Originally Posted on The Lunchbox

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Rustic Roast Lunch in Ballsbridge
(Date:10 March 2011)

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One of the many perks of being part of mylunch.ie (as well as being part of the secret group that controls the world and appoints American presid..*ahem*) is that we get to try out the restaurants we feature on site quite frequently!
Now we're no Paolo Tullio, but we're the oracle on lunch, and generally we've found that we like what you like! A burrito here, a gourmet sandwich there, a few free coffees etc. It's all good in the mylunch hood!
So, when we got the offer extended to us to try out Roast in Ballsbridge during a recent exhibition in the RDS we were delira to oblige!
It was a usual Irish Spring day, blustery, showery, 10 degrees and sporadically sunny, and we were starving from a day traipising around the convention centre! A tasty filling lunch was the order of the day...
So, we decided to nip into Roast and take them up on their kind offer!

Open since late last year, Roast is the new restaurant over the well known Crowe's pub. Freshly re-decorated, Roast, like so many others, proclaims to be fresh, seasonal food done well. The difference between  it and many of the others is, it delivers!
We're strong campaigners here at mylunch for the holy grail of good value + decent food, and Roast certainly performs on that front too,
Myself and my mylunch colleague were starving, and began with two seafood chowers (€6.50), which would probably be enough to fill you up on a normal day! Stuffed with chunks of seafood, it was delicious, and as a bonus it kept my colleague's mouth shut long enough for me to enyoy it. (He had been quarreling with an over zealous salesperson all morning!) A non wine drinker, I opted for a Coke, as did my partner, but we also had a look at the wine list, which comes recommended on the Roast site,  and indeed from what we could make out, it was well formed.

For mains, being the old traditionalist that I am, I opted for the Beef Pie, (and it was needed to soak up what was to come downstairs later on, lets just say the phrase "pints of Guinness" and  "like they were going out of fashion" were involved), which was full of mouth watering meat, lots of veg. and accompanied by a creamy mash, while Steve, the European that he is, went for the Pumpkin Risotto, with shaved parmesan and sage.

This was slightly less filling, though still tasty, but I could see him eyeing up my main with envy!
Overall, a great halftime to the day, and we didn't want to leave to go back across the road. Roast is a simple concept, akin to the cracking pub food (grub is the wrong term) you might get across the water in London,which is what we Irish are looking for in this day and age.
It does what it does very very well from our experience. We would like to have seen a bit more options on the lunch menu, but the variety is good, and we will certainly be back for a crack at dinner, and a braised lamb shank that has my name on it. (pictured)
At least we've something to look forward to the next time we're pretending to work in the RDS, plus it gave Steve the necessary chutzpah to go for round two with the salesperson in the afternoon, but that's another story...


Click here for lunch menu

Click here for the exclusive Roast voucher on mylunch.ie

See the "About" section of the Roast page for full dinner menu






Related Tags: Roast, Roast Ballsbridge, Roast Ballsbridge lunch, Roast Ballsbridge dinner, Roast Ballsbridge offer, Roast restaurant, lunch, lunch in Dublin, lunch Dublin, lunch menus, restaurant deals, restaurant offers, lunch options Dublin, lunch deals, lunch offers, lunch deals Dublin, lunch offers Dublin, cheap lunch, lunch value Dublin, lunch value Cork, lunch Cork, lunch in Cork, lunch deals Cork, lunch offers Cork, coeliac lunch, coeliac lunch options,

Originally posted on The Lunchbox

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A Catchup with Burritos and Blues
(Date:10 March 2011)

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Burritos and Blues on the top of Wexford Street is now open 6 months (how time flies eh!) and is an arch commander in the Mexican Revolución which our Capital City seems to be in the throws of!

An obvious favourite of your lunch lovers, we though we'd asked Mr. David Stone, Chief Junior Vice President of Burrito Production at Burritos and Blues (aka Owner!) to have a chat, and grilled him (heh, see what we did there, GRILLED!) on how things were going, why Dubliners seem to love Mexican, his own cookery skills, and his strange love of criticism! Oh, and by the way, did you know that Burrito is translated as "Little Donkey" in Mexican? Now you do!




