Everyone knows Fitzwilliam Square, that mysterious gated (and unfortunately locked) park between Lower Pembroke St and Upper Fitzwilliam St on the south side of Dublin City. Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been curious about what the park looked like inside! So, now is my chance as every Friday, Fitzwilliam Square will host a new lunchtime market that is open to all! Here at Mylunch, we love learning about new and interesting ways to enjoy lunch and as the square is only around the corner from us we were delighted to hear about it! Now all we need is good weather and it’s happy days!

The Market is open from 11:30am to 2:30pm, every Friday. There will be over twenty pop up style gourmet restaurants offering a wide selection of healthy and delicious lunchtime treats! A perfect option for lunch in Dublin 2! This is a great alternative to the oul ham and cheese sambo at your desk we think! Sure, the health benefits are enormous too: it will provide you with your daily dose of Vitamin D and that bit of fresh air to blow the cobwebs away and leave you wide awake and full of energy for the weekend ahead!

One of the big bonuses of the market is that they provide you with the picnic blankets to chill out and enjoy your lunch on (and to keep your clothes sparkling clean for your return to the office). These guys really have thought of everything. There will also be a live jazz performance to help you unwind! A little bit of entertainment as you munch your lunch, if you don’t mind!

The market is organised by Irish Village Markets, who also organise similar lunchtime, farmer and food markets at the Grand Canal, Spencer dock, Sandyford and many more locations all over Dublin. Click here for a full list of their markets.

If you know of anywhere interesting for lunch, please get in touch and let us know! If they sign up to the site you could win a free lunch there. What have you got to lose?

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Recent Competition Winners

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE LUNCHBOX

Our latest competition winners! If you want to be like these fantastic winners, then enter our weekly comp here!

Free Lunch for two in Cafe Mao

Clare Sharkey
Fiona Donegan
Garrett O Doherty
Ann Lindsay
Fiona Power


The Wooden Spoon Two Free Lunches!

Sam Anthony

Ben Vadulet

Fiona Doherty

Aifric Saunderson

Unnamed Winner



Lagoona Bar Two free lunches!

Damien Hughes
Maebh Healy
Ian Primrose
Helen Kavanagh
Erin Dylan

Gotham Cafe Free lunch pizzas for two!

Jon McBride
Faela Stafford
Sinead Regan
Caroline Delaney
Sarah Nicholson

Against the Grain Free Lunch!

Jason McCabe
Anne Marie Wallace
Aine McGrath
Jackie M
Unnamed Winner

West Coast Coffee Free Coffee for a Month!

Sharon Thunder








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Be Our Guest Gastronomics!

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE LUNCHBOX!

In the fifth of our guest pieces on The Lunchbox, (1, 2, 3, 4, where does the time go!)we talk to the lovely Rachael, one half of brand new Irish recessionista food and shopping blog gastronomics.ie.

Having started their site at the beginning of the year, gastronomics is truly going from rom strength to strength! Updated twice daily, the site bringis tips and hints on how to cook, eat and drink like a true recessionista, and is a fully independent food and shopping blog!
The mother and daughter team's self stated aim , while catering for six people and two respectively, is to use the site to share their efforts to lower the grocery bills, while keeping the tummies satisfied! So let's let Rach take over and tell you a bit about her lunch loves!

Hi there! My name’s Rachael and I’m the (younger, but sssh!) half of Gastronomics.ie. As stated, we are a mother and daughter team, who used to often ring each other with news of a special offer, early bird or great recipe we’d discovered, so now we just post about it instead! 

Thanks for the intro Rachael, we won't say anything about who's the younger! So tell us a little about your own lunch habits? Is being a true recessionista and food lover might difficult?

