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The Eatyard Cheese and Wine Festival opens its doors at 4pm today and runs until Sunday night, and if you like either cheese or wine we would suggest you drop in. Plus the weather's looking dry and it's an outdoor event so for once the gods are with us. It's free entry but you can get priority tickets here for €10 which will give you €10 to spend once you get in there, and there is so much going on over the three days. There are wine tastings, cheese-making demonstrations, talks, karaoke and screenings of wine themed movies in the Bernard Shaw, including 'Sour Grapes', and one of our all-time favourites, 'Sideways'. Just don't bring Merlot into the screening. (You need to have seen the movie to get that one.) Pouring wine will be O'Briens, Greenman Wines, Quintessential Wines, Wicklow Wines and Station to Station. Bringing the cheese are Corleggy Cheese, Toons Bridge Dairy, The Ploughman's Daughter, and The Cheese Press. The regular Eatyard vendors will also have cheese specials on for the weekend, including the 'Sweet Cheesus' burger from Box Burger, and a cheesecake collaboration between The Flour Artist and Toons Bridge Dairy. Full details are on the event website . Vendors will take cash or festival vouchers, and we think this is going to be rammed so if you want guaranteed entry we'd advise getting one of those priority tickets. You'll also get a voucher for a complimentary glass of wine when you buy one so it's a no-brainer if you ask us. Eatyard Cheese and Wine Festival 9-10 South Richmond Street, Dublin 2 (next to The Bernard Shaw) Friday 23rd: 4-10pm. Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th: 12-10pm the-eatyard.com/wineandcheese

The French are coming, and they're bringing food and wine. There's a special ' Frogs Attack ' dinner taking place in The Fumbally Café on Tuesday 10th April, with travelling chef Antony Cointre , and legendary natural winemakers Agnès and Jean Foillard and Thierry Puzelat, and we think you should put this one in the diary. Anthony is a self-thought chef who ended up at cult Parisian bistro Le Baratin . Anyone who has a 'where to eat in Paris' list knows it and loves it. The cooking is all about the seasons and what's available, and there's rarely much choice. This is how Anthony cooks, and on the night he'll be preparing a six course tasting menu. Details won't be announced until a few days before the event, but we're told it will be 'thoughtful and seasonal'. Joining Antony to pour the wine will be two of the most talked about names in natural wine - Jean Foillard and his wife Agnès from Beaujolais, and Thierry Puzelat from the Loire Valley . Folliard's Beaujolais' are frequently held up as the benchmark for the region, and are the antithesis to bad-name giving, bubblegum tasting, banana sweet BoJo. Puzelat is making some of the most original, interesting wines to come out of the Loire Valley, including a crazily delicious Sauvignon Blanc that tastes like mango yoghurt. Tickets are €50 for food, and wines will be sold at cost price, meaning a wine that would normally be in the region of €90 will be more like €35. The winemakers will also be talking about their wines and pouring tasters so you can decide what to order. We think this sounds like a really lovely evening and a chance to experience a little bit of Paris in Dublin 8. Frogs Attack Tuesday 10th April, 7:30pm The Fumbally Café, Fumbally Lane, Dublin 8 Tickets €50 Book here

‘Ouch’ has been the word of the weekend, after Glovers Alley getting a hammering from Catherine Cleary and Sole getting not one but two hammerings from Tom Doorley and Gillian Nelis. It’s also been a bad week for the reputation of the mildly terrifying looking Norwegian crab. The critics have been taking their time heading into Glovers Alley , presumably giving the team a fair amount of time to settle in, but after being open for six weeks (is that really all its been?) we were hoping for better than Catherine Cleary’s 6/10 in The Irish Times . She quipped that the cheapest option on the menu was to not show up (€50 a head), and lamented the use of Swiss cheese over Irish, which we think is a little unfair - it would be a hard-pressed kitchen to stick to only Irish ingredients. What’s less understandable is how they let a hair get onto the plate of the Irish Times food critic. Beetroot with foie gras was the best dish of the lunch, and they felt the kitchen showed more flair with vegetables than meat, calling the guinea fowl skin ‘flaccid’ and the hake ‘rubbery’. Even Aoife Noonan’s universally praised desserts didn’t do the job, with CC saying her rhubarb meringue looked much better than it tasted. She felt the place was ‘vibrating with stress rather than focusing on the food’, and if it was a person she’d ‘send it on yoga retreat or to a dark room to calm the heck down for a few hours’. We hope Andy McFadden and team have thick skins. The only way is up guys. Read her review here . Another team likely to be licking their wounds this weekend is the one at Sole , the glitzy new seafood restaurant on South William Street where a plate of the eponymous Sole will cost you €47.50. We did raise our doubts , and it seems the critics agree. Tom Doorley in the Daily Mail was unimpressed with their use of Norwegian crab and Portugese octopus when we have so much great seafood on our coasts. The crab tasted of little and the octopus was battered, but not in tempura like the menu said, just your bog-standard kind. He describes a dish of Coquilles St Jacques with two scallops in a sauce the consistency of milk, with under-seasoned, under-buttered mash piped around the edge, for the eye-watering price of €35. (Sounds almost as scary as that massive crab in the tank above.) We bet he was dreaming of the one he had in Bresson a few weeks ago. He ends by saying ‘lacklustre food at any cost is always disappointing; at prices as ambitious as these it feels worse.’ Once again, ouch. (Review not currently online) Gillian Nelis’s headline says it all for her review of Sole : ‘Swanky Seafood at terrifying Tiger prices’. She is not impressed that her dish of Dover sole costs €2.50 more (€47.50) than a far more enjoyable three-course meal at Locks (€45, her review last week). She too lampoons the use of Norwegian crab, 300g of which will make a dent of €65 in your pocket, but she thought the sole and tiger prawns were well cooked. Sarcastic sentence of the week also goes to G: ‘If only we lived on an island surrounded by some of the best crab meat in the world that could be sold at a much more affordable price, and in the process help to support local jobs…’ She ends by saying ‘Sole is the ghost of the Celtic Tiger come back to haunt us.’ Read her review here (subscription only). Not everyone got a kicking this week. Katy McGuinness in The Irish Independent managed to bag a reservation at Heron & Grey - she must have been hovering over the laptop when the last batch of tables became available – AND got to sit next to ‘Lovely Leo’ - swoon. She calls the cooking dynamic, innovative and flavoursome, describing a journey through the tastes that sounds a bit like a science experiment, but one we’d wait in line to be a guinea pig for. She describes dishes of ‘Allotment Kimchi – Herring – Kohlrabi’, ‘Refined Unwaxed Lemon Textures’, and pigeon with wild garlic and hazelnut. They don’t quite get a perfect score like Etto , with 9/10 for food, and 10/10 for ambience and value, which Katy puts down to it still being somewhat of a test kitchen, and a stepping stone to a more ambitious project. We’ll be hovering again on the 1st of April at 10am when the next batch of tables become available. If you want to hover too you can do it here . (Review not currently online) Next door to Heron & Grey, Lucinda O’Sullivan was lapping up the Indian street food at 3 Leaves , leaving their perfect critic score unchanged. She loved the pani puri (wheat based shells filled with potatoes, chickpeas, mango, pomegranate and sauces, below), palak pakora chaat (crispy spinach dressed with sauces) and the kesari murgh (chicken curry with nuts, lentils and other toppings). Dessert of gulab jamun (milk-solid balls in rosewater syrup) was ‘absolutely heavenly’, and she found the whole experience ‘thoroughly delightful’. (Review not currently online) Also having a good food day was Joe McNamee who was in Waterford at the Bay Tree Bistro , the same restaurant whose food Tom Doorley called ‘over-ambitious’ a few weeks ago. Joe also found the ‘multiplicity of flavours’ a bit much, and the amount of flavours described in the snacks alone had us needing a sit down - White Pudding & Blue Cheese Gougere; Chicken Mousse & Curry Granola (what?); Soy-glazed Chicken Oyster; Beef Tartare with Balsamic Caviar. Make it stop. Joe and The Light of His Life (changing it up from My Heart’s Desire, good man Joe, keeping it fresh) loved the homemade crisps, breads and butters, and starters of beef cheek rillettes with brown butter, and ‘cheffy’ Sea Bass, potato, apple and beetroot. Our favourite food descriptor of the week comes in the form of his Kilkenny Rose Veal which was ‘tender as an infant’s cheek’, and desserts were accomplished but so sweet, and lacking the innovation of the savoury dishes. Despite a couple of blips they left happy, saying; 'it is a joy to eat the food of a chef so utterly in thrall to his craft, an old pro operating with the enthusiasm, vigour and verve of a freshly unfettered young ’un.’ We’re sure the team have a bit more pep in their step today than they did two weeks ago. You can read his review here . More next week.

