Electric Fish Bar On The Double At Nano Nagle Pop-up

Electric Fish Bar On The Double At Nano Nagle Pop-up

The Fishbar@Electric Presents “Plateau de fruits de mer” for One Night Only was the hook as the South Mall restaurant advertised their pop-up evening at the café in the gardens of Nano Nagle Place.The punters took the bait big-time and while it was still For One Night Only, a second sitting was arranged.

The original meal was down to start at 8.00pm on Wednesday last and the additional one, the one I attended, started at 5.30. Sell-out was the way it went these past few days at Nano Nagle as Taste Cork Week extended to meet Jazz Weekend and that augurs well for the future of the café. A permanent operator is due to be named shortly.

It was quite an occasion as Electric’s Fishbar took advantage to showcase a selection of local and seasonal shellfish and fish, served both hot and cold. There was also breads, a chowder to start with and a dessert. All that, plus a welcome drink (spirits and mixer) and music as well in a historic venue (starting a new lease of life) for a very reasonable thirty euro.

One thing about a full house is that people are closer together. And we got even nearer to the couple next door, pulling the tables closer the better to chat. And that made a lovely meal into a lovely social occasion as well. So big thanks to Margaret and Ted!

And big thanks also to Fishbar Chef Ray who put the magnificent platter together. The “platter” came in two tiers, a bit like an afternoon tea, but space was limited and the tiers was a terrific solution.

There were all kinds of delicious fish and shellfish in the display: mussels, calamari, oysters, crab-meat, salmon, prawns (both big and small), and more, enough to fill you up for sure!

Good service too, friendly and efficient, and a selection of drinks (some free) to wash it all down. Very enjoyable indeed.

Superb Line-up of Food and Drink Events for next week!

Festival Cork are in their second year now and have once again teamed up with Taste Cork to bring:

Taste Cork Week 2017, October 16th- 22nd And for the first time this year, an extended special “Taste Jazz” 23rd-26th October

There are almost 40 venues signed up this year all showcasing the best local produce our county has to offer! There are some fantastic events on across the week all of which are listed on our website www.festivalcork.com

Here’s just a taster of what the week holds: (please see our calendar for full list)

Wednesday 18th October, Electric Cork host a “Meet the Producers” event, giving people the chance to meet some of Cork's best producers, and of course sample their products. Tickets €25

Monday 16th October, Casanova Gelato are giving 6 lucky people the chance to become a Gelato maker for the day, with exclusive behind the scenes opportunity into the world of making ice cream! Tickets limited €55

Wednesday 18th October, Ballyvolane House host a distillery tour and lunch

Sunday 15th October, Longueville House offer an exclusive tour of their orchard and a very special Harvest Lunch

17th and 18th of October, Franciscan Well Brewpub will be hosting beer and whiskey tasting sessions

On The Pig's Back will be hosting cheese tasting session all week long in both The English Market and Douglas

Friday 20th October, Black Brewery are doing a tap take over in The Bierhaus

October 19th, Ballymaloe House have teamed up with Jameson Whiskey to host a supper club

October 17th, Holy Smoke are having a Taste Cork BBQ with craft beer and whiskey

For all tickets and info, and all other events please visit our website or Facebook page

Taste Jazz We have a series of very exciting pop ups for our extension of Taste Cork week with Guinness and Diageo, in the fantastic new Nano Nagle Place

Monday 23rd October 2017 - Seamus O'Connell of Ivory Tower presents “Tastescapes” Tuesday 24th October 2017 – Flavour.ie and Pamela Kelly of Market Lane present “From the Producer to the Plate”

Wednesday 25th October 2017 – The Fish Bar@The Electric presents “Plateau de fruits de Mer”

Thursday 26th October 2017 – Good Day Deli presents “Sustainable Foods with South Pacific Flavour” SOLD OUT!!

We are also featuring some great Jazz events in city venues:

Electric, Thursday 26th October, Free finger food and The Loungeman

Holy Smoke,Wednesday 25th October, “Jazz Cuts” A night of whiskey, steaks and live jazz The Raven, Wednesday 25th October, the newly refurbished Raven will host a cocktail evening

Sober Lane, Thursday 26th October, Roe and Co Whiskey Tasting and live music

And keep an eye out for our “Jazz Cafes” with some live music lunches across the city!

