It stands to reason at any dinner party that the table should be the centre of attention – second only to the food itself. Oh, and maybe the guests. But we’ve all been to enough dinner parties (or at least seen enough episodes of Come Dine With Me) to know that this is all too […]

10 years ago

1. Seriously, what in the name of all that is good is this big fuss about? The offies close for 24 hours and all hell breaks loose? Well. I’m telling you this now, I sure as hell won’t be a part of it. 2. Screw it, I’m not even going to drink tomorrow. And I’ll […]

10 years ago

Looping playlists have an odd ability to completely distort our sense of time. No matter whether it happens 30 minutes apart, an hour apart or four hours apart, hearing the same songs play through in the same order tends to give a strange sense of inertia; a sense that it’s time to take stock of […]

10 years ago

We’re thrilled to announce Lovin Health – a fantastic new Lovin Dublin Readers’ Event in association with Arnotts, on Thursday the 16th of April from 7.30pm to 9pm. Lovin Health will give you, our readers, an opportunity to ask our panel of foodies questions on nutrition, healthy eating, juicing and all things food. The event […]

10 years ago

It’s fair to say that the listicle is a massive game-changer when it comes to media. The old media are definitely running for cover under the shitstorm of epic Buzzfeed gold, and the new guys just fucking know that this is the way to do content and get shit done. The humble number is an […]

10 years ago

A campaign group is planning to write an open letter to Ryanair, urging the airline to provide special discounted flights to Ireland ahead of the equality referendum on May 22. The Get The Boat 2 Vote campaign, which is attempting to organise a mass return of eligible voters for referendum, says: “The youth vote has […]

10 years ago

Not only does Ticknock boast some of the best views of the city – bit it’s also home to some super-interesting human heritage, if you’re into that sort of thing. If you’re going mountain biking make sure you know what you’re doing and you have the right gear. Walkers, make sure you don’t find yourself […]

10 years ago

He’s best known to Irish viewers as the polite and kind but forensic investor on Dragon’s Den, but there’s a lot more to Sean O’Sullivan than just that. He joins Brendan O’Connor on this evening’s Saturday Night Show to talk about how he got where he is now, and where he’s off to next – […]

10 years ago

Food start-ups in 2015 are the tech start-ups of 2014, offering something we all actually need, rather than something we all think we need, and there’s as much scope for creativity and innovation on a plate as on a phone. If you’re thinking of taking the big leap and bringing your foodie favourites to a […]

10 years ago

It’s a busy world out there, and it’s sometimes easy to miss even the biggest stories in the midst of our hectic lives and the waves of information that surround us every day. So, just to ensure you don’t end up with a blank look on your face down the pub tonight, here are the […]

10 years ago

It’s one of the richest and most satisfying drinks you can get, whether from a tap or a bottle – and while red ale isn’t for everyone, those who appreciate its dark, toasty notes will want to explore the ale to its full extent. Here are ten brews you can try in Dublin – and, […]

10 years ago

I spent the first 22 years of my life between California and Texas. I know burritos. Growing up in those parts you were mesmerised by tortilla dough being kneaded and flattened in restaurants; you knew that the local house in the middle of nowhere with no visible signage and a full parking lot on a […]

10 years ago

1. Congratulations! You have a new match! 2. Right. Which one is it? Please be the one with the amusing bio about her dogs… 3. YES! It’s her. 4. AND we have a mutual friend! Excellent. Hellooooo, conversation-starter. 5. Okay it’s someone called Mike who I don’t actually recognise. Who the hell is Mike? 6. […]

10 years ago

When I lived in London, my friends and I became certified experts on pre-theatre dining. In searching for restaurants to accompany our “big nights out” on the West End, we had three criteria: the place had to look fancy to match our new Primark cocktail dresses; it had to be unimaginative but decent to suit […]

10 years ago

Ingredients 100g pistachio nuts, shelled 100g butter, cut into cubes 130g dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids), broken into pieces 2 free-range eggs, separated 225g caster sugar 100g plain flour, sifted ½ tbsp vanilla extract zest of ½ orange Brownies are a cross between a cookie and a cake – and if you’re not […]

10 years ago

So this is what you have to put up with when you’re in the public eye. George Hook may divide opinion in this country, but it’s difficult to explain how he could rile anyone up to the point where they’d send something quite like this; a piece of hate mail so vitriolic and so vile […]

10 years ago

Credit where it’s due: the council is playing a blinder when it comes to celebrating Roddy Doyle’s Barrytown Trilogy. The trilogy, which is this year’s selection for 1 City 1 Book, is made up of The Commitments, The Snapper and The Van – three books that have really made their mark on Dublin culture, and […]

