Best takeaway in the city in my opinion. I've never eaten in the Saba restaurant in town so I can't compare the two but if it's takeaway food is anything to go by the restaurant itself must be superb. 'Saba to go' is a busy takeaway but even at the busiest times (like last Friday night!) they nev...

Rowans is a current lunchtime haunt of mine. Rowans is an old style delicatessen with a large counter stretching from one end of the shop to the other. No matter where you look you are greeted by well stacked shelves, packed with everything from fine wine to cornflakes to freshly baked bread. You...

This is a classy wine shop with a good selection of wine, everything from Château Musar to Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The staff are helpful and in my experience as well trained as any sommelier. That said, you pay for the experience and to be honest I really only buy presents here (as a bottle of wine ...

I used to be a member here when I was a kid and still play here regularly. It's an open and forgiving course (or so I've been told by more seasoned golfers!). The greens and course are kept immaculately. The sea views from the back nine are great and you can catch some really great sunsets here o...

I returned recently to Lincoln's Inn (my old alma mater) to find out that it had been completely gutted and transformed into a modern day watering hole (minus the old pool table in the basement unfortunately!). I'm not usually a fan of refurbished 'auld mans' pubs and especially not of the one's ...

Not in my local area and desperately in need of a decent coffee, I stumbled upon what can only be described as the Italian quarter of Howth or 'Il Panorama Café' as it's known locally. I stepped up to the counter with the expectation of ordering an espresso "to go" and was greeted by a "Ciao!" (w...

Smyth's is a 'Select Bar'. While I'm not 100% sure what that means, from what I've seen at closing-time here, I'm taking it that Smyth's is probably not as selective as it might once have been. My preference is to drink in the bar here, I'm not sure why this is as there's not a massive difference...

True to it's name, Café Mao has led a revolution of it's own - although somewhat less controversial than the cultural variety it's namesake was responsible for. Café Mao (along with a few other pioneers) has contributed to revolutionising the mid-range dining experience here in Dublin. It has hel...

I like Chapter One a lot, in my opinion it has one of the best pre-theatre menus in Dublin and funnily enough it's probably the only pre-theatre restaurant where I actually go to the theatre after it! Having enjoyed both the standard à la carte and private dining here, I still feel the best way t...

The Waterloo used to be a great "auld mans" pub but like Napoleon, the Waterloo has surrendered itself to the "norm". It's now a modern Dublin Pub with the usual taupe coloured walls, large beige lamp shades and brown leather upholstered seats. I still go there but miss the old Waterloo immensely...

While located about thirty-five minutes away from Dublin's city centre, Shanganagh Park is within easy striking distance from most of south county Dublin. Until the other day, I had only experienced this park from the eyes of a 30-year old man but seeing my 6 and 12 year old cousins playing here ...

Café Inna is a tightly run ship and it shows. The coffee's good and the food menu is just right. There's a good selection of things to choose from but being a creature of habit I haven't really done the menu justice - panino and espresso (of the double variety) are my staple diet here and the rea...

Pulled my own pints last night - a fun but dangerous experience!

I never seem to be able to remember this place when I go out... perhaps I should clarify that slightly, I always seem to forget to stop-off here on my way home from the pub and I'm consistently reminded of this fact the morning after. Ismael Kebap serves-up some of the best post-pub grub money ca...

'Wilde & Greene' is a cross between Avoca Café and Donnybrook Fair with a touch of Wilde and a sprinkle of green. I ate lunch here last week and found both my sandwich and espresso to be excellent. That said, I do feel Wilde & Greene lacks identity. What I mean by this is that it's not really a s...

I'm usually what people would call a creature of habit, however when it comes to going to the cinema I display no loyalty whatsoever. That said, Movies@Dundrum has been my cinema of choice now for over 12 months. It's clean (as far as I can tell with the lights off!), the seats are good, the soun...

First off, I'm only awarding this place three stars because I'm very much in two minds. There's some really good things about Barracuda but equally there are some not-so-good things too... so do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first? Well, the good news is that if you're lucky enou...

The Stags Head is one of the oldest pubs in Dublin and is one my old favourites too. Sure it might be a bit of a tourist trap but it's one I like to fall into whenever I'm in the area (and low and behold it happened again just last week!). I came across this place when I was in college as they us...

The only 'Super Pub' on Dawson Street as far as I'm concerned (..the others are just wannabes!). It's had a revamp in recent years which has only helped to increase its popularity, not a good thing really as it can only handle about fifty people at a time (and that's being generous). The Guinness...

First off, I must confess that I'm a big fan of Pinocchio's sister café Sapori 'Campo dè Fiori' in Bray, therefore I'd be lying (no pun intended!) if I said that I didn't go here with high expectations. Realising that Sapori 'Campo dè Fiori' is a tough act to follow, Pinocchio Café does pretty we...