can think of worse ways of finishing a night than with espresso and the best Sicilian cannoli this side of Naples at Dolce Sicily . We asked what time they usually run out of cannoli, and the reply was "never!" Plus there's always room for cannoli. It's a scientific fact. Three Twenty Ice Cream Lab Proof that ice-cream is hot. The good stuff at Three Twenty Ice-Cream lab is churned to order with a dash of liquid nitrogen, and we're all about the crème brûlée made with crème anglaise and a charred fair-trade sugar top, but can also stand behind the chocolate smore with toasted marshmallow fluff. Loose Canon Put yourself in the hands of the cheese experts at Loose Canon and finish the night on a savoury note with a side of natural wine. The weekly cheese specials are in prime condition and there's always some with a bit of funk, just like the wine. Café Bombo Try all the bombolinis (Italian filled doughnuts) you can manage at Café Bombo on Thomas Street, and wash them down with a jug of slushy margaritas to send the night off right. Open until 9pm at weekends. Dunne and Crescenzi Call them while you walk and with enough notice Dunne & Crescenzi should be able to squeeze you in for a late night tiramisu and a Tuscan Vin Santo or an affogato with amaretto. We're imagining this would be particularly perfect post pizza somewhere like Pi whose menu is dessert-less. Eatyard The legendary Teddy’s ice-cream has pitched up at outdoor food market Eatyard to serve you a cold scoop of nostalgia, or you could head to Sweet Churro for (in their own words) ‘crunchy clouds of deliciousness’ with dulce de leche. The Vintage Cocktail Club If your stomach really can't take any more food, or even a dessert cocktail, head to The Vintage Cocktail Club for something fresh, fruity and easily digestible, like The Dirty Wizard, with chilli-infused vodka, gingerbread and blackcurrant liqueur, cranberry juice, fresh citrus, egg whites, a ginger nut rim, berry skewer and a fresh mint sprig. It's basically a digestif. ​​ Scoop Dessert Parlour If on the other hand you haven't eaten enough, there's only one thing for it - the ice-cream cookie sandwich from Scoop . Pick any flavour of both, but a winning combo is the oreo gelato sandwiched between milk chocolate cookies. Just hope you got that walk in post-dinner.

The primary schools have unleashed the kids for two months and parents are scrambling to find activities for them. If you don’t have kids you’re probably still part child, trying to find things to fill up the summer calendar, but mainly your Instagram feed. There’s only so many "so bored, need to go somewhere this summer" posts you can out up before even the bots start to leave you. Here are some food focused festivals that will help to fill the void. The Big Grill The Big Grill is the giant man creche that everyone who fumbles with barbecue skills needs to attend. One day here could fill your BBQ quota for the summer, and is preferable to smoking out your neighbours while trying to grill sausages on a disposable BBQ out your flat window. 15th - 18th August. Get tickets here . The Wine & Cheese Festival Eatyard’s Wine and Cheese Festival is our ultimate festival. There’s no forsaking your tent at the end, no enormous queue for showers, no feeling like you need to slog through a stash of cans - it's the adult festival you need. Included in the ticket price is entry and access to the demos and workshops, besides plenty of music and entertainment. Also, infinite wine and cheese. 8th - 11th August. Get tickets here . Airfield's Festival of Food Entry to Airfield ’s food festival is free, music to all of our ears, but particularly those with energetic children running wild and spending all of their money during their summer of freedom. Find some music, food and beverages while watching demos on gardening, cookery and foraging, or meander between stalls of local producers, while checking out their impressive kitchen gardens. 7th-8th September. Get tickets here . ​ Beatyard Beatyard is the place where Eatyard began, the quintessential nibble and walk. As always with the Bodytonic crew, there will be some excellent brews and beverages to be had at the two day music fest in Dun Laoghaire, as well as a steady supply of 3fe coffee, vegan ramen, Big Blue Bus pizza, Handsome Burgers, Teddy’s Ice Cream, tacos, poutine, and many other reasons to get your hungry self in there. 3rd - 4th August. Get tickets here . All Together Now Let’s say it, all together now, ‘I’m starving...’ Perfect, you’ll be in the right place at this rising star on the Irish festival circuit. Couple that with great food options like Bia Rebel Ramen, Diva Cafe, Kerala Kitchen, Shaka Poke, Market Kitchen, Cloud Picker Coffee, and even fun-time gimmicks like Avocado themed food stalls straight from a millennial fantasy, you know your stomach will be be taken care of. 2nd - 4th August. Get tickets here . Electric Picnic We’ve all been to Electric Picnic in some shape or form, even if just through the stories of that one friend who got too mangled every morning to hear any music but is adamant they had the time of their lives getting fired from their bar job and losing their tent. If you want to dodge the unrefined Leaving Cert grads and have a more grown up experience, head for the Theatre of Food for demos, live fire cooking and a disco drunch. 30th August - 1st September. Get tickets here .

Summer has arrived in Dublin. Yes, it’s barely broken 20 degrees, and the sun hasn’t actually been shining that much, but the rain is gone and the bins in Portobello are filling up faster than the reservations book in Liath. And the food seems to have gotten brighter too. Here are some of the ultra colourful dishes on our eating agenda this week. 1) Gazpacho with Prawns from Rosa Madre Try and name a more iconic duo than seafood and summer; we’ll wait. Using plump red prawns and stracciatella, this rich gazpacho from Rosa Madre looks like a serious shot of flavour when you’re too hot to cook. 2) Cheesy Cornbread from Queen of Tarts They had us at “cheesy”. This new breakfast dish from the  Queen of Tarts  is packing a lot of savoury flavours, which can be surprisingly hard to find on a breakfast menu. It’s served with spicy beans, fried eggs, fresh salsa, chillies, and sour cream, and is giving us all the savoury summer feels. 3) Red Tomato Tagliatelle from Grano Grano ’s violet aubergines and smoked ricotta on red ribbons of tomatoey tagliatelle almost makes us feel the sun on our faces. Add a glass of Verdicchio and you could convince yourself that you're in Sicily instead of Stoneybatter. 4) Pancakes from Evolve Eatery Since opening in Clondalkin last year Evolve Eatery has been turning out some seriously bright plates for breakfast and lunch, and their fluffy protein pancakes topped with mountains of fresh fruit and edible flowers have been catching our eye. They’re also offering free pancakes for children with every adult meal from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Free food, quiet kids; it’s a summer miracle. 5) Peaches and Ricotta from Frank’s Yes it’s a picture, but if you look at this one long enough, you can actually smell the peaches. Frank's , the new wine bar in a former butcher’s on Camden Street, is walk-in only which makes it the ideal spot to stop in to on an evening stroll. Smothered in ricotta and brown butter, this one will keep you going till Autumn.