We know. There is a lot to care about these days. You can barely walk down a supermarket aisle any more without breaking into a sweat over whether dolphins were killed for your can of tuna, or whether your free-range chicken ever actually found the door to get out. But single origin coffee is a new one on us and we thought you should know a bit more about it. A lot of people think we're at peak hipster when it comes to coffee, and just want to order a cappuccino and get out without being subjected to a lengthy lecture about whether or not the beans were washed , and what the name of the farmer was (Katy McGuinness we're looking at you), but like everything with a cult-ish following, once you do a bit of digging you tend to start getting sucked in. Ebb & Flow in Clontarf are one of the speciality cafés in Dublin who've made the decision to serve 100% single origin coffee, and owner Dave along with barista Hannah enlightened us on what's so great about it. It turns out Single Origin coffee is like good wine, and here's why. People who love wine tend to buy a lot of single vineyard bottles. Wines where the grapes came from one site, are looked after by one person, and made into a wine containing only the grapes from that place, as opposed to loads of grapes from different sites (or even regions), so that we might get a sense of the 'terroir' from this one site. It's not consistent year on year, and tastes different depending on the weather or what decisions were made in the winery. Single vineyard is seen as a marker of quality, a way to tasted a nuanced expression of a single place, and single origin coffee is exactly the same. Most coffee that's served in mainstream cafés is a blend of a lot of beans from a lot of different places, and often if the beans aren't that good they're roasted really dark to cover it up - just like bad wine can be covered up by using a lot of oak. The other reason why coffee tends to be roasted dark is so it stays consistent across sites, day in day out (just like big brand wines), and many people on their first encounter with single roast coffee are shocked by its paleness, thinking it looks more like tea than coffee. With single origin you are tasting beans from just one place, grown by one farm, and it only gets more specific from there. Generally the better the coffee, the lighter it's roasted, to bring out all of the subtle aromas and flavours. The other thing you might want to consider is that speciality coffee tends to be more ethically sourced and sustainably grown, and to ensure this is the case with their own supply, Dave and his business partner have started a roastery in Dublin called Full Circle , which ensures that money is put back into educating the farmers that their beans come from, and allows the whole process to come full circle. We tried Ebb & Flow 's espresso tasting plate, which contained a small amount of espresso in one cup, and the same coffee used to make a latté in another, so we could see how the milk changed the flavours. The espresso tasted like cake, and the official tasting notes were given as orange, caramel and cherry, all of which we could taste. The latté was one of the best we've had in this city, presumably helped by sitting and savouring, rather than running and throwing it back. Like wine, cheese or art, coffee appreciation takes time, energy and interest, and if you're just not into it then go forth and order your dark roast cappuccino, but if this has piqued your interest then visit a place like Ebb & Flow and ask the barista to tell you more about what they're pouring that day. They will be very happy to see you coming. Ebb & Flow 56 Clontarf Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3 Mon - Fri: 07:00 - 17:00. Sat 08:00 - 17:00. Sun 09:00 - 17:00. www.ebbandflow.ie

Looks like loads of the critics were on their holidays this week. Catherine Cleary was double-brunching in Galway, Katy McGuinness was freezing in Cork, and Lucinda O'Sullivan was living it up in Mayo. Staying in Dublin, Gillian Nelis was uber impressed with the new chef at Locks in Portobello, Chris Maguire . She had the chef's tasting menu, where dishes included crispy oxtail croquettes with horseradish, poached trout with radish and crème fraîche, garganelli pasta with confit pheasant, turnip and walnut, in a buttery pheasant sauce, and poached forced rhubarb with crème fraîche ice cream, honeycomb and a rhubarb espuma. The whole meal sounded idyllic, and it's further cemented Locks' position on our growing 'must eat in immediately' list. You can read her review here (subscription only). Someone who wishes he'd gone to Locks is Tom Doorley , who had a solo stomach-churning experience at Salamanca , after being ditched by his dining companion. Bad day all round. After a fruitless search for his favourite jamón croquetas, he settled on a black pudding and ham version, which were so dry and flavourless that he couldn't eat them. He questioned whether the meatballs (in a suspiciously shiny sauce) had been reheated, and thought the churros were under cooked (but at least they weren't chilled, as threatened on the menu). The red wine was good, although he expected a Spanish restaurant to have more sherry options. To be fair, it doesn't sound like authenticity is the name of the game. (Review not online yet) Back on the up, Leslie Williams had a chance to reminisce about 1980's Temple Bar when he went for dinner at Gallagher's Boxty House , which has been going for almost 30 years. Apart from one overcooked fish dish, he and his food writer companion enjoyed it all, including a Boxty Sharing plate with gnocchi-like dumplings, boxty bread and 'supremely moreish' boxty fries. They also had a 'well-executed seafood chowder', a free range bacon chop, 'meaty and sweet and served with positively silky Colcannon, nutty roasted carrots and parsnips', and a 'glorious sticky toffee pudding served with cashew praline, wonderful Boxty ice-cream and salted caramel'. Lovely staff took the fish dish, desserts and brandies off the bill by way of apology, and by the end of dinner Leslie is proclaiming that he loves it, saying 'these are familiar comforting dishes but there is flair and real accomplishment here.' Looks like the tourists are onto something. Read his review here . In Cork, poor Katy McGuinness in The Irish Independent was left waiting out in the cold during Snowmageddon by the Elbow Lane's sous chef due to 'health and safety'. Morto for said chef, but hopefully lesson learned. Luckily for them, Katy didn't let frostbite affect her review, and loved the roast Wicklow blue with lambic-soaked pomegranate and crusty bread, and the 'superb' T-bone steak with all the flavour you could ask for. They were disappointed with the lemon sole and the chips, but the 'huge' desserts of lapsang souchong and honey parfait, and milk chocolate mousse got things back on track. Hopefully they weren't kicked back outside too promptly. Read her review here . Over in Galway, Catherine Cleary for The Irish Times did a half review of Kai , and a half-review of Tartare . We would have preferred a full review of either, but we did appreciate the appearance of 'brunch baby' in both. In Kai , her and her friends enjoyed west-coast crab on toast with avocado and poached eggs, the Kai fry, and a massive pumpkin, pecorino and chilli croquette (sounds better than Tom Doorley's). A peanut butter and cream cheese cake was 'eye-closingly good', and the almond, pear and chocolate tart was 'a great piece of baking'. On to Tartare , and all they could manage was a plate of beef tartare, some oysters and a cheese scone. Not even a single glass of wine was drunk, despite this probably (definitely?) being Galway's best wine bar. Not sure we have the emojis to accurately express our disappointment. The tartare was 'luciously good', the oysters 'white as wave tips and dressed with a sweetly pickled sea lettuce and trout roe', and the cheese scone was a 'cakey-like brioche with a nutty cheese warmth instead of a sweet edge'. It all sounds nice but we would have preferred they waited a few hours and went for dinner to give us the full lowdown. Note for the rest of you: when in JP McMahon's wine bar, drink wine. Finally in Mayo, Lucinda O'Sullivan was treating herself to a stay in Ashford Castle , and dining in their George V dining room - nice work if you can get it. She went all out with the 8 course tasting menu, which featured dishes like 'stunning squid-ink Connemara brown-crab ravioli in a shellfish sauce', Skeaghanore cured duck with rose 'crackers' and marinated fig, and Achill Island lamb with sage gnocchi, butternut squash, sprout leaves and black trumpet mushrooms. Although the bill came to €224.82 for two, she says it was 'worth every penny given the setting, service and exquisite food'. Add in the price of a night's stay and you're looking at the equivalent for a week in Spain. Better get saving. More next week.

