Seafood Delights at Cliff House Hotel Festival Lunch

Seafood Delights at Cliff House Hotel Festival Lunch

West Waterford Festival of Food Highlight

The minute I read that the House Restaurant were doing a Seafood Lunch Tasting Menu as part off the West Waterford Festival of Food, I booked our table. And my confidence was rewarded spectacularly as we absolutely enjoyed the meal served up by Chef Patron, Tony Parkin. I have enjoyed a few splendid meals at this elegant cliff-side location but this was perhaps the best.  I could be back there again soon as it just 45 minutes from my door.

After a gentle welcome we got a prime window seat with a view of the bay. We’ve had better weather here but never a better lunch. First the wine had to be settled. The list is extensive but I concentrated on the list of five whites available by the glass.

Haddock croquette
canape

The Guerila Rebula from Slovenia (left) immediately caught my eye as I was very impressed by their wines at a recent La Rousse tasting at the Glass Curtain. This golden wine is made from biodynamic grown grapes; it has complex aromas, and is fresh and elegant on the palate, quite close to an orange wine, and combined well with the fish.  

We also very much enjoyed the Weingut Malat Höhlgraden, Grüner Veltliner, from Kremstal, elegant and fine and a classic expression of the Austrian grape, always versatile at the table.

Then the food began with a couple of canapés, a Smoked Haddock croquette (right) and John Dory tempura, each a tempting hint of delicious things to come.  

Then we were into the menu proper beginning with Tuna, Nahm jim, Galangal. Just a sliver of tuna with the Thai sauce giving a sweet and sour and spicy flavour enhanced by the ginger of the Galangal.

Red Mullet

The Red Mullet (carrot, ginger, orange, jalapeño) followed in a foamy liquid. Another slightly spicy and delicious dish and here the wines played a role as well. A memorable dish indeed - there was a spoon to take up the liquid, otherwise we would have tempted to use a piece of the earlier bread! A pity that we don’t see more of this fish in Irish restaurants and fish shops.

No problem getting your hands on John Dory but not like this serving of the fish with asparagus, morel, wild garlic and a sauce of mushroom and truffle. Quite a simple dish with every single element a star. It is an outstanding fish in any case but surrounded by such an assembly of delicious local and seasonal elements, the dish was amazing and memorable.

Tuna

And we would finish on a high as well with the 63% Manjari Chocolate (Marsala, Coffee and Yoghurt Sorbet).  I was wondering where the fruit notes were coming from and it was from the Manjari itself, a single origin Madagascar, which is made from rare cocoa beans giving it a fresh, acidic, sharp bouquet with red fruit notes. Add in the Sicilian Marsala, the coffee and the sorbet and we had quite a chocolate symphony. Perhaps the best chocolate dessert I have tasted.

Not quite finished yet as, with the coffee, came our Petit Fours, a Chocolate Truffle and a gorgeous White Chocolate piece loaded in the middle with a white chocolate ganache. Lovely finalé to a splendid meal indeed. Bravo to Tony Parkin and his team at The House.

White Chocolate Petit Fours
with white chocolate ganache filling

On this trip

Mount Congreve, Kilmeaden

The Local, Dungarvan

The Baker's Table of Lismore

Vinilo, Lismore

Marvellous Sunny Morning On The Vee (Waterford/Tipperary)

360 Town Stay, Dungarvan

The Shamrock

Seafood Delights at Cliff House Hotel Festival Lunch

 

Bibendum and La Rousse . Portfolio Tastings in Cork

 Bibendum and La Rousse 

Portfolio Tastings in Cork

Choices galore last Monday: Sauvignon Blanc from Le Rousse and Chardonnay from Bibendum

Very seldom indeed that you get two wine companies doing their portfolio tastings in Cork on the same day but that was the case last Monday when Bibendum and La Rousse came to town. 

