The ever-deadly Irish Times Value for Money feature by Conor Pope featured Nespresso machines this week.  I recently had the use of one, and think they’re an interesting topic for a discussion on ‘value’, as the whole concept strikes me as one of the most wasteful things I’ve ever seen, ever. The three biggest issues [...]

Pity the miserable denizens of that bleak stretch of Dublin I call Middle Baggot Street, a place dominated by the hulking Bank of Ireland headquarters and a series of grey office buildings. Other Baggoty workers looking for lunch or coffee, either on the upper (before the canal) and lower (after Pembroke Street) sides, can head to [...]

A new gourmet coffee shop has opened on Tara Street in Dublin’s city centre, and they are offering €1 coffees for people who work in the area until November 6th. Nick’s Coffee Company is at 7 Tara Street, and I can vouch that the coffee is delicious.

Cafe Phillippe have just opened on Aungier Street in Dublin city, and to mark the occasion, they’re giving away free hot drinks all day. Thanks to Snackbox for the tip.

I very rarely cross the doors of the coffee chains: Insomnia, Starbuck’s, Cafe Java, Cafe Sol, and the rest. I’m rarely inclined to buy coffee, I prefer to support the independent outlets, and I think the food in most of these places, especially the sandwiches, are always profoundly disappointing. Last Saturday afternoon, howcver, I found [...]

Try this cunning little chestnut cake recipe. It’s moreish and gorgeous, and perfect to have on standby for nibbles now, or great Christmas eats. You can easily freeze it and throw it in the freezer for use at a later date. But you’ll want to eat it now; try it on its own, after dinner [...]

Subway are currently doing any coffee – cappuccino, latte, americano etc – for one euro. And it’s not bad quality. I have noticed quite a few cheap coffee deals in the city of late, particularly on Aungier St. However, most of the cheapest options are muck. I got a latte from Subway and I was [...]

The Bald Barista boasts bean brewing that’s better than most other beverage makers in Baile Átha Cliath. Café Darwin’s doesn’t doubt the delectableness of its own draft either. Both are situated within minutes of eachother on Aungier St. Come to think of it, there’s a lot of barber shops on that stretch too. Why so [...]

People living or working in Dublin city centre who are tired of paying outrageous prices for coffee should check out this offer: €1 for takeaway coffee from Cafe Divino on Bachelor’s Walk. I picked up one of their lattes the other morning on the way to work, and they’re perfectly good – there’s no difference [...]

Wow! Look at all this food. Why don’t we have anything like this in Dublin? Corkonians need no introduction to The English Market, but the rest of us might. Last Saturday, I was amazed and enchanted by an extraordinary feast for all five senses. This huge indoor market has been around since 1788 and is [...]