The raw tasting menu at Rustic Stone. Photo from: www.facebook.com/RusticStone.ie

So it’s January, officially the worst month of the year, where everyone is broke and overweight and doing little but talking about how broke and overweight they are.  Eating out is fairly far down the priority list for me; I can’t afford it and am a bit sick of rich food after the Christmas foodstravaganza.

But I am a bit tempted by this special offer from Rustic Stone – a lunchtime raw tasting menu for only €10.  It’s pretty clever of them: as January drags on, people will get sick of misery and want a few treats again, and the price and health-conscious nature of this offer will make it easy to justify.

There’s a few other offers knocking around – Brasserie 66 are doing a fillet steak dinner for €16.95.  I love steak with chips and bearnaise sauce, but some of us (could be anyone, really) had a bit too much steak over Christmas and should probably concentrate on more lentil-based meals for now.

The Donnybrook Fair Restaurant has a flyer inviting customers to ‘beat the January blues with our Neighbourhood Menu, 2 courses for €20′, but it doesn’t say if this is a January-only offer.  The menu uses in-season food, and simple but appealing.

You can also try out a new menu at Fade St Social – it’s called their Early Evening Menu and is €25 per head, with a starter plus a shared starter, a main and a dessert. Like the previous two offers, it’s very comforting and should bring some pleasure to a cold, bleak January evening.

Have you seen any other interesting January offers from restaurants?   What would it take to tempt you out at this time of year?  Should restaurants be offering us healthy options or is comfort food the only way to go?

(Thanks to everyone who retweeted and sent in tips for January offers on Twitter).