Douglas Tea Rooms

Douglas Tea Rooms

Pushing the envelope. It is one thing to push one envelope. But to push two is quite monumental. And it felt just like that as I worked my way through massive crêpes, filled with sweet banana and even further sweetened with caramel sauce. All this at the end of an excellent three course French style meal at the lovely Douglas Tea Rooms, part of their contribution to the Cork French Food and Wine Festival.

I was in the suburb to check out the festival goings on in and around the On the Pig’s Back. Five o’clock had been listed as the start time but not much was happening even by five thirty. Did manage to source a Loire wine from O’Donovan’s, bought some sardines from a French lady and had a chat with Timmy McCarthy (of Jack McCarthy’s in Kanturk) and also with Denis Cronin of Crosshaven.

So the Irish were there in some force but the French (who may of course have adopted our notorious time-keeping) weren’t. So we decided on a visit to the Tea Rooms and then a return to the Marché. But the retour never happened. Blame it on the crepes!

Serious credit though to the Douglas Tea Rooms forgetting into the spirit of the festival and added affordabilité to the liberté, egalité and fraternité. Their excellent three course meal cost under twenty two euro.

Coq au Vin

 Three starters were offered. CL enjoyed an onion packed French Onion Soup. I had to be a little more physical, cracking my way through some large tasty prawns with a delicious garlic and herb sauce.

Three mains also and I picked the delicious Sole Veronique, two fillets of exquisite freshness and delicacy and white as ivory. CL this time had the more robust dish, her Coq au Vin featured almost half a juicy succulent chicken enlivened by some spicy chorizo. Hardly classical but pretty damn good. Juts googled Coq au Vin and got some 432,000 references, so there’s bound to be some differences in the recipes!

Just a nod to EU solidarity with the wine, a new one to the Team Rooms. And a good one. Recently lauded in the Independent, the unoaked organic Spanish Chardonnay by Senorio de Ayud was fresh and vibrant.

Sole Veronique

Should have known the crêpes were going to be special when our friendly continental waitress rubbed her stomach enthusiastically and smiled broadly when we gave her the order.

Later, we rose, in slo-mo, and barely made it to the car. No thought then of the goodies over in the Woollen Mills. Je suis desole, Isabelle. C’est triste mais c’est le jeu. L’an prochaine,peut-etre?

Keep in touch with the Douglas Tea Rooms, who support local producers (including Jack McCarthy), here. By the way, that menu is on today!

Meanwhile, back at the market.....