Féile Bia!!

Chicken wings in Ranelagh, sausage rolls in Kenmare, industrial chic in the IFSC, the whereabouts of Stefan Matz, gluten-free sausages, Feile Bia throughout the land, and the very first offer of our Megabytes Club wine case: blimey, it's an all-singing, all-dancing Megabytes for September!
This month we look at what makes Real Irish Food Irish; the skill of sourcing local foods to cook and put on your menu.
We begin the first of The Megabytes Club, a special reader's offer of a quintessentially quaffable case of wine at a thunderously low price. We have markets, restaurants, and look at one of the hot new cookbooks of the oncoming autumn publishing season.

All this, and more. And we'll be right back after this!

The language of sponsorship keeps on changing. It used to be rather formal ­ "And now, a word from our sponsor!" ­ and rather obsequious ­ "We are grateful for all the assistance received from our generous sponsor without which we would be unable to bring you this production!" But, these days, it's a bit more casual ­ "We'll be right back after this" ­ or it can be deliberately subtle, as with most sponsorship of artistic productions, or in your face, as per most sporting sponsorships which want to leave you in no doubt whatsoever about just who is paying for Posh 'n' Beck's childcare.

We have been able to publish the Bridgestone guides for a decade thanks to sponsorship from Bridgestone tyres, and now, to enable the good ship Megabytes to sail on, and following many requests to accept sponsorship, we have decided to allow occasional sponsorship of each month¹s Megabytes. This month's missive from the world of Irish food, then, is brought to you with the sponsorship of James Nicholson Wines, of Crossgar, County Down.

New Market in Temple Bar

A brand-new market has opened up in Temple Bar. Read on

Megabytes Club ­ Reader's Offer

Wonderful wines at wonderful prices, wonderful foods from wonderful producers: that is what we want to do with the new Megabytes Club ­ where you can buy direct from Ireland's leading food and wine specialists. This first case of wine from www.jnwine.com is nothing more than wonderful wines at wonderful prices. Check it out

The Clarion

The Clarion Hotel has arisen smack in the middle of Dublin's financial quarter and, walking inside, its computer-grey colour scheme and its steely office-style fittings set the tone for a space where ­ they hope ­ you head to after you trade and deal in the IFSC. Read on

Winner's Enclosure

You might expect, after more than 2 decades in the business, that Jim Nicholson's zeal for discovering the new in the vinous world might be abating somewhat. Not a bit of it.

Wine of the Month

"Wine selected by Paddy Keogh" it proclaims proudly on the rear label of the 2000 Bergerie de L'Hortus Classique. And well it might.

Recipe of the Month

Bananas in Caramel Rum Syrup from Gordon Ramsey's new book 'Just Desserts'

Restaurant of the Month

Tribeca, Dublin

Jam On It

Something happens to people when they go to Kenmare, and what usually happens is that they decide that this lovely town is just the place in which to put down their roots. Read on

Féile Bia

How does one define Modern Irish Food? We would suggest: a creative modern cook, working in a restaurant in Ireland, and exploiting the flavours of Irish produced ingredients. Starting from Sept 25th, Féile Bia will see a week long festival amongst participating restaurants and hotels, who will present special menus which focus on Irish and local foods. Read on

Menu of the Month - Corncrake

One of the finest examples of a restaurant that explores and exploits local food is Carndonagh's legendary The Corncrake. Read on

Noticeboard

A meeting of the Coeliac Society in Cork were recently treated to a tasting of the splendid Caherbeg Free-Range pork sausages ­ Gluten Free. Find out more.

Refer A Friend

If you enjoy Megabytes, make sure to sign up a friend by simply filling out this form.

Letters Page

Dear John and Sally...