It's a weekend of slam dunks, both for new openings and old favourites, but the big question was whether or not the Sunday Times would have a restaurant review this week, after last week's news that long-standing critic Ernie Whalley had been given the heave ho in the latest round of budget cuts. So colour us surprised to see (this week anyway) lifestyle editor Niall Toner taking up the baton. He reviews Juanitos on Drury Street after a failed attempt at getting into Chimac , and you can make up your own mind about the new kid on the block here . In the Irish Times , Catherine Cleary was lured back to Bastible four years after she first " caused a stampede " by the news that ex- Noma chef Cúán Greene has come home and taken up the mantle of head chef, and she's fallen in love all over again. She was hypnotised by the cultured butter, a perfect match for chef/owner Barry Fitzgerald's sourdough - "the best in the business" - and snacks of pumkpin seed purée with lovage pesto, Cooleeney churros and a cube of Nashville fried chicken, were of the "put the fork down and shake your head level of tastiness". Knockalara cheese dumplings (above) were so comforting she thought they could be prescribed as beta blockers, and her pot-roasted cauliflower in a brown, buttery, miso crust ate like meat, and was Noma-esque. Smoked yoghurt woodruff cream for dessert was "wonderfully and differently delicious", and she calls Bastible "a beautifully memorable food experience, a steal at €55 for the tasting menu, and the start of something truly bloody exciting", giving them 9.5/10. Read her review here . In the Irish Examiner Leslie Williams was very taken with new Camden Street wine bar Frank's . He thought the smoked salted almonds and “almost luscious” Nocellara olives were some of the best he’s had, ham hock terrine with Parmesan cream, pickled vegetables and spicy Jalapeño sauce was “a perfect dish”, and caramelised Grelot pearl onions with "flavour-packed romesco" and Gorgonzola was "a creative and nicely balanced mix of flavours". More praise for violet artichokes with duck hearts and hazelnuts (above), sea bream tartar with avocado, and ripe peaches with ricotta and brown butter crumble, which was "a nice lift to the palate" post fish. A mature piece of Durrus cheese was “a beautiful thing”, and gariguette strawberries with sour cream and chicory crumble to finish was “delicious”. He says that while dishes are relatively simple, “they all have surprising and brilliant complexity”, and calls Frank’s “a wonderful addition to an already vibrant part of the city.” Read his review here . In the Irish Independent Katy McGuinness says that Chapter One is still the best place to celebrate, and makes Michelin-starred dining “relaxed and unintimidating”. She’s a fan of their “quiet confidence … honing and refining, implementing subtle tweaks that keep making things better”, and cites the recent addition of smoked buttermilk to their pommes purée with scallions, making it one of the most “sublime” dishes she’s had this year. Some of the highlights from a pretty spectacular sounding lunch include classic cheese gougères with truffle, smoked organic salmon with a Lambay crab pancake, peas and a cherry blossom vinaigrette, and a rose and mascarpone Paris-Brest, served with Irish raspberries, and she gives the food, ambience and value 10/10. Read the full mouth-watering rundown here . In the Sunday Independent Lucinda O’Sullivan calls the cooking at Potager in Skerries “faultless”. She praises the “excellent” breads, the “magic” crab, tomato and basil salad, and the “divine” salt-baked celeriac stuffed with Ard Mhacha shiitake mushrooms, topped with a bacon crisp – “pure paradise”. Mains of duck and cod were perfectly cooked, and a smoked chocolate mousse with beetroot and cherries was “delicious”. She reckons it’s going to end up in the same league of hard to get tables as Liath , Aimsir and Mews , so advises getting in quick. (Review not currently online but you can read our Potager once over here ) In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley is the second critic full of the love for Seasalt café in Cobh, saying it’s brought “a lot of joy” to the town. He loved that they “actually do home cooking”, and “don’t cut corners”, citing the Croque Madame made with sourdough, “proper” cheddar, “thoroughly meaty” ham and good bechamel, and the “outstanding” hake tacos – “so good … so unexpected”. A sponge cake with cream and strawberries was “a generous slice of old-fashioned heaven”, and he calls it “terrific value for food that is all made from scratch on the premises. (Review not currently online) Finally in the Sunday Business Post Gillian Nelis relied on Michelin plaques to find good food in Fuerteventura, ending up at Restaurant Rompeolas , where she thinks there’s “plenty to recommend”, particularly the “prawns in a raincoat” and kid goat with roast garlic and charred padrón peppers. If you’re heading to Fuertevetura any time soon you can read that here . More next week.