No actually! I’m lucky enough to have a microwave in my workplace, so every Sunday, I cook a huge pot of a brown-rice based dish such as curry, Rogan Josh or Madras, and fill five lunchboxes for the whole week. (Can you tell I’m a spice fiend?!) I find having a warm, nourishing lunch really satisfies my hunger and the brown-rice sustains my energy levels for longer than a white bread sambo would.  If I’ve managed to bag a Saturday off I love to enjoy a late alfresco lunch at Las Rada Wine & Tapas Bar, Naas enjoying the sun, a selection of tapas and a cheeky glass of Pinot Grigio.

Some nice tips there, we're all for a homemade lunch now and again! So would you say you're up to a Michelin Star standard on the cookery scale yet?!


I’m no Cordon Bleu chef, and there’s many a time it doesn’t go quite to plan, but I do love to cook.  As my day job involves long hours and crazy cross-country trips, I really enjoy relaxing on a Sunday in the kitchen. I find there’s a lot of peace to be had in the methodical preparing, cooking and arranging of food. The latest Sunday dish that went down a treat in our house was Beef & Guinness pie – comfort food at its best.

Ah, you can't beat a bit of comfort food on a Sunday, when you're feeling a bit delicate! What about a Sunday brunch recommendation then, if we're feeling a bit lazy?


Without a doubt the best Sunday brunch offering I’ve come across in a long time is in The Savoy, Limerick – you can have your pick of a huge selection of breakfast options - including the most delicious omelettes - at this five star hotel, relaxing in the plush surroundings with the papers and never-ending coffee, and it’ll cost you the grand total of €9. Insane value – my Mum’s never out of the place!

Wow, that is a great tip! Any of our Munster users, you know where to go on a Sunday morning now! Speaking of insane value, what are your faves on mylunch.ie? I know you're a Kildare resident, and we'll have lots more down there soon!


I love, love, love GBK, although my ever-expanding waistline hates, hates, hates it – the guys in Whitewater Shopping Centre, Newbridge are fantastic, very professional and always super-friendly. Myself and the boyfriend love to curl up on a Friday with a portion each of the ridiculously gorgeous wings with blue cheese sauce and share a burger – they’re HUGE! With the Mylunch.ie voucher we occasionally indulge in the two although he usually gives me a hand finishing mine! ;)
We can normally eat two GBKs on our own! Is that such a bad thing?!


So as a firmly signed up member of the ever growing Irish foodie spectrum, what are your hopes and dreams for the future of the scene?

 I would really love to see the long-ago mooted idea of a cafe culture in Ireland come to fruition. My favourite thing in life is having a cup of peppermint tea or a glass of wine with friends, enjoying some tasty nibbles, and taking in some sunshine if it’s going - not throwing back over-priced shots in a heaving club, queuing for gross food at 3am and watching people throw up out of a taxi the whole way home!  However, there are very few wine bars in Ireland and the lovely local cafes we do have are being forced out of the market by unfeasibly high rents and rates.  I realise we don’t have the weather our European friends enjoy, so pop-up restaurants and cafes during the summer may be a valid solution, if city landlords and councils want to make even temporary use of the many unfortunately empty lots.

Wow, now that's a suggestion. Are you listening Enda? We here at mylunch completely agree with the attempt to improve our cafe culture.


However, Rach, you can let us in on a little secret...If you do find yourself in a heaving sweaty club throwing back shots (as even the best of us sometimes do!), well, what's the cure for the morning after?

Oh God, there is no stopping me with a hangover, I will eat whatever comes into my poor sore head – it’s almost always some sort of pasta-based dish, the creamier and more calorific the better. I usually toss some smoked ham, chipotle chillies, shallots and garlic into the pan, deglaze with white wine, add crème fraîche and brown pasta, top with cheese and pop in the oven. Cheesy carby bliss requiring minimum effort from my utterly
useless hungover self!

That's a lot more effort than our usual of a Brekkie Roll, and a lot tastier sounding too! Maybe we should be taking notes!
So finally, (and a question that Rachael came up with hereself!) we'd like to know,what would you like to do if you could own a restaurant yourself? How would you run it?


