Stellar Flare. Festive Flourishes. Greene’s Current Set Menu. Based on outstanding local produce.

Stellar Flare. Festive Flourishes. Greene’s Current Set Menu

Based on outstanding local produce.

Cod

Greene's newly introduced Christmas set menu features several delicious festive options. For those who prefer to stick with their favourites, don’t worry—classic dishes like Steak on the Stone and Quigley Lamb Shank are still available.

We just happened to be at the menu’s unveiling last Tuesday, and we gave it a big thumbs-up. The food was outstanding, and while the portions were generous, we enjoyed the meal without feeling overly stuffed at the end.

Spiced beef

With a glass of Monte Cacada, an oak-aged Portuguese red blend, in hand and some delicious bread to nibble on, we examined the menu, which included three courses (plus a side) and coffee or tea for €59.00. They asked us to choose our dessert initially, and we paid special attention to that section!

For starters, one of the options was Turkey and Ham Hock Terrine along with Chicken Liver Pâté. CL was particularly keen on the traditional Cork Spiced Beet dish, a Christmas favourite in the area. Greene’s take on it elevated the dish with the beautifully presented beef, accompanied by pickles, celeriac remoulade, and Coolea cheese fondue—a fantastic combination!

Duck

Beetroot and Goat Cheese is a popular pairing in Cork City and beyond, especially with cheese from the local Ardsallagh farm. As always, Greene’s Head Chef, Nicolas Javier Alegre, added his own twist, resulting in the delightful Waterfall Farm Beetroot Risotto with Crispy Beetroot and Ardsallagh Goat Cheese. This dish definitely earns five out of five!

For my main course, I chose the Confit Duck Leg from the fabulous Skeaghanore Farm in West Cork. It came with Caramelised Red Cabbage, Colcannon Mash, and Cranberry Sauce, making for a beautifully dressed, festive meal packed with flavour.

Baked Alaska

Across the table was a beautifully cooked piece of cod, served with spinach and a creamy sauce. From a selection of seven sides, CL chose Colcannon while I opted for Fries.

Now, onto the sweet ending! They offer four tempting desserts along with an Irish Farmhouse Cheese Selection. My colleague chose the Orange Crepes Suzette, which featured orange sauce and mascarpone—a true gem worth trying.

Crèpe

Some restaurants may compromise on dessert quality, but not Greene’s. I highly recommend their Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Brandy Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream—a delightful treat. 

I skipped that this time and went for the Baked Alaska (Christmas Pudding and Brandy Custard Ice Cream), which brought a festive feeling in November. The ambience was enhanced by the waterfall flowing over the red sandstone outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the cosy interior with its calm, warm lighting, and the friendly and efficient service throughout our meal.

Pre Service Calm in Greene's

Comfort and class as Greene's spring into summer with a new colourful interior and a new flavoursome menu.

Comfort and class as Greene's spring into summer with a new colourful interior and a new flavoursome menu. 

Dessert

With pessimism (mostly) seeping through the restaurant industry at the time, the last thing Cork diners wanted to hear last February was that Greene’s was closing, even if only for a renovation and a reboot. But that dark mood has been lifted in this restaurant at least when Greene’s reopened last week.

The pictures of the revamped interior were

Greenes Restaurant in Cork City Reopens with an Opulent New Look and Menu

 Greenes Restaurant in Cork City Reopens

 with an Opulent New Look and Menu

Greenes Restaurant on MacCurtain Street in Cork has reopened with a brand new image, plush interiors, statement lighting and a contemporary, producer-led, traditional Irish food style menu. 

After closing its doors in February, the team at Greenes has been busy behind the scenes creating

Tour de Gastronomie. Greene's Kitchen Skilfully Manage The Bounties Of The Seasons .

Tour de Gastronomie

 

Greenes Kitchen Skilfully Manage The Bounties Of The Seasons

It’s early on a September Friday evening and the courtyard between Greenes Restaurant and her now grown-up sister Cask is abuzz with diners. We make our way through to the waterfall and turn right into the restaurant and there’s a warm welcome from sommelier Frank* who combine(s)d his wine duties with restaurant manager. 