For a country that makes so much good cider we're incredibly reliant on those alco-pops pretending to be the real thing. We can never understand why the majority of Dublin pubs have no proper Irish cider on the menu (maybe we'll write a piece about the ones that do so if you know any email us), and instead rely on brightly coloured, sickly sweet imports. They claim it doesn't sell, but is there really no appetite here for real Irish cider? We're not convinced. One man who might convince you (and the pubs) to explore Irish cider a bit more is Mark Jenkinson of The Cider Mill Slane , who makes Cockagee Cider using the ancient technique of keeving. You can read more about it on the website, but it's a pretty complicated process involving a lot of TLC and resulting in a cider that's unfiltered, unpasteurised, unsweetened and naturally sparkling. If we've managed to get you interested, there's a cider tasting and dinner on March 28th at The Riddler, opposite Christchurch Cathedral, where Mark will be pairing three of his ciders with food cooked by head chef Artur Garwin. It's also a complete bargain at €20 a head for three courses, drinks, and a cider tasting with Mark afterwards. The Riddler is a modern Irish restaurant focusing on local food and keeping traditional Irish dishes alive. The walls are also filled with riddles, hence the name. The menu for the cider tasting night consists of Fivemiletown goat's cheese and roast beetroot to start, paired with ''Ciderkin', a refreshing, crisp cider. Then, slow-roasted pork belly with Clonakilty black pudding and potato croquettes, paired with 'Windvane', a juicy, rich cider with a slight sparkle. To finish, a selection of Irish cheeses paired with 'Lamhog', a big, bold cider made from a blend of the vintage keeved ciders. Dinner will take place at 7pm, with the cider tasting at 8:30pm, and we think this has to be one of the best value nights you could have out in March. Plus Irish cider is brilliant, and we should be drinking more of it or it will just leave the country. To book contact the guys at The Riddler . The Riddler La Rochelle Building, High Street, Christchurch, Dublin 8 Ph: 01 9073266 www.theriddler.ie

While Niall Sabongi's been shouting all over town about getting Dubliners to eat more seafood (and doing a good job of it), another restaurant has been waiting in the wings ready to unleash lobster and crab claws onto South William Street. Sole has opened in the site formerly occupied by Zaragoza , which was a fusion restaurant serving dishes like Louisiana Chicken Wings, Mayo Lamb Kofti, and Chicken Satay - their website says they're moving to a new location later in the year. Executive Head Chef at Sole is Fire 's Richie Wilson, who's been the main man for steak and seafood in the Mansion House for the past four years. While they have seafood in common, this is not a Niall Sabongi style shack. It's more Corrigan's of Mayfair. Serious money has gone into the design and fit out, and it's luxe all the way from the jaw-dropping seafood tank to the toilets, all of which you'll be paying for on the menu. This is not a Tuesday night, spur of the moment catch up kind of place (unless you're on the big bucks). At €47 for Sole Meunière, €32.50 for pan-fried Halibut and €110 for a 'Captain's Seafood Platter', this is into Glover's Alley territory. There's a lot of talk about provenance on their menu so we were surprised that there was no Dublin-based supplier mentioned on their list , especially as so much great seafood comes in from Howth every morning. Hopefully this was an oversight and they do have suppliers in the city. This might be one to save for a special occasion, pay day, or if you're really looking to impress your lunch or dinner guest. One thing's for sure, there'll be a restaurant critic in here before you can say 'Killary Fjord mussels', so expect a newspaper review soon. Until then (or until we come into more money) we might hop on over to one of the Klaws for 15% off the bill . Sole 18 South William Street Ph: 01 5442300 www.sole.ie

Always a packed event, the Dublin Bay Prawn Festival is coming back to Howth from Saturday 17th March to Monday 19th. Known as the gateway for much of Dublin's seafood to enter the city, Howth is known for seafood restaurants and fishmongers, and this is a weekend where they all come together to celebrate the magnificent creature that is the Dublin Bay Prawn. Amongst the restaurants serving a special festival menu from the food village are King Sitric, Aqua, Octopussy's, The Bloody Stream, Doran's on the Pier, The Oarhouse and Findlater. You can see what they're serving here . There'll be booze too. As well as a tonne of seafood, there will be on stage entertainment from the Sea Shanties and the Howth Trad Collective, and a living Howth Village where you can meet the local businesses and book a cruise, hike or scuba-diving lesson (we're good for the last one but you fire ahead). Expect parking in Howth for the three days to be insane, so if you're going either get there very early or use public transport. We think it sounds like a very civilised way to spend Paddy's Day, we're just crossing everything for the weather. Surely we're in major credit after Snowmaggedon. Dublin Bay Prawn Festival Howth, North Co. Dublin Saturday 17th - Monday 19th March 2018 dublinbayprawnfestival.ie

