Indulge in some creature comforts – of the edible kind …
Guest Chef Series, Mamó, Howth
Mamó is kicking off 2026 by handing the stoves to Australian chef Kyle Vaughan, fresh from Michelin-starred TIMBERYARD in Edinburgh, for a two-week guest residency that promises to gently shake up the house style. For the first time, Mamó’s annual guest slot will run as a full à la carte menu rather than a tasting format, meaning more reason for a return visit. Expect globe-trotting plates like haggis tsukune, hot-and-numbing beef tartare, brown crab with macadamia and finger lime, beef short rib with sauce Reform, and market fish with langoustine and lemon myrtle, finishing with playful desserts including hojicha and roast soybean tiramisu.
The details: The Kyle Vaughan guest menu runs for lunch and dinner until January 26.
Supper Club, Howth Castle Cookery School
Howth Castle Cookery School is launching a new Supper Club and, happily, it leans Italian in all the right ways: sociable, seasonal and designed for people who like their dinners with a side of conversation. Set in the Garden Room, the evening centres on shared tables, a spritz on arrival, and a leisurely, multi-course menu that nods to long lunches and late nights somewhere between Venice and Verona. The food runs from cicchetti-style snacks to handmade bigoli with radicchio pesto and walnuts, seared octopus with polenta and gorgonzola cream, and slow-cooked rabbit in tomato, capers, and vegetables, finishing with a tiramisù semifreddo. Italian wines are thoughtfully matched to each course, and numbers are kept tight to preserve the easy, communal feel.
The details: Monthly at 6.30pm; €70 per person, optional wine pairing €40.
The Winter Edit, Anantara, The Marker, Dublin
The Rooftop Bar & Terrace at Anantara The Marker has given winter a perfect seat with a cheese-led tasting experience designed for a second glass of wine that pleasantly turns into a third. The rooftop shifts into an intimate tasting room where guests choose three to five small plates then let the kitchen and bar teams do the pairing heavy lifting. Expect Irish cheeses in all their gooey, smoky, sharp glory – Cashel Blue with red onion purée and flamed sourdough, warm Cáis na Tíre tarts with apple and walnut, oxtail and Hegarty’s Cheddar croquettes with black garlic aioli, alongside thoughtful matches from Tokaji and tawny port to aged Irish whiskey and smart cocktails.
The details: Thursdays from 5-11pm; Fridays and Saturdays from 3-11pm for €40-€60 plates respectively.
FX Buckley, The Bull and Castle X The Buena Vista Café, Dublin
Irish coffee has always had a decent passport. Born in Foynes in the 1940s, adopted by San Francisco in the 1950s and now coming back to Dublin. This February, Tullamore DEW is flying in The Buena Vista Café’s head bartender Darcy Parsons to recreate the original serve with the FX Buckley team at The Bull and Castle. Parsons has spent more than 25 years in hospitality and the past seven at the helm of Buena Vista, where his team pours upwards of 1,500 Irish coffees a day – proof, if any were needed, that this drink is less novelty, more institution. Expect the real deal served alongside a three-course menu inspired by the collaboration, plus an after-dinner cocktail upstairs in Dausie’s Bar.
The details: February 5; €85 including set menu, Irish coffee and after-dinner cocktail (wine extra).