You may have heard about these innovative “dine in the dark” meals but now you can experience it for yourself as Lidl is running the experience right throughout this weekend. Chef Gary O’Hanlon has teamed up with Lidl for this special dining experience that offers great food and a fabulous atmosphere. Taking place in Dublin, the pop-up Dine in the Dark restaurant RARE will run from 25-28 April. The restaurant will be pitch black and the only people who will be able to see will be the servers who will be wearing night-vision goggles. They will guide you to your seat where you will be taken on a journey of the senses that will make you re-evaluate your perception of taste, smell and touch. The menu consists of a flavoursome three-course meal with a focus on Irish produce, including Lidl Ireland’s Bord Bia Quality Assured Irish beef.
To purchase tickets (€15), click here. Proceeds raised will be donated to Jigsaw, the national centre for youth mental health.
Eight Degrees Yellow Ball Can - RACK ‘EM UP SERIES.
Craft beer has grown so much in popularity that it feels like it’s been around forever. The reality is that only a few years ago our choice of beers was far more limited. In fact, one of the first brands to be really strong on the scene was Eight Degrees in Cork.
Now they are celebrating eight years in business by producing eight exciting and innovating beers throughout 2019. Many of them are collaborations with acclaimed craft breweries or with quality local producers.
First in the line-up is a double dry-hopped IPA. This is a three-way collaboration between Eight Degrees, Bale Breaker Brewing – from the hop heaven that is Washington’s Yakima Valley – and Revolution Brewing – Chicago’s largest independent craft beer brewery. It’s a showcase of Yakima Valley’s finest hops chosen by Bale Breaker, a malt bill picked by Eight Degrees to feature the best of local Irish malt and a yeast strain chosen by Revolution. The result is a beer supercharged with hop freshness and aroma.
See more here.
Newly appointed commissioner general, Gareth Mullins.
From chef to commissioner
Inspiring the future of Irish chefs while preserving our culinary heritage, taking the role to lead Euro-toques Ireland is no easy task. Recently, Graham Neville of Dax Restaurant handed over the reins to Gareth Mullins, the new commissioner general. Gareth has over 20 years’ experience cooking in five-star hotels in Ireland and Australia. He spent seven years in the Merrion Hotel as head chef in The Cellar Restaurant & Bar before joining the team at The Marker Hotel when it opened in 2013.
In his new role of Commissioner General, Gareth will focus on the continued growth of the Young Chef of the Year competition as well as maintaining the basic ethos of the organisation and the late Mrs Myrtle Allen’s belief of the fundamental importance of the collaboration between chefs and producers.
Tipperary Breakfast Champions launch.
If you love a good breakfast, get yourself to the premier county as the Tipperary Food Producers Network (TFPN) has once again launched the Tipperary Breakfast Champions Initiative supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine.
With 11 hospitality providers, including the Horse & Jockey Hotel, Cloughjordan House, Dooks Fine Foods and Raheen House Hotel, the initiative is all about supporting local.
The criteria to become a Tipperary Breakfast Champion is simple: the hospitality provider must include at least five ingredients supplied by members of the Tipperary Food Producers Network, then each champion can put their own unique stamp on the breakfast dishes they create with them.
A total of 32 producers are involved in Tipperary Breakfast Champions, and the variety of food choosen has been extremely diverse and appetising from raspberry coulis with yoghurt and granola to eggs benedict served on Hickeys sourdough. This is the second phase which highlights the fantastic local food on offer.
To find out more, log on https://www.tipperaryfoodproducers.ie/.
Cullen's at the Cottage, close to Ashford Castle.
If you’re heading to Ashford Castle, you may need to take out the good suit. For a more relaxed dining experience though, Cullen’s at the Cottage restaurant has reopened just in time for summer.
The building used to be home to Cong Cinema before being transformed into the casual dining venue. And the outdoor dining patio overlooks the colourful, beautifully manicured garden with views over the spectacular Ashford Castle estate.
Chef Philippe Farineau has created a menu with a worldly influence in this part of the west. Ashford Castle is part of the Red Carnation group which was founded in South Africa so there is a nod to the founder Beatrice Tollman with the tasty bobotie spring rolls dish. Of course, Irish ingredients remain key and also on the menu are Dooncastle oysters and Connemara lobster cooked in the charcoal oven while meat lovers can enjoy angus beef ribeye surf & turf served with garlic butter.
Click here for more details.