Well firstly, I’d probably be engaged in a permanent row with the local rates authority! But secondly, I’d take a leaf out of the New York foodies’ book and offer some healthy dishes on my menu. It’s not overly expensive to allow customers to choose brown pasta, noodles or rice instead of white, preparing low-fat options for dressings and sauces, or even just to offer them a steamed fish dish alongside the usual butter-laden version. This would definitely tempt more female parties through the door, and God knows we lunching ladies like to make up the calories in our wine, a habit which helps boost the coffers for restaurants. The Milano’s chain of restaurants is the first I’ve seen go this direction, with their low-cal pizzas and habit of serving dressings on the side – myself and my fellow yo-yo dieting girlfriends would love to see more like it!

Nice advice for budding restaurateurs out there!

If you want to check out more of what the lovely Rachael has to say, do pop over to gastronomics.ie right now, and have a look at their myriad of delicious recipes, restaurant reviews, meal ideas, and advice on staying recession friendly, while still enjoying your food! You can also join them on Facebook too!





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The Best Mother's Day Options in Dublin!

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE LUNCHBOX

PANIC STATIONS! It's nearing Mother's Day, and you've no idea what to get that special woman in your life, or even what your options are!
Well, never fear, we've always got your ass covered when it comes to daytime eating out, and we've picked out some of the best options for this weekend. All you've got to do is purchase some expensive chocolates, a bouquet of flowers and book it!

Remember, she was the one who fed and clothed you, burped you when you had wind,toilet trained you and other unspeakable acts of love, so make it a good one!

First of all, you could of course win a free meal for four to treat the whole family at Camden Kitchen, in our comp! Just click!


Other great options include:
Roast Restaurant Ballsbridge
Probably the pick of the lot, is Roast in Ballsbridge! New on site,(see what we thought about them here!) Roast offers excellent value, and quality food, and to celebrate Mother’s Day in style on Sunday 3^rd April, will be providing some special Mother’s Day deals in a warm and welcome family atmosphere! Diners can enjoy 3 courses for €25 or 2 courses for €20 with a special free dessert for all mums on the day! To book, ring 01 6144727, and quote "Mothers Day"! Simples!
Wagamama
What better a way to treat your Mam, than with a Yaki Soba, and a family meal at Wagamama? None we say, and even better when you're getting your mother's meal for free! Do check them out on Facebook too, where you can also get a free dessert offer by heading to their "Offers" tab! Now that's what we call a value Mother's Day offering! Don't forget where you heard it first!
Brasserie Sixty6
Always one to celebrate the special occasion, the team at Brasserie Sixty6 are offering a special 3 course set menu for the day, a special free cocktail to mother dearest, and will also have their epic €10 roast going all day too (with free mimosa and coffee refills!). See here for the Facebook event with all the details! Book on  01 4005878

Captain Americas
The Captain has come up trumps again, and Mums can eat for free in any of the four branches around the country this Sunday (one Cork, three Dublin)! See here for all the info, plus booking numbers!

Seapoint
Monkstown's finest will be serving their great value set lunch menu all day, up until 8.30pm Sunday night, if you reckon your Mum would enjoy some fresh from the sea fare! 2 courses for €22, or three delicious courses for €27! Book now on 01 6638480

Pinocchio Ranelagh
The finest Italian restaurant this side of Sicily, Pinocchio in Ranelagh will transport you and your Mum to Bella Italia for the day, with a special menu designed to give your Mum the "thank you" she deserves! All day long, you can avail of a special  €24.90 Mother's day 3 course menu, with the best of Italian cuisine. Bookings on 01 497011

Koh
The Asian fusion Millenium Walkway spot is offering all Mum's a free cocktail with their meal! Sinking a delicious mojito while feasting on Pad Thai, now that's the way to treat a lady! Bookings on 01 8146777

So there you have it! As we get more info, we will be updating this post, so stay tuned as there are sure to be some more late arrivals! Please state that you are booking through mylunch.ie when you call, and treat that Mam of yours to the day fit for a queen that she deserves!