Prado , a new restaurant specialising in meat and fish cooked over fire has opened in Clontarf. Run by the same owners of barbecue restaurant Asador in Ballsbridge, it's in the site which formerly housed Moloughney's, a neighbourhood restaurant which had been there for 10 years. Like Asador, Prado will specialise in cooking meat and fish over an open fire grill with Mediterranean influences from Spain and Portugal, as well as Argentina. Some of the dishes on the opening menu include chargrilled octopus salad with romero peppers, plum tomatoes, and manzanilla olives, chargrilled fish on the bone, and Ibérico pork fillet steak with mojo verde, and charred romero pepper. Meat and fish are Irish, with the exception of Iberico pork and octopus from Spain, and prawns from Argentina, and they say they are trying to use as much locally sourced and Irish produce as possible. Prado is now open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Friday, with brunch at weekends. Prado 9 Vernon Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3 Tue - Fri 12:00 - 16:00, 17:00 - close. Sat 10:00 - 16:00, 17:00 - close. Sun 10:00 - 12:30, 1:30 - 20:00. prado.ie

A bit of a bombshell this weekend with the news that Ernie Whalley's restaurant reviews for the Sunday Times have been axed. Despite the recent cuts to the Times Ireland office, involving 17 out of 20 staff being made redundant, this has still come as a shock, particularly considering the current wave of excitement surrounding the Irish/Dublin restaurant scene. Whether it's been shelved for good or foisted onto one of the three remaining full time staff members is currently unknown. He chose Little Mike's in Mount Merrion for his last supper, loving it as much as everyone else who's been through the door, and you can read his swan song here . Also reviewing (and loving) Little Mike's was Lucinda O'Sullivan in the Sunday Independent. She calls it "cool and sophisticated", in comparison to big brother Michael's a few doors up - "rustic and charming" - but she compares the snug in the back to a "padded cell" - can't win 'em all. The famous whelks that chef/owner Gaz Smith says he won't charge for if someone doesn't like them had her converted, and whole, grilled Dublin Bay Prawns with salt and lemon were "resplendent". Scallops with gremolata, capers and hollandaise were "divine", Lambay Island crab and Wexford prawn gratin came with crab claws "the size of a baby's fist", and she calls the whole thing "a fishy feast". Fried Gruyère cheese with honey was "lovely" and "stinky", and a chocolate tart was "the dessert of the evening". Review not officially online but you can read it on Gaz Smith's twitter feed here , and get a sense of his cruel taste in pranks here . In the Sunday Business Post Gillian Nelis is on laugh out loud form whilst obliterating The Old Post Office in Blackrock. She thinks it should be renamed "Jesus It’s Fucking Expensive" as that's likely to be the first thing that people say when they open the menu, and that you can only get away with prices like €11 for soup and fillet of beef for €42 if the food is brilliant, but the food is "not even close to brilliant, and at times it’s downright poor." Marinated sea trout with black bean sauce was "about as tender as an old boot", tasting "deeply unpleasant", a main of scallops for €38 contained four whole scallops, with noodles an extra €5, and gong bao chicken for €32 was "an instantly forgettable plate of chicken and cashew nuts", and cost another fiver for the fried rice on the side. Dessert of pear and chocolate tart came topped with green dust, "which could have been made of pistachio, matcha, broccoli or grass. It tasted of nothing", and she calls it "laughably expensive for a meal that barely tipped into the ‘good’ category, and mostly languished firmly in the ‘poor to mediocre’ one." Read the full cringe-fest here . In the Irish Times Catherine Cleary says she has a new favourite restaurant - Frank's , the new wine bar on Camden Street by the same people behind Delahunt . Despite the temptation to keep herself and her husband's "new secret favourite place" to themselves, she felt it was her civic duty to tell us all about the "nutty, garlicky" ajo blanco with "an almost chewable texture", the Michelin-worthy barley cracker with globe artichoke petals and leek puree, and the asparagus with buttermilk and dill sauces and oils. She says they're still thinking about the just-seared scallops, with lightly-pickled cabbage, juicy golden raisins and a ham hock sauce, pillowy house gnocchi came draped with butter fried oyster mushrooms and an egg with a fudgy yolk, and that Frank's is "utterly in tune with the casual 'let’s go get a bite' urge that feels easier than planning and booking a table in an actual restaurant. The delight is that the food at Frank’s is better than most sit-at-a-table restaurants". She gives it 9/10 and you can read her full review here . In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley was the last of the seven critics through the door of Circa in Terenure, and he makes it six out of seven thumbs pointing upwards. He says he was seduced by the "very cool, modern, stripped back establishment", and the team who are "serious about food without being serious". The buttermilk fried rabbit that every single person through the door seems to have eaten was "a plate jumping with sheer flavour", boudin noir was "sticky and gently cooked", its richness cut by burnt apple, and a taleggio, leek and potato pithivier was "a carb fest of the most elegant kind". A kaffir lime parfait was "elevated to celestial levels" by sheets of caramelised white chocolate, and Cashel Blue came in "perfect nick" with homemade crackers. He calls Circa "lovely", with service that's "friendly, efficient and relaxed", and says it's "a very welcome addition to Dublin". (Review not currently online) In the Irish Independent Katy McGuinness was revisiting One Pico , after hearing positive reports about chef Ciaran McGill's food. Turns out the rumours were true, despite the "complete lack of buzz in the room". A starter of pea veloute with shards of Iberico ham and a raviolo of 18-month aged Parmesan was "vivid green and heady with the promise of summer", and lobster ravioli in a crab bisque with shavings of summer truffle was "a luxe and lovely dish". Cod with deep-fried florets of cauliflower, cauliflower purée, mussels, Goatsbridge caviare and capers was "impeccably cooked", and nettle gnocchi with violet artichokes, Coolea fondue, hazelnut vinaigrette and crackers was "a fine vegetarian option", but pommes purée with aged Comte and crispy shallots was dull once all the good stuff had been eaten. Service was "as lacking in personality as the restaurant itself", and she ponders whether this is deliberate so it can be all things to all people. She says that despite the somewhat dull experience, McGill's food is excellent, and gives them 8/10 for food and value. Read her review here . Finally in the Irish Examiner, Leslie Williams liked Chimac 's Korean Fried Chicken, but wished it was a bit more Korean. He recommends ordering the wings, loved the classic burger with Korean hot sauce and daikon slaw, and says the frosé was "far tastier than you might imagine", but wasn't a fan of the chips, calling them "half crunchy, half flaccid". He says it's is a great addition to Dublin and can see them rolling out to other locations, but wishes there was "more Seoul in the food". He gives them 7.5/10 for food and 9/10 for value, and says it's a good start but he's hoping it will get better. (Review not currently online) More next week.