We asked David to give his thoughts on how things are going at the coalface of the New Mexican Wave (my God, we're on fire today!)

So, 6 months in and what do I think? I reckon Dublin LOVES Burritos (and Quesadilla, Nachos etc!)
I started planning the return of Burritos & Blues back in 2008/09. I used to joke about it and I was always laughed at! As some people already know, Burritos & Blues was operating in Ranelagh up to 2007. I was not part of it, but was lucky enough to have met the guys who were at the coal face, Fahima and the other chefs.
We opened on Wexford Street in August 2010, and I knew that we needed something different! Something Mexican, but more than just burritos!  Fresh, hot, wholesome food, at a good price with top quality meats and in house made recipes. I also wanted people to see what they were getting! I also wanted the place to look casual but friendly. I realise it may look like a crèche with all the colours but I think it compliments our efforts of trying to be a young, fresh and vibrant brand.
And so it began......
We opened on the 4^th and ran out of food 2 hours in! We did not expect the crowds that came. Thankfully it opened our eyes and we haven’t ran out of food since then!

The queues running down Wexford Street to get in the door at lunch time, must mean you've come close a few times! Do you do much of the cooking yourself David?

I am not at the counters much. I love food and how it’s made, however my knife skills are not that great although I am learning! I do the day to day things like ensure the staff are happy, ensure the suppliers are giving us what we order and generally talking up the place. I am lucky that we have a great bunch of staff here. Fahima is the head chef, and I am sure you will know her if you have ever had lunch here.
The effort and passion Fahima and the guys put into the food is phenomenal! There is not a morning that I come in and Fahima isn’t complaining that something isn’t 100% right, and we have to fix it ASAP. We want our food to be known for being “Simple, Honest Food, 100% Fresh”.


What is your own favourite option on the menu?

My own fav is the Chicken Burrito with #1 salsa, as I am not a spice man myself! A little secret is to ask for some grilled veg in it as well! It’s delish! The Guac is also awesome!
We don’t just limit ourselves to Burritos. We have an extensive menu with options to suit everyone. From Nachos, to Quesadillas, and our Sexy Salsa Fries to Burrito Bowls, we try to cater for everyone. We also have several options for the Veggie’s out there.

From being a regular in store, it seems that Burritos and Blues' enthusiasm knows no bounds David! Would I be right in saying that all of this really excites you?

I love the way business works. I love the problems, the highs, the lows (the robbery, the extraction system breaking down on a Friday night etc). The model we have is quite unique in Dublin. Only ourselves and Boojum (the enemy! Only Joking!) are doing Burritos using a “Subway-esque” method and I think it works. “100% Customised, 100% Fresh”

Some of our more mature users may have fond memories of the old Burritos and Blues in Ranelagh, was it difficult to get the business going again?

Reviving Burritos & Blues was a big challenge! I am a baby faced 28 year old, and whenever I explained what I was doing, the older business people around would often sneer and immediately try to deflate me with some sort of negative statement like “The Recession” etc. In fact I think the recession has had a positive impact on us starting up! I think that people now are more savvy and do not expect to be paying top dollar for sub standard product and more importantly “scabby portions”.  Our prices range from €2.50 for our cheesy cubes to 8 euro for our Big Ass Nachos. Burritos range from €5.95 for the Silver Bullet to €7 for a huge Steak Burrito.
I do believe and hope that we serve a great product, at a very good price with a substantial amount of top quality food in it, with a smile.

You guys also open late to tickle the tastebuds of the, eh, late night lunchers, shall we say!

We are open till 4 am on Friday & Saturday nights and this takes its toll on everyone, however we are slowly carving out a niche night time market on a very vibrant and loud Wexford Street!

With burritos being a relatively new thing to the generally rich tapestry of food in Dublin, you must get a lot of people asking questions about what to have?