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The Bulletin

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE LUNCHBOX

It's been a little bit since we updated you on all the goings on here at our secret mylunch underground lair, so we thought, a lazy Tuesday afternoon, what better chance to let you know where we are at in our world domination  *ahem* mission to improve your lunchtime!


Brand New Exclusive Offers!

So, deep breath, here we go.....
2 for 1 on all Rachel Allen Signature Sandwiches in O Briens Sandwich Bars Cork (3 outlets)

Myo IFSC have a brand new 2 for 1 on site, on all their delicious pies. (or see what they're all about here!)
2 for 1 on all mains at Le Cafe Des Irlandais Georges Street

Buy one, get one half price on all burgers at Gourmet Burger Bistro Cork
Buy one main, get one half price at Roast Ballsbridge (or see what we thought here!)
Buy one roast of the day, get another for half price at Barrys of Douglas

Bloom Brasserie now offer 2 for 1 on all food before 1pm (Mon-Thurs).
Buy one main, get one half price at Pinocchio Italian Restaurant Ranelagh Luas stop.

La Cuveé the fabalously relaxed Franch eatery in IFSC, will give you 25% off your lunch bill with our offer!
2 for 1 on all sig. sambos at The Streat IFSC (after 2pm)


As you can see, we've tons of new mylunch exclusive offers on site in the last week or two! To redeem, well you know the drill, just print it, or show on your phone! Easy! We've also made a big move to Cork in the last few weeks, and there's lots more on the way too! (And do get in touch if you've got a suggestion!)

Remember Remember!
It's also been a while since we told you what we're about, and we'd like to fill any new users in too, so do remember:

• You won't find these deals anywhere else on the web!
• Our deals are ongoing every day (unlike other sites!) unless stated, and all you need to do is log on daily to see whats on today!
  
• You can sign up for all the latest info here, or join us on Facebook for even more news!
• We've got loads and loads of other exclusive deals, like 2 for 1s (all here) in the likes of GBK, Sweeneys, Pacinos, West Coast Coffee, Royal Marine, Beacon Hotel, The Dubliner Pub  Buy One, Get One Half Price in Brasserie Sixty6, Buenos Aires Grill, and many many more exclusive offers! Browse here!
• We provide more than just lunch deals, we're your lunch intelligence! Impress your friends, satisfy your lover, save money and more with our lunch tips! (Note, one of those may not be true!)
• We update our site daily, so always up to date info and menus.
• We've got newbies coming on every day, and if you recommend someone, you could be in line for free lunch!

Oh, and by the way,  listen out for us on Kildare FM tomorrow morning, as we perfect our radio voice, and did you see us mentioned in The Examiner yesterday? I tells ya, the media is having a field day!



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Make Your Own at MYO IFSC!

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE LUNCHBOX

Ever wasted an entire lunch break standing in line to buy a soggy sandwich made with too much butter, not enough fillings, with ingredients you don’t like, and then paying a bomb for it? Well, we're avid lunch eaters too, and we certainly have!
In fact, one of the main reasons the site came into being was we were fed up with the choice and value on offer in our area, and wanted to put some time and effort into researching what really good lunch options were available out there! Hey, we all eat it every day, why not make it better?!


Well, MYO IFSC (that's Make Your Own by the way!) had the same thoughts, and they too decided to do something about it! From an initial Australian concept (obviously those Aussies had the same problems as us!), MYO has grown into revolutionary sandwich and salad bar gives its customers the
power to create their own lunch, exactly the way they like it! Simple eh? Simple but effective! Oh, and by the way, they've crackin coffee too!

The M.Y.O. concept is incredibly simple but  ingenious. On entering the store (as I say, one of the perks of the job is we're a lunch eater too!) we grabbed a tray, chose from loads of freshly baked bread and began assembling our sandwich from the 75 fresh gourmet sandwich fillings, including deli-style meats and cheeses, as we worked our way around.
It's soooo easy, soooo simple, and takes away the effort of having to explain that you want no freakin mayo to some scowling deli maiden!