The big story this week is the Sunday Business Post ’s pull out on ‘ 101 Great Irish Restaurants ’. There are 33 listed in Dublin, and it’s a brilliant line-up. You could spend the next year eating your way through this list and be very happy. Lots of our favourites are on there, including Etto , Clanbrassil House , Michael’s , Fish Shop , Piglet , Old Street , Nightmarket , Dax , Forest & Marcy , Chameleon and The Seafood Café . Most of the Michelin stars are on there too, including Chapter One , The Greenhouse , Heron & Grey and Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud . If you can't pick up a copy you can get the list online here , either by subscribing annually or buying a one-day pass. In the rest of the papers, after last week’s love-fest, it seems the critics were back in rip-roaring form ready to hang a couple of places out to dry. Lucinda O’Sullivan in The Sunday Independent had the worst sounding Vietnamese food we’ve read about in a while (but some of the best article sub-headings), in Bun Cha on Moore Street. From the staff not wanting to let them in, to beef that was ‘dry and cardboard-like’, to a curry with a skin on it, it sounds like an absolute nightmare. The clincher had to be finding out that the toilet that was out of order for the third day in a row due to a blockage (we’re not gagging, you’re gagging). Review not currently online. In Waterford, Tom Doorley was unimpressed with the widely-lauded Bay Tree Bistro , calling the cooking over-ambitious and expressing his displeasure at the wait for food. We’d say this one went down like a lead balloon with chef Keith Boyle, especially seen as the Bay Tree was one of the restaurants listed in the Sunday Business Post’s ‘ 101 Great Irish Restaurants ’. Maybe you caught them on an off-night Tom? (Review not currently online) In the Irish Examiner , Joe McNamee had a pretty dull sounding meal at Bodega , also in Waterford (not a great weekend for the Deise). Apart from his chicken main - 'succulent, tender, underpinned by sweet, earthy Jerusalem artichokes with spinach, in an umami-rich tarragon and bacon gravy — a wedge of creamy Dauphinoise potato crowns perfectly a sublimely comforting dish' - it all sounded a bit average. Tiger prawns in an adapted Pil Pil with lemon and butter, ‘decent salt cod fishcakes’, and a main of Turbot which came with purple carrot purée ‘too blandly sweet’. Despite this, he enjoyed the night, but it sounded like this was more to do with the company of his ‘Heart’s Delight’, ‘La Daughter’, ‘No 2 Son’ and ‘The Judge’ and family. Read his review here . In The Irish Times , Catherine Cleary visits Bresson in Monkstown and loves the old-fashion feel, making it four weeks in a row for Temple Garner, Conor Kavanagh and team getting a great write-up in the papers. Might have been better for business if they were a bit more spread out, but it’s a dream start for a new opening. Catherine and her companion loved the white aprons, hefty cutlery and being called ‘ladies’, saying ‘you don’t so much need Google maps to get here as a time machine.’ While Katy McGuinness in The Irish Independent found the crab crème brulee too eggy, Catherine Cleary liked it, calling it ‘a deft and delicious working of a favourite’. She also enjoyed the bouillabaisse with ‘chunks of everything that’s good from the sea, including curls of scored squid and the star ingredient: palourde clams’, and wild Seabass from Brittany – ‘a gorgeous fillet of luscious fish as white as the table linen topped with a shimmering mesh of crisp skin', with 'gnarly just scorched baby squid whose tentacles taste of summer barbecue season’, as well as confit of fennel, a Pernod and chervil butter, and skin-on ratte potatoes which remind her of her Dad’s homegrown spuds. Sounds gloriously French and the perfect antidote to the Vietnamese horror described earlier. More next week.

Mother's Day is next Sunday, and if you still haven't planned anything to treat the woman who is the very reason for your very existence, this might fit the bill. Cliff Townhouse (the epitome of a restaurant your Mum would like) has teamed up with The Little Museum of Dublin to offer lunch or dinner plus a ticket to the Ireland's Fashion Radicals exhibition for €49 per person. The meal will consist of three courses plus tea and coffee, and we're told that chef Sean Smith is planning a retro twist on dishes like Caesar salad, dressed crab, roast sirloin of beef served with Yorkshire pudding and onion sauce, and pavlova. Before or afterwards (subject to time availability), you can visit the Ireland’s Fashion Radicals exhibition, which focuses on the talented Irish fashion designers who found international fame during the 1950s, including Sybil Connolly, who dressed Jacqueline Kennedy for a White House portrait. Sounds like a bit of a dream girls day out. To book contact the Cliff Townhouse . Cliff Townhouse 22 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2 Ph: 01 6383939 www.clifftownhouse.ie

A Dublin pizzeria which opened in October has been officially certified by the Neapolitan Pizza Association (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) - the first restaurant ever to receive this certification in Ireland. This is pretty big news. To put this into perspective, there are only two restaurants in the whole of the UK that have been certified by the AVPN (we've eaten in one and it was all kinds of amazing). Forno 500° opened last October in the site formerly occupied by Les Frères Jacques , next door to The Olympia Theatre. The Dame Street building with its signature French text was an icon of the Dublin restaurant scene, open for 28 years, and many in the trade were despondent to see a piece of history replaced first by a wine bar, and then 'another pizza place', so hopefully this news will cheer them. The owners of Forno 500° are not messing around. They found a fourth generation Neapolitan oven maker and spent nine months convincing them to leave Naples to create the first authentic Neapolitan fixed oven in Ireland. Nine pallets of materials (weighing a tonne each) were shipped to Dublin, and the oven was constructed Italian brick by brick. It's packed together using mortar made from volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius, and workers were locked out when it was being built to protect the secrets handed down from generation to generation. If that's not enough to get you interested nothing is. Getting certified from the Neapolitan Pizza Association is not for the faint-hearted. There are pages and pages of rules, from the flour to be used, to the exact cooking time, to the temperature of the tomatoes, which is why so few restaurants in the world are certified. Neapolitan pizza is characterised by a light, airy dough which blisters and chars in the 500 ° oven, and minimal, quality toppings. When it came to the inspection, Forno 500° had to document all of their processes on video, before the Association flew to Dublin and turned up at the restaurant out of the blue to inspect the kitchens and procedures and taste the pizzas. There was much celebration when their accreditation was delivered last Thursday from Naples. We think this is a such a big deal for Dublin, both for us who live here and for visiting tourists. If it's anything like the other Neapolitan certified restaurant we've eaten in we are very, very excited. We just hope they've got Lambrusco. Forno 500° 74 Dame Street, Dublin 2 Ph: 01 6794555 www.forno500.ie

Locks in Portobello has been steadily rising up the ranks of Dublin's best restaurants since re-opening under new ownership in 2015. Its previous incarnation under Pearl Brasserie's Sebastian Masi won and lost a Michelin star in the space of a year, which ended with the doors closing in July 2015, but in Autumn of that year a new chef-led team of Conor O'Dowd and Paul McNamara (ex- Etto ) took over, and things have been getting better and better ever since. And it looks like they're not slowing down any time soon, with today's announcement that they've appointment a new head chef, Chris Maguire, formerly of two-Michelin starred The Ledbury in London, and equally brilliant Michelin-starred Trinity , also in London. With co-owner Paul McNamara busy preparing for his new restaurant Uno Mas, which he's opening with Etto owners Liz Matthews and Simon Barrett, we think this is a shrewd move to ensure the kitchen keeps evolving and improving. Locks seems to have some serious fire about it right now and we're looking forward to seeing what Chris is going to add to the mix. Locks 1 Windsor Terrace, Portobello, Dublin 8 01 416 3655 www.locksrestaurant.ie

The French have given us a lot - antibiotics, raincoats, the hairdryer - but arguably their biggest contribution to the world has been in the form of food. What would our days be like without croissants, baguettes, brie, the odd quiche? If you feel like celebrating this fact, the largest French-style dinner in the world is taking place across the globe on Wednesday 21st March, and several Dublin restaurants are signed up. Organised by the French government, the idea is to celebrate French gastronomy, but restaurants are encouraged to use local ingredients. Piglet in Temple Bar are doing a 5 course meal featuring dishes like 'Baked Clarenbridge Oyster, Parmesan, Organic Gubben farm Lardo', 'Irish Spring Lamb, Bayaldie de Légumes, Jus Tranché a la Menthe', and 'Irish Goat's Cheese, Organic Honey and Pollen'. Dinner costs €65, or €105 with matching wines, which include a Loire Muscadet, a Pinot Blanc from Alsace and a red Bordeaux. You can book by emailing or calling them on 01 7079786. Piglet Other restaurants taking part are Cliff Townhouse , which will be serving oysters or crab, followed by sole meunière, and ending with a French cheese plate, and Aqua in Howth, who'll be serving duck foie gras, sole in mornay sauce and cheese to finish. Unfortunately no-one is organised enough to have their full menus online yet but keep an eye on their websites or get in touch via email or phone. You can read more about the event and where to celebrate it on the French Embassy's website here . And if you don't want to go out, this is as good an excuse as any to have some friends over and break out the Beaujolais and baked Camenbert.

