Our monthly 9 giveaways for October are now live! Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders will be automatically entered into the draw, and we can't wait to make another nine people very happy. As always thank you for supporting what we do, we love you all a lot.
Everyone subscribed by midnight on Sunday 17th October will be entered into the draw, and winners will be picked and notified on Monday 18th October. Here's what's coming up...
1) Sunday Tasting Lunch With Wine Pairings At Potager
Our love for Potager in Skerries runs deep (read our once over here), and each meal there is a journey full of twists and turns. Owner and head chef Cathal Leonard isn't working from any playbook except his own, and we're always struck by the originality (and absolute deliciousness) of his food. For a fine dining restaurant the service is so friendly and laid back (echoing Chapter One where Leonard used to be head chef), and the wine list is just as interesting as the food. We've got a Sunday tasting lunch for two with wine pairings to give away to one of you very lucky subscribers, and we're struggling to think of a nicer way to spend a day off.
2) A €150 Voucher For Volpe Nera
If you haven't ventured out to Blackrock to try Barry Sun's brilliant neighbourhood restaurant Volpe Nera, you should rectify that ASAP. The former Etto head chef's first solo restaurant has been a hit with everyone who's walked through the door (read our once over here), and we've managed to bag a €150 voucher for it, so one of you can feast on mushroom dumplings with pickled fennel, lovage and aged soya; suckling pig with morcilla, braised endive and romesco; and spinach and ricotta malfatti with confit egg yolk and courgette gremolata. We just wish every neighbourhood had one.
3) Brunch For Four With Champagne At House Of Bubbles
Tickets for new city centre pop up House Of Bubbles go on sale today, and we've got brunch for four with Champagne to give away. It's all about food, drink, disco and glamour, and the three-course evening menu will be paired with sparkling wines (including Champagne) picked by sommelier Cathryn Bell. The menu will include dishes like crab & prawn brioche rolls, and panko lemon sole goujons with lemon and caper mayonnaise and hand cut chips. Brunch will feature dishes like brioche French toast with crispy streaky bacon and maple syrup, and breakfast tacos with avocado, chorizo, scrambled eggs, tomato salsa and potato home fries, with cava to start, followed by Gosset champagne. And if that wasn't enough to entice you, there will also be photographs on display for the first time from photographer Leon Farrell, shot around Dublin in the 90s, featuring Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Bono amongst others.
House of Bubbles opens on Friday 19th November at Crow Street in Temple Bar and is definitely going to be jam-packed for party season, so if you want tickets we'd hop on this one fast. For more details follow them on Instagram here and get tickets on their website.
4) Spicy Margaritas And A Cocktail Bundle From Craft Cocktails
We've been major fans of Craft Cocktails since day one, and have been known to get slight palpitations when our home supply runs low, so we were very interested to see they've launched a special Spicy Margarita for Halloween (yes we have already ordered it and no we're not sure it's going to make it to the 31st without being consumed). They've given us a 750ml bottle of it (serving seven), along with a bundle of their six original cocktails to give away, so your Halloween drink stash will be sorted.
5) Dinner For Two With Wine At Hakkakan
We were really impressed with our recent visit to Hakkahan in Stoneybatter (read our once over here), particularly loving the fresh chilli and salt squid, the basil duck from Silverhill, and the fact that they have an entire menu section dedicated to dumplings. We'll be sending one of you there to try all of their dumplings, along with any two mains, sides, dessert and a bottle of wine.
6) A Year's Subscription Of Full Circle Coffee
Dublin-based coffee roasters Full Circle have started investing directly in small-scale coffee growers in Brazil, in order to help the Brazilian coffee industry as it battles the increasing effects of climate change, and protect the livelihoods of farmers in the process. They've committed up front to purchasing a number of lots, regardless of how that year's weather affects the crop, and want to ensure these famers continue growing coffee, instead of switching to a different crop. All of these coffees, plus other single origins, are available to purchase on their website, and they also have a monthly subscription service. To celebrate this initiative one of you will be winning an annual subscription, with coffee delivered to your door every month for a year, along with a Hario V60 and filter papers.
7) A Clonakilty Distillery Hamper
Vodka fans listen up. Clonakilty Distillery's Minke Irish Vodka has just scooped a gold award at The Spirits Business Vodka Masters 2021. It was commended for its "nice creaminess", "good balance" and "peppery spice notes", attributed to the fact that it's distilled from a whey-based (rather than grain-based) spirit, derived from milk produced on a nearby family farm. The maritime distillery in Cork also produces other award-winning, premium whiskeys and gins, and they've given us an amazing hamper including their Minke Gin, Minke Vodka, Seasonal Minke Sloe Gin, Port Cask Whiskey, as well as whiskey and gin/vodka glasses. You will be entirely set for the Christmas season. If you want to see what all the fuss is about you can buy it online or from Supervalu.
8) A €100 Voucher For Veginity
Vegan restaurant Veginity are always changing things up, bringing food from other countries and cultures to their Dorset Street space, and this month it's all about Ethiopian food - much of which is naturally vegan. The three-course set menu for the month of October is €35, and they recommend diners come hungry to try ther injera, tibs, red lentil Misir Wat, green puy lentil Azifa salad, tomato Timatim salad, and cabbage and potato Atkilt Wat, with an Ethiopian affogato for dessert. See the full menu here. We've got a €100 voucher to give away so two of you can take a culinary trip to Addis Ababa, and if you can't make it there this month, we're sure they've got something just as interesting planned for November.
9) A Food & Wine Packed Hamper From Kate's Kitchen
Whenever we're looked for food based gifts we really struggle to find quality hampers full of things we would actually want to eat and drink, so we were very happy to see that Sligo based Kate's Kitchen have just made their hampers available for nationwide delivery. There are loads of options, like the Bosca Bia (€55) full of Irish treats, all the way up to The Kitchen (€190), full of everything you could possibly want in your presses. We've got a very special Many Thanks hamper to give away to one of you, including jams, relish, chocolate, cookies, granola, coffee, and the all important wine. See the full range of hampers and how to order here.
Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders for October 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.
