Glass Curtain Kitchen Team in Sparkling Form At The Weekend
"Cooked with grá". And a little flame!
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| Red mullet, cuttlefish, broth. |
"Both the name and the large photo on the back wall pay homage to this building’s former life as the iconic Thompson’s Bakery; now a compact brasserie. Monochrome décor, exposed pipework and a charming team set the scene. Modern dishes have a personal touch and are cooked with grá (Gaelic for ‘love’)."
That is the verdict delivered by the Michelin Guide when they awarded Cork's Glass Curtain with a Michelin Bib.
It is indeed, as you'd expect, an accurate description of the busy venue where Chef Brian Murray has been setting a very high standard since he opened here in MacCurtain Street in the autumn of 2020. Brian's travels around the world have given him a finely tuned international experience yet in this lively spot, it is the flavour of local ingredients that star on the menus, both A La Carte and Tasting.
Beef is one hundred per cent Irish and local producers supported include the likes of Cais na Tire and Hegarty's cheese, Skeaghanmore Duck, and Ballymakenny potatoes.
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| Snacks |
No shortage of drink choices. There's a tempting Cocktail List that includes three non-alcoholic options. Quite a wine offering here. You can taste your way through different styles, countries and grape varieties through white, red and the increasingly popular orange (check out that Ageno from the lovely Elena Pantaleoni of Italy's La Stoppa).
Local producers like the Cotton Ball and 9 White Deer Breweries get a chance to shine in the drinks section as does the Stonewell Cidery from Novohal. As you'd expect, there are many Irish spirits available or why not enjoy the very special ice wine from Killarhora Orchards in Glounthaune, one of my favourite ways to finish a meal.
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| Lamb |
The tasting menu costs €75.00 per person and a wine option will add another €45 to that. With an early 5.00pm* start, we decided against the wine option and instead picked the Dirk Niepoort, Vinho Verde, Portugal 2021 Alvarinho. This aromatic and well-balanced Alvarinho (Albarino in Spain) by the famous port company worked out well for us even if it had to be parked when the lamb came around!
* That 5.00pm start was all that was available when we booked two weeks in advance. It is a busy place so make your reservations early!
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| Dessert |
Tasting Menu
Crudo, Cashew, Blood Orange, Puffed Barley, Shiso, with Prawn heads.
“Jambon”, Dill pickle, Lardo
Aged rump of beef tartare, pear and endive
A bit unusual to see Prawn Heads in one of the three snacks but we were assured they were edible and got stuck in and enjoyed the "careful" crunch. Actually, that particular snack was very flavoursome in any case. We enjoyed it and the other two as well.
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Glazed beets, House ricotta hazelnut brown butter
Focaccia, Roast Onion Butter
On to this pair then, served together. An unexpected highlight here was the Roast Onion Butter and the Focaccia. In fairness, the other "starter" was also excellent.
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Grilled Red Mullet, Cuttlefish, Turbot roe taramasalata, fish broth,
The fish course starred the Red Mullet and the broth. Not overly keen on the cuttlefish (who belong to a class that includes squid and octopus) and hadn't expected too much from it in any case. But that Mullet was something else and such a pity we don't see it on that many menus in Ireland.
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Rack of Lamb, crushed artichoke, pistachio, glazed lamb belly and celeriac.
This was the piece de resistance. Lamb came two ways, the fat and flavoursome rack was a delight to dispatch while the belly (it came in a separate dish with celeriac) was also quite a treat.
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Time then to cleanse the palate and the Rhubarb Sorbet, Almond, and Rose Jelly did it well. The dessert of Orange Polenta Cake, Ricotta ice cream, sheep yoghurt, rhubarb wasn't at all bad but I had been expecting a bit more from it. Still time for another sweet bit as the petit fours arrived to send two happy customers off into the night.
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| Lamb, two ways. |
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