Sometimes we all just need to get out of the house or the library. Maybe you need to get a decent coffee into the system, or the idea of eating lunch at home is too sad, and there’s the hope that leaving the gaff will inject some fresh ideas and motivate you. Get outside, see some people. You don’t even have to socialise, apart from asking for a flat white and a plate of food (or a cake, if you’ve reached that point in the day). Here are some of our favourite cafes for sustenance and coffee to counteract the cabin fever. The Fumbally The Fumbally ’s spacious cafe should provide you with the head-space you need to finish your work, or at least distract you with its hipster utopian vibe and fresh bread. Just do not under any circumstances attempt this on a Saturday morning, otherwise known as crazy time. Bibi's The key to getting some work done in Bibi’s is to go mid-week as to avoid the ravenous D8 brunch crowd. It’s a lot calmer, and you’re more likely to get a bigger table to sprawl all of your work across, all the better for suspending the illusion that you’re not procrastinating. Blas Café Blas has that homey feeling that resembles your sitting room, except that unlike your sitting room, there aren't discarded jumpers and old coffee cups decorated everywhere and you don’t need to think about sorting it all out and how that cup is now mouldy, and how you’re a failure. But anyway, Blas is really cosy. 3fe/Gertrude We’ve picked two cafes in one from 3fe , their Grand Canal street café and Gertrude,  because in pre-Gertrude times we loved doing work in GCS but now Gertrude has risen up as a workplace haven, mostly because they give free refills on filter coffee. What a bonus. Network Sleek and modern, regardless of what you’re actually doing, Network feels like you’re a hip architect sipping sweet nectar contemplating the next spire. Which was obviously a huge mistake (scarlet). Fortunately you just popped in for a pastry and 5 euros of procrastination, so no harm done. Proper Order When you’re working from home, feeling the onset of that cabin fever, it’ll do you all the good to get out into the real world for a coffee. When that happens, we head for Proper Order in Smithfield, telling ourselves that the hipster space will add some creative oil to our bubbling minds. Proper Order is small but the guys in there pay a huge amount of attention to their coffee, so bring your laptop, top up your caffeine levels and get inspired. First Draft Coffee & Wine There’s now a dual purpose to First Draft in Portobello, so if you manage to get your work done in the coffee shop during the day, you can return in the evenings for wine as a pat on the back for doing any amount of work. In fact, you tried, fair play, let’s have some wine. Coffeeangel Coffeeangel  has multiple locations across the city, meaning you’re never far away from the freedom of a hot drink outside the cave, and it's a solid cup of coffee to snap you out of that too-long-stuck-indoors induced rut. Two Boys Brew TBB ’s Melbourne style cafe is a favourite of ours to do work in, mostly because it’s decorated like the dream apartment that none of us could afford. But we can afford coffee, so it’s all good. Industry One of our city centre go-to's, Industry has excellent coffee, the prettiest porridge in town and the most excellent window seats, for relaxing, procrastinating people watching out onto Drury Street. Just watch you don't spend all your money on glass teapots and antique candle holders. Shoe Lane Coffee The upstairs in Shoe Lane Coffee near Tara Street Station feels like one of the best kept secrets in the city, and it's nothing but calm and positive workflow vibes. Grab a coffee and a cake downstairs and head up to your own little co-working oasis. What are your favourite cafés to work in? Let us know by emailing info@alllthefood.ie.

Another festival weekend passes, which means another weekend of gleefully watching people get soaked in the rain through social, or getting dismally drenched in a flimsy poncho that cost more than a pint. If you're one of those suffering from post-festival soakage trauma, and still struggling to get the cold out of your bones, here are five things in Dublin we would want to eat post-festival. 1. The Hot Chick Burger from V-face At this stage, isn’t there a dedicated food holiday every day? National burger pancake/doughnut/any consumable item, each with its own special day. We’re not really complaining, National Burger Day is another excuse to go out and get a burger, and V-face 's 'Hot Chick', with a sweet potato and chickpea patty, rocket, coriander, vegan pepper jack cheese, avocado, nachos, mayo and sriracha sauce on a charcoal bun, should help in some way to cure your post-festival fatigue. 2. Siu Mai From Lucky Tortoise Once you’ve relinquished yourself of all your bags and abandoned your tent in a safe place, go to Lucky Tortoise , order everything on the menu, and marvel at the pork and cabbage siu mai. Feel the residual guilt and chilliness fall away. 3. Prawn Karaage From Soup Ramen The new prawn karaage sambo from Soup Ramen is ticking a lot of boxes; crispy prawns, yuzu mayo, pickled cucumber, kombu salt and brioche. Isn’t real food great after a weekend on a liquid diet? 4. Shawarma from Shouk We say shawarma but what we mean is everything on the menu. Take your broken, post-festival self to Shouk , sit outside because it’s more likely to be sunny right after a festival, order the hummus, shawarma, pitta, arayes... 5. The Mezze Platter From Kerb Another Middle Eastern pick, this time from newly opened Kerb in Foxrock. Mezze platters are perfect after a big weekend as they take away the brain power needed to decide what to order. We want all of the food all of the time, and the mezze gives us that.