FINALLY another review of Glovers Alley to pour over. It turns out that Lucinda O'Sullivan was first in the door on opening night, it's just taken three weeks for the Sunday Independent to publish her write-up. If we were the editors that's one we would have wanted a quick turn around on, it being the most talked about restaurant opening in years and all, but rules are rules. It's a bit of an odd one in that she absolutely loved the food, but thought the experience was a bit stuffy. Just what she was expecting from a fine dining restaurant in a 5 star hotel that's clearly hoping to win a Michelin star is a puzzle. Skinny jeans and trainers? Waiters pulling up a chair to chat through the specials? Thankfully the food was 'spectacular', particularly the 'Cheddar dumplings, topped with threads of crisped ham hock, which were sitting in a Pommery grainy mustard dressing', 'violet artichokes and grapes on a radicchio boat, with a hazlenut and foie gras melange', and kid goat with Irish snails and anchovy gremolata. She was very impressed with desserts (as is everyone who sets foot in GA, seems like Aoife Noonan is killing it) of grapefuit granita with Velvet Cloud sheep mousse (we're pretty sure this is sheep's yoghurt mousse rather than a mousse of sheep), and layers of Itakuja chocolate, passion fruit and blood orange. Once again the photos used are awful and do the beautiful room and food no justice. (Review not currently online) Over in Ranelagh it seems that Host finally got that print out of critics faces up behind the bar, because Catherine Cleary in the Irish Times loved it, and miraculously managed to get a cosy corner seat rather than one in full draft of the front door. After briefly reminiscing about younger years living in a Ranelagh bedsit, complete with urine-soaked carpet and a climbing rope around the leg of the bed so she could escape in case of fire, she moves onto the food. Grassy olive oil with a peppery nip, and salty cakey focaccia were a great start, as was a starter of 'cloudy puffs of ricotta on crisp toasts with honey puddling in the dimples and wafer-thin slices of nicely chewy salami shinier than a bald man after a Bikram class'. Delightful. Like Katy McGuinness, CC loved the pumpkin cappellacci which she thought tasted of walnut coffee cake (we think this is a good thing), and the broccoli with anchovy oil and a nutty crumb. The meal ends with a debate over a chocolate pot topped with a rosemary crumb, which she loves, but her dining companion hates. Read her review here . Bresson must be riding high this weekend after their third week in a row getting a positive write-up in the papers, this time from Katy McGuinness in the Irish Independent. You read the other ones here . She describes a starter of rabbit fricassee with sage and butternut squash gnocchi, Ventreche ham, carrots, wholegrain mustard, white wine and tarragon which was 'full of flavour and depth'. Unfortunately the crab crème brûlée didn't fare as well, with Katy calling it 'deep, solid and egg-y and not crab-y enough for our taste'. And to really stick the boot in she says that Paul Flynn's at The Tannery is better. Mains went down well with the Coquilles-St Jacques a 'gorgeous affair', and the Limousine bone-in striploin 'epically good', which it should be for €42 - surely a contender for priciest main course in the city? They finish with a perfect tarte tatin, and a slightly uninteresting prune and armagnac trifle. Read her review here . In The Sunday Business Post , it seems like couple Santosh and Milie, of Blackrock Market's 3 Leaves , can do no wrong, with Gillian Nelis calling the place 'very special indeed'. She describes an eye-popping assortment of Indian food, including homemade paneer, tikka prawns marinated three times for different layers of flavour, chicken thighs marinated in nutmeg and cardamom in a creamy sauce with toasted almond slivers and pistachios, and beef rara - a mix of minced and cubed beef slow-cooked with black cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorns and star anise, served with a tomato-based sauce and raw chopped onion for crunch. For that feast of food (including dessert) they spent €48 (it's BYOB too - score), and Gillian says 'I’d be surprised if better value is available anywhere in the country when you consider the amount of work that goes into the food here.' Read her review here (subscription only). More next week.

There's been a lot of buzz lately about 3 Leaves in Blackrock Market , which started as a street food stall and has evolved into a makeshift market restaurant. They've built up quite the local following, but word has gotten out and people have started to travel for their pani puri and palak pakora chaat. It also helped that chef Santosh Thomas was awarded 'Best Chef for Indian Cuisine' out of 700 entrants, at the Irish Curry Awards in October 2017. They only open for dinner on Thursday evenings (they open for lunch Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday), and on Thursday the 8th March (the one before Mother's Day) they're holding a special Mother's Day Dinner with two sittings at 6:30pm and 8:30pm. Santosh and his wife Milie will serve a three course meal costing between €25 and €30 depending on what's created on the day, and it's BYOB so you can toast your Mum (or yourself) with something special for a bargain price. We suggest picking up some vintage Champagne from Blackrock Cellar because the regular restaurant price would make your eyes water. To make a booking call 0877691361 or email santosh@3leaves.ie . We expect this to fill up fast. www.3leaves.ie

Long standing restaurant O'Connells in Donnybrook yesterday announced that the restaurant has been sold to Oliver Dunne's restaurant group, which includes Bon Appetit in Malahide, Cleaver East in the Clarence Hotel and Beef and Lobster on Parliament Street. O'Connells has been owned and operated by Annette and Tom O'Connell (Darina Allen's brother) for almost 20 years. Two weeks ago they were listed as one of the Sunday Times' Ireland's 100 best restaurants , compiled by John and Sally McKenna. O'Connells is known for being quite old school and traditional, catering to a local South Dublin crowd, so we imagine Oliver Dunne has big plans to refresh it. We're told that all staff are staying and the website and phone numbers won't change for the meantime. Gift vouchers will also remain valid. You can read the restaurant's full statement here .

From perfect doughnuts to the nachos of dreams, here's what caught our eye this week. 1. All of Meet Me in the Morning's doughnuts Dublin is in doughnut overload at the moment, but if we wanted one this is where we would go. No sickly toppings or neon pink glaze. These are substance over mountains of unnecessary toppings, and we want all of them. www.facebook.com/meetmeinthemorningcafe 2. The full whack porridge from The Fat Fox This whopper bowl of porridge is only €3.50, because the lovely people at The Fat Fox on Camden Row only charge for the toppings. This is like dessert for breakfast, and they use rice milk so it's vegan too. www.facebook.com/thefatfox 3. This beautiful update on coddle at The Pig's Ear Shellfish, grilled leeks, goatsbridge trout caviar and dill oil. In our book the Pig's Ear version beats leftover sausages and bacon any day. www.thepigsear.ie 4. The tropical acai bowl from Urbanity We are on a serious countdown to spring (i.e. marginally less freezing weather), and this tropical acai bowl from Urbanity in Smithfield is making us feel warm inside. Topped with mango, toasted coconut, banana, almond butter and dragon fruit, it's like a holiday in a bowl. And it's served in a coconut. urbanitycoffee.ie 5. Surf and turf nachos at Dillinger's What genius in Dillinger's came up with this? Chilli beef nachos topped with crab claws and prawns. Just when we thought nachos couldn't get any better. www.dillingers.ie

If you're as sick of the cold as we are, you might be interested in celebrating the arrival of Spring with Anglo-Indian chef Arun Kapil , who's hosting a Holi (the Indian festival of colours) dinner at the Radisson Blu Royal on Thursday 1st March. Holi marks the official goodbye to Winter, which we are very excited about. Food will be served on sharing platters and the menu includes chana masala, quail tikki, parathas, Delhi salad (flaked rice, charred aubergine, roast red onion, preserved lemon, mint and chilli), and one of our favourites, dahl puri chaat (crunchy shells filled with potato, tamarind relish, whipped curd and crispy noodles). It wouldn't be Holi without a lot of sweets and they're promising 'bad boy gunjiyas' (condensed milk, dried fruit, pistachio and cardamom stuffed, moulded flour, deep fried turnovers - wow, that's a mouthful), black jalebi sugar-glazed gulab swirls with rosewater and pistachio, and blood orange kulfi with garam oat cookie ice-cream & spiced biscuits. We also like the sound of the Indian drinks on offer, especially the Holi Moli punch of Irish whiskey, lemon juice, jasmine tea, coconut water and spice. Arun's Holi celebration will take place at the V'n V restaurant at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel on Golden Lane in the city centre on Thursday 1st March, starting at 6:30pm. Tickets are €45 and include food and drinks, as well as an introductory talk from Arun. Paint-throwing is not included and is unlikely to go down well. You can book by calling the Radisson on 018982934 or emailing meetings.royal.dublin@radissonblu.com .

