February's monthly 9 giveaways await your eyes, and is it just us or does this line up get better every month? Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders will be automatically entered into the draw, and making 9 of our Insiders' days is the highlight of every month. If you're one of our supporters, we heart you.
Everyone subscribed by midnight tomorrow, Thursday 17th February will be entered into the draw, and winners will be picked and notified on Friday 18th February. Here's what we've got for you this month...
1) Dinner With Cocktails And Bubbles At Big Fan
It's been a big month for Big Fan, who have been officially added to the Michelin Guide for 2022. They're going to be celebrating for a while, and they want to invite one of you plus three of your mates to celebrate with them, with dinner and a bottle of bubbles on the house. They'll also throw in a round of their new cocktail 'Ho Lee Fook' - a classic Negroni filtered tableside through ground coffee beans via a Vietnamese coffee filter. These guys never stop pushing, so expect to find new dishes each time you visit, including the just added tiger dumplings (tiger prawns, pork and chives) for the year that's in it.
2) Raw Bar Tasting Menu At Saltwater, Terenure
Saltwater Grocery in Terenure started as a specialty food and wine shop, but it's their recently opened raw bar that has us looking up the number 16 bus times. From Klaw's Niall Sabongi and chef Karl Whelan, Saltwater serves a 12-course, frequently changing tasting menu four nights a week, with a mixture of raw, cured and cooked seafood, aged fish and seasonable vegetables. There's also an optional wine pairing by sommelier Tara Deery (formerly at Uno Mas and Bastible), and great non-alcoholic options. Saltwater have given us dinner for two at the raw bar with the wine pairing for one of you lucky people this month, and honestly we're quite jealous.
3) A Preview Of The New Weekend Roast From Margadh
Those guys at Mamó and Margadh in Howth never seem to stop coming up with new ideas, and their latest creation is the answer to our lazy Sunday dreams. Their new weekend roast starts at the end of February (but can be ordered now) and will be available for delivery across Dublin on Saturday and Sunday. For €49 for two (with plenty of leftovers) you'll get a prepped and brined roasting meat, three sides, sauces and dessert, and there'll be optional wine pairings. We're going to be giving one of our Insiders the first chance to try it, alongside two bottles of wine to really boost your weekend enjoyment levels.
4) A €100 Voucher For Taco Libre
We recently reviewed new opening Taco Libre at the end of Capel Street and were really impressed at the level of Mexican bar food their head chef Bruna is sending out of the kitchen, with practically everything from tacos to tortillas, salsas to queso fresco made in house. They're given up a €100 voucher so one of you can head in, order the whole menu, add on some beers, wine or cocktails, and if you're after something sweet to finish don't miss the margarita milkshakes.
5) A Brunch Tasting Menu For Four At Brother Hubbard Ranelagh
They was plenty of southside-based excitement last month when Brother Hubbard revealed they were opening their fourth location in the restaurant-spoilt suburb of Ranelagh. They're going to be working with some brilliant suppliers like The Village Butcher across the road, Pigs on the Green, Garryhinch Mushrooms, Sean Ring’s Farm and some of the best Irish cheese makers, and there's going to be loads of new treats and drinks to try. Brother Hubbard Ranelagh is due to open in the next few weeks, and they've given us a brunch tasting menu for four (featuring most of the new menu) accompanied by cocktails, plus a copy of the Brother Hubbard cookbook to give to one of you this month. They've advised that the winner comes hungry...
6) Dinner For Two With Bubbles At Póg, Howth
Póg in Howth have just launched a new dinner service from Thursday - Saturday, which is great news for the seaside village. The Italian-influenced menu from chef Antonio Dedola (formerly head chef at Rosa Madre) features dishes like savoury panna cotta with parma ham, fig jam and pane carasau; pappadelle with pork and sausage ragu, parmesan cream and truffle; and Sicilian cannoli with lemon ricotta and crushed pistachio, and three courses will set you back €40, which is pretty good value by current Dublin standards. To celebrate dinner at Póg they've given us a three course meal for two with a bottle of bubbles to give away to one of our Insiders this month.
7) A Two-Month Seafood Subscription From SSI
Sustainable Seafood Ireland deliver ethical, local and ultra-high-quality fish nationwide, and their seafood subscriptions are ideally for shaking up your weekly meal routine. Boxes can be delivered weekly, fortnightly or monthly, with fish coming vacuum-sealed in compostable bags, perfect for quick cooking or freezing. What you get depends on what's in season and just caught, and you can also add on luxury items like oysters or lobsters if you've got a special evening coming up. One of our Insiders is going to win a month-long seafood subscription, with two deliveries worth €100, and a chance to flex your fish muscles in the kitchen.
8) Afternoon Tea At The Parlour In Haddington House
Let's face it. Most afternoon teas are too sweet, too boring and too expensive. So colour us very interested in the new afternoon tea menu at The Parlour in Haddington House, Dun Laoghaire. Beetroot meringue with foie gras parfait and chicken skin? Panipuri with homemade ricotta, blood orange and kimchi? Rhubarb & grapefruit cheesecake macaron? Yes, yes and yes. At €50 including a glass of Champagne (actual Champagne, not some fizzy imposter) and loose leaf Ronnefeldt tea served in fine bone china, and in luxe surroundings with sea views for miles, we think this sounds like an ideal way to spend an afternoon. The Parlour Afternoon Tea is served every Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 - 16:00, and one of our Insiders is going to be heading off with a plus one to experience it for themselves.
9) Poulet Bonne Femme For Your Office
Poulet Bonne Femme, the free-range rotisserie chicken specialists, are celebrating the reopening of their Suffolk Street store, just off Grafton Street, and want to offer one of our Insiders lunch for them and five of their favourite colleagues - and if you're self-employed don't worry, you can just bring your mates. Choose from a free-range chicken, pork or ham sandwich, with their rotisserie roasted potatoes and a drink, while you catch up on all the office (or non-office) gossip.
Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders for February will be automatically entered into the prize draw. If you're not signed up yet join here and support independent content in Dublin and beyond, and get answers to all of your burning questions about eating out directly from us.
