Continuing its year-long 25th anniversary celebrations, the Guinness Storehouse has announced seven floors of festive magic this November and December with its upcoming "My Goodness! It's Christmas" event.
From food, drink and curated art exhibitions to roving trad bands and performances from local choirs, Dublin - and many of its talents - will be celebrated in style.
Dublin hotspots BIGFAN and Love Tempo will work together to deliver a brand-new nighttime experience to the Gravity Bar, combining 360-degree panoramic views of the city with delicious treats and DJ sets from Sally Cinnamon, Ricky Chong, Claire Beck, Onai, Shrem and more.
Ahead of the event, we spoke with Robert Hayes, co-owner of Michelin Guide restaurant BIGFAN, to find out what food fans can expect.
"It's going to be a buzz," he confirms, explaining that he and executive chef Alex Zhang were tasked with creating a selection of appetisers incorporating the black stuff.
"A challenge is always good," he insists, "that's kind of the basis of our restaurant model. We love creative challenges, so we've created a few new dishes that are kind of party-minded.
"BIGFAN... people think of it as fun. And with Love Tempo having the cocktail party and there being a DJ, I think the association is just about having a fun night."
The exclusive, off-menu dishes will include the Dan-Dan Savoury Doughnut, offering an unexpected umami-infused surprise, as well as the 1759 Duck Cone packed with crispy aromatic duck, topped with fragrant chilli oil.
So, how does one come up with the idea of a savoury noodle doughnut?
"That came about from me thinking of nostalgic Dublin and old snacks," he explains, "and thinking about doughnuts on O'Connell Street. For me, that's an iconic thing of Dublin, and with Guinness being an iconic part of our city, so Guinness and a doughnut - how do we put that together?"
Linking in with his co-founder, chef Zhang, the two brainstormed how to fuse Western treats with their famous Asian dishes and soon came up with the Dan-Dan Doughnut.
A "mad" dish that he promises tastes absolutely delicious.
As for the 1759 Duck Cone? That was inspired by the classic 99, of course.
"The cone is made with a dumpling wrapper that is deep-fried into a cone," he explains. "One of our dishes that we're known for is our duck wings - also, Silver Hill Duck is one of Ireland's biggest exports - so we used that for the cone.
"Then we have a little Guinness breadstick instead of the Flake," he laughs. "Instead of hundreds and thousands, we use our BIGFAN seasoning."
Coming from an art background, Hayes says that coming up with wild recipe ideas is his favourite part of the job.
"The thing with BIGFAN was always about taking Chinese dishes and engineering them in a slightly different way to suit the palate of a more local clientele," he explains. "Very simple changes that will blend easier into a wider audience here.
"This is the fun stuff," he smiles. "This is why we do it."
Known for their neon lighting, buzzy atmosphere, and inventive menu (their Wagyu Cheeseburger Jiaozi is a crowd-favourite), the restaurant has managed to survive Ireland's competitive restaurant scene and a global pandemic.
"It's our fifth birthday, which is really nice for us," he says. "We opened during COVID; we opened and then we were closed the next day. To come from there to having a party in the Guinness Storehouse for Christmas five years down the road is kind of cool.
"It's really nice to still be here and have the support of the city. It means an awful lot to us."
"Christmas Nights at Gravity" takes place across select nights in November (14th, 15th, 21st, 22nd and 29th), with further dates to be announced. Visit Guinness Storehouse for more info.