Yes, and I love people asking questions about the food! I love people saying positive things about the place and I REALLY love the critics! People and business cannot be at their best at all times.
Criticism and feedback is key in trying to be the best at what we do! I love feedback, as long as it’s constructive! There is no place for vicious criticism in Dublin. It’s too small and vicious feedback can actually close places down! I think that review sites, and other forums like that should allow the customer actively express their views, be it positive or negative, BUT allow the business owners have an opinion and react to the feedback.
At Burritos & Blues we try to be as interactive with our customers as possible. Be it in the ordering process, where you are in constant contact with the server, or through our online and social media presence. We have a very active Twitter account (due to me being addicted to the bloody thing!), @burritosblues and a Facebook page that we are working on. Our website www.burritos.ie is quite well used, and allows customers recommend any funky Blues Music that they want to hear on the speakers in Wexford Street.
We also spread a viral video in March. You can see it on YouTube under TNT Salsa. It is just another way we try to communicate with our customers and prospective customers!
All in all it has been a great 6-7 months. The food has been flying out the door and I pray that it continues!

Sounds good! What are the plans for the future then? A full scale Burrito Revolution?

Well, in May we will hopefully start to introduce our Salsas and marinade rub into the public domain. These will be available through the Wexford Street unit and hopefully in a few stores around Dublin.
We plan on opening a smaller location on Stephen Street in April and are talking to a few guys about another possible location near Grafton Street. I don’t want to rush things however. We have to be brilliant at what we do in Wexford Street first. Viva La BURRITO!!

Viva the "Little Donkey" indeed! Some very interesting thoughts there, from a very interesting eatery! Do drop in and give David a smile, (or some feedback) if you're around Wexford St!

You can view Burritos + Blues mylunch page here
Click here for the Burritos and Blues Menu
View their exclusive mylunch offer here
Or interact with David directly via their Twitter account (Yes, he really is addicted!)




Related Tags: Burritos and Blues, Burritos and Blues Menu, Burritos Blues, Burritos Dublin, Burritos and Blues Wexford Street, Burritos and Blues Camden Street, Mexican Food Dublin, Burritos and Blues offers, Burritos and Blues lunch, lunch, lunch in Dublin, lunch Dublin, lunch menus, restaurant deals, restaurant offers, lunch options Dublin, lunch deals, lunch offers, lunch deals Dublin, lunch offers Dublin, cheap lunch, lunch value Dublin, lunch value Cork, lunch Cork, lunch in Cork, lunch deals Cork, lunch offers Cork, coeliac lunch, coeliac lunch options,

Originally Posted on The Lunchbox

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Be Our Guest Johnny Cool
(Date:03 March 2011)

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Ah the Irish! Since the olden times, when we went around only eating spuds, wearing sheep skins and generally being converted to Christianity, we've been a nosy bunch! Theres even a rumour that hedge schools were only invented so a next door neighbour could look over the hedge!
But hey, that's no bad thing, and as you can see from our sites popularity, word of mouth is fantastic when it comes to spreading news!
Anyway, we decided that since there were loads of cool people talking on the internet about things which you lunchies would love, so why not bring them to you, ask them a bit about their lunch habits, and what they do! This will be a regular spot on The Lunchbox, and we're consistently looking for peeps to come and talk to us (we're the nosiest of them all!), so do get in touch if you want to!
For the first of these pieces, we've brought in the coolest of the cool, the man with all the insider knowledge, and the best moustache this side of Tom Selleck, Johnny Cool! If you haven't heard, Johnny is a man with his finger on the pulse, and his main objective in life is to find + recommend cool things (music, books, games, websites, presents deals etc) before anyone else. Let's let him take over, and we firstly asked him to tell us a bit about what he does...
"Well, I’m fairly new to blogging, currently concentrating on recommending cool new products, places, café’s, restaurants, websites through my Facebook and Twitter page. I'm planning to launch the blog soon, so do follow me on facebook and twitter to stay updated!"

I'm a food fan, and depending on what I'm up to, lunch can be from cooking for one at home to meeting some friends for a catchup, and a debate over what new to recommend. This changes daily.