We were in early, early enough for their excellent value Early Bird (5-6pm). Other choices also available, including Prix Fixe, A La Carte and Tasting Menu. After a fair bit of “reading” and double checking, we settle on the Prix Fixe (55 euro a head) and we will not be at all disappointed. Au contraire!

The excellence here begins in the fields, the seas and the forests, with farmers, growers, foragers and fishermen, in Cork and in the region generally. It is meticulously maintained and cooked and presented by the team in Greene’s kitchen. And it is served with accuracy and smiles by the front of house team. 

We’ve made our choices and our wines have been brought to the table. A glass of Grüner Veltliner (Steiniger, Kamptal, Austria), light, fruity and with crisp acidity, for her; a glass of Lingenfelder Fox Label (Pfalz, Germany), deliciously juicy with ripe fruits by the German family for me. Both glasses are 175ml by the way, as large as you’ll get anywhere in Ireland.

Then there’s a surprise unlisted set of snacks, salmon sushi style, a creamy apple-topped soup and a pork belly croquette. Super bites and signs of the goodness to come. Delicious breads on the table also.

I started with a colourful and wonderful plate of Glenmar Salmon Gravlax, Toasted Almond Milk, Parsley, Pickled Red Onion, Crispy Capers. The salmon and the toothsome red onion were the main duo and the milky sauce helped it all on its delightful way.

My second choice (from five) would have been the Heirloom Tomato, with Basil Yogurt, Grapefruit, Vanilla, Sunflower Seeds, Tomato Water and CL loved it. There was a bit of sharing going on, there always is. I enjoyed my bits no end, as did she. Next time, we’ll have to swap courses!

Then it was on to Market Chicken (from Twomey’s of Macroom) and, as always here, the breast meat was soft, tender, succulent, moreish! Especially with the Coconut and Lemon Grass, Sweet potato, Bok Choi, Crispy Chickpeas.

 

Again, we had five choices and my pick was a favourite, the Skeaghanore Duck Breast (medium rare), with Carrot, Braised Endives, and Jus and more. Tasty and toothsome, this consistently satisfying dish is a must if you like duck. By the way, all main courses come with a side of vegetables and potatoes to share. Needless to say, these were spot-on.

Desserts can often be a letdown in restaurants. Quite often the lemon posset is no great shakes. But it is a different story, different class, here and the Lemon Posset and Raspberries, Oatmeal Lace Biscuit, Raspberry Sorbet is highly recommended by CL. And I can honestly give a major thumbs up to my Dark Chocolate and Hazelnuts Torte, Praline Caramel, Barley Ice Cream. 

* Suppliers, just to give you an idea of the provenance here, include: Waterfall Farm, Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms, Scup Gelato, Glenmar Shellfish, Ballycotton Seafood, Skeaghanore Duck, McCarthys of Kanturk, Michael Twomey (Macroom), Ardsallagh Goats, and Bushby Strawberries. Just a few names, list changes by the season.

* Frank Schiltcamp, who told me last week, publicly announced on Twitter on Sunday last that he was leaving: 

After 7 amazing years, today was my last day in

@Greenescork

It's been an absolute pleasure working with such talented people throughout the years but now it's time for a little sabbatical. Thank you guys, you've been nothing short of legendary!

Best of luck Frank and enjoy!!! And best wishes also to Head Chef Veronica and to new manager Noel.

Cheers on Beer, Spirits and Wine. With Galway Hooker, Wicklow Wolf, Greenes, Shelbourne Bar, Wines of the World, BeoirFest.

Cheers on Beer, Spirits and Wine. With Galway Hooker, Wicklow Wolf, Greenes, Shelbourne Bar, Wines of the World, BeoirFest. #210319

15 Year Anniversary Double IPA is here

As promised, we would be making this Double IPA available to our online customers, and newsletter sign ups as soon as we could. This beer will be canned next week (25th of March) and will be sent out the very same day. There are only 30, 12x440ml cases available. Of course we've got a discount code for you loyal few!    Use code DOUBLE15 , for 15% off.    Buy it here: https://shop.galwayhooker.ie/collections/home/products/pre-sale-15-year-anniversary-double-ipa-12x440ml   Bar that, we just wanted to say a heart felt thank you, to all of you that have supported our little brewery over the last 15 years. We appreciate it more than you know.

