I’m done with not complaining in restaurants. When the cream in a friend’s recent Irish coffee was horribly sour, she was reluctant to send it back - it was just so embarrassing. So I did it for her.
I thought I’d figured out the trick: don’t take the problem personally. They didn’t pour in rancid cream [...]

The parenting site Mummy Pages currently has a hair-raising example of being overcharged for a kid’s meal.  Kid’s meals are often very poor both in terms of choice and value, but this one is really something. In short, a child-size bowl of pasta with butter was billed at an incredible €15.90.  Read the full story [...]

I knew watching TV was a bad idea. Dettol have just released the No-Touch hand wash system, a new, utterly pointless product to add to your eerily clean and soulless home. Specially designed to play on the  fear and ignorance of unsuspecting, never-ending consumers, the No-Touch system promises that you don’t even need to touch [...]

How much should it cost for a few swigs of fruit juice?
Last week at Dundrum, I craved something healthy to see me through the tedious torture of a day’s shopping in this oddly alluring hellhole. I got a perfectly fine smoothie, full of kiwis and various healthy fruits. But as I queued, I was nearly [...]

I was going to a gig in Whelan’s at the weekend and I popped into Bó Bó’s on Wexford street for a quick bite.  As I sat down, a dull alarm bell went off in my head but I couldn’t figure out why.
Browsing over the huge menu, I came across the fish burger and once [...]

After my recent unplanned trip across Europe due to the ash cloud where I had to stick to a strict food budget, it got me thinking about the best and worst culinary holidays I have been on in terms of value for money.  Obviously it’s only an overview but some places stood out more than [...]

Spot the swizz… Thanks to our reader Nicolac for sending this one in.

I got a pasting last year for slagging off Ray’s pizza, but I was kind of asking for it. My gripe was that the pizza, although delicious, was overpriced. Our reader Nanazolie agreed:
A pizza is cheap to produce. I make some at home for less than 3 euros. The dough is essentially flour, water, [...]

An caller to Liveline  recently complained of being charged €2.90 for dash of Mi-Wadi and some tap water. It reminded me of two seperate experiences on a break in Wicklow last week .
This post should perhaps have a question mark with the Bad Value category. At the Brooklodge, I had a glass of Pinot Noir. [...]

Yesterday’s Liveline was buzzing with angry callers complaining about an offer from petrol station Applegreen.
Since last year, customers who spend €10 in Applegreen get a stamp on their loyalty card. Once they accumulate 50 stamps, they can get a three night stay for two people for €19.99 in a choice of hotels around Ireland. I [...]