When out I mainly go to Food Room or Bay in Clontarf and the odd trip to Espresso off Baggot St if i’m in the area. With my line of work, I also like to try somewhere new every week.  If you’ve missed breakfast and need a something filling I’d recommend going to Bay and asking for a porridge, it’s the best porridge in town and it’ll get you through the afternoon, do ask nicely though!"
Johnny says he's also a mean cook, so any ladies out there, pay attention! "I love cooking, I feel I’ve taken Jamie Oliver’s 30 mins meals to the next level, 15 mins meals! You’d be amazed what can be done in 15 minutes." Having tried Jamie's meals out, we're a bit skeptical, but our momma's always told us to never doubt a man with a moustache!
He's also a fan of tech sites on the web, and of course being the first to break cool new things takes a lot of research. Johnny mentions that he spends a good bit of time checking mylunch.ie to get good value for lunch, and interestingly, he’d like to see us "grow our listings and offers even bigger, especially outside the main city centre, as there are a lot  of restaurants out there with great lunch specials". Good timing Johnny, cos we're looking to do that as we speak, and we've hit him up for some recommendations, so stay tuned for those newbies on site soon!
However, it's not always coffee in town and meals out with friends for our JC, oh no! We asked him what his food vice/hangover cure was, and though he generally only drinks crystal clear mountain spring water which Nepalese goats have bathed in, he said he occasionaly likes to "devour a Marks and Sparks pepperoni pizza with a cadburys dairymilk and a cornetto", hopefully not all in the one go!
So there you have it, even the coolest of us have our off days, but hey, we forgive you Johnny!
All you lunch lovers out there, we've got you sorted for the latest lunch news, why not join Johnny, and let him sort you out for his recommendations on the rest of the coolest things around!
As we say, we'll have regular contributors to The Lunchbox in the next while,  foodies, value hunters, general carachters, some of our on site venues, and the occasional user or two, so if there's anyone you'd like to see talk to us, of if you yourself have an interesting lunch story to tell, do get in touch!


Related Tags:
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Originally posted on The Lunchbox

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Pancake Tuesday
(Date:07 March 2011)

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What with it being Shrove Tuesday tomorrow, we thought we'd give fill you in on the best pancake related news we've heard today!

 

What is Shrove Tuesday?
Pancake Day (also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent. It is traditional on this day to eat pancakes, as Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. Shrove Tuesday was traditionally the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. We eat Pancakes on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.

Free Pancakes you say?
To help get your Shrove Tuesday off to a good start, Aviva Stadium chefs will be setting up a pancake station outside the stadium on tomorrow, Tuesday, 8th March.  People passing by will be treated to some delicious pancakes, cooked fresh on site and served with a choice of fillings, including chocolate, syrup, and lemon zest. The chefs will be there from 7.30-9.30am. All the Info here! Spread the word, e'ryone loves free pancakes!
Forgive us if we say NYOM NYOM NYOM!
 
How to?
If you're a bit of a novice in the kitchen, but don't want the day to pass you by, for an easy quick guide to delicious pancakes from Board Bia, do see here!
Want to try something different?
Well, what about glow in the dark pancakes?

Related Tags:
Free Pancakes, Pancakes, Pancake Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, lunch, lunch in Dublin, lunch Dublin, lunch menus, restaurant deals, restaurant offers, lunch options Dublin, lunch deals, lunch offers, lunch deals Dublin, lunch offers Dublin, cheap lunch, lunch value Dublin, lunch value Cork, lunch Cork, lunch in Cork, lunch deals Cork, lunch offers Cork, coeliac lunch, coeliac lunch options,

Meateasy
(Date:25 January 2011)

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For years, the streets of London have been home to street food traders. From Afro Carribbean chicken, to Indian spice, the old city has always had a certain flavour about her, and that has not been lost.

Dreamt up by 35 year old half Greek half Londoner Yiannis Papoutsis, "The Meatwagon" was a legendary burger van, which popped up in various locations in South East London, and is said to have warranted fabled hour long queues, impromptu street parties, and much much foodie love for it's delicious burgers. Yiannis makes regular visits to the states to bring back daring and delicious recipes.

However, all was not well in Burger Heaven. Back in early December, the legendary Meat Wagon, which had been chased far and wide by burger loving folks across the UK for so long, was stolen.

