Have you been moozed lately? No? Well then you haven’t been to Mooze Shakes and Sweets in Dublin’s south city centre, which is causing a bit of a sherbet fizz with its flamboyant decor of pinks and yellows on the once gritty Aungier Street.

Inside it's all cushions and a salacious selection of sweets and shakes. For sheer chutzpah, proprietors Des and Linda Hayes deserve some annual optimism award for conceiving such a concept in an otherwise bitter recession. Jars of favourite sweets, such as lemon bon bons and bulls' eyes, jostle on the shelves with dolly mixtures and London deluxe toffees, while behind the bar Des and Linda rustle up variations on a huge theme of shakes – from Aero mint chocolate and bourbon cream biscuit to strawberry fruit and on to the "VIP Chocoholic" of Ferrero Rocher, vanilla ice cream, Flake and whipped cream. There's even a sugar-free selection for those of us for whom, alas, sugar is out of bounds. John Moran