Del-Fino , the Italian/New York/Asian influenced restaurant on Camden Street has closed, just eight months after opening . Initially opened by chef/restaurateur Alan O'Reilly last October with backing from the owners of China Sichuan in Sandyford, it had received mixed reviews from the critics, and O'Reilly departed a few months ago. A new head chef took over, but they struggled to regain their initial momentum. O'Reilly owned and ran the much loved Alexis in Dun Laoghaire, before moving to Wildside café in Cabinteely after Alexis closed in the recession. Both were highly praised by critics, with O'Reilly's cooking described as "outstanding" and "exceptional". There was much excitement to see him back in a new central location, but while Del Fino received positive reviews from Lucinda O'Sullivan in the Sunday Independent and Gillian Nelis in the Sunday Business Post , Katy McGuinnes s in the Irish Independent said they were "barely holding it together" in terms of food and service, Leslie Williams in the Irish Examiner called it "a hot mess", and Conor Stevens in Totally Dublin said it displayed "a curious lack of purpose". There seemed to be a general feeling that the menu was confused, with Italian, US and Asian influenced dishes all featuring. Del Fino's website is still active but reservations have been disabled. The restaurant have yet to make a statement, and it's not known if any unredeemed gift vouchers will be refunded.

Adam Purcell, the head chef at Frenchie in Covent Garden , is cooking in Pichet next month as part of their 10th birthday celebrations. Adam worked for Pichet's chef/owner Stephen Gibson for three years before moving to Paris to work for Gregory Marchand at Michelin-starred Frenchie . He's currently head chef at Marchand's first restaurant outside France - Frenchie Covent Garden, where Guardian food critic Marina O'Loughlin called the food " mostly excellent and occasionally sensational ". Pichet is 10 this year, and has planned various events to celebrate, including a night of classic dishes from the past decade on Tuesday 2nd July, a Veuve Cliquot brunch on Saturday 6th July, and a Tanqueray gin masterclass on Tuesday 9th July. Details of all of their events can be found here . Adam Purcell is cooking at Pichet on Sunday 14th July. Tickets are €65 per person for five courses with an optional wine pairing at an additional €35. You can get tickets here .

The general rule when opening a new restaurant is that the less you tell everyone how brilliant it's going to be before it opens, the easier the ride you'll get. Shout from the rooftops about how you're bringing something completely new to the scene, and how incredibly authentic your food is, and you'd better be right because you've just stuck a bullseye on your head. On the other hand, open quietly, work hard and deliver something that people connect with and you're likely to have them queuing up to tell you how great you are. A bit of both this weekend... In the Sunday Independent, Lucinda O'Sullivan thinks the new, much-hyped "authentic Sichuan" restaurant The OId Post Office in Blackrock needs to take "a long, hard look at itself", after eating their "mundane" food, with "commercial" sauces, and dried-up duck that tasted like string. She says the tasting menus, priced from €70 to €120, "did little to excite", with the most luxury ingredients consisting of monkfish and Manor Farm chicken, and that the fine dining etiquette you expect at these prices (like only bringing the food when everyone is seated at the table) had gone out the door. For €32 her main course consisted of a whole two ( yes, two ) panko-crumbed butterflied prawns, accompanied by those "commercial tasting sauces". They passed on rice at €5 extra, and we're wondering if whoever put this menu together was suffering from a loss of brain function at the time (and has yet to recover). She had to stand up to take her own black sole off the bone (imagine the scenes), and thought a five-year old could have done a better job of dessert, which were "cardboard-like commercial tartlet bases" with soft fillings. Disasterville. (Review not currently online) Better weekend for Circa who've made the comeback of the year after Catherine Cleary knocked their "underflavoured food" two weeks ago. It seemed like a lot of people disagreed with her at the time, and we can now add Katy McGuinness and Gillian Nelis to the list. Katy, in the Irish Independent , calls it "the neighbourhood restaurant that everyone would like to have just around the corner," singling out the buttermilk fried rabbit with pea and bacon lettuce fricassee and tarragon mayo, the white asparagus with lardo butter, aged Parmesan and hazelnut, and the rump of Curragh lamb with smoked aubergine, croquettes of lamb breast, marinated chickpeas and Velvet Cloud sheep's milk yogurt. Like CC she also wasn't a fan of the ray wing with its "over-salted" sauce, but desserts of angostura-scented rhubarb with strawberries, sweet cultured cream and meringue, and chocolate crémeux with peanut praline and salted banana ice cream (above) were "joyous". She highlights the importance of supporting independent, Irish restaurants if you want them to survive over chains or UK imports, and gives the four friends behind Circa 8/10 for food and value. Read her review here . In the Sunday Business Post Gillian Nelis says that Circa's Irish produce focused menu would make a patriot out of Arlene Foster. She loved the same buttermilk rabbit and white asparagus, as well as a potentially gout-inflicting dish of duck leg and foie gras pithivier with creamed cabbage and carrot. The lamb rump was "incredible", as was gnocchi with nettle pesto, homemade ricotta, courgettes and brown butter, and the only thing they didn't like was the rhubarb meringue, which had "way too much going on". She says the owners are "working their socks off", and despite a few kinks it won't be long before "this lovely neighbourhood spot establishes itself as part of its community". Read her review here . In The Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley advises beating a path to Potager in Skerries, the new restaurant from ex-Chapter One head chef Cathal Leonard and partner Sarah Ryan. He calls Leonard's cooking "meticulous, infinitely detailed, disciplined, thoughtful, mildly playful, carefully creative", with a confidence that comes with years of experience. He calls the €55 tasting menu "such good value", and "quite simply, brilliant", with highlights including an "intensely savoury limb of octopus" with garlic, cauliflower and seeds (below), cured organic trout with a whey dressing and sorrel, and hake with lardo, courgette and courgette flower. Set sheep's yoghurt for dessert came with a "thrillingly strawberryish" sorbet, white chocolate and mint, and another of beetroot and cherries was "very pleasing", and he says Potager is "no neighbourhood restaurant. It's a destination." (Review not currently online, but look out for our own Potager once over in Tuesday's mail out - sign up here ). In the Irish Times it sounds like Catherine Cleary had one of those perfect summer days in Kilkenny, starting with a swim in the Barrow and ending with lunch at Barrow's Keep . She describes house-cured salmon with pickled cucumber and dill as "everything I could want", black sole was "a beautifully cooked specimen", and roast striploin of beef was "luciously juicy" with the "loveliest" horseradish sauce. Meringue made with local eggs, Irish strawberries and lemon cream was "the perfect summer dessert", and she calls it "a beautiful restaurant in a beautiful place", giving it 9/10. Read her review here . In the Irish Examiner Joe McNamee thinks that Cobh in Cork finally has a "good, innovative restaurant" to be proud of, after a visit to newly opened café Seasalt . Fish tacos came with crisp hake, Mexican slaw, avocado cream and chipotle mayo on "flavoursome" corn tortillas, a roast tomato & Macroom mozzarella tart was "very tasty", and a local smoked fish platter was "a cracking ensemble". Desserts, including raspberry-vanilla cheesecake were "truly excellent", and he thinks that Seasalt’s success "could trigger a groundswell of local culinary change". He gives the food 8/10, and the value 9/10, and you can read his review here . Finally in the Sunday Times Ernie Whalley was at Ristorante Rinuccini in Kilkenny, having duck that was everything he had dreamed of, and calling them heroes for managing to stay relevant and excellent over decades. Read that here . More next week.