For up to date info and bookings, check the Festival website here 

Cork's Dessert Festival launches today!

press release

Where and What's on Offer

Electric Bar and Restaurant

Mad Hatters Afternoon G+T July 1st 2-4pm

Cake Club Sunday 2nd July 3-5pm Also featuring dessert specials all week

The Franciscan Well

Ice Cream and Beer Weekend July 1st and 2nd from 1pm

Nandos Academy St

Free Nata with every coffee ordered

Blue Haven Kinsale

Promoting Ice Cream Sundae Menu all week

Casanova Gelato

Launch of "The Giant" Sundae

Featuring parfait cups all week

Arthur Maynes

Beefeater & Tonic with an orange foam

paired with an orange scented Creme Catalana

Hassetts Bakery

Featuring all their homemade desserts

Fundraising cupcake event Fri June 30th 11-3pm

Cafe Velo

Pie with Italian Meringue

Cronins

Homemade ice cream made with Cronin's brown soda bread

and Russian Imperial Stout from the White Gypsy

LISHH Dessert bar all week featuring fresh homemade desserts

with a coffee for just €5

Malay Kitchen

Featuring fresh Malaysian sweet treats all week

Griffins Garden Centre

Featuring all Grannys Griffins Fabulous Homemade Desserts

Competition for afternoon tea for 2

Amicus

Featured Desserts: Amicus After 8

The Allotment Sundae: Butterscotch Bonanza

143

Corks only entirely vegan cafe!

Dessert Demonstration Wed 28th 7-9pm €30

Sober Lane

Guest Dessert- Kinder Sundae

Guest Cocktails: 1. Nutty Russian- Absolut Vanilla, Frangelico, Kahlua and Milk

2.After Eight- Tia Maria, Creme de Menthe, Baileys and Milk

Holy Smoke

Featuring Desserts: Devil's Fruit and Holy Revenge

More desserts and events to be confirmed by: Midleton Park Hotel, The Oriel House Hotel, Myo Cafe, Box of FrogsThe Cornstore, Huckleberry Donuts, Oh My Donut, The Granary Foodstore.

The public will be voting all week on social media for :

Corks Best Dessert

Corks Best Treat and

Best Dessert Event

All other info will be posted on our social media daily!

For any more info email : dessert@festivalcork.com Or follow us on social media!

Powers to all our Friends. Cork Whiskey Fest at Sober Lane

Powers to all our Friends

Cork Whiskey Fest at Sober Lane

The Powers be with you! Pic via Sober Lane

Great to meet up with the Powers Family at Sober Lane as part of the Cork Whiskey Festival. Powers Ambassador Michael Carr introduced us to Powers Gold Label, Three Swallow Release, Signature Release and John’s Lane Release, quite a stellar team from the venerable whiskey family.

Cheers

Powers first made their mark on the Dublin whiskey as the 18th century closed and soon their concentration on quality saw them become the biggest in the capital. 

Quality was always to the fore and it was because of concerns that the “brand” was being damaged that led to the founder’s grandson deciding to bottle their own, rather than have it bottled exclusively by middlemen or publicans. And this was where the gold label started; it indicated that the whiskey inside was bottled by the distillery.

That, by the way, was in 1866, about 100 years before Jameson bottled. Powers were always innovative and their release of the miniature bottle, the “Baby Powers”, was a world first.

The current Gold Label was our first sip of the night. Michael advised “when smelling, keep mouth slightly open”. Spice, sweetness and oak and the barley of course all combine to make this whiskey a real pleasure.

Partners in Powers

By the 1880s, Power were very popular. They were great record keepers too and most of the old recipes survive and that made it easy for Irish Distillers in Midleton (where Powers is now produced) to recreate the old styles. The Three Swallows is triple distilled (like all Irish whiskeys) and is a relaxed and gentler whiskey, according to Michael. It is a true pot still style, smooth and complex, the intrinsic Irish style. The Swallows, by the way, are the whiskey equivalent of the stars on a brandy bottle.

Now we were moving on up to the Signature Release. “Very delicate on the nose… very active..zesty..on the palate..you know you're drinking whiskey”. It has a higher abv of 46%, “one of the reasons for that lovely zip on the tongue…we used only 2nd and 3rd fill bourbon barrels for this.”  He emphasised that this was regarded as a grown-ups whiskey, maybe even old-fashioned “but now becoming modern again!”.

Then it was the turn of a favourite of mine, the John's Lane Release, “full bodied, spice upfront, followed by vanilla, honey and dried apricot”. John’s Lane is where the Powers Distillery was in Dublin and it was first made here by Barry Crockett in the 1970s. “This is a big whiskey, big on flavour. By the way, the 12 years refers to the youngest whiskey in the bottle.”

While the gold label is a blend, the other three are Single Pot Still Whiskey, Irish of course! Having done the talk, Michael showed he could walk the walk as he demonstrated his cocktail making skills by making an Old Fashioned. He had a one big tip. “In cocktails, don’t use your expensive whiskeys! Use the Gold Label. It has a lovely sweetness to balance the sours.”

Taking a closer look!

Then there was an exodus to the smoking area to try out the Punch Cigars along with a 12 year old Powers Gold Label. I split with the smokes back in 1994. I did of course sample the whiskey, another family gem. Like the opening Gold Label, this is a blend with a good amount of pot still content and some very old whiskeys as well. Heard that it is going off the market in the near future so best to get your hands on a bottle or two before then.

Big thanks to Powers, to Michael, and to Dee and crew at Sober Lane. Not alone did we enjoy the whiskey but they came up with trays of delicious sliders as the enjoyable evening came to a close. Here’s to the next Cork Whiskey festival!