For me, the more impressive wines came from Portugal and South Africa at the well-attended Bibendum event at Hotel Montenotte while a Telmo Rodriguez quartet and a couple of Slovenians alerted the tastebuds in the Glass Curtain where La Rousse displayed their excellent range.

Bibendum

The Glasshouse, an excellent venue

Bibendum were very happy indeed with the impressive Glasshouse in Montenotte, a very bright and colourful room, with views over the city and ideal for this and similar events.

I had been hoping to taste a share of Portuguese wines here and at The Glass Curtain. But, with a combined total of close to 200 wines for tasting, there were just two. Both of these were Bibendum’s and each was excellent.

One was the Conde Villar Alvarinho Vinho Verde (DOC). In an unusual tall bottle (right), it was engaging from first contact, floral aromas, fresh and elegant, rich and full bodied, memorable. It is 100% Alvarinho, the same grape that grows across the border in Spain’s Rias Baixas. Really excellent and worth looking out for.

The second was from the Alentejo, the red Tapada de Villar, and this too was excellent. It is a blend of Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional, Aragonez and Trincadeira. Intense aromatics, ripe red fruit flavours in the mouth, soft and elegant. Another to note.

Tom Hanson-Smith of Journey's End

Next up was a rewarding stop at the Journey’s End table where Tom Hanson-Smith was showing three of the wines from their Stellenbosch vineyard (the second wine farm in SA to be solar powered).  The Haystack Chardonnay had a great balance of oak and fruit and gets a major thumbs up.

And I went on to complete the hat-trick with two super reds, the Huntsman (a blend of Shiraz, Mourvèdre and Grenache) and Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2017. The Single Vineyard was premier class but I would be reluctant to leave the Huntsman behind.

There was one other wine that I wasn’t leaving without tasting. It was at the Fine Wine Table. Here, I rebuffed a whole lot of temptation, treating myself only to the Chateau Kirwan Margaux 3eme Cru Classé. No Irish connection there now but, for old times sake, I sipped sinfully before saying au revoir to Mark Redmond and the lovely and helpful Bibendum crew.

La Rousse

Thompson ladies. Le Rousse wine.

A refreshing stroll down the hill then to the Glass Curtain and a lovely warm welcome from Vera O’Grady of La Rousse. She gave me a few helpful tips before I made a start in this excellent Cork restaurant.

I enjoy white Mediterranean grapes and they came up trumps in whites such as Eric Texier’s Roussane, JL Chaves Hermitage Marsanne, Le Soula white blend and Gilles Troullier’s Macabeu. More excellent stuff from Italy, the Monte Tondo Soave Classico and the Mora e Memo Tino Vermentino (left).

And right at the end of that line came Telmo Rodriquez. I met him last in Ballymaloe about nine years ago. He could have had comfortably slotted into the family winery Remelluri but, after an intensive wine education in France, he eventually headed off on his own, to the most unlikely places. Barren hillsides where vineyards had been abandoned. Sometimes a few survived with practices dating back five hundred years, including “beautiful bush vines”. 

Telmo (left) and yours truly. Ballymaloe 2013

He still makes wines all over Spain and his smooth and excellent Basa (Verdejo, Viura) from Rueda is one to note as is the Branco de Santa Cruz (Bierzo), an gorgeous blend of Godello, Treixadura, Dona Alana.

Next for me was an orange wine from Slovenia. The Guerilla Retro Selection (Pinela, Zelen, Rebula and Malvazija) was just beautiful. And they also had an excellent 2020 Barbera. This, also marked by Vera, was different class, quite amazing.

Slovenia impressed

Last, but by no means least, was Telmo again, with two beauties. First top was the young 2021 LZ, a bright and delightfully easy-drinking un-oaked (aged in concrete) Rioja. It comes from the village of Lanciego and is organic, same blend as the Lanzaga below.

The Lanzaga (a field bland of Tempranillo, Garnacha and Graciano) is oaked, organic, elegant, full of dark fruits and a smokey finalé.

