Yo!

Yo!: 1. Stephen Murphy and Jess O'Sullivan; 2. Ken Gilbride and Laura Conway; 3. Katie and Judy Gilroy. (Pix. LF / Photocall)

That mecca for fresh fish Yo! Sushi is expanding its menu and now offering burgers.  Yes, the

Yo! Burger has arrived and tasty it is too.  Along with the burger, which of course is not as one would expect, there is a new 86 dish menu to whet the appetite at the Clarendon Street restaurant.

Yo! executive chef Jamie Liddell flew in from Scotland to oversee the kitchen and ensure every burger was perfection and guests enjoyed choosing their favourite sushi dishes from the Yo! conveyor belt. Among those spotted were Laura Conway of X Factor fame who is just back in from LA, 2FM DJ Ruth Scott and Ken Sweeney.

VIP Style

VIPs: 1. Kathryn Thomas and Rosanna Davison; 2. Darren Kennedy and Alison Canavan; 3. Peter O'Rourke and Elaine Prendeville. (Pix. BME)

The host and nominees for this year’s Peter Mark VIP Style Awards were revealed at an exclusive

launch at The Style Club, South William Street, Dublin 2.  The Awards, now in their twelfth year, are the only national celebration of Irish style, and have grown in prominence each year.

This year, more than 100,000 votes are expected to be registered as the Irish public will decide who to recognise in the four main categories. The categories include Most Stylish Woman, Most Stylish Man, Newcomer and Look of the Year Award. Also to be awarded this year is the Peter Mark VIP Style Icon Award 2013, chosen by a panel of industry experts.

All award winners will be announced during a spectacular ceremony on Friday April 26th at the new Marker Hotel, a luxury design hotel located at Dublin’s Grand Canal Dock and opening its doors on April 2nd. The Peter Mark VIP Style Awards is the first major event at this iconic new address and will be hosted this year by Brendan Courtney.

Voting is now open at www.vipstyleawards.ie 

The Dining Room

Fine Dine: 1. Martina and Robbie Fox; 2. Derry Clarke and Andrew Rudd; 3. Eimear Kenny and Kevin Thornton. (Pix. BME)

TheDiningRoom.ie is Ireland's newest and best destination for foodies, showcasing and celebrating our great restaurants and restaurateurs.  With restaurant spotlights, top celebrity picks and plenty of weekly opinion and advice on food and wine from a range of regular and guest contributors, TheDiningRoom.ie will also offer exclusive tasting menus and offers.

The recently launched website, from the people behind Pisback.com, promises to give visitors all the information they need, whether they are looking to dine out in some of the country’s best restaurants or dine in with exclusive recipes and video tutorials from top chefs, such as Derry Clarke, who hosted the launch event at his L'ecrivain restaurant.

Guests at the lunch included Andrea Roche and Roz Purcell, Rosanna Davison, Kevin Thornton, Andrew Rudd, Eva Orsmond, Robbie and Martina Fox, as well as food critics Ernie Whalley and Tom Doorley.

www.TheDiningRoom.ie

Zaconey

Hoopla: 1. Eoin Murphy and Sinead Gilbert; 2. Clare Wrafter and Hugh Scully; 3. Kate McCarthy and Sean Munsanje. (Pix. SL/Photocall)

Zaconey, a spirit with a bourbon twist and natural flavours, was officially launched in Dublin as a carnival descended on Everleigh Garden, Harcourt St., bringing with it all the twists and turns of the night-time fair.

A real life ‘Barker’ served up the thrills and nostalgic memories of the legendary carnival of 1950’s Coney Island featuring all the anticipation and delight of that bygone era. The brilliantly retro Boudoir Boys replayed the sights and sounds of the 1950’s with their magical production as guests enjoyed Zaconey & Cola over ice.

The Zaconey carnival is now a travelling night time funfair visiting 15 bars across Dublin city over the next eight weeks. Let 1950’s Americana fill the senses as the Barker with his vintage megaphone whips up a show of games, glamour, performance at selected venues  Enjoy ‘All The Fun of The Fair’, play the games, win the prizes and taste the retro spirit.

Over 120,000 barrels make their way from the bourbon distilleries of America to Irish Distillers every year arriving with a pool of golden bourbon resting inside. This is the origin of Zaconey.  Inspired by the optimism and inventiveness of a magical moment in history, it’s an old time spirit of fun with a smooth natural berry flavour and a bourbon twist.

For more details of venues log onto: www.zaconey.com and www.facebook.com/zaconey

Love & the Goddess

Litterati: 1. Mary Lee and Jane Lundon; 2. Mary Coen; 3. Rebecca Coen and Bobby Mahon. 
(Pix. Richie Stokes)

Fashion Editor Constance Harris launched Love & the Goddess, Mary Elizabeth Coen’s debut novel in Lost Society this week. Both the glitterati and the litterati of Dublin’s society turned up to support Mary, with many friends and family too.

PJ Gibbons of Social & Personal attended along with Rebecca Morgan and upcoming model Emma Carey. Sunday Independent columnist Barry Egan was with Tom Blake.  Fashion designers Pauric Sweeney, Mary Grant and Claire Garvey attended along with top stylists Cathy O’Connor and Maria Fusco. JJ Gibbons of The Irish Times arrived looking dapper as usual.

Goddess cocktails were served; hibiscus flowers in champagne and Bellini cocktails along with delicious hors d’oeuvres and cupcakes topped with edible versions of the book.  Mary read two passages from the new novel to a gathering who embraced it as “the Irish Eat, Pray, Love”.