Having heard about the commotion, and the ensuing Twitter bid to find the truck, Capital Pub Group decided to give Yiannis a space above a pub on New Cross Road in the SE London area, and thus, #MEATEASY was born!

An eating experience like no other, #MEATEASY is so called "guerilla dining". It's located "out the back" of the pub, and ordering is kept at bay by providing each guest with a numbered peg that allows them, once their number is called to order 4 items from the menu – which is written in chalk on the wall! Queues are said to be 2 hours long on big nights, and Yianni and his 10-strong team work "insane 22-hour shifts" with everything cooked everything from scratch.

Menu choices for the three-month project start at £6 and include the famous juicy cheeseburger, the slightly spicier chilli cheeseburger, hot dogs and buffalo wings as well as the Dead Hippy, "basically a take on a Big Mac inspired by the Californian Double-Double (double meat/double cheese) from In-N-Out and with a slight homage to the big Mac too" and all are revered!

Cash only is taken, and no bookings are allowed, except for one table, which is reserved for #MEATEASY volunteers!

For more, see this review in The London Evening Standard the Meateasy website, the supposed street eating authority of Britain's website, this Timeout review or alternatiely simply search Twitter which is ablaze with news on the project.

So the big question is, would this work in Ireland, and who has the cojones to take it on?!

Related Tags: lunch, lunch in Dublin, lunch in Cork, lunch value, lunch deals, lunch offers,lunch specials, lunch deals Dublin, lunch deals Cork, mylunch.ie, #MEATEASY, guerilla dining,

Watercooler Moments
(Date:24 January 2011)

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After a brief hiatus last week, your favourite smalltalk blog post of the week is back! You need not fear for small talk this week, as we've got the stories of the weekend wrapped up into a neat little package!

This week we've got blatant sexism, a destroyed country, and Trinners on the piste!

Sexy Rugby and Sexist Analysts!

The final weekend of rygby's Heineken Cup was played out over the weekend, and with most group winners already decided, it was simply a matter of who would play who in the quarter finals. With things going to plan for all three Irish provinces (including Munster who still had a Challenge Cup spot to play for), all three won with a four try bonus point, and got favourable draws for their respective quarter finals.

Ulster will now play Northampton away, Leinster will be at home in the Aviva to Leicester, and Munster will travel to France to play Brive in their Amlin Challenge Cup Quarter Final. The draw for the semis was also made, and again the draw was a good un' for the Irish provinces, who will all be at home.

Meanwhile, there was controversy in a different code over the weekend, when Sky Sports analysts Andy Gray and Richard Keys had a bit of an off air moment, while still very much on air! The two decided to slate female lineswomen, and females in general, while also making light of sexist issues in football. The full audio can be hear here, but be warned, this may not be safe for work. (unless you have headphones of course!)

A broken country?

I'm sure you're sick of it at this stage, but this weekend was a momentous one for Irish politics!At Saturday lunchtime, you had the resignation of the esteemed leader from his party leader position, but not from the country leader position.

Nominations were made puclic for the Fianna Fail leadership battle, which are set to close this afternoon, and of course amid all of this, the Green Party quietly made their way out of government, (perhaps never to be seen again?)

They probably couldn't afford cigarette papers, what's the big deal?

Finally, with the country going to hell in a handbasket, the Indo over the weekend carried the charming, if possibly fabricated story of Trinity college students causing mayhem on a French ski trip earlier this month.

According to sources from the respective colleges, students "burned and smoked €50 notes" in and outside one of the town's Alpine nightclubs to demonstrate their wealth. and "painted swastikas on to walls of the accommodation ensured the gendarmes were called".

As a former Apprentice contestant  famously said, "Daddy can't buy you cop on in Trinity college", but it seems he can afford his "credit card being used to buy massive rounds of drinks".

In an unlikely  twist to the story this morning, ocal cigarette paper manufacturers denied that their product was overtly expensive...

So there you have it, the three big stories making the news in your office this morning! We would advise that before you raise them, you check if the resident sexist Fianna Fail supporter and Trinity graduate is in today!

