For many diners who want to avoid the traditional Christmas staples, the enormous choice of ethnic restaurants all round the country offers a distinctly non-Christmassy alternative.
Not only is there a great choice from European style restaurants, especially French and Italian, but Asian restaurants, including Indian, Japanese, Malaysian and Pakistani, are all extremely popular.
In terms of European restaurants, the big move continues towards Italy, with a bevy of Italian restaurants in many urban centres. In Dublin, leading Italian places include Dunne & Crescenzi, a wine bar and deli in South Frederick Street and Il Primo in Montague Street. Dunne & Crescenzi has lots of Italian anti-pasti and canapes, as well as 100 Italian wines from which to choose. The Il Primo restaurant is doing a very comprehensive Christmas menu; the pleasures include lasagne filled with venison and guinea fowl stuffed with Chorizo sausage. The Bellissimo in Wicklow Street is another renowned Italian restaurant. France is represented by such well-renowned establishments as the Freres Jacques in Dame Street, Dublin and La Belle Epoque on the Dublin Road in Belfast. The latter has some very extensive Christmas lunch and dinner menus; main course delights include sea bass with lentils and sirloin steak with onions.
Belgian cuisine is served up at the Belgo, just off Dame Street in Dublin, with plenty of fare that's hearty to say the least. Spain is represented by such restaurants as Senor Sassis, in Upper Leeson Street.
In terms of Greek-Cypriot style cuisine, mention must be made of the renowned Tree of Idleness at Bray, Co Wicklow, where main course dinner delights include roast suckling pig and roast loin of venison, as well as vegetarian moussaka. Including traditional Irish cuisine among the European listings means Gallagher's Boxty House in Temple Bar, with such delights as colcannon and boxty on the menu. However, it won't be doing very much by way of Christmas specials, but it will do turkey and ham.
From Europe to the US: lots of middle-of-the-road American-style eating places are represented by the likes of McDonalds and further up the scale, by the ThunderRoad cafe, again in Temple Bar, which is doing a very reasonably priced lunch menu from Mondays to Fridays.
However, it's with the Asian restaurants that there's a really enormous choice. Chinese restaurants are extremely plentiful, but as the China Sichuan restaurant in Stillorgan says, Christmas isn't really a Chinese feast, so they won't be deviating very much from their normal menus.
A really popular chain of Chinese restaurants is Wong's, with several branches in the Dublin area, in Castleknock, Clontarf, Monkstown and Ranelagh. Wong's will be open for Christmas lunch from December 1st onwards.
The Imperial in Wicklow Street is where many of the city's Chinese population go to eat - recommendation indeed. Indian restaurants have become extremely popular all over the country. Four of the leading ones in Dublin are Saagar's in Harcourt Street; the Shalimar in South Great George's Street; Chandni's in Ballsbridge and the Indian Brasserie in Rathfarnham. The Shalimar has lots of choice, including regional specialities, vegetarian main courses, a tasting menu and its Balti House Special.
The Indian Brasserie in Rathfarnham has a popular running buffet, with a menu that changes by the day.
Japanese cooking has also become much more popular - it's quite different to Chinese - and the original Ayumi Ya in Black rock can claim much of the credit.
Newer Japanese eating houses include Aya @ BT. Its many main course delights include Tempura Selection - Asian vegetables with Black Tiger prawns and Aya Duck. Sushi (fish)-online is another house speciality. One of the great favourites in this genre is the legendary Shiro Japanese Dinner House at Ahakista in west Cork.
Malaysian cuisine is gaining in popularity, too, including Langkawi in Upper Baggot Street, Dublin. All kinds of Malaysian curry dishes are on the menu here, curries that are aromatic, hot and tangy all at the same time.
One of the newer culinary themes to develop in Ireland is Pakistani, characterised by really hot, well spiced meat dishes (beef and lamb), seafood too, and sweet desserts.
A LEADING contender in the Pakistani restaurant stakes is the Khyber Tandoori in South William Street, Dublin. It will have a special Christmas menu for lunch, while for dinner, it's sticking to its usual evening menus. One of its attractions is the great sense of calm in the restaurant, helped by the authentic background music.
A taste of Thai has gone down well, in Dublin, Cork and other centres. In Dublin, Thai restaurants include the Thai Orchid in Westmoreland Street; the Chili Club, just off South Anne Street and in Malahide and Monks town, the Siam. At the Chili Club, specialities on the Christmas dinner menu include Gaeng Matsaman Neur, beef curry cooked in the southern Thailand style. The Siam promises lots of Thai curries and also many Thai dishes that aren't hot. One of its culinary pledges is that its cooks don't use monosodium glutamate, starch or flour.
So between all these very varied national cuisines, European and Asian, the choice for pre-Christmas eating is bountiful indeed. For anyone who is already shying away from the thought of turkey and ham, this is the alternative cuisine, with a limitless choice stretching to the Christmas horizon.