MYO promises no queues, value for money, an easy to use system and most importantly, choice!
For how many of us out there is the good old chicken fillet roll the default option? Grey lettuce, some watered down mayo, a slab of butter big enough
to give an elephant a heart attack, lukewarm chicken and perhaps a little bit
of water dripping tomato. Come on now, raise your hand.

Well, a slap on the wrists for you sir/madam, we've far more than that in Dublin's dining scene, for far better value, and MYO IFSC is the epitome of
that!
Healthy food, high quality filling, detailed nutritional info if you want it, and
most of all, fast efficient service (as long as you're a fast and efficient
person!). It's all too easy!

Give it a go if you're IFSC lunch centered and haven't nipped in yet. We give it the official mylunch.ie seal of approval!

Plus, you can also get 2 for 1 on any of their delicious pies with our exclusive offer!






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Watercooler Moments

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE LUNCHBOX

Here's our weekly round up of all the interesting headlines that will be talked about at lunchtime this week!


Earth Hour
On Saturday evening at around 8.30 p.m., the world celebrated Earth Hour, an hour of darkness organised by the WWF (no not the men in tights!) take a stand against climate change. As always, the event was a huge success, with towns and cities the world over going dark for at least an hour. See here for some amazing pictures of monuments and landmarks the world over (including the Sydney Opera House, and the Roman Colosseum) going dark. In Dublin, the stroke of 8.30pm saw Áras an Uachtaráin, the Four Courts, Leinster House and Government Buildings go lights out, but the Convention Centre, Dublin Eye and Trinity College remained lit up.

Jedward
The terrible twins took on Vincent Browne on Friday night, with hilarious consequences! The lads joined Uncle Vincent on his Friday Late show, and tried to test his knowledge of pop music and the latest additions to the Oxford English Dictionary, LOL, OMG, and WAG! Reports in a Saturday newspaper indicated that the cause of John's hoarseness on the night was a voice problem, and fears (if you can call them that!) that the lads won't be able to sing in the Eurovision were raised.
See here for the full interview!


I demand 75 trillion dollars!
Ever downloaded music from Limewire? Ahem, no neither have we, but the breaking news over the weekend is that the music industry want the sharing service to pay 75 trillion (yes TRILLION!) to them after losing a copyright infringement claim! To put that into context, the GDP of the entire world is around $60 trillion! The presiding judge has called the amount absurd, but the chances of the payment being over a billion at least look very high. Now delete that Destiny's Child album quick!!

Boys in green battle to beat Macedonia
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...Oh sorry, that game on Saturday night must have put us to sleep for an extended period! Trap's lads battled to a hard fought 2-1 victory over the mighty Macedonia (dodgy keeper and all!) on Saturday night at the Aviva. No Earth Hour was respected here, though I'm sure many of the 30,000 odd in attendance wished it had been!
Goals from Keane and McGeady, a late sub appearence for James McCarthy, and the row on the RTE panel afterwards were the highlights of a dour contest. By the way, is it possible that our esteemed manager could actually be getting worse at speaking English?!
In what was a quiet weekend otherwise for sport, England beat Wales 2-0 in the Millenium Stadium, while Brazil beat Scotland by the same scoreline in a game that was played in London for some reason. The big story of that game is the racism allegation emerging today.

Obama locked out!

The world's most influential man found himself locked out of his own home at the weekend, after workers didn't realise he would be returning home early after a conference! See below for the video!

Draw on the internet!
We love these types of things! A new Firefox extension will let you draw all over your favourite website, by simply installing it into your toolbar and dragging and dropping it onto the page! A simple MS Paint format will mean you can be drawing all over rte.ie in no time! Just don't draw anything rude on our homepage, you hear us! (We're already on that!)

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