Quite a finalé then for me at the Glass Curtain. Time to say goodbye to Vera and head for the hills.

What a double to finish on!

Euro-toques Day Out. From Wood to Waterfall

Euro-toques Day Out

From Wood to Waterfall

Under the waterfall at Greene's: Pam, Kate, Christine.

From foggy morning to sunny afternoon, the Munster contingent of Euro-toques enjoyed their day out last Monday. That foggy morning was spent foraging mushrooms in a North Cork wood while the afternoon saw the chefs and guests tuck into a gorgeous late lunch in Greene’s by the Waterfall. Greene's head chef Bryan McCarthy put the day’s package together with a huge input from Mark and Lucy of Ballyhoura Mushrooms and sponsorship by Wines Direct and La Rousse Foods.

In the wood

It was quite an education in the woods and we all agreed you’d need more than one outing with an expert before trusting yourself in the mushroom field. Lots to take in as Mark and Lucy shared their in-depth knowledge.

“Chanterelles can't be cultivated, they are symbiotic. They grow from May to the first frost, have a sweet seafoody flavour and an apricot aroma when fresh. They have a solid stem. The false chanterelle has a hollow one. There are also autumn chanterelles, including a black one one called the Horn of Plenty, found in areas of pine, with a lovely woody flavour, our favourite!”.

In the wood (2): Caroline takes the higher ground;
Fionnula relaxes with her bag of food.
Bottom: "This one stinks!" (right)
and Gautham searching in the fog.
Note the polypores on the tree
on the left.

“Ceps are found near mature beech trees, When they are young they are snow white with a natural umami flavour, great texture and very versatile as regards use.” But maybe not as versatile as the Birch polypore which, when dried out, can be used to sharpen your kitchen knives!

Much more to be found out as the bus load of mostly amateurs spread out among the trees, watching out for branches springing back, muddy patches, cow pats, slippery slopes, briars, even barbed wire here and there. Still, despite a few minor tumbles, it turned out to be a terrific morning in the old deciduous wood and quite a few baskets were filled.

Cured organic Deenish Island Salmon

Back to the bus then and we arrived in Greene's in mid-afternoon sun be be greeted with cool glasses of La Contesse spumante.  Fionnula Harkin of Wines Direct, introduced us to Francesca of Le Contesse who told us about the family run vineyard, how the grapes are handpicked and that quality and consistency are prime considerations. Fionnula emphasised that this is the kind of vineyard that Wines Direct deals with, “family run vineyards, nothing industrial”.

Ross Lewis from Chapter One, a senior member of Euro-toques, then spoke. “Ireland has some of the best primary produce in the world. And Euro-toques is one big food family, passionately engaged with artisans. As the artisan movement gets stronger and stronger, Ireland's food will have its day in the sun.” He reported that tourists in his own restaurant are overwhelmingly positive about their experiences of Irish food.

Seared Wild Irish Venison Haunch Fillet
wine: Luc Lapeyre Les Clots (Languedoc)

And then it was time to sample some of that food. We had some beautiful nibbles by the waterfall in the sun before moving indoors to continue enjoying the produce of Ballyhoura Mushrooms, Wines Direct, Caroline Robinson Organic Vegetables, Kilbrack Farm, La Rousse Foods, Ummera, Jack McCarthy, Waterfall Farms, and Arbutus Breads. Greene’s chefs, like their Euro-toques colleagues nationwide are, as Ross Lewis said, “passionately engaged with artisans”. And this meal brilliantly underlined it!

• If you spot your favourite chef sprouting a moustache this month and next, he’s more than likely doing it for charity, all in aid of Movember who raise awareness and funds for prostrate cancer, testicular cancer and men’s health. Don’t leave it all to the chefs!

Poached Garden Pear & Wild Foraged Blackberry
wine: Le Contesse Pinot Rose.