Return to the Southside: Aviva Aviva Ándale Ándale!*

The brand spanking new Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Rd. to the traditionalists out there) opened it’s doors for the first time last Saturday week. With a space age structure forming what will now surely be seen as one of Europe’s finest stadiums (the less said about the miniscule North Stand the better), the spiritual home of Irish rugby and soccer is back! Along with this, a 50,000 capacity stadium is sure to bring it’s fair share of hungry people to the area, and more about that later.

First of all a closer look at the raw data behind the stadium, which is set to hold its first competitive fixture on Wednesday night (Airtricity X1 1 Man Utd 7  is not competitive!), with our boys in green hosting Leo Messi’s Argentina. In engineering terms, the project was a massive feat, with the area occupied nearing 64,000 sq m, and a need for a low North Stand, to preserve sunlight into the adjoining houses. 5,000 tonnes of structural steel was used in construction, with 4,000,000 man hours involved!

As per the Aviva site, enhanced press facilities mean space for up to 200 journalists (increasing to 400 for certain events). There are 10,000 seats at premium level and a further 1,300 at box level many of which have already been sold for years in advance, while it is estimated that 70,000 pints of stout and lager, 3,000 hot whiskeys, 2,000 portions of fish and chips, 4,000 speciality ‘Aviva’ gourmet burgers and 5,000 hot beef sandwiches will be served on any given matchday (of course the hot whiskey sales will go up dramatically on a cold 6 Nations rugby weekend!).  This will be supplemented by 900 catering staff, and 48 chefs (who presumably will be worked off their feet!)

Impressive eh? Plus with both the soccer and rugby boys enjoying a period of good success, the stadium will be full on many occasions in the coming years.
But with the hiatus to Croker, have you forgotten where to eat in the area? Ireland’s best lunch deals site can help here! We’ve got lots of options to feed hungry match goers.

The aptly named Lansdowne Hotel on Pembroke Road offers a daily chef’s special which today for example  is Lasagne for €7.00, as well as a full selection of delicious paninis and wraps from €5.50, and a full lunch menu.

The traditional watering route from the city centre, down Baggot St., has a number of options. The Baggot Inn (Homemade Baggot Burger €10.00), The 51 on Haddington Road (Chicken Curry €9.90) and Millers  (Oaked Irish Smoked Salmon €7.50) are all great options for great value lunch in Dublin.

Maia  on Shelbourne Road (Pasta of the Day + Glass of Wine €12) and Ocean Bar  on Grand Canal Dock (Chefs Daily Pasta €9.50) are also great lunch options in the area, while for an Asian inspired meal, try Kanum, where you can avail of free prawn crackers when you mention mylunch.ie.

So now you are armed with all the information on both the stadium and surrounding lunch deals, all that’s needed is Brian O Driscoll scoring a few tries or Robbie Keane netting a cracker from 25 yards to cap off a great day!

Of course these lunch specials are available throughout the week also, and many are updated daily on www.mylunch.ie

*So who got the Speedy Gonzales reference in the title then?!

Sources: www.avivastadium.ie www.irishtimes.ie

Newcomers to the site!

We’re constantly adding new and exciting retailers to our site, and so we thought we’d keep you up to date with some of our recent newcomers! It’s been a very exciting week for mylunch.ie with a whole range of newbies coming on board, so keep reading for more info on these, and how they to offer you the best value, and crucially best quality lunch menus on our fair isle!

First up we have Lansdowne Hotel. With the brand spanking new Aviva open, the focus is set to shift back to the Southside of the city, and paces from the new stadium, at 27 Pembroke Road, you will find one of Dublin's finest drinking emporiums "The Den Bar". Home to the biggest rugby tie collection in the world (yes you heard me!), you can almost smell the history in this place! The Den Bar serves both carvery lunch daily, and for the late weekend risers, brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Along with the carvery, lunch options range from a bowl of hearty soup for €3, to the chef’s daily special, and also a selection of wraps and paninis.

Staying on the south side of the river, and this time moving out towards the sea, we have the Royal Marine Hotel, and also Harry’s Cafein picturesque Dun Laoghaire. Harry’s is located at Upper Georges Street, Dun Laoghaire, and is a great little funky diner. With the aim of providing homemade lunch options in a casual and relaxed environment, Harry’s is the perfect choice whether you are looking for coffee, breakfast, lunch , sandwiches and snacks, weekend brunch or dinner. A real local favourite, and a great addition to the site!

The landmark Royal Marine Hotel meanwhile has long been a favourite for lunch in Dublin . Hardy’s Bar, named after Laurel & Hardy, who stayed in the hotel for 33 days in 1953, is the main Hotel Bar. With an excellent food menu, and live music on most nights, this welcoming watering hole has a great atmosphere. Why not soak it up with a great value lunch if you’re in the area?