Related Tags: lunch, lunch in Dublin, lunch in Cork, lunch value, lunch deals, lunch offers,lunch specials, lunch deals Dublin, lunch deals Cork, mylunch.ie

Monday Deals Overload
(Date:24 January 2011)

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We know you mylunchies are an all consuming lunch bunch, always wanting more deals, more exclusive offers and more value for money, and frankly, that's why we love you!

Well, to get the week off to a great start, we've news of two new deals ongoing on the site at the moment.

First of all, the much loved Burritos and Blues on Wexford St. have a brand spanking newbie:

Get a Free Cheese Fries with any Burrito Bowl purchased, on presentation of a mylunch voucher!

A burrito bowl is a burrito without the shell basically, and it is deeeelicious, but as well as that, you get scrumptious cheese fries for FREE!

*Homer Simpson drooling moment*

This is an exclusive mylunch deal which you won't find anywhere else on the web. Stick with us kid, we'll look after ya!

Also this week, for all those Dublin 8ers out there, Just Off Francis have another great new offer. From 2-3pm every day, you can get two lunch mains for only €10. Now that's not €10 each, that's in total!

Click here for their menu. That's a prefect deal if you want to treat a friend, or even if you're simply famished!

Oh and I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but we've possibly got a deadly new 2 for 1 coming on next week. Think religious and Dublin 1, but keep on the QT....

Related Tags:  Just off Francis, lunch, lunch in Dublin, lunch in Cork, lunch value, lunch deals,lunch offers, lunch specials, lunch deals Dublin, lunch deals Cork, mylunch.ie. Burritos and Blues,

Savvy Lunch Spending

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Savvy Lunch Spending
(Date:21 January 2011)

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mylunch is becoming quite the celeb in recent days, and we've also got a lovely mention from Sale Savvy!
Sale Savvy is a deadly value blog for the savvy spender, and has news on deals from fashion to beauty to entertainment and everything in between, including lunch.


They seem to have taken a shine to our Salon Des Saveurs blog, and why not, it's quite a deal!
To have a look at what they had to say about us, click here.

Oh, and Happy Friday!!

Related Tags: lunch, lunch in Dublin, lunch in Cork, lunch value, lunch deals, lunch offers, lunch specials, lunch deals Dublin, lunch deals Cork, mylunch.ie Sale Savvy

Lolly and Cooks New Salad Bar
(Date:21 January 2011)

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What fantastic timing!
The gang at Lolly + Cooks have gone and made Healthy Eating Month a lot, lot easier for you lunch lovers!
Famed for their delicious cupcakes and gourmet stews, as well as a merry band of cheery staff, the stall, located at the back of George's Street Arcade, is now home to a lovely new gourmet salad bar since yesterday! 

With the whole site (and the whole office!) in healthy eating mode, this is a very welcome turn of events!
The new delicious range is made fresh each day, and can be purchased as salad boxes or as part of new meal deals.

For a medium poriton (16oz) you pay only €4.50, while if you really want to catch up on your greens, go for the large, which is €6 and will really satisfy any salad lover!


Oh, and by the way, don't tell em that we told you, but we've heard on the grapevine that if you become a member of the Lolly + Cooks group on Facebook, and mention that you are a member when ordering, you can and get a medium salad box for only €3 until Special offer for until 22nd Jan!
And of course eating salad for your main course means that you can devour one of their cupcakes for dessert guilt free! (Not that the healthy eating regieme in the mylunch office allows for that ;)


Related Tags: lunch, lunch in Dublin, lunch in Cork, lunch value, lunch deals, lunch offers, lunch specials, lunch deals Dublin, lunch deals Cork, mylunch.ie

and you thought there was no such thing...
(Date:20 January 2011)

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Feck that dinner for two malarky!
We know what you want and we've listened to your feedback, which is why, from this week on, Ireland's best (and only!) lunch offers website is givivng you the chance to win FREE LUNCH (it needs caps lock!) every freakin day!

You can enter every day, and as many times as you want (just not too many, our servers are overworked as it is!) and each evening, the mylunch random number machine will choose one of the days entrants at random to be our winner.