We reckon Etto were breaking out the bubbles yesterday after a rare 30/30 from Katy McGuinness in the Irish Independent - 10/10 for food, ambience and value. Quite the scoring, but hard to argue with if you’ve eaten there. You can read our review here . Like us, Katy had an OMG moment over the Stracciatella starter with truffle honey, celeriac, hazelnuts and lovage, and describes a braised short-rib with crispy cavolo nero, pickled walnuts and a chunky chip of polenta which sounds like the best possible antidote to a dreary day like today. She justifies the perfect score by saying there isn’t a thing she would change about Etto . We imagine she’s going to have her own table at their second restaurant Uno Mas when it opens later this year. (Review not online yet, even though it was published yesterday. Take your time guys, it's only food.) Over in Monkstown Lucinda O’Sullivan FINALLY got her review of Bresson in, a week after Tom Doorley’s . She was also impressed by chef Temple Garner's French cooking, particularly the duck livers with puy lentils, charred onion leaves, Bayonne ham, frisee salad and date chutney, which reminded her of blissful summer trips to the Languedoc. Her duck a l'orange with confit of Seville orange peel, blood orange and basil salad, candied endive, duck-fat roasties and star anise was in her own words 'duck heaven'. We're not sure what's going on with the awful photography in the Sunday Independent lately. What's happened to their famous artist renderings? We know things are tight in journalism but we're pretty sure the restaurant could provide them with better than this. We're pretty sure most 8 year olds could. (Review not currently online.) Over in the Irish Times, Catherine Cleary decided to go crêpe-crazy for the week that was in it, and brave a trip across the Liffey to Le Petit Breton in Drumcondra. She ate crêpes as 'smooth as parachute silk', and 'folded like an envelope over cinnamon-laced, stewed apple and finished with not so much a drizzle as a downpour of salted caramel with a final cloudburst of whipped cream in the middle of the whole thing.' We're getting our coats on. She also enjoyed the savoury buckwheat galettes with 'light and fluffy' goat's cheese and walnuts that were 'fresh and perfect', and there was no mention of anything resembling animal poo which is always a relief. Personally we are overjoyed to have another restaurant to add to the rather deprived looking North Dublin section of the site. Read her review here . Down in Cork, Joe McNamee took two trips to Good Day Deli on Douglas Street, one with the lads, and another with his children and wife (who's described as 'My Heart's Desire' - major cringe Joe). He made us hungry with his description of Kai Moana Fish Tacos, featuring ‘fingers of Irish hake, light batter flecked with nigella seeds ... Served in superb Blanco Nino Corn Tortillas (produced in Ireland, from Irish-grown corn), raw slaw, pickle and lemon coriander mayo complete a terrific dish.' He was relieved to find the scrambled eggs were more 'curdled custard' than 'fried brains' - we're not sure which sounds worse - and his poached eggs with salmon and hollandaise were 'immaculately delivered'. He was also impressed with their commitment to sustainable food systems and to 'local, natural, seasonal and organic produce' - as are we. Read his review here . At the other end of the country, Gillian Nelis in The Sunday Business Post was eating at Wine and Brine in Armagh, which was so good that it made a near death experience the next day less terrifying as at least she'd have gone out on a culinary high. Food for thought. She ate breadcrumb parcels stuffed with olive and goat's cheese which tasted of 'heaven', soup with spring onion, coriander and chicken 'flavour bombs' - which is fast becoming one of our most hated phrases - and roast woodcock with mushroom caramel, salsify and a side of brain. (Too much brain referencing this week for our liking.) She also had a rice pudding soufflé with Yorkshire rhubarb and rice pudding ice cream which was ‘so good it would make you weep’. Another week, another gaping hole when it comes to reviews of Dublin’s ' truly of the moment ' new fine dining restaurant Glovers Alley . So far only Gillian Nelis in the Sunday Business Post has had the cahones to go in and nail her colours to the mast, and her reviews are subscription only, so most of Dublin hasn’t been able to read a critic's take on the ' inspired food from singular sources, prepared with French influence, flair and hitherto unseen imagination .' Maybe they're letting things settle down before crossing the threshold to pass judgement, but the rest of us are getting impatient. We will wait with breath that is bated for next week’s papers.

We want to let you into a little secret today. Subscriber's to Klaw's mailing list have been informed this week that if they want 15% off lunch at The Seafood Café and Klaw and 15% off at any time in Klaw Poké , all they have to do is mention "The Klaw Khronicles" - the name of their newsletter. This is a great example of how engaging with your favourite restaurants can benefit you as well as them. This is another great way for Niall Sabongi to get Irish people eating more seafood - his reason for being. Starting with the tiny Klaw in Temple Bar, he's now expanded to Klaw Poké on Capel Street, and The Seafood Café on Fownes Street in Temple Bar, with more to come. They're also doing a Klaw Krawl oyster happy hour, where you can get €1 off every oyster in each of their sites at a different time. Currently it's 4-5pm in The Seafood Café , 5-6pm in Klaw , and 6-7pm in Klaw Poké , and they're all within walking distance of each other . Sounds like all kinds of fun. Klaw is all about fresh, sustainable seafood that tastes great, and if you haven't been to any of their sites yet or can be found complaining that seafood is too expensive, you officially have no excuses left.

Getting a table at Bastible can be more difficult than getting through an Irish Winter, so next Monday's one off Ramen night sounds like a great opportunity to see what the chef's are made of. Dave, Bren and Kevin took a trip to Japan and came back with notions about cooking Japanese food, and along with a fourth chef, Paul from Forest Avenue , will host ' Slammin Ramen ' in Bastible next Monday. Tickets cost €42 and include snacks, starters, two bowls of ramen (their own inventions), and desserts. It's also BYOB which is a major bonus. Slammin' Ramen takes place at Bastible on Monday 19th February at 18:30. You can buy tickets here .