The Wicklow Wolf Locavore Project...

Before they became Wicklow Wolf, two friends, Quincey and Simon, Influenced by their time spent in California, a passion for home-brewing and a thirst for craft beer, they began the journey in setting up a brewery in Wicklow. Simon’s background is in horticulture and he wanted to plant hops on his farm in the Wicklow hills. A seed was planted and Wicklow Wolf was born thanks to the coming together of two friends wanting to start a brewery and the desire to plant a hop farm (the first commercial hop farm in Ireland in over 25 years). 

Time moved on and now to  To celebrate Wicklow, our terroir, the provenance of this great landscape and to push our commitment to brewing beer in a sustainable way. With this in mind, The Locavore Project was born. The Locavore Project epitomises the core philosophy that Wicklow Wolf was founded upon, provenance and pride. The Locavore Project allows us to celebrate the terroir of Wicklow, our home and champion it with small batch, local, experimental beers.  

Read more about the Wicklow Wolf project here and check out their beers while you are there!

Frank, the somm in Greene's has been in touch:

"Really looking forward to our 'Meet the Winemaker' online zoom tasting on Friday 19th March at 8pm

@Greenescork

We are teaming up with

@derrickneleman

&

@WinesDirect

This event will sell out very fast so get your orders in now! http://greenesrestaurant.com/menus #winetasting #supportlocal"

Shelbourne Bar Will Serve You...

Missing the genuine Irish Whiskey Bar experience?

You can now gather your friends for a personalised Online Whiskey Tasting. We supply the whiskey, the whiskey expert and we can even supply the glass!

Visit

https://www.theshelbournecork.ie/online-whiskey-tasting

Wines of the World - Join the Club!

Did you know that we can deliver specially selected wines to your door each month?

€70.00 every month for 1 year

The perfect subscription for you - The Wine Lover!

Our wine experts select 6 delicious wines from around the world and send to your door each month.

Includes:

• A mix of 6 different wines

• Free Delivery Nationwide

• Tasting Notes for each wine

  * Please note subscription plans will dispatch between the 19th-22nd of each month *

Subscribe

BeoirFest Continues this Saturday

This Saturday we have another great Brewers Roundtable organised. We're going to look at lagers and reds, which should make for a nice comparison. And a great chat as usual of course!

We'll have Dublin's Liberator, Four Provinces Poddle, and Craft Bears Imperial Red so feel free to pick one up in advance if you want. Of course you can also just turn up, enjoy the chat and get involved.

We'll have spot prizes as well. See you on Saturday at 3pm at Beoirfest.com!

Cheers on Beers, Wine and Spirits. Lots of Tastings Coming Up. And More Packed in this Issue. Mothers Day. Patrick's Day.

 Cheers on Beers, Wine and Spirits. Lots of Tastings Coming Up. And So Much More Packed into this Issue.  #211003

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Clonakilty Distillery Mother's Day Gifts 

Celebrate the special woman in your life this Mother’s Day with gifts of love from Clonakilty Distillery that goes beyond the ordinary.

Whether they're a mum, step mum, mother-in-law or foster mum.

 We’ve got a gift to make every parents day, for every type of family, this 14th March.

Shop now

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Greenes And Wines Direct

'Meet the winemaker' zoom wine tasting We are excited to announce our online event with

@derrickneleman

Valencia in Spain including 2 wines, artisan cheese & charcuterie. The tasting will take place on Friday 19th March @ 8pm.

@WinesDirect

http://greenesrestaurant.com/menus

*********

Laurent Miquel Tasting Case

O'Briens Wine Host French Tasting Event

Join us for a virtual online wine tasting on Thursday, 8th April 2021 at 7pm

O’Briens Wine Director, Lynne Coyle MW will be joined by Vigneron and Winemaker Laurent Miguel along with his Irish wife Neasa from their beautiful home at Château Les Auzines, Corbières, in the South of France leading you on an expert tasting session you don’t want to miss. We will be tasting an Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé and a velvety Languedoc red while Laurent and Neasa chat about their wines, vineyard stories and give us a taste of their South of France lifestyle.