10 years ago

Last week, we told you about a pretty sweet little video about the ‘Best Bits’ of Ireland, inspired by replies to a Facebook post by Club Orange. And this week, impressionist Al Foran has taken things a step further by ‘recruiting’ a number of celebs from Ireland and beyond – including Conor McGregor, Bono, George […]

10 years ago

The hype’s been building among Dublin foodies ahead of the opening of Taco Taco tomorrow, the brand new pop-up based in Odessa that specialises in… well, we’ll let you work that out for yourselves. It’s hardly surprising either – because not only are tacos experiencing an odd surge of popularity right now that must leave […]

10 years ago

You know summer’s really coming when the city’s top restaurants start to rejig their menus, cutting back on the comfort food we all required to pad up during the cold months, and favouring a lighter, more colourful approach to their fare. And menus don’t come much more colourful than the new one just announced by […]

10 years ago

Was it an illusion? Was it a ghost? Was it just plain ol’ physics? Whatever the cause*, what’s really important is that this pint just spontaneously exploded in the middle of a Drogheda pub on St Patrick’s Day. And it was all caught on camera. The video was posted on the Facebook page of Barney […]

10 years ago

It was supposed to be the pride of the West – but now, Galway’s loss could become Dublin’s gain. The Naomh Éanna, known to Dubliners as the boat that lay in disrepair in Grand Canal Dock for several years, was to be redeveloped as an 82-bed boutique hostel and restaurant and be sailed to Galway. […]

10 years ago

We never cease to be amazed by Louis Theroux, who’s put himself in some of the most dangerous, unusual and uncomfortable situations in the name of fantastic journalism. But his latest series, By Reason Of Insanity, is a new frontier even for this veteran. In it, he’ll go behind bars at the Ohio State Psychiatric […]

10 years ago

While he was a controversial figure during his playing days – particularly among Leinster fans during the emergence of Johnny Sexton – time has been kind to Ronan O’Gara’s legacy, and his place amongst the all-time greats of the Irish game is assured. The documentary that’s to be shown tonight on RTÉ Two isn’t new […]

10 years ago

There’ll be a lot to discuss this week in the pubs of Dublin – whether or not you’re a rugby fan. Here’s your guide to the six topics that will be on your lips this evening as you sit down over a post-match pint. Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales… and George It would take something to […]

10 years ago

You couldn’t have asked for a more exciting finale to the Six Nations. The table has set us up for an absolutely cracking weekend of rugby, with the Boys in Green needing a comprehensive win over Scotland to ensure a championship win – but if you’re one of the thousands heading to Murrayfield to watch […]

10 years ago

Okay, so we’ve definitely had our fill of Irish-themed videos this week – not least thanks to this epic piece narrated by Liam Neeson. And yes, St Patrick’s Day is over. And it’s time to move on. We know! But some things are just too feel-good and brilliant not to share, and this clip from […]

10 years ago

You might not see much of a connection between the gravelly voiced male soul singers of the 1960s and the all-too-whiny voices of today – but the connection exists, and the route between the two is absolutely intriguing. Soul music is one of the most wide-ranging genres in terms of its influences, having come at […]

10 years ago

It doesn’t happen often, so when it does, you want to be ready. On Friday morning, the sun will become obscured in one of the most dramatic and extensive solar eclipses of our lifetime – 90% of the star will be covered at 9.28am, meaning we here in Dublin are amongst the best-placed cities to […]

10 years ago

There are few things in life that sum up the concept of ‘small but mighty’ quite like a decent sauce or dip. Because for all our talk about top-quality cuts of meat, or perfectly sautéed spuds, nothing will dominate our tastebuds quite like that little dollop off to the side of the plate. So while […]

10 years ago

Student stereotypes would have you believe that all students are apathetic and are not proactive. The reality of the situation is very different. These days, students are active and passionate about a variety of causes – and social media has helped unify them, to create noteworthy projects that have the rest of the population taking […]

10 years ago

Using a phrase like “squeeze the bollocks off it” in relation to food preparation? Now, that’s not the sort of thing we’d condone here at Lovin Dublin whatsoever. Nope. Not one bit. However, we did have to laugh when we saw this video of US-based Irish chef Shane Carty, using those exact words in this […]

10 years ago

That’s right. You read correctly. In the same way as we look back at the 1980s and laugh at their haircuts, fashion choices and technology, people in 30 years’ time will be looking back and doing the exact same about us. Worse again, we’ve documented even more content – meaning there’ll be more to laugh […]

10 years ago

We’ve drank our beers, we’ve flown our flags, we’ve sung our songs and we’ve patted ourselves on the back at the spectacle of every landmark on the globe turning green. It’s nearly time to revert to normal mode, whereby Irishness is treated like a mildly annoying sibling – something we love deep down, but really […]