You may have heard about these innovative “dine in the dark” meals but now you can experience it for yourself as Lidl is running the experience right throughout this weekend. Chef Gary O’Hanlon has teamed up with Lidl for this special dining experience that offers great food and a fabulous atmosphere. Taking place in Dublin, the pop-up Dine in the Dark restaurant RARE will run from 25-28 April. The restaurant will be pitch black and the only people who will be able to see will be the servers who will be wearing night-vision goggles. They will guide you to your seat where you will be taken on a journey of the senses that will make you re-evaluate your perception of taste, smell and touch. The menu consists of a flavoursome three-course meal with a focus on Irish produce, including Lidl Ireland’s Bord Bia Quality Assured Irish beef.
To purchase tickets (€15), click here. Proceeds raised will be donated to Jigsaw, the national centre for youth mental health.
Eight Degrees Yellow Ball Can - RACK ‘EM UP SERIES.
Craft beer has grown so much in popularity that it feels like it’s been around forever. The reality is that only a few years ago our choice of beers was far more limited. In fact, one of the first brands to be really strong on the scene was Eight Degrees in Cork.
Now they are celebrating eight years in business by producing eight exciting and innovating beers throughout 2019. Many of them are collaborations with acclaimed craft breweries or with quality local producers.
First in the line-up is a double dry-hopped IPA. This is a three-way collaboration between Eight Degrees, Bale Breaker Brewing – from the hop heaven that is Washington’s Yakima Valley – and Revolution Brewing – Chicago’s largest independent craft beer brewery. It’s a showcase of Yakima Valley’s finest hops chosen by Bale Breaker, a malt bill picked by Eight Degrees to feature the best of local Irish malt and a yeast strain chosen by Revolution. The result is a beer supercharged with hop freshness and aroma.
See more here.
Newly appointed commissioner general, Gareth Mullins.
From chef to commissioner
Inspiring the future of Irish chefs while preserving our culinary heritage, taking the role to lead Euro-toques Ireland is no easy task. Recently, Graham Neville of Dax Restaurant handed over the reins to Gareth Mullins, the new commissioner general. Gareth has over 20 years’ experience cooking in five-star hotels in Ireland and Australia. He spent seven years in the Merrion Hotel as head chef in The Cellar Restaurant & Bar before joining the team at The Marker Hotel when it opened in 2013.
In his new role of Commissioner General, Gareth will focus on the continued growth of the Young Chef of the Year competition as well as maintaining the basic ethos of the organisation and the late Mrs Myrtle Allen’s belief of the fundamental importance of the collaboration between chefs and producers.
Tipperary Breakfast Champions launch.
If you love a good breakfast, get yourself to the premier county as the Tipperary Food Producers Network (TFPN) has once again launched the Tipperary Breakfast Champions Initiative supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine.
With 11 hospitality providers, including the Horse & Jockey Hotel, Cloughjordan House, Dooks Fine Foods and Raheen House Hotel, the initiative is all about supporting local.
The criteria to become a Tipperary Breakfast Champion is simple: the hospitality provider must include at least five ingredients supplied by members of the Tipperary Food Producers Network, then each champion can put their own unique stamp on the breakfast dishes they create with them.
A total of 32 producers are involved in Tipperary Breakfast Champions, and the variety of food choosen has been extremely diverse and appetising from raspberry coulis with yoghurt and granola to eggs benedict served on Hickeys sourdough. This is the second phase which highlights the fantastic local food on offer.
To find out more, log on https://www.tipperaryfoodproducers.ie/.
Cullen's at the Cottage, close to Ashford Castle.
If you’re heading to Ashford Castle, you may need to take out the good suit. For a more relaxed dining experience though, Cullen’s at the Cottage restaurant has reopened just in time for summer.
The building used to be home to Cong Cinema before being transformed into the casual dining venue. And the outdoor dining patio overlooks the colourful, beautifully manicured garden with views over the spectacular Ashford Castle estate.
Chef Philippe Farineau has created a menu with a worldly influence in this part of the west. Ashford Castle is part of the Red Carnation group which was founded in South Africa so there is a nod to the founder Beatrice Tollman with the tasty bobotie spring rolls dish. Of course, Irish ingredients remain key and also on the menu are Dooncastle oysters and Connemara lobster cooked in the charcoal oven while meat lovers can enjoy angus beef ribeye surf & turf served with garlic butter.
Click here for more details.
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: