Special Reports
A special report is content that is edited and produced by the special reports unit within The Irish Times Content Studio. It is supported by advertisers who may contribute to the report but do not have editorial control.

Out to lunch: Get your caffeine Fixx delivered to your desk

Sandra O’Connell welcomes the return of an old favourite and checks out some new options for exec snacking and getaways

Anne Abberton, managing director of Fixx Coffee – the company's flexible subscriptions are suitable for either office or home
Anne Abberton, managing director of Fixx Coffee – the company's flexible subscriptions are suitable for either office or home
Wed Oct 09 2024 - 05:34

If your day doesn’t start without coffee you’re not going to want to run out, are you? Well relax, Fixx Coffee has you sorted. The ethically sourced coffee wholesaler supplies trade customers such as Ballymaloe House and Cookery School, The Bald Barista Café and Cavistons in Dublin and Gregans Castle in Co Clare, to name just a few.

But it also offers a coffee subscription service, delivering straight to your door, anywhere in Ireland. Choose beans or ground, light or dark roasts, organic and unique one-off, single-origin coffees suited to all kinds of brewing methods. And if you can’t choose, pick a variety pack. Prices for from €20 for 500 grammes, plus postage. The business was founded 20 years ago by managing director Anne Abberton, the first and possibly still the only female coffee wholesaler in Ireland.

Kristan Burness is leading the kitchen team at the much-loved Unicorn restaurant in Dublin
Kristan Burness is leading the kitchen team at the much-loved Unicorn restaurant in Dublin

Mythical creatures

Merrion Row’s storied Unicorn restaurant is back with a bang from the brink of demolition. Applications for the redevelopment of the restaurant, which closed in 2021, were reduced to mere kitchen waste by planning authorities, but this autumn Dubliners can at last return to long Unicorn lunches and its much-loved terrace.

With chef Kristan Burness cooking up a storm in the kitchen, expect a classic Italian menu featuring new dishes such as wild mushroom and truffle risotto, as well as long-standing Unicorn favourites including grilled veal cutlets, salsa verde and Parmesan mash.

READ MORE

Even better, the In Vino Veritas piano bar next door is reopening too, with tapas, wines and cocktails for those even longer lunches that run well into night.

Chefs on shelves

When doing the grocery shop this autumn, look out for some well-known chefs on shelves. As part of its Kickstart supplier development programme, Lidl is featuring some great restaurant-quality condiments for which it’s well worth making a detour.

[ Chimac takeaway review: Korean chicken in the suburbs is every bit as good as the original outpost ]

These include salad dressings and smoked onion salsa from the Builín Blasta cafe, bakery and wine bar in Spiddal, and chilli catsup from Clonmel-based former food truck and award-winning restaurant innovator Rívesci. And don’t miss the Chimac sauces created by chef Garret FitzGerald of the super-tasty Korean restaurant of the same name on Dublin’s Aungier Street. Yum.

The Redcastle Hotel on the shores of Lough Foyle has a great value autumn break offer
The Redcastle Hotel on the shores of Lough Foyle has a great value autumn break offer

Autumn breaks

If you’re looking for a short break this autumn, marry the gold and orange leaves with the Redcastle Hotel on the shores of Lough Foyle in Co Donegal. If you plan to do the Wild Atlantic Way in stages, it’s the first hotel you’ll come to when travelling from north to south and it’s close to lots of great walking trails including the Inishowen Loop Head, Moville Shore Path, and Malin Head.

Stay for two nights in October and enjoy a third night free, including breakfast, from €270 per couple in October.