10 years ago

Most Dubliners know that there’s much more to the city than just the old ‘cultural quarter’ of Temple Bar. But then, most Dubliners aren’t in Temple Bar today. After all, even though the cobbled streets can provide an absolutely unreal atmosphere, it can generally get so crowded (not to mention expensive) that it’s best to […]

10 years ago

It’s only natural that, at this time every year, the whole nation gets swallowed up in extensive debate about what it means to be truly Irish. But, as with any debate that gets the country talking, nobody can quite nail down the pertinent issues of the day quite like Blindboy Boatclub and Mr Chrome – […]

10 years ago

One of the great things about Dublin is that it never stops evolving, it never stops improving, and it never ceases in its quest to be right up there with the best cities in Europe. It’s practically unrecognisable from the place it was 20 years ago, and for the most part that’s a positive thing. […]

10 years ago

Coming into the 1964 general election in the UK, against a backdrop of Beatlemania and the newly-sown seeds of a youth revolution, nobody could have predicted that the centre of attention would fall on a small town in the West Midlands called Smethwick. However, it was here that a Conservative candidate picked up a seat […]

10 years ago

The city is awash today with Mother’s Day lunch and brunch specials, and we know that sometimes the choice can feel a bit overwhelming – particularly after a heavy night on the town drowning your sorrows after watching Ireland’s Grand Slam hopes fade to oblivion. So we’ve done the hard work for you, and pulled […]

10 years ago

Man, oh man. When politicians get things wrong, they tend to get things really wrong. And when your party – Renua, which only launched earlier on today – have to come out and say you suffered from “brain freeze” during an interview on national radio? Well then, you’ve got things really, really, REALLY wrong. That’s […]

10 years ago

Every week, we bring you your cheat-sheet to tonight’s pub conversations – the things you just know are going to come up, and how you can bluff your way through them even if you haven’t been following the news (or the internet) too closely this week… #Yokegate Will there ever be another talking point quite […]

10 years ago

Many of us will be familiar with the astounding humanitarian Christina Noble – or Mama Tina as she’s widely known – who has saved countless children from poverty over the last 25 years. What some don’t know, however, is that she herself endured a horrific childhood during which she believed her three siblings to be […]

10 years ago

If at first you succeed, do the same thing again and again. That’s how the saying goes, isn’t it? Well, that’s certainly what we were thinking after the resounding success of our Valentine’s Day Brunch Club – and it’s why we decided to do the same thing again this weekend, back in the wonderful surrounds […]

10 years ago

Okay, I’m going to start by addressing the elephant in the room: I know Bray isn’t in Dublin. What’s more, I know this not because I can read maps, or because I checked it on the internet – but because I’m from there. And when you’re from Bray, ‘not being from Dublin’ becomes a […]

10 years ago

Most places look better in the sun – but in Dublin, perhaps because we get it so rarely, is a very special case. There’s something about this city that sparks into life when 1. Blue skies and a still Liffey? You can’t bate it… Another beautiful sunny day in the city. #Dublin #Love #Ireland #Irelanda […]

10 years ago

So, this is pretty exciting news for food and drinks start-ups. This year marks the 10th anniverary of Taste of Dublin, and Bank of Ireland is launching its ‘Show Your Business – at Taste of Dublin’ competition today for one of the most coveted prizes imaginable. Valued at €5000, the prize will allow two […]

10 years ago

Ingredients 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp cornflour 500g fillet steak (you can also use rump), cut into thin strips 3 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp chopped garlic 1 tbsp chopped or grated fresh ginger root 1 green pepper, trimmed, deseeded and cut into strips (optional) 1 red pepper, trimmed, deseeded and cut into strips […]

10 years ago

A while ago we introduced you to “sights-eating” your way around Dublin, taking out-of-town visitors to all the tourist hotspots while still managing a full day’s worth of good eats. All the must-see attractions for them, all the must-eat dishes for you – everybody wins, right? The previous guide, however, left out one crucial element […]

10 years ago

It’s not like Bray has been in need of dramatic intervention in the area of casual dining. Platform Pizza has a reputation as one of the most difficult places in the Greater Dublin area in which to get a seat, while The Big Dog’s Galley beside the rebooted Harbour Bar serves burgers and chips that […]

10 years ago

We’re delighted to announce that we’ll be hosting the first Lovin Dublin FoodConnect industry conference on April 21. Taking place in the Button Factory and Filmbase, this event will give food and drink entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn from experts, be inspired by real-world successes, and connect with potential business partners. It’s a fantastic opportunity […]

10 years ago