We were wondering who would get their review of Glovers Alley in first. (Secretly we were hoping that several would come on the same weekend so that no one would have a chance to compare notes.) Our money was on Lucinda who loves being first in the door, but Gillian Nelis in the Sunday Business Post managed to beat her to it. It's safe to say that although Glovers Alley has a website (a major peeve of G's when restaurants don't), it isn't quite what she had in mind. She quotes several cringy lines that had us hiding behind our hands (and wondering if Andy McFadden has ever ventured outside the kitchen to look at it). Apparently the head chef will “effortlessly leave the most expectant gastronomes speechless”. We're already speechless and we haven't even been there yet. Overall she enjoyed her experience and the obvious quality of the food, particularly her veal sweetbreads with XO sauce, hazelnuts and mesclun which was 'bang on', and her Irish lamb stew - 'one of the best plates of lamb I'd eaten in years'. Her partner fared marginally worse, with a starter lacking in texture and a main which needed more sauce, but still enjoyed himself. The sweet section of the meal, featuring pre-desserts, desserts and petit fours were faultless and left them very happy (if in a post-sugar coma on the way home). We're getting the feeling that Glovers Alley's ambitious pricing (€80 for a three-course dinner) is going to be hard for the kitchen to live up to. Read her review here (subscription only). Also usurping Lucinda on a new opening was Tom Doorley in The Irish Daily Mail with his review of Bresson in Monkstown (her home turf for god's sake!). The new French restaurant from Conor Kavanagh and Temple Garner impressed with their skillful cooking including 'gossamer' light gnocchi, 'inspired' Coquilles Saint Jacques and monkfish that was cooked to 'perfection'. Although he would have liked more booze in the trifle. This is Monkstown Tom, land of restraint. (Review not currently online) In The Times Catherine Cleary visits Urbanity in Smithfield (hot on the heels of Katy McGuinness who reviewed it last week), which goes to show that sometimes getting free PR is simply a case of emailing a few food critics and telling them how great you are. Nice work Jason. She's impressed by the wholesome food, the variety, and the use of a coravin so that they can offer more than 'the usual set of dullard wines by the glass', but she's wary of the desserts, thinking they taste 'suspiciously healthy'. We were left scratching our heads over her description of, 'a butter-cream-iced matcha muffin that was the green of a fresh cow pat inside when you sliced down through it.' Did she like it? Is she trying to say it tasted like a turd? Why has she been going around slicing open cow pats? We'll probably never know. Read her review here . In the Irish Independent, Katy McGuinness had mixed feelings about Host , liking the food, but not the impression that you had to be in with the in crowd to get a table. We're not sure why they keep sitting the restaurant critics on stools near the door - we think maybe the staff need a print out of all of their faces behind the bar? She loved the pumpkin cappellacci and sage, and compares the sharing rib-eye to the côte de boeuf at Etto which is just about the nicest thing that could be said about a piece of meat. Read her review here . In The Irish Examiner , Leslie Williams discovers a new Italian on George's Street (which was a new one on us too), Café Amore . His caprese salad was 'like a blast of warm Neapolitan sun on a wintry January evening', and the Mortadella was the best he's had outside of Bologna. High praise indeed. He liked it so much he went back for lunch the next day which sounded like a complete bargain at €11.50 for two courses and a glass of wine, especially considering that dinner for two had cost €110, i.e. 10 times as much. Read his review here . No review from Lucinda O'Sullivan in the Sunday Independent this week, instead telling us about the '20 Best Romantic Valentine's Spots.' In Dublin she mentions Aqua in Howth, Avalon in Donnybrook, Chamelon in Temple Bar, Nightmarket in Ranelagh, Chapter One , Dax , Luna and Pearl Brasserie in the city centre, and two hotel restaurants - Tavern at the Dylan and Talavera in the Radisson Stillorgan. The article also comes with some pretty dodgy photography for a national newspaper. Fingers crossed for that spate of Glovers Alley reviews next week.

We're big fans of Asia Market , the bustling food haven accessed through a dark door on Drury Street, full of sights and sounds that make us want to eat and eat. There are so many things there that we can't seem to find anywhere else - garlic shoots, sushi rice, fermented squid. So we perked up when we heard that they've decided Friday the 16th of February is Dumpling Day . It's part of the Chinese New Year festivities, and will celebrate the New Year's tradition in Chinese families of making dumplings together, with everyone from the youngest to the oldest getting involved. The event takes place from 9am - 6pm, and you'll learn how to make and wrap your own dumplings, how to cook them, and how to eat them - not sure we need help with that but happy to play along. If you're in the area and like eating you would be mad not to drop in. Dumpling Day 16th February 2018 Asia Market, 18 Drury Street, Dublin 2 For more information click here .

We know you swore off going out for Valentine’s Day years ago. The lukewarm food, the harangued staff, the overpriced set menu with its ‘medley of romantic seafood assiette’. But in case you’re getting the urge to give it another go, these 8 places promise not to bring out the heart-shaped balloons and vomit-inducing soundtracks. Rosa Madre Proprietor Luca says ‘every day is a special day at Rosa Madre and you’re guaranteed that it will be business as usual here on the 14th - they probably won’t even know what day it is. Freshly caught seafood, an extensive Italian wine list and warm hospitality. Close your eyes and you could be in Venice. Hopefully Luca’s working and not off on a date. Octopussy’s Sticking with seafood, a trip to Dublin’s holy grail of fish (Howth) is always a good idea. Especially when the option is decidedly non-romantic shared tables and some of the freshest seafood in the city (best mussels we’ve had but we’re happy to debate). The window seats looking out at the boats are especially lovely, just be prepared to talk to your neighbours instead of gazing into each other’s eyes. Glovers Alley If you’re looking to impress (or maybe propose), this is the place. Dublin’s latest fine dining destination, not many restaurants have opened with the anticipation and build up that Glovers Alley has had. At the time of writing they had early and late tables available, but we’d get on it quick. Nightmarket For fiery, flavourful food, to reaffirm how brilliant and diverse Dublin’s dining scene is right now, you won’t do much better than Nightmarket . No mushy menus here, it’s the same offering as every other night. Okay they MAY have some seafood and cocktail specials but that is definitely as romantic as its going to get. Michael’s Everyone’s treated like a food critic at Michael’s , the South Dublin neighbourhood restaurant that everyone wishes was in their neighbourhood. The lovely staff could give lessons in hospitality and this is another top spot for the freshest seafood. This is the only set menu we’re letting through because it looks genuinely worth it – five courses including lobster for under €50? Old Street The residents of Malahide lucked out last year with the opening of Old Street , a new-wave, modern Irish restaurant which takes hospitality as seriously as ingredient sourcing. And just in case you had doubts about how great they are, they’re running their early evening set menu (two courses for €24, three for €29) all night on the 14th, just like any other Wednesday. Fish Shop Yes it’s more seafood, but it’s also one of the absolute best places for seafood in the city, and it’s another restaurant that is making precisely zero fuss that it's Valentine’s Day. Same menu, same set up, with the possible addition of some oysters, if they’re available that day. And they've got great wine. Token Just not into fancy sit down meals? How about video games and burgers? Token sounds like a brilliant place to spend a stress-free Valentine’s Day. And once again, they won’t even be acknowledging the fact that it’s the feast of St Valentine, so kick back, eat some tacos and play a few rounds of Donkey Kong. Glorious.