So set your alarm, stick a post-it on your computer screen, get your secretary to remind you daily, or even hire a secretary to remind you daily, but for God's sake, remember to enter that comp!

This weeks competition is sponsored by Urban Picnic, and you have the chance to win a three course (soup, main and one of there patented desserts) for two people. So that's two FREE LUNCHES you can win! (did I mention it deserves caps lock?)

Oh, and if you want to, you can go here to bookmark the competition page.


Related Tags: lunch, lunch in Dublin, lunch in Cork, lunch value, lunch deals, lunch offers, lunch specials, lunch deals Dublin, lunch deals Cork, mylunch.ie

We're now Eddie Hobbs approved
(Date:20 January 2011)

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The maestro of money in Ireland has given us his seal of approval!

Check out this link on Eddie Hobbs' "You and Your Money" site, giving Ireland's best lunch site the seal of approval!





Related Tags: lunch, lunch in Dublin, lunch in Cork, lunch value, lunch deals, lunch offers, lunch specials, lunch deals Dublin, lunch deals Cork, mylunch.ie

Deals Deals Deals
(Date:19 January 2011)

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On Monday, our first ever weekly deals email was sent to you lovely users! We reckon that you by using the site every say, you can save on average €5.13 on your daily lunch spend, and we'd like to prove that! So here's your lunch week sorted!
If you're not yet reg'd, then what you waitin for? Click here, and simply wait for four lunch bulletin to arrive in your inbox...
Here's a shneaky peak at the newsletter as a taster!

 

Deals of the Week on mylunch.ie

 
Hi Subscriber,

It being supposedly the bluest day of the year (Blue Monday), we thought you might need a little bit of cheering up today, so here are our best deals of the week, all exclusive to mylunch.ie...

 

 

Monday 17th Jan
2 for 1 on any main at Bloom Brasserie (order before 12.30)
2 for 1 on any main at The Beacon Hotel
 

Tuesday 18th Jan
Soup and any main for €15 (usually €20) at Bang
2 for 1 on all mains at The Baggot Inn (order before 12.30)
 

Wednesday 19th Jan
Buy one lunch main, get a second for €5 at Brasserie Sixty6
2 for 1 on all mains from the Cafe Carlo lunch menu
 

Thursday 20th Jan
Free Soup with any Sandwich at The Wooden Spoon
2 for 1 on all coffees from West Coast Coffee
 

Friday 21st Jan
2 for 1 on all lunch mains at Camden Court Hotel (order before 12.30)
Host goes free for groups of 4 or more at Bleu Bistro

 
 

And remember, there are loads more lunch deals available on site, with more added almost every day! You can see them all here. 

 

No offers in your area?? 

Then tell a friend about us! The more users we get in an area, the more deals we can get!
Alternatively, if there are loads of deals you like on the site, we'd be delira if you could spread the word about them!
To tell a friend, you can...

• Forward this newsletter to a friend
• Tell all your Facebook friends about us, or
• See here for a "Lunchbox" post with all the details on how to share with our new site!

Oh, and to say thanks for being such a swell person, we've a brand new
Urban Picnic competition, through which you can win a three course lunch for two people, every day this week! That's a FREE LUNCH for two every day!

 

 

 

 

 

Related Tags: lunch, lunch in Dublin, lunch in Cork, lunch value, lunch deals, lunch offers, lunch specials, lunch deals Dublin, lunch deals Cork, mylunch.ie

Feck Blue Monday...

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Feck Blue Monday...
(Date:17 January 2011)

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The third Monday in January is supposedly the most depressing day of the year, but as a great man once said: Don't worry, be happy!
There's lots of good news emanating from the mylunch camp, and it's a beautiful crisp January day, so what's to be blue about?

Firstly, we've changed our competition format. Instead of having one winner per week, we're now going to give away 5 FREE LUNCHES every week on the site! That's a chance for you to win FREE LUNCH every day! (Oh, by the way did we mention FREE LUNCH?!)

Be sure to enter daily on the comp page, and check our Facebook every eve for details of the winner. As the saying goes, It could be you!

This week's comp is kindly sponsored by Urban Picnic, who have given us an amazing daily prize of a three course lunch for two people!