The Stoneybatter Festival is back this weekend and the line up looks like the best one yet. There's a mammoth 120 events happening over three days, including a Southern Italian lunch at Grano , a tea party with Mrs Doyle (Pauline McGlynn herself), and a doggy brunch running the length of Manor Place. Residents and non-residents are invited for a celebration of all that’s good in the 'Batter hood, and even Michael D himself is dropping by. As one of the city's current food hotspots this is something you should definitely be getting involved in, and here's what we think you should make a beeline for... The Lilliput Pintxo Bar ​ The always inventive Lilliput Evenings will be turning Lilliput Stores in to a Wine and Pintxo Bar on the Friday and Saturday evenings. We haven't seen the menu but we're expecting the usual small plates and seasonal ingredients. And wine. Tavolo Social at Grano Stoneybatter’s favourite Nonna, Mamma Roma and the team at Grano are hosting Tavolo Sociale on Saturday - a 5 course family style Southern Italian lunch, served at communal tables. There are two sittings - 12:30 - 15:00, and 15:30 - 18:00. On Sunday they're doing pasta making demonstrations all day and serving Southern Italian Street Food. Tickets are €50 and can be booked through Grano. L. Mulligan Grocer's Cabaret Brunch L. Mulligan Grocer are holding a Cabaret-themed brunch with "glitz, glitter, music and a DIY Bloody Mary Bar" from 12:30 - 14:30. Tickets are €32 and include a Bloody Mary with all the trimmings, a full Irish (with vegetarian and vegan options available), and a dessert of apricot & white chocolate 'eggs' and dark chocolate brioche soldiers, all whilst being entertained by cabaret and burlesque performances. Get tickets here . The Food Village You'll need your blankets at the ready on Sunday for the Food Village on Manor Street, complete with picnic area. Stoneybatter and Manor Street will be pedestrianised for the day, and you'll find pastries from Scéal Bakery, seafood from Fish Shop and toasties from the Vegan Sandwich Company. Stoneybatter Farmer's Market is on in Pender's Yard as usual on Saturday and Sunday, and there'll also be a pig on a spit outside Mahon's Butchers. The Dog's Dinner Brunch Slice will have a table running the length of Manor Place where both you and your furry pal will be served brunch and cold refreshments, followed by a treat (for humans and canines). Tickets are €25 and can be booked here . The Touchy-Feely-Tasty-Smelly Disco Quiz There's a sensory food quiz with tasting and smelling questions at Lilliput Work and Welders from 14:00 - 16:00. Entry is €5 per person or €15 per family, and there's a prize for the best disco-dressed team. DJ Ed Smith will be playing disco tunes, and the rounds include general knowledge, tasting and smelling rounds. Email stoneybatterfood@gmail.com to register your interest. The Love Supreme Rave Be sure to look up for Charles & Anne from Koppi Fine Coffee Roasters in Sweden who will be DJing on the roof at Love Supreme like last year. What else is on? * Village Pizza are at The Belfry Friday night serving pizza and 2-for-1 Tikki cocktails * Vietnom will be at the back of The Glimmerman as usual with a side of "Dublin's randomest jukebox" inside * There's a pop-up Gaeltacht at Walsh’s Pub * Get Saturday off to a food start before all that food with 108 Sun Salutations Yoga at the TU Grangegorman Tennis Court at 11.00 * Farmer Eoin will have his working farm animals on Manor Street on Sunday from 12:30 - 17:00. * On Sunday morning Bí Urban are serving tea, toast and honey from the local 2019 crop, served on Green Door Bakery bread, with a side of environmental discussion * Father Ted’s Mrs Doyle aka Pauline McLynn will be pouring the tea and judging the best cake and biscuit at the Stoneybatter Bake Off, on Sunday from 15:00 - 16:00. And the drinks? One thing that Stoneybatter has in spades is pubs to suit whatever stage of humanity you find yourself at. From the proper old school charm of Walsh’s, the beyond categorization crazy at the Glimmerman (NB killer beer garden), to the hipster darling Belfry or food centric L.Mulligan Grocer. The Barbers in Grangegorman will be holding a busker competition and serving special gin and tonics, and. Kavanagh’s of Aughrim Street has organised a community defibrillator, in case the party gets out of hand. Stoneybatter Festival Fri 21st - Sun 23rd June www.stoneybatterfestival.ie

