March's giveaways are live, and with Easter around the corner we had to go hard on chocolate - and only the best will do. There's also Japanese brunch, an at-home pizza feast, all the pastries, and loads more. Our ATF Insider service is how we remain ad free, pay our writers, pay for our meals, and operate independently to give you the only advice you need about eating out in Dublin, so if you enjoy our content, you might consider signing up...
Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders by midnight tomorrow, 17th March, will be entered into the draw, and winners will be picked and notified on the 18th March. Here's what we've got lined up for you this month...
1) An Easter Chocolate hamper from Temptation Chocolates
Award-winning, luxury Irish chocolatiers Temptation Chocolates are right at the top of our Easter egg wish list, with twin sisters Kate & Ruth O'Hara perfecting their Irish dairy/French chocolate combo. Their large, ultra-luxe, hand-painted Easter eggs come in flavours like sea salt caramel, banoffee and salted pistachio, and they've got filled mini eggs and bunnies too. We've got a ‘Chocolate Lovers Easter Bundle’ to give away this month, complete with luxury triple layer Easter egg; filled mini eggs and bunnies; the 'Chocolatiers’ Choice Collection' hand-painted bonbons; and their luxury classic hot chocolate. You'll be working your way through it until Halloween. Check out Temptation Chocolates' Easter collection here.
2) A €100 voucher for Izakaya Japas & Sake
We love brunch, and we love getting bang for our buck, so Izakaya's new brunch offer, with five plates for €45 (regular value €65-70) is right up our avenue. It's available on Saturday and Sunday from 13:00 - 16:00, and you can pick from 14 dishes including ebi chilli, potato korokke and curry udon. There's also cocktail pitchers for €35, like sake punch, and lavender and lychee spritz, and loads of add-ons in case all of that isn't enough. We've got a €100 voucher for Izakaya to give away this month, and reckon brunch is how you should spend it. Check it out here.
3) A chocolate hamper from Clo Chocolates
French chocolatier Clotilde Rambaud studied patisserie and chocolate making in France, ending up at a two Michelin-starred restaurant. After travelling through Europe she feel in love with Ireland, and her partner Tomasz in Sligo, so the couple bought a small bakery, Le Fournil. Shortly after she launched Clo Chocolates, using local Sligo produce and winning multiple awards from Blas na hEireann. Clo's Easter collection is now on sale with nationwide delivery, and we've got an incredible hamper worth €130 to give away this month, with mallow and caramel bunnies, Easter bars, gold medal whiskey truffles, a chocolate and marshmallow teddy, a sheep, a hen, and a large egg. You won't need to buy chocolate for a year.
4) A €100 voucher for Noisette Bakery in Rush
It's hard to imagine what the people of Rush did for bread and pastries before Noisette opened exactly one year ago - you've got to be an early bird to get the good stuff around here, and expect a queue at all times. Owners Vaarsha Baugreet and Jeremy Pastor are busy baking new creations every week, like black sesame and blackcurrant cruffins, lemon maritozzi, and crème brûlée danishes, and if you don't live within reaching distance, a trip here may have you considering a move North. We've got a €100 voucher to give away for Noisette this month to celebrate their phenomenal first year, and many more to come.
5) A €100 voucher for Toca Tapioca
Those beautiful humans at Toca Tapioca in Temple Bar have just reopened with a brand new menu, upgraded interiors, and an increased commitment to inclusive dining - there's new wheelchair access and spaces, and dimmer switches for Autistic visitors or anyone else who struggles with bright lights. We love this shining chink of positivity in the centre of tourist town, and have a €100 voucher to give away this month to keep one of you in tapioca wraps, açaí bowls and guava cake for weeks.
6) A Sunday roast for two at Searsons
Legendary Baggot Street pub Searsons has everything you could want from an Irish boozer, including a cracking Sunday roast. Choose between medium-rare Hereford striploin or a vegetarian nut roast, with roast veg, mash, cauliflower gratin, roasties and Yorkshire puddings. We're sending one of you in for a roast for two with starters, your choice of roast, dessert, and a bottle of house red or white wine, and we recommend bringing the papers and settling in for the evening as live jazz starts at 6pm. What a Sunday set up.
7) A €100 voucher for Umi Falafel
Umi Falafel have been serving Dublin with the most wholesome, delicious Middle Eastern food at the best prices since 2013 - we never fail to be amazed at the quality:value ratio on offer here. They're now up to six locations in Dublin, as well as one each in Cork and Belfast, and if you need a reason for a revisit (or first visit) check out their new Umi burger, with a crispy falafel patty, creamy baba ghanoush and caramelised onions. The majority of their menu is vegan, so it's one of the city's best options if you're trying to avoid meat, or just add a bit more veg into your diet.
8) A chocolate delivery from Praline
Award-winning Praline chocolatier, Norma Kelly, has just expanded her Mitchelstown café with a new twenty-seater confectionery concept. The Pastry & Chocolate Café (eh, hello) has an eye-widening patisserie range with desserts like hazelnut and chocolate mousse; and her award-winning Praline opera pastry. The chocolate counter is the other reason to visit, where Kelly's homemade truffles, ganaches, and caramels (featuring Munster produce like Galtee honey and O'Neill's Atlantic sea salt) can be enjoyed with coffee or boxed up to take away. We've got two of Praline's handmade Easter Eggs (usually collection only) plus a gift box with €50 worth of her signature chocolates to give away this month, to celebrate the newest reason to visit Mitchelstown. Shop chocolate for nationwide delivery here.
9) €100 to spend on the new at-home pizzas from Dublin Pizza Company
Dublin Pizza Company haven't set a food wrong since opening their Aungier Street hatch in 2016, and before Pi, Bambino and Mani got all the plaudits, DPC was the original go-to for Dublin's best pies. The hatch is busier than ever, but if you're not in the collection/delivery catchment area, you can now get that DPC goodness anywhere with their brand new at-home range, featuring some of their most popular pies. New stockists are being added each week, but you can find them in Fresh the Good Food Market, Higgins in Sutton, and Fallon & Byrne, who are also stocking an exclusive collab with their development chef Hugh Higgins. We've got a €100 voucher to give away so you can try the full range.
Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders for March (new and old) will be automatically entered into the prize draw - you don't need to do anything. If you're not signed up yet join here before midnight on the 17th March to be in with a chance of winning. You'll be supporting independent content in Dublin and beyond, and be able to get answers to all of your burning questions about eating out, here and abroad, directly from us.
