Superb Cuisine in Capacious and Comfortable Cornstore

Superb Cuisine in Capacious and Comfortable Cornstore

Very much enjoyed the cuisine, not to mention the comfort of the renovated dining room, at dinner in the well-established and hugely popular Cornstore last week. Cold and wet outside but we were cosy and well fed inside.

The Oyster Festival may be over - and we did visit the Cornstore as one of the stops on the previous Saturday’s Gourmet Trail - but there is no shortage of oysters around. And they have quite a variation here with their Hot Grilled Buffalo Oysters, an unusual twist on the classic Buffalo wings that, with ginger beer pickled samphire, gives the molluscs a spicy lift!

There’s quite a choice of starters on the A La Carte here, about ten appetisers plus five small plates and also a special or two on the night. I had been looking at two of the specials - smoked mackerel and lamb kebab - before ordering the oysters. CL’s pick was the Heirloom Tomato Salad with Crumbled feta, red onion, toasted pistachio, shredded basil & organic rapeseed oil.

No shortage of choice either when it comes to the main section,. Here their famous aged steaks have a little section to themselves and, as we’ve found out on previous occasions, are top class. This time though I picked Rack and rolled lamb (Roast rack of lamb & braised shoulder of lamb, rosemary and sweet potato cake, leek fricassee & a mint pesto). The rack is served medium here and was perfect. Hard to beat the tender shoulder, hard to beat the whole combination, the different textures of the lamb, the soft crunch of the leek plus the bread-like feel of the cake. Quite a dish.

CL loves her fish. As this is another speciality of the house, it was with confidence that she ordered the Baked salmon with grilled prawns with Fondant potato, tender stem broccoli, samphire and blood orange hollandaise. And that confidence was well placed indeed and well rewarded too.

Quality all the way at the Cornstore but no shortage of quantity either, so there was some hesitation about dessert before we decided to share the Vanilla Crème Brulée with salted chocolate biscuit. Again a delicious choice, even that biscuit was a beauty!

Whiskeys galore here and the Cornstore cocktails (including dessert cocktails and mocktails) are legendary. An extensive wine list includes whites from light and crisp to rich and elegant, reds from easy drinking to full bodied and robust.You may get craft beers by the bottle - I noticed bottles from Blacks of Kinsale and Black Donkey of Roscommon on the list. And I found another one, a wheat beer, for my non-alcoholic “collection”, a Schneider Weisse by the famous German brewer. Enjoyed that!

Enjoyed the dinner very much indeed and it got even better when a family member texted us with an offer of a lift home. Delighted to accept!

• By the way, their Christmas Group Festive menus are now available, so you may want to check these out. As you know, the large restaurant is ideal for groups.

The Cornstore 

Cornmarket Street

Cork

4274777

Comfortable Classy Cornstore Ticks The Boxes

Comfortable Classy Cornstore Ticks The Boxes

Comfort awaits

Enjoyed a very relaxing lunch in the classy comfort of the Cornstore last Friday. The restaurant is best known for its dry-aged steaks and specialty seafood but there is so much more on the menu as we soon found out.

So there we are, sitting back, me on the comfortable banquette, CL on her equally comfortable chair, taking in the calming colours all around us in this large restaurant. The upper floor too has been renovated last year and is much brighter than before. And do check out the artwork on the walls and, while you’re on the stairs, that “flight” of lamps that spectacularly links one floor with the other.

Tasty noodles

Back to the menu. There’s an aged-beef Burger to tempt. Fish of the Day is Pan-seared Salmon and there’s a Posh Fish ’n Chips (half a lobster) and also a Seafood Chowder with Treacle Brown Bread, all on the specials.

But we bypass the red meat and the fish on this occasion. No starter either, not even the special of Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup. It’s a hot day outside and people are dining on the hedged off pavement, but we’ve come in to the shade (and to the comfort of course). Just one plateful will do but which one?

There are Small Plates (eg Crab Brulée) and Light Bites (Gin & Tonic Mussels). And a section with flatbreads, all kinds of toppings, everything from Parma ham with tomato to Crispy Duck Confit with Chorizo. You can add fries to your flatbread selection if you wish!

Large Plates include Bangers (Eoin O’Mahony sausages) and mash, the Burger, Grilled Lambs Liver and Prawn Scampi. I’d had a look at the menu on the website (there are one or two differences) and had put my eye on the Korean Udon Noodle Stir Fry with crisp veg, fresh herbs and Bulgogi sauce. You may add chicken for a few euro, prawn for a few euro more. I added chicken for a total of fourteen. 

Hail Caesar

It turned out to be one of the best dishes I've had at that price. Remember you’ll pay that in some pubs for an undistinguished roast of the day. This was in a much higher league, a superb combination of fresh flavours, crunchy vegetables (including red peppers, mange tout, green beans) and that delicious slightly spicy Korean sauce, plus a squeezed-on zing of lime.

CL’s pick was the Caesar Salad with boiled hen’s egg, baby gem, crispy bacon, croutons and shaved Parmesan and she opted for an grilled chicken add-on (14.50 in all). Another excellent dish and another happy customer for the Cornstore.

Service was excellent, helpful, friendly from start to finish, and we were in great form as we headed back to the sun and to the garden for the afternoon.

The Cornstore 

Cornmarket Street

Cork

Open seven days for lunch and dinner.

email: cork@cornstore.com

Call: 021 427 4777