Excellent Evening Meals at Café Gusto. Small Place. Big Heart.

Excellent Evening Meals at Café Gusto

Small Place. Big Heart.

 Last Friday evening, I was down town about the six o'clock mark and in the mood for a lightish bite, didn't need a full dinner. Where would I go? Lots of choice I suppose but I was coming down Washington Street and realised that Café Gusto is open late on Friday and Saturday evening. Just the job, I thought. And so it proved.

We were one of the first in for the evening but the friendly place was full as we left. It is a small enough space but they produce some terrific food here. Credit too to co-owner Marianne, not just for the consistently high standards, but for her interaction with visitors. On Friday, for example, she was helping a trio of French tourists with tips about Heritage Day.

We shared a small bowl of marinated Sicilian Olives as we waited for our main dishes. We could also have enjoyed their Cicchetti (Italian style tapas), Almonds (Roasted, salt and paprika) or a Tortilla Espanol.

They also have an “international” line-up of Mezze plates to share (or not!) And lots of regular hot dishes. If you haven't been before, do try the Italian Meatballs. With the autumn coming in, you'll also be tempted by a couple of warming stews.

And there are always a few specials on offer and we did chose ours from the board. There was an excellent choice last Friday including Hanger Steak with chorizo, Prawns a la Plancha, Harissa Chicken Skewers, Tuna Steak and Pomegranate.

My pick was the Lamb Cutlet with hummus and Gorgonzola. This ten euro dish (most of the dishes are less than that) also came with salad and a crispy flatbread. A tasty combination of flavours and textures and very enjoyable indeed.

And the other dish, Aubergine and Manchego Bruschetta (7.50), also drew the plaudits.  And we washed it all down with a piccolo (9.50) of a rich Merlot/Corvina by Gran Passione from the Veneto region of Italy.

So that was us all fed and happy. No dessert but I might have had changed my mind about that had I spotted the Portuguese custard tart earlier rather than seeing it on the website while writing this.

Café Gusto

phone +353 21 4254 446

twitter@cafegusto facebook /cafegusto

email

info@cafegusto.com

⏲

Mon, Tues, Wed & Thurs. 7:45am—5:00pm Fri & Sat. 7.45am—10:00pm Closed on Sunday

📖

Please note we do not take table reservations – our customers are seated on a first-come, first-served basis

Top restaurant posts 2013

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Aubergine & Roast Pepper Parcels at Chapel Steps

For the second year running, Bandon's Chapel Steps tops the restaurant charts. This year's post didn't score quite as high as the 2012 review but still, thanks to the many fans of this lovely restaurant, came out ahead. Good performances too from newcomers like Brendan Cashman's Gallo & Galettii in Wilton, Finn's Table in Kinsale, and the Greenroom at Sage in Midleton. Electric is tops in city centre, Cafe Gusto is leading cafe while the Sultan is best ethnic.

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Kinsale's Black Pig Wine Bar is the place to go for a glass of wine (and a meal), the newcomer quickly establishing itself at the head of affairs. This was the Year of the WineGeese and great to see the visit of Cullen Wines to Cafe Paradiso featuring as does the series' opening night at L'Atitude 51. The rise of craft beer is underlined by the popularity of the post on the Cotton Ball, Cork's newest micro-brewery; this post, just up a week or two, is gathering in the hits even as I write.

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Taylor's Port and Cashel Blue at BT Friday

Taylor's Port and Cashel Blue at BT Friday

 Friday 15th November, 6pm

Cashel, before the blue.

Ballymaloe's Colm McCan has been in touch about Friday's tempting "match-up" in the Food Emporium (Brown Thomas) between Taylor's Port and Cashel Blue Cheese.

"Established over three centuries ago in 1692, Taylor’s is one of the oldest of the founding Port houses and will be represented by Chris Forbes. We will also be joined by Sarah Furno from Cashel Blue Cheese and Crozier Blue Cheese, in Co. Tipperary, so an evening to look forward to, with Taylor's Port and Cashel Blue.

Here too, we have a selection of wines from our award winning wine list and wine cellar here at Ballymaloe. Open seven days a week, we have a great selection of wines and gift ideas, and we will also be holding wine tastings and welcoming visiting winemakers."

Some well priced good wines

Thought I might share the details on some decent well priced wines that I've come across recently.

In Cafe Gusto last weekend, I was reminded of the merits of Beso de Vino range imported by Wine Alliance and widely available. They are the house wines in Gusto. The white is a Macabeo and the red is a blend of Syrah and Garnacha, and both come from the Carinena region of Spain. Just checked on Bradley's Off Licence website where they are available for €10.99 a bottle.

Earlier, I had picked up an award winning white in Karwig Wines (Carrigaline). The Claude Val Vendages 2012, an IGP by Paul Mas from the Aude Valley in the Languedoc, is a blend of no less than six grapes: Grenache Blanc, Chenin, Mauzac, Chasan, Vermentino and Sauvignon Blanc. Didn't quite know what to expect when I parted with my €11.25 but it is a beauty: fruity, fresh and well balanced and a smooth, almost oily, mouthfeel. Quite a good wine at a decent price.

Hayfield Festive Wine Event

"Join us on December 5th for our Festive Wine Society evening, delight in an evening of superior wines and exceptional cuisine. Our guest speaker is Richard McMahon from Erne Wines and he will be presenting Spanish wines which they supply exclusively from the Baron de Ley winery. 

Begin your evening with a sparkling wine reception,this shall be followed by a 5 course menu, exclusively designed by Executive Head Chef Graeme Campbell, to complement the 5 wines showcased."