Save your spot by buying your Laurent Miquel Online Tasting Case, limited spots available – don’t miss out!

What you’ll get:
1x Laurent Miquel La Gaupine Sauvignon Blanc usual RRP €14.95
1x Les Auzines Alaina Rosé usual RRP €16.95
1x Les Auzines Alaina Albariño usual RRP €16.95
1x Les Auzines Hautes Terres Rouges usual RRP €14.95
1x Tasting Sheet
1x Exclusive access to the Wine Tasting via Zoom
Offer Price including delivery €60

Order before Friday 19th March to ensure delivery of your wines! Your tasting pack will be dispatched from the 24th March onwards (please allow between 3-5 days for delivery).

On Monday 5th April your link to the Zoom tasting will be sent to the email address you provide when placing your order. Please note this pack is not available for sale in our stores.

If you have any questions please contact online@obrienswine.ie

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NEW BEER ALERT!!

From Galway Hooker

15 Year Anniversary Double IPA   This Double IPA will be hitting shelves in Mid March to celebrate our 15 year anniversary. We're really excited for this release! ShopShop   ********* Lough Gill Brewery presents... ☘️☘️☘️ KELSEY GRAMMER ☘️☘️☘️ Faith American Brewing Co. With no pubs or parades this St Patrick's Day, what better way to celebrate the day than by brewing a very special collab beer with New York's Faith American Brewing Company. The brewing collaboration will be carried out virtually on March 17th with brewery founder and famous Hollywood actor, Kelsey Grammer. Tune in to our instagram on the St Patrick's Day where we will be going live with Kelsey on the day to announce details of the collaboration. Don't miss it!  VISIT OUR INSTAGRAM

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LIVE Virtual Tasting Friday March 26^th 7pm

Wines Of The World

We are really looking forward to our Virtual Tasting via ZOOM with Casa Silva.

This will be a live interactive virtual tasting with our wine expert Kate Barry and Stephen Ludlam from Casa Silva.

Casa Silva is Chiles most awarded winery of the 21th Century – outstanding wines of great quality and fantastic value.

Viña Casa Silva has the oldest wine cellar in the Colchagua Valley. Beneath its traditional and historic facade, however, is one of Chile’s most modern wine facilities.

More here.

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St Patrick's Hamper of all Hampers from Blacks.

This St Patricks day looks like another party at home situation so why not mix it up a bit and finally get the cocktail bar you have always wanted. This mega pack includes everything you need to make over 100 cocktails at home (except the ice). For a bargain price of only €600.00 That`s 60 cents a drink Tom? "sure is, Show Me The Money".

Don`t be a basket case this year at Paddies, get the hamper of all hampers and Boss the day. Be the cocktail supremo, be the Tom Cruise off the gaff. Wow the crowds ( or just the wife and kids) with your bottle twizzzling skills as you bang out a whiskey sour, a dirty colado and a good Ol` fashioned. Only a limited number of hamper of all hampers are available. Hit the button below to transform your Paddies at home.

Click below for all the details, including discount! Send me the Hamper of all Hampers ********* Sheridans and eight degrees CHEESE & CRAFT BEER TASTING MARCH 19TH €60.00 A VIRTUAL CHEESE & CRAFT BEER EVENING MARCH 19TH 2021 Kevin Sheridan & Caroline Hennessy of Eight Degrees Brewery will host a beer & cheese evening on Friday March 19th 8pm to 9.30pm A selection of Irish Farmhouse cheeses and crackers along with three specially selected beers will be sent to the participants before the event. Participants can then log on to the event where Kevin & Caroline will chat through the beers and cheeses as well as answering all your questions on the fascinating worlds of Irish Artisan Cheeses and Craft Beers. The atmosphere will be fun and educational. A single ticket is suitable for one or two people in the same household. Details here. ********* St Mel's Brewery Introduce Monthly Subscription Boxes  We know so many of you love having our brilliant beers delivered to your door on a monthly basis, after all, who wants to run out of beer?!  So we've created something we think you're all going to love.....introducing our monthly subscription boxes. All you have to do is pick your beer option once and every month you'll have your choice of brilliant beer delivered from our doors to yours!  Start shopping anseo.