Having been mentioned in the Irish Times before Christmas as one of the best desert  purveyors in the city, we thought we'd let you off the Healthy Eating leash a little bit, but remember, their lunch menu is also choc full of healthy eating choices too! If you haven't sampled yet, do pop in to Vinny and the team and their lovely premises, just inside the George's Street entrance of the George's Street Arcade.

We also launched our weekly deals email this morning, which is kept short and sweet, and gives you a day by day rundown of all best deals!

We've got your full week sorted, so check your inbox now, and if you haven't signed up, well, are you mad?! It may save you over €5.13 per day, and we've done the maths...

Oh and by the way, Watercooler Moments will return next week, our regular nosy newsperson had a busy morning, so forgive us if you got stuck for conversation this lunchtime!
Stand by for another week of fun, frolics and feckin' great lunch deals!

Related Tags: lunch, lunch deals, Watercooler Moments, lunch offers, lunch value, Urban Picnic, FREE LUNCH, , lunch competition, lunch in Cork, lunch in Dublin, lunch deals Dublin, lunch in Cork.

Fair or Fowl?

There was a time when this was acceptable. When people were eating foie gras for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and nothing was thought of it when a diner dropped €1,000 on a bottle of wine.
There was a time when we expected to be paying what's now seen as stratospheric prices for a good meal, and when city centre landlords knew their tenants were raking it in, and shur, weren't all renters almost expecting their rent to go up in these times?

Those times are long gone.


With the closure of the much loved "Mermaid" restaurant on Dame Street, and the almost cult cafe "Gruel", which adjoined it (it's said their roast rolls were a thing of beauty!) came both a public outcry, but also a gushing of anger and almost resigned frustration that one has become accustomed to with modern Ireland.
You see, it has since came to light that these two premises, on the periphery of Dublin city centre's shopping district, much loved small Irish businesses, had been situated in a building whose rent was valued at €190,000 per annum.

As the Irish Times states, "The award-winning Mermaid and its more casual sister restaurant Gruel ceased trading on December 23rd, having managed to secure only a “tiny” reduction in rent from its landlady. The company behind them is now in liquidation, with the loss of 30 jobs. Mr Harrell (a former owner) said “part of the fabric of Temple Bar” was now gone."

This corner of Dublin, the axis of South George's Street and Dame Street, which should be one of the chicest jewels in the urban crown of our fair city, is now home to, by my estimation, at least 10 unmanned stores.

With economic turmoil, adverse weather, water shortages, unseasonably poor trading conditions, margin cuts and threat from large multinational chains, this is by no means an isolated incident. In fact, respected RAI chief Adrian Cummins said last year that one restaurant per day is closing in this country.
Due to high input costs, high excise costs, high wages and of course high rent, are we looking at the generification of our restaurant  industry, which employs 64,000 people (1 in 4 in the tourism industry) and contributes €2 billion to the economy each year?

Granted, some might say that the industry is behind the times, and some within it running out dated Celtic Tiger business models, with old fashioned ideals, but there is no doubt that indies like Gruel and Mermaid deserve to be applauded for their attempts to be forward thinking, and be aided in this battle to keep jobs, tax revenue and above all creativity alive.

One thing's for sure, if restaurants continue to be bombarded with tax and rent hikes, that one closure per day will soon be higher, until, akin to Grafton St. and it's countless mobile phone shops and convenience stores, all that's left is the faceless big guy.

The following poignant line from the Times piece about the closure is sure to stick in the craw of many within the industry, and indeed anyone who has ever enjoyed a meal in either of the two premises in question:

"The combined rent on the two restaurants at 68 and 69 Dame Street was €190,000. When Mr Harrell and Mr Gorman opened the Mermaid, at number 69, in 1996, the rent was £15,000."

Note: Neither Gruel or Mermaid were or have ever been listed on, or involved with mylunch.ie.


Related Tags: lunch, lunch deals, lunch offers, lunch value, Urban Picnic, FREE LUNCH, lunch competition, lunch in Cork, lunch in Dublin, lunch deals Dublin, lunch in Cork.