Restaurant openings, brand collaborations, and more great Irish food news

A debut title from Ali Dunworth

Food writer extraordinaire Ali Dunworth has officially announced her debut title, A Compendium of Irish Pints, and the name alone deserves a standing ovation.

It’s a book all about, you guessed it — pints. Having one, going for one, buying one, the book delves into the culture, the customs, and the craic. From airport pints to unplanned pints, pints for celebrations and pints for commiserations, festival pints, quiet pints, crisps and pints and everything in between.

With illustration from Stephen Heffernan, aka Hephee, the cover alone is like an art print worthy of wall space. It’s being published 7 May, but you can preorder from Nine Bean Rows today.

The Dough Bros monthly special pizza kits return

A venture embarked on at first out of necessity back in 2020 when lockdowns rendered dining in a thing of the past, The Dough Bros are bringing back their at-home pizza kits to transform kitchens across the country into Neapolitan pizzerias.

Offering nationwide ‘doughliveries’ (nice), they’ve got plenty of plans and collabs in the works, and their February special Can’t Bánh Mì Love has already sold out online.

Word on the street is that their March special will feature a collaboration with one of the world’s most iconic brands and I quite literally cannot wait to see who it will be. Absolutely one to keep abreast of for date nights down the line.

Chef Cúán Greene’s is opening a restaurant, guesthouse, and four acre farm

Irish chef and author Cúán Greene has long been recognised as a trailblazer on the Irish food scene. Having worked at some of the world’s top restaurants including Noma in Copenhagen, and Bastible in Dublin 8, he’s now realising a 17 year dream and opening his very own restaurant, guesthouse and four acres farm, Ómós.

Last month, Greene took to Instagram to announce the venture, which will comprise a 16-bedroom guest house as well as the 32-seat restaurant in Abbeyleix, county Laois, he wrote:

“Ómós (Oh-Mose), meaning homage, duty, and respect in Irish, has already been 3 years in the making. Some of you may be familiar with the weekly newsletter of the same name, which over the last couple of years has focused on providing our readers with stories about food, community, craft, and innovations. The newsletter has acted as a wonderful resource for gathering and sharing knowledge, and without it, Ómós might look very different.

“We’ve wanted to expand on this caravan of ideas, and continue the growth of our community, and are delighted to have found a home 2km from the town of Abbeyleix in Co. Laois. Ómós will be a restaurant to explore, cook, and create. A guesthouse to rest, let go and dream. A garden to grow, regenerate, and nurture the land.”

It’s looking like it will be a July 2025 opening for Ómós, but something tells me it will be extremely worth the wait.

Dublin Coffee Festival is coming to The Complex next month

For the first-time ever, Cup North, the team behind the renowned Manchester Coffee Festival, Birmingham Coffee Festival and Extracted Development, will be bringing a coffee fiesta to Ireland, with the first stop set at The Complex in Dublin from 1-3 March. While the first day is dedicated to industry-only sessions, the rest of the weekend welcomes members of the public that wish to celebrate the wonderful Irish coffee scene in the heart of the city.

Imagine a jam-packed weekend of all things coffee, with some of the best specialty coffee brands from across Ireland and the UK joining together to showcase their top quality offerings all in one place. At Dublin Coffee Festival, you will have the opportunity to sample unlimited coffee and treats, watch the best roasters and baristas join together and compete at the epic Extracted Development coffee competition, sit in for talks and panels featuring coffee people from all corners of the industry, learn new skills from various workshops, savour delicious coffee with a guided sensory experience at the tasting room, enjoy fun family time with your kids, and much more!

Make sure to bring along your favourite cup to the festival because it’s a paper cup-free event. Oh, and it’s dog friendly!

All About Kombucha X Currabinny

Wake up babe, a new ‘booch just dropped.

The Galway-based brewery, All About Kombucha, have joined forces with James Kavanagh and William Murray of Currabinny for a limited edition run of kombucha flavoured with organic elderflower, pear and rosemary. Opting for ingredients that would pay homage to this lovely little island of ours and its seasonal produce, it’s delicious and fresh and encapsulates all the flavours the pair love using for Currabinny.

It’s available in selected retailers nationwide, and can be purchased online in packs of 8, 12 or 16 cans. All About Kombucha is Ireland’s only carbon neutral kombucha brewing brewery, started by a pair of pals back in 2017. They’re continuing to grow their team, tend to their community, and bag awards left, right and centre.

Esther’s opens in Mount Merrion

Located at 63 Deer Park Road, Mount Merrion, Blackrock, Esther’s opened its doors on Thursday 22 February to rapturous applause. The neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar offers two different and distinct experiences for you to avail of depending on your mood. You can opt to sit at their chefs table and watch your food be created as you imbibe on some incredible wine, or you can retreat from the hustle and bustle in a cosy snug.

The refined menu features highlights like Dublin Bay prawns and Clare Island smoked salmon to start, followed by Castletown cod, Achill Island lamb rump, and roasted organic cauliflower on mains, with snacks, sides, and desserts boasting an enticing selection of options. Considering I’m a slave to custard tart, paying a visit to Esther’s is high on my foodie bucket list.