The Morrison Grill on Ormond Quay has created a €40 burger for National Burger Day , complete with wagyu beef, foie gras, truffle and gold leaf. The "La-Di-Da" burger will be served on a brioche bun with relish, hand cut triple cooked fries and fresh truffle shavings, and we can already hear the cries of how that imaginary animal is back and roaring. The Morrison Grill is the restaurant in The Morrison Hotel , and if your pockets aren't that deep they're also doing a two-for-one deal on their Angus steak burger, josper blackened chicken burger or Wagyu beef burger, usually €17-24 each. National Burger Day is this Thursday, 20th June, meaning you can get two-for-one burgers in loads of restaurants and takeaways around Dublin all day. Some of the places you might want to head for include 57 The Headline on Clanbrassil Street Lower, The Exchequer Gastropub , The Chophouse , The Counter Custom Burgers and Soma at The Spire . There are loads of fast food restaurants involved too, including Eddie Rockets, Captain Americas, Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Macari's. You can see the full list and search for places in your area on their website . www.nationalburgerday.ie

This weekend's reviews are a snapshot of the growing sense of excitement around Irish food, and the new restaurants taking the dining scene to a different level. We're more eager to eat out than ever before, the choice and quality of food on offer is becoming more electric by the day, and we're increasingly seeing Irish food recognised on a global level. Michelin seemed to have moved in recently , and we'll barely be able to cope with the anticipation leading up to this years' awards in Autumn. In the Irish Times , Catherine Cleary gets the first verdict in on Potager in Skerries, and it's a bold one, calling the tasting menu "the best money you’ll spend on food in Dublin". The menu, featuring predominantly food from North County Dublin, "the vegetable basket of Ireland", gave her all the feels, and their "delightful night" kicked off with potato bread and whipped smooth ricotta, with dark green lovage and chive pesto, which sounds like it would give Forest & Marcy's a run for its money. Snacks like crisp potato skins filled with cod's roe and chervil were "gorgeous things", fish cakes were "gobstopper-sized flavour bombs", and she loved everything about a Baby Gem lettuce soup with aerated cream and dehydrated bacon. Similar praise for smoked haddock, Armagh mushrooms served three ways and Howth crab with Rush tomatoes, and she ends by saying "I love Potager. It’s the best chef’s dream of his own place: all about the food rather than all about the chef". She gives them 9/10 and says Skerries has got itself a destination restaurant. Read her review here . Similarly strong statements from Leslie Williams in the Irish Examiner , who says Aimsir in Kildare "might be the most exciting Irish restaurant opening in a decade". The 18 courses from chef Jordan Bailey and team were too many to detail, but highlights included dehydrated and crisped violetta potato filled with garlic-infused Bán goat’s cheese, creamy, crispy milk-skin filled with pickled Chanterelles and St George’s mushrooms, and soda bread made with Guinness and treacle before being cooked in beef fat, with raw, salted butter. He singles out the juice pairing as being "as creative, complex and substantial as Jordan’s cooking", and says as the courses kept coming he felt akin to a new born baby: "new neural pathways were being created with each flavour, each building on the foundation of the previous one — as though my palate was being re-assembled anew — Aimsir is quite simply an exhilarating thrill-ride for the senses." He gives the food 9/10, and you can read the full thing here . From fine dining to fast food, Katy McGuinness in the Irish Independent is equally glowing about Chimac , the new Korean fried chicken spot on Aungier Street (read our Chimac once over here ). We knew they would have a head start into the critics' good books because of their commitment to free-range chicken, and Katy calls the decision "commendable". She thought the Kimcheese burger was "sweet, savoury and rather delicious" but would have liked a bit more of a kimchi kick, Korean hot wings were "vibrant, flavoursome, with great texture", and skin-on fries were as good as she's encountered anywhere recently ( we agree ). She reckons she could eat a lot of Chimac's food, and says that if they can use free-range chicken and still manage to be affordable, why can't others? Read her review here . In the Sunday Independent Lucinda O'Sullivan reckons she's unearthed another reason to head for Blackrock Market - Ciamei Cafe . She says the "buzzy, busy Italian" was full of Blackrock's finest, and their starter of fritto misto with lightly battered squid and prawns was "excellent". She's still dreaming about the pasta with blue cheese and walnuts, and spinach filled ravioli with tomato, basil and garlic sauce and Parmesan went down similarly well. Almond tart for dessert was "lovely", and she calls it "a delight". (Review not currently online) In the Sunday Business Post there's more rhapsodising over Irish food from Gillian Nelis, who was at Sage in Midleton trying their famous 12-mile menu . She calls it "a pretty spectacular experience", with standouts including fermented potato pancake stuffed with corned beef and cabbage, king oyster mushrooms with barley and fennel, and red gurnard tart with smoked bacon, apple and buttermilk - "one of the most sophisticated and original fish dishes I've had in years". She calls the food at Sage "incredible", and you can read the full thing here . In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley was in The Yard in Wexford town, where he was lured in by a sign saying they had a kitchen garden (anyone else seeing a trend here?). A Thai beef salad was lacking in spice, but Toulouse sausages with mash and onion gravy (for the summer we're having) had "a Gallic simplicity and satisfaction". Battered lemon sole came with samphire and cubes of potato that tasted "potato-ish", and a steamed lemon pudding was the only real disappointment - "yellow, vaguely lemony, very sweet spongey stuff" - but it did come with "perfect" singed marshmallow and "lovely" ice-cream. Hot Portugese-style tarts were "wickedly lovely" and he appreciated the "generosity at work". (Review not currently online). Finally in the Sunday Times Ernie Whalley details a super cringe (for them) experience at The Fumbally which ended up with him walking out, before finding relief in the curries at Konkan on Clanbrassil Street. Read that here . More next week.