Cork Whiskey Festival. The Details!

Battle of the White Horse. Burger Festival Week In Full Flow

Battles at the White Horse

Cork Burger Festival In Full Flow

This Seoul didn't survive!

By the time you read this, the White Horse  kitchen will be preparing for Round Four of their series of Burger Battles, featuring the White Horse Blue Cheese Burger versus the Mozzarella Cheese Burger. It is all part of the first ever Cork Burger Festival, a week long multi-venue affair that is certainly getting attention.

I was there on Tuesday night, along with dozens more, and the main event that evening was The Seoul Food Burger versus the Pulled Pork Burger. Like all the match-ups, it was a close-run thing and myself and CL were left thinking a replay was necessary.

And, just in case you think the burgers here are a rare event, they are not. Four burgers, including the Seoul, appear on the regular menu. And all the beef burgers are made from 100% Cork beef, wedged between Pana Artisan Bakery brioche buns.

The Seoul, by the way, is a 6 ounce patty; it is spiced and served in Korean BBQ sauce, chilly garlic mayo and kimchi slaw. It is a little spicy, yes, but it is all very well balanced, nothing extreme, just extremely tasty!

And The Pulled Pork Burger is another treat, full of great flavours and texture and that comes with celeriac slaw and their very own BBQ sauce. We shared a fair few bits from each just so both had a good idea of the qualities. Hard to choose, so two winners on the night!

The White Horse is quite a supporter of local producers and we were delighted to be able to help those burgers on their way with a couple of excellent Irish craft beers: the White Gypsy’s Blonde Weissbier and Metalman's Pale Ale. 

Pulled Pork

The Battles of the Whitehorse go right through to the end of the week. By executive order from a certain Mr T, the much anticipated Texan (General Cleburne, a man who once hung out on Spike Island, I think) and the saucy Mexican clash gets a double round, on Friday and Saturday night. Should be a great match-up. 

And Sunday is marked by a biblical battle between Noah’s Ark (a double beef burger) and the High Priest (a roast beef burger with stuffing).

See poster at end or check here for details: 

And when all the battles are over, or even if you don't like burgers, then don’t worry, you'll find loads to keep you going on the White Horse Dinner menu. Classic local dishes such as Fish and Chips and relative newcomers like the Malaysian Monkfish Curry feature.

Looking for something a little more substantial? Then how about the 12 hour cooked feather-blade of beef? Maybe the chargrilled 10 ounce sirloin? And if you like vegetarian, then they have a Vegetable Moussaka for you and also a Tikka Masala.

And besides all that, there is a big choice of starters and desserts. And you'd never know, there may be a bit of music going on as well. This is a lively spot, with terrific service, and well worth a visit.

Gonna be A Burger of a Week. Big and Bad Boys to Rock Cork

Gonna be A Burger of a Week

Big and Bad Boys to Rock Cork

The first Cork Burger Festival runs from January 30th until February 5th. The local cafes and restaurants have climbed aboard in impressive numbers and, if you love your burger, you are going to have some tremendous choices over the week. Below you'll find a selection of what is on offer. More details on the Festival Facebook page here. 

The White Horse in Ballincollig have a Seven Day Burger Battle on, with a tasty clash each night. Friday's duel between the Texan and the Mexican looks saucy with a repeat thrown in on Saturday if you want to switch sides.

Soho Bar have joined in the fun with their Three Rebels, three different sliders and a pint of beer for a tenner.

If you’re in Son of a Bun, watch out for the Wonka ticket. Each burger special you order on this fantabulous week will be hiding a Son of a Wonka ticket. If you happen to be the lucky winner of one of their 7 golden tickets you will be in for a treat! “For the next 5 months you will get to have our burger of the month on us!”  Limit 1 burger each month per ticket holder.

New Douglas restaurant, 12 Tables, are running a Burger Battle Royale. On one plate you've got the Mick O’ and, on the other, its The Big Fella. That’ll take some sorting.

If you’re up to big, then maybe the Oliver Plunket is the place to be. Here’s the challenge. The Big Boy (he who dares, WINS) 32oz burger topped with Bandon Vale cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onions served with a side of fries; €30, finish it and it's FREE!

If you can't make it to a restaurant, Davidson’s Craft Butchers have offers on burgers all week. Keep up to date here.

You’ll find the Great Griffin in Dripsey at Griffin's Garden Centre. It looks tempting. Check out their Facebook page for giveaways.

And be sure too to tie up the horse at the Bad Boys where you can tuck into their 8oz Smoked Rodeo Burger topped with Chilli Con Carne Cheese and Sour cream. Bad!

The Meatball Place are also on board with a selection of Speciality Burgers, not just for the week, but for the month!

Nine Market Street in Kinsale are doing a four-course Burger meal (dessert is an ice-cream burger). A fab meal at a great price of €25.00 the lot. Date is Saturday the 4th from 6.00pm.

Lots more places involved including the Silly Goose (with Ali’s Kitchen). Check it all out on festival’s Facebook page here.