Tickets are €79 per person. To Book: Please call us on +353214845941 or email events@hayfieldmanor.ie

Grazie Cafe Gusto

Grazie Cafe Gusto

Found out on Friday that I have been missing out on a good thing at Cafe Gusto. Called there for their evening menu - it runs Thurs to Sat - and enjoyed a terrific meal for just thirty euro for two. And that included two glasses of wine! We got a warm greeting and service was really friendly and on the ball throughout.

They have a great selection of Cicchetti (the Italian version of tapas) for just one euro each. They had a selection of six  on the counter in Washington Street (this menu is not available at the cafe on Lapps Quay). We took all six and shared, all gorgeous bites, everything from Toons Bridge Mozzarella to anchovies to the local favourite Spiced Beef.

It was a cold evening so we were inclined for something hot and that meant their inviting Mezze platters were out. You can have charcuterie, also a cheese board, maybe a mix, or perhaps a vegetarian selection.

The selection available in this small comfortable welcoming cafe is quite large, and boosted by five or six specials. In the event, we choose the Meatballs in tomato sauce with country bread and Lamb Kofta in Pitta with Tzatziki, chilli sauce and salad, each costing a modest €7.50.

And they were both really good. The meat in each case was top notch, really tender. I was very happy with my spicy Kofta but quite a bit of traffic went on between the two of us and I can tell you that the meat ball dish was also a winner, so that speaks volumes for the rest of the menu that you may check out here.

And the wine is good and reasonably priced at €4.50 a glass. The house white is a Macabeo and the red is a blend of Syrah and Garnacha, both by Beso de Vino from the Carinena region of Spain.

Cafe Gusto info:

http://cafegusto.com/

✉ info@cafegusto.com   Tel: +353 21 4254 446

3 Washington Street, Cork.

Mon, Tues & Wed. 7:45am—5:00pm Thurs, Fri & Sat. 7.45am—10:00pm Closed on Sunday.

Cicchetti, Mezze & Small plates served from 5pm Thurs – Sat. Coffee, bruschetta, stews, soups & sandwiches served all day.

Spanish, Italian, French & Portuguese wines. B.Y.O available (Wine licence only. €5 corkage fee per bottle. €10 minimum spend per person)

Visa and Mastercard accepted

CAFE GUSTO at Lapps Quay

CAFE GUSTO

(Lapps Quay)

Enjoyed the coffee, the blueberry muffin, the small boats bobbin', the ladies knitting, the talent kids strutting and the views at sunny Lapps Quay on the weekend.

Was on the Heritage Day trail around town and decided to take a break and it is hard to find a better place than this waterfront cafe. Not just for the coffee and service, always top class, but also for the ambiance of the area.

Something going on here, almost always. On Saturday, the ladies were knitting for a cancer charity and the kids were limbering up while queuing for a national TV talent show. The sun was out and the riverside views were pleasant.

Picture looking down on Cafe Gusto (top left) from top of Clarion Hotel.

CAFE GUSTO - MORE THAN A CAFE

CAFE GUSTO

Cafe Gusto is more than just a cafe, more than just two cafes as it is found in both Washington Street and Lapps Quay.

What makes it different is its attitude, easily seen in its tweets and Facebook pages. “We are the glass half full type of people.” I like that in these recessionary times.

The post Celtic Tiger era has led to a whole load of gloom but you won't see that at Gusto or its sister restaurant the Liberty Grill (also in Washington Street), both of which by the way serve top class food and drink.

I was strolling up there the other day and called into Gusto for a cup of their excellent coffee and who should I meet, for the first time, but Marianne, my twitter mate.

And what was she doing? Helping out a visitor to the city. Marianne and partner Denis do this as a matter of course.

Speaking of twitter – Tuesday is tweet day at Gusto in Lapps Quay where the twitterati meet up and enjoy free wi-fi, battery charging and the second cup of coffee among friends free. Not bad.

Denis recently said to me that we have a great product in the city and county, lots to see and do “but it can be hard to find them if you are plonked down in the middle of it”.

And that’s where the friendly attitude of Denis and Marianne and their staff come in. They go out of their way to make visitors welcome and Gusto has a rack of informative booklets available.

They also use the internet to help out and are always willing to plug events that liven up the local scene as you’ll have seen with their efforts on the Lee Swim and Paddy Games to mention just two.

Obviously Denis and Marianne are not the only two in town with this pro-active attitude. But we need more of them. After all, the more we pull together, the further we will go.

And the payoff? Well, have a look at this from a globe trekking LA foodwriter

http://www.glassofwin.com/?p=2508

Cafe Gusto in Cork

CAFE GUSTO
Cafe Gusto – so good they built it twice, first in Washington Street (Singers Corner) and also at the Lapps Quay Boardwalk (see pic).

Called to Washington Street lunchtime today and enjoyed my snack which consisted of a hot gorgeously crispy Bocadillo, filled with a Caprese (Mozarella du Bufala, basil and plum tomato). Partner helped herself to a Focaccia Farita filled with a juicy Tuna Salad (with plum tomato, red onion, cucumber & a little mayo).

I had a large Americano while she had a medium one; both were superb. The “sandwiches” cost a fiver each and the total came to less than €15.00.
Staff were informative and friendly but the service was a little less than perfect in the sense that the coffee was served well before the eats and there was even a noticeable gap between the Focaccia and the Bocadillo.

But I would nonetheless recommend the place strongly. The food is excellent and so is the coffee. Next time though, I might have a glass of water with the meal and then get the coffee and linger! By the way, all the seating here is of the high stool variety.

Check out my review and map of Cafe Gusto - I am cork - on Qype