It's here people. We've been waiting and waiting, and the wine revolution is finally underway. This time last year it felt like there was hardly anywhere to get a decent glass of non-industrial wine in the city centre, but now we have Loose Canon , Frank's and First Draft all within spitting distance of Stephen's Green. A lot done, a lot more to do (like literally anywhere on the Northside), and if we could just do something about our horrifying alcohol taxes (we have the highest excise duties on wine in the entire EU) we'd all be able to put better stuff into our bodies, but that's for another day. For now, these are the best places to drink quality wine in Dublin... 1) Loose Canon If you're wondering what all the fuss is about natural wine, Loose Canon should be your first stop. From the same owners as everyone's favourite brunch spot Meet Me In The Morning , Loose Canon is modelled on the natural wine shop/bars that seem to be on every corner of Paris. They have a regularly changing by the glass list, or you can drink anything from the shelf at €10 corkage. Epic cheese toasties and small plates are also available, and you can carry on the party by buying more wine and cheese to take home. Read more about Loose Canon here . 2) Piglet The first city centre wine bar that got us properly excited, Piglet seemed like something of an outlier when it opened in Temple Bar in late 2015, and quickly became an industry favourite. The bottle list is where most of the interesting stuff is, so going with a gang of experimental friends is the way to go. There are few places we'd rather be on a sunny evening than at one of the outside tables sipping a white port and tonic. 3) Frank's The new kid on the block, Frank's opened in a former butcher's shop in May, with the controversial approach of selling good wine at inexpensive prices, starting at just €4.50 a glass, which is practically free by Dublin standards. It's from the same guys who own Delahunt a few doors down, and there's a focus on minimal intervention wine on tap and in bottle. It's open for drink in or take home from Wednesday to Sunday, with the kitchen serving inventive small plates every day except Wednesday. 4) First Draft Coffee & Wine Another much welcome newbie, First Draft Coffee & Wine opened last November, and it's safe to say it's the neighbourhood wine bar that Portobello was waiting for. Café by day, wine den by night, it's a super chilled place to hang out and drink wines made by real people with real (as opposed to made up for marketing purposes) stories. The usual small plates are available for satisfactory soakage, and you can buy wine to take home. Read more about First Draft here . 5) Fish Shop, Benburb Street Fish Shop Benburb Street (and their main restaurant on Queen Street) have been some of the best places to drink wine since they opened, due to having two of the most interesting lists in the city (plus sherry, there's nowhere near enough sherry in Dublin), but they've really upped the stakes with their new Monday Wine Club. Each week they pour a brilliant selection of wines at prices you won't see anywhere else, like €7.50 for a class of grower Champagne (the best of the best), which would be twice the price or more under normal wine margins. It's hard to even get a bog standard glass of prosecco for €7.50 these days, so if you have any sense you will drop all plans next Monday and go straight here.. 6) La Cave La Cave is one of the more old-school options in the city centre, but on a cold Winter's evening the cosy downstairs bar decked in red from top to bottom is a great place to shelter. They do a cracking crémant by the glass (similar to Champagne), and the bottle list is full of diamonds if you know what to look for. Staff will be happy to help you pick if not. 7) Green Man Wines Part award-winning shop, part much lauded wine bar, the €8 corkage on anything off the shelf makes this one of the best value places in the city to drink the really good stuff. The selection in here is second to none, and people travel from across the city to Terenure to buy and drink wine here. 8) 64 Wine Another diamond in suburbia, 64 Wine makes wine fiends everywhere severely jealous that they don't live in Glasthule. The shelves are crammed full of the best bottles currently available on the Irish market, and the staff are always dying to tell you the stories behind them. Like Green Man Wines, corkage on anything off the shelf is €8, which is increasingly better value the more expensive your taste. Just try to leave here without draining your bank account. We've found it impossible. 9) Little Mikes The little brother to seafood destination Michael's in Mount Merrion, Little Mike's appeared fully formed in May serving an eclectic wine selection and seafood small plates (and deep-fried gruyère - just as good as you are imagining). A regularly changing wine list with plenty of natural and unusual options (like Swiss wine and Californian trousseau gris) as well as Zalto glasses to drink them out of, make the southside an increasingly excellent place to find good wine. Read more about Little Mike's here . 10) Ely One of the originals on the Dublin wine scene, Ely has two locations - the corporate heavy Ely Bar & Grill in the IFSC, and the more chilled (but still a bit corporate) Ely Wine Bar on Ely Place off Baggot Street. In the past their by the glass list has been a bit safe for our liking, but the one in Ely Place is looking a lot more appealing these days, with some interesting sparkling and sherries by the glass. The hugely extensive bottle list is where it's at so it might be worth arriving early for a full peruse. 11) Beo Wine Bar + Kitchen A vegan restaurant in uber cool Stoneybatter might not be the first place you think of when you're thirsty for wine, but Beo Wine Bar + Kitchen has a very impressive wine list, thoughtfully selected with minimal intervention at the forefront of their thinking. Grab a stool at the bar, order a vegan cheeseboard (or not, your choice) and get stuck into it. Read more about Beo here . Did you miss any of your favourite wine haunts? Let us know by emailing info@alllthefood.ie.

The city centre has another place to head for when the sun comes out, as The Shelbourne has opened a new terrace in the middle of the hotel. It's up the stairs on the mezzanine area, and comes complete with umbrellas and heaters, for that unpredictable Irish summer, as well as sharing platters of Irish cheeses and cured meats. As well as the new terrace, they've also opened another bar next door, 1824, named for the year the hotel first opened. They're describing it as a "top shelf only", with high end spirits, cocktails and whiskeys, and say they wanted to merge the ambience of an Irish pub with that of a sophisticated cocktail bar. The terrace will open from May - September and can be booked, where 1824 is open all year round and doesn't take reservations, but having two extra drinking dens means that the queue to get into The Shelbourne at Christmas time might just move a bit faster next year. The Shelbourne Hotel 27 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2 www.theshelbourne.com