We’ve also had a really exciting addition on the North side in the form of Brams. Situated in Dublin 3, Brams is a friendly environment in which to enjoy an all day breakfast, a coffee and scone, a light lunch or even a home cooked dinner. With a daily updated special, often consisting of a mouth watering meal plus dessert for under a tenner, take the time to explore this somewhat hidden gem (though not to the locals!) and treat yourself to lunch.

So there you have it, four of many recent newcomers to the site, which I would advise you to check out! If your favourite local food place isn’t on the site yet, why not drop us an email at hungry@mylunch.ie or recommend a retailer. Be sure to check the site, and to bookmark this blog for more mylunch related news!

Shane

Dublin Lunch: The mylunch.ie al fresco options

With Summer 2010 in full swing, and the warm weather hopefully here to stay (thanks in no small part to a daily mylunch.ie office sundance!), we here at Ireland’s hottest (pun possibly intended!) lunchtime deal site have decided to help you soak it up by offering some tips on Dublin options which combine both great value, superb quality food, and an al fresco dining experience. Because, as we all know, good lunch is good, but good lunch in the roaring sun is great!

Here are some choices we’ve come up with:

GBK
Fast becoming a lunch institution, all three Gourmet Burger Kitchen outlets in Dublin city centre (Sth. Anne St., Sth. William St. and Temple Bar Square) have a large, spacious open air area outside. Incidentally, the three are also located in perfect people watching spots, which is always an added bonus with al fresco dining!
Combined with this great set up, GBK also offers a full drinks menu; but the real piece de resistance is the food. Mouth-watering options like the Jamaican, Mexican, Avocado Bacon and Kiwiburger, which consists of beetroot and pineapple amongst other toppings (a real “must try”), are a perfect compliment to a balmy day eating lunch in Dublin! And if this isn’t enough to entice you, we at mylunch.ie currently offer a great value voucher for all GBK’s around Dublin, giving you the option of “any burger on the menu for €5 when you buy a drink, side or starter”. What better an excuse to enjoy a gourmet burger and chunky fries for lunch?

KOH
Fancy a little slice of Asia in your lunch hour? Located on the fashionable Millennium Walkway near Jervis St. Dublin 1, KOH’s self stated philosophy is to offer reasonably priced, quality, original and traditional Asian dishes using as many local ingredients as possible. Their Light Bites menu offers a vast selection of dishes, of which three can be chosen for €12, while their daily special is both health conscious and divine. Again, not only do KOH offer fantastic dining, but also a spacious outdoor terracefor al fresco dining or relaxing with a beverage from the well stocked cocktail bar whilst watching the world go by. KOH is a thoroughly modern and funky option for outside lunch, in a newly refurbished and modern part of Dublin.

St. Stephens Green/Iveagh Gardens
Our final al fresco lunch option is the most obvious of the whole lot, yet criminally overlooked by many. St. Stephens Green is the heart and soul south of the river, and really buzzes at lunchtime in Dublin, while the up until recently well kept secret of the Iveagh Gardens is now widely known as one of Dublin’s gems. So, what are your take-away lunch options in this area?

Firstly we have Munchies on Baggot St. (one of numerous Munchies dotted around Dublin). These guys pride themselves on providing wholesome food using only the finest ingredients, as well as organic fair trade coffee. Their extensive lunch menu includes wraps, salads, soups, and of course the famous Chicken Whoopie. The Baggot St. branch offers the great deal of any sandwich under €5 plus soup of the day for €6.50. We are also currently running a voucher on-site.

The second take-away option, which we here at mylunch love is Insomnia. With 13 locations in Dublin 2, including Wexford St., Earlsfort Tce., St. Stephens Green and Pembroke St, Insomnia is home of hand crafted coffee and gourmet sandwiches. Added to this however, is the great value available. All Insomnias offer a sandwich & any hot beverage for €5, and a panini & any hot beverage for €6, as well as other great lunch deals, which we bring to you on site every day.

Finally, what good is a post on al fresco dining without the Italiano option? They may have gone out of the World Cup at the first hurdle, but their lunch offering is still world class! Pacinos on Suffolk St. is a family run restaurant known for their delicious pizzas and pastas, steaks and salads. Offering both eat in and take out, Pacinos is Italian cuisine done very well. And if this wasn’t reason enough to try it out, we are currently running a 2 for 1 voucher on take out from Monday to Wednesday! The massive take away menu includes the above staples of pasta, salads, and pizza, but also delicious ciabattas, wraps and paninis.

So as long as the good weather continues, (hopefully we haven’t put a jinx on it!) you have numerous options to enjoy it during your lunch hour, thanks to www.mylunch.ie!