There were a few unhappy reviewers knocking around Dublin this week. Catherine Cleary wasn't overly impressed with her visit to Boeuf , calling it a 'one-trick pony', lacking in 'bullishness', and saying she felt 'un-mooved to return'. (Clearly there was a wager going in the Times this week for the most puns in one article.) She did like her New York striploin, but felt they needed to up the excellence and ditch the 'Hugh Heifer' character - which doesn't even make sense as heifers are female. Read her review here (subscription required). Likewise over on her hometurf of Monkstown, Lucinda O'Sullivan thought that new Italian Osteria 99 needed to kick up the Italian kitsch if they were going to compete in an already busy market. She cited a grey-on-grey room complete with flat screen TV, and posted quite an unappetising picture on twitter of mushroom and truffle ravioli, which she described as 'like tired pillows when the feather filling has worn thin.' Ouch. (Review not currently online) Things weren't faring much better for Tom Doorley at Kathmandu Kitchen where things were 'fine', 'grand' - 'neither bad nor very good'. His only reason for visiting was that he happened to be hungry whilst walking past, despite Paolo Tullio telling him never to be led down this perilous path. We think he only has himself to blame for this one. (Review not currently online) Thankfully Katy McGuinness in the Independent fared better at Urbanity , a coffee roastery and café in Smithfield, whose chef had come from Brother Hubbard . Being unable to book for dinner due to an unattended answering machine, she settled for breakfast, and enjoyed 'Wasabi spiced roast mung bean & avocado, water chestnuts, soy & garlic pesto, toasted sesame brittle, organic fried egg, sourdough toast.' Try saying that after a few drinks. Read her review here . Gillian Nelis in the Sunday Business Post also had a meal that was considerably better than 'fine' at The Guinea Pig in Dalkey, where Chef Jérôme Fernandes recently took over from Mervyn Stewart, who'd been running things since 1978. Her quail was somewhat ruined by a plate that was hotter than hell, but she thought the seafood mixed grill was 'one of the simplest and nicest dishes I’d had in ages'. 'Fine' did make a comeback in reference to her companion's French onion soup, but the day was saved by scampi and chips, with 'prawns in a perfectly crispy coating, the chips just as good, and a lovely homemade tartare served on the side'. Read her review here (subscription needed). More next week.

Restaurateurs and chefs around the country were running to the shops this morning for a copy of The Sunday Times , where John and Sally McKenna have today released their 100 best restaurants of 2018. This year they will publish a new guide, 'Ireland The Best', but until then this is a great start for eating your way around the country. Of the 100 restaurants listed, 33 are in Dublin (last year it was 29 which is a sign of how vibrant and dynamic the capital's eating out scene is right now). New additions to the list include Clanbrassil House , the second outpost from Bastible owner Barry Fitzgerald, fine dining favourite Dax , which has had a new injection of life since chef Graham Neville came on board last year, and Hey Donna , the latest opening from Jo'Burger and Crackbird founder Joe Macken, only open since October. Clanbrassil House Dax The other new additions are Hugo's , where chef Margaret Roche took over in 2016 taking the food up several notches, Niall Sabongi's Temple Bar seafood shack Klaw , Elaine Murphy's gastropub The Legal Eagle , fiery Thai Nightmarket in Ranelagh, café of dreams Storyboard in Dublin 8, and Michael's in Mount Merrion, which has been wowing diners and critics with fresh, great value seafood and hospitality to match since Gaz Smith took over in 2016. Nightmarket Michael's Many of our favourites have stayed on the list since last year, including Etto , Bastible , Fish Shop , Brother Hubbard , L'Ecrivain , Forest and Marcy , Chapter One , The Fumbally, Amuse , The Winding Stair , Chameleon and Piglet . You can read the full list here (subscription required) or get down to the shops for a copy of The Sunday Times before it sells out. Forest & Marcy Piglet We're not sure if we're the only ones who find it strange that Ireland's only two Michelin starred restaurant, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud isn't on the list of 'Ireland's 100 Best Restaurants'. Maybe next year PG.

* Soft launch Friday 2nd February from 6pm - €10 to try what you want* Since the Lucky Tortoise pop up in Ranelagh came to an end just before Christmas, there's been a dim sum shaped, pocket loving, BYO friendly gap in the south Dublin dining scene. The Lucky Tortoise team are now searching for a permanent space, but the good news is that while we wait, the guys behind it have opened Reuben Hot Press in the same space - Hobart's Café - consisting of NY deli-style hot sandwiches from the grill. As with Lucky Tortoise this is a pretty cheap night out by Dublin standards, with sandwiches costing €7.95, or you can get a stack of three halves for €11. You can choose between the classic Reuben with salt beef, the Cheesesteak, the Po'Boy or the veggie option with tempeh. Sides are €3.50 and sauces are €1. And it's BYO, in case you needed any more convincing, so expect wine lovers to make this a regular stomping ground like they did with Lucky Tortoise. Reuben Hot Press is holding a soft launch tonight, Friday 2nd February, where you can pay €10 and try what you want, just give them your feedback. From tomorrow they'll open Fridays and Saturdays from 6pm. They don't take reservations but there are plenty of good places to wait with a drink in hand if you can't get a table straight away. We hear these boys have more ideas up their sleeve for the coming year. We can't wait to see what else is on the cards. Follow Reuben Hot Press here .

A new workshop from "Slow at Work" author Aoife McElwain sounds like a glorious start to a Saturday. Simple Food for Fast Times will demonstrate easy, energising recipes, with the aim of creating more of a connection with food, and encouraging a slow down when it comes to cooking and eating. It will take place at Arran Street East , a handmade pottery workshop near Dublin's Capel Street, on the last Saturday of the month from February to July. It's aimed at beginner cooks, and those who feel they don't have time to cook. Aoife McElwain is a food writer and creative events planner. She published Slow at Work after suffering burnout in 2015, and wanting to find a more sustainable way of working and living. She says that taking the time to prepare and enjoy food has been a big part of finding that balance. Tickets for Simple Food for Fast Times cost €120 and include a light breakfast and lunch. The workshop takes place from 10am - 2pm. Here's a lovely video they've made about it. For more information click here .

Sad news this morning that Foam Café and Gallery in Dublin's Italian Quarter has closed. A statement from the café blamed the current financial climate for the decision to close. You can read it in full here . Since opening in 2011, Foam was known as one of the quirkiest cafés in Dublin, with its eccentric decor and unusual (and delicious) omelettes, like 'The Andy Warhol', with chorizo, emmental and pear. They also served up homemade cakes and a wide range of tea and coffee, as well as beer and wine. Last September, Foam posted an article on their Facebook page from a Fianna Fáil senator advising people to keep their local coffee shop in mind amid a surge in Starbucks outlets. There are now 51 branches in the greater Dublin area. When it comes to local coffee shops the message is use it or lose it. Dublin has some wonderful independent coffee houses, and it would be very sad to see more go this way. So go out today and support your local coffee shop. Unless you want to live in a world where a tall, non-fat, iced, decaf, caramel macchiato is your only option. We hope to see Foam's owners pop up again somewhere soon.

We live in hope that Robin Gill has plans for an Irish opening some day soon, but in the meantime we will make do with his trips across the pond to feed and mesmerise us. After the success of December's "Wild" dinners at Airfield Estate (which sold out in minutes), Robin is coming back on Saturday the 3rd of March for " Coast ", which will see him and Airfield chef Luke Matthews serve up a six-course menu of seasonable, sustainable and locally sourced seafood. Tickets are €85 are there are three sittings. Gill and Matthews have been collaborating at Airfield Estate since last year, the 38 acre working farm on the south side of Dublin. The farm rears pig, sheep, cattle, goats, chickens and ducks, as well as growing fruits and vegetables. Robin and Luke were brought in to create more of a relationship between the farm and the kitchen, and Robin's ultimate goal is to turn Airfield into something resembling Dan Barber's Blue Hill at Stone Barns , where everything served is from the farm or local area (if you've never heard of this we recommend watching this episode of Chef's Table ). If you can't make dinner, Gill and Matthews will also be hosting a Fire and Grill demo on Sunday 4th March from 12pm - 2pm, focusing on outdoor cooking. Tickets are €60 and include lunch and a welcome drink. Expect tickets for both to go fast. Coast Airfield Estate Saturday 3rd March. 3 sittings: 7pm, 7:30pm, 8:15pm Tickets: €85 www.airfield.ie/events-estate/coast-gill-matthews Fire and Grill Airfield Estate Sunday 4th March Tickets: €60 airfield.ticketsolve.com/shows/873584692?_ga=2.165966718.1534658564.1517260480-389710300.1515858213