It's that time of the month where we tell you about the nine amazing prizes we've rustled up for ATF Insiders to thank them for keeping the ATF wheels turning. As an ad-free, invite-free platform, ATF Insiders is how we're funded and operate, ensuring everything recommended here has been paid for by us. and you're only getting honest, uninfluenced appraisals of where we eat.
Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders by midnight on Monday 17th February will be entered into the draw, and winners will be picked and notified on Tuesday 18th February. Here's what we've got for you this month...
1) A "LegenDerry" food experience worth over €300
One of our very lucky Insiders is going to win a gourmet getaway to Derry, to celebrate LegenDerry Food Month taking place throughout February. The winner and their guest will be heading to the Ebington Hotel to relax in stylish surroundings, before heading out for dinner at El Tapas Grá, where Irish ingredients meet Spanish flavours. The adventure continues the next day at Walled City Brewery, where you’ll embark on a tasting experience sampling craft beers paired with delicious bites that celebrate the best of LegenDerry’s food scene. It's the perfect chance to experience the best of Derry and soaking up some of its famous hospitality.
2) A midweek escape for two at Kelly's Resort Hotel & Spa
The legendary Kelly's Resort Hotel in Wexford on the stunning Rosslare beach has been the scene of many great Irish holidays since opening in 1895 (wowza!), and it's now firmly on the foodie travel map with four different restaurants to dine in. We've got a midweek escape for two to give away this month, for a relaxing overnight stay with dinner in the award-winning Beaches Restaurant, access to the Aqua Club and spa, and breakfast the next morning of freshly baked pastries, homemade preserves, and all the hot dishes you might want to start your day off. Kelly's is the perfect escape from reality, filled with relaxation, gourmet dining, and coastal charm, and we're very excited to send one of our Insiders off for some RnR!
3) Two tickets for the "Ganbei" duck and wine pairing at Hang Dai Chinese worth €260
On Sunday 9th March, Hang Dai will host Ganbei - the ultimate duck & wine pairing experience. Each course of the five-course, eight-dish tasting menu will be paired with wines picked by their in-house sommelier Laoise Dempsey, who be guiding diners through each pour, and you can expect pairings like hoisin sauce and juicy beaujolais, and Sichuan pepper with a zippy Riesling. There are two sittings on the night and tickets for all food with the wine pairings are €130, but we're sending one of you with a friend FOC. Tickets for Ganbei go on sale Sunday 16th February at 15:00.
4) €150 voucher for Bar Italia
Bar Italia is one of those IYKYK places, where the carbonara, cacio e pepe and Roman-style pinsas have their own cult-like following, but next month they're changing it up. Their famous daily specials are moving to a monthly menu change, meaning more time to get your hands on those one off dishes, and joining the core canon will be Ossobuco with risotto; fettucine with Curragh lamb bianco; and house focaccia with Wagyu bavette steak - you'll need to bring a gang to get it all on the table. After an incredible 26 years in business, they're having their latest renovation at the end of March, and have given us a €150 voucher to give away so one of you can head in and check out the changes. Check them out here.
5) A cookery class for two at Howth Cookery School
Howth Castle Cookery School has just gotten a brand new kitchen in association with luxury appliance brand Gaggenau, and they've given us a cookery class for two to give away to celebrate! The cookery school offers a wide variety of hands-on cooking classes, from traditional Irish dishes to international flavours, suitable for all skill levels. They also host bespoke corporate experiences, including a Catch & Cook where you can fish for your lunch out the back of Ireland’s Eye in Dublin Bay - what a day that would be. Check our their upcoming classes including Japanese street food and gourmet pizza here.
6) €100 voucher for Featherblade
Featherblade, one of Dublin's best (and best value) places to go out for steak, have been quietly collaborating with the Droimeann Cattle Society, which has played a vital role in bringing the beautiful ancient breed back from the brink of extinction just a few years ago. Soon you'll be able to get a taste of the premium, well-marbled beef at Featherblade! The farmer supplying them rears his 56-strong herd on a tiny island on Lough Ree which is entirely organic, and which supplies his herd with enough food to graze on and forage for that the herd is totally self sufficient. How amazing is that? We've got a €100 voucher to give away for Featherblade this month so you can have a taste of rare breed beef for yourself.
7) A seafood prize pack from Kish Fish
Dublin-based fine seafood experts, Kish Fish, founded in the old Dublin Fish Market nearly 60 years ago, have just rebranded and announced a collaboration with Guinness. The family-run wholesale seafood business, with three retail shops in North Dublin as well as Avoca Dunboyne, have developed a new Guinness Smoked Salmon. To celebrate, they've given us a voucher for lunch in Kish Café in Howth, plus a seafood hamper filled with their Guinness Smoked Salmon, Hake & Prawn Curry, Luxury Fish Pie, Seafood Chowder, Organic Smoked Irish Salmon, and more. Check out Kish Fish here.
8) €100 voucher for Ruchii, Blackrock
Ruchii in Blackrock have been steadily gaining a reputation as one of Dublin's best restaurants to experience "true Indian food", with dishes coming from all sides of the subcontinent based on the "six primary tastes" - sour, salt, bitter, astringent, pungent, sweet. They're celebrating after a great review in the Irish Times last week, which said they have "the potential to elevate this neighbourhood spot into a genuine destination for Indian food enthusiasts", and have given us a €100 voucher so one of our Insiders can head out to Blackrock to try their Chetinaad beef rib, mango coconut prawns and six-taste thali. Check out Ruchii here.
9) Brunch for four with cocktails at Slice, Stoneybatter
Slice in Stoneybatter is the café that doesn't miss, with regularly changing specials like Cáis na tire leeks on sourdough; and beetroot achar with Ballyhubbock haloumi on toast, using the best organic veg from McNally Farm in North Dublin. They've also got the best drinks menu (boozy and non-boozy) of any café we've seen, and did you know you can get Slice all to yourself? They do private and corporate catering, serving canapés, sandwiches, salads, cakes and more for 10 people plus, and you can also hire the café in the evening for groups of 15-30 people - sounds like our kind of group dinner. We've got brunch for four with cocktails to give away this month so one of you can check out the food before immediately wanting to book Slice for your next event.
Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders for February (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 Monday 17th February. You'll be supporting independent reviews and news 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.
