Brunchin the perfect antidote after an early morning medical visit to SIVUH!

 Marina Market Cork

Brunchin the perfect antidote after an early morning medical visit to SIVUH!

Buttermilk Chicken Benedict

After an early Saturday morning medical appointment at SIVUH* on Old Blackrock Road (Cork), it was time for

Where's the Beef? Ten of the best in Cork City

Where's the Beef?

Ten of the best in Cork City

(beef round-up for 2022/23)

Brown's Brasserie at BT Jan 2023 €15.50
French Dip: Rotisserie North Cork Sirloin, Emmental Cheese,
Caramelized Onion Emulsion, Red Wine Jus, ODB Sourdough

Impressive steak salad at Liberty Grill Aug 22

Cork City has had a long, and continuing, history in beef. Such was the scale of the trade here in the 18th century that it was known as the slaughterhouse of Ireland. 

And it wasn’t just Ireland. In 1756, France and Britain were at each other’s throats in the Seven Years War and “the Great Ox-slaying city of Cork” emerged as the Royal Navy’s preferred supplier for beef, pork and butter.

So where’s the beef now? Let me take you on a lunch-time tour of the city and check out what is on offer. Some terrific beef-based dishes in Liberty Grill, Market Lane, Nua Asador, Oliver Plunkett, On The Pig's Back, Sketch at The Imperial and Woodside Farm, Bella Napoli and L'Atitude 51and all were enjoyed over the past few months.

We’re starting with a beauty at Liberty Grill on Washington Street: a seared beef salad (vodka and chilli marinated fillet strips, chargrilled on leaves with balsamic onions, rustic potatoes, red peppers and toasted pecans) was outstanding, a highlight being the palate pleasing combination of the meat and balsamic onions. A terrific dish for €15.50.

Market Lane: Korean bulgogi steak sandwich
Dec 2022

Now (a different day, of course!), it is the turn of Market Lane and their superb Korean bulgogi steak sandwich on sourdough baguette, chilli, sesame and soy marinade, carrots, spring onions, lime mayo and with a helping of excellent house chips (€16.90). The marinade is key here and the kitchen certainly did it well and the meat was top quality; the sourdough was moistened as well and they all worked so well together, enhanced by the crunch of carrot strips and the onions, the salad leaves and those very tasty fries. A terrific dish and well priced.

Picanha Steak by Nua Asador May 2022

We make a visit to the Marina Market and the Nua Asador stall where Chef Victor Franca, in partnership with Tom Durcan Meats, serves up, without gas or electricity, just fire, the best of Irish beef in a Brazilian style. You’ll really enjoy the Picanha Steak with sourdough bread, grilled baby potatoes, chargrilled onions, Farofa, and Chimichurri Sauce (13.00).

Oliver Plunkett's Seared Steak Sandwich July 2022

It was a visit to the Oliver Plunkett that started me on this beef trail. Here’s why: Seared Steak Sandwich was worth every cent of the €18.95. Four generous slices of beef wrapped in Garlic Ciabatta, with a red onion and Smoky Bacon Jam, Pepper Jack Chips, Brandy Pepper Sauce and a Little Salad.

I wasn’t letting go of this, clinging on until the last bite. It was sensual, an enthralling mix of textures and flavours. The steak was ace,  cooked to perfection and so easy to slice. And then the enhancement, that garlic ciabatta, the onion and the bacon jam. The Brandy Pepper Sauce was another major player on the palate, deeply enticingly enhancing everything else. The salad too was perfect and then those Pepper Jack Chips, cheesy, tasty, delicious.

On the pig's back with Bourguignon Beef Baguette Oct 2022

Next stop is Douglas to visit On the Pig’s Back and enjoy their Bourguignon Beef Baguette: Braised Beef Brisket, Mushrooms, Bacon and Pearl Onions on Toasted Arbutus Baguette with Red Wine Jus. Just five-star lunch-ing, spot-on for the cool day, quite a warming ensemble, robed deliciously in the red wine jus. Love the French touch!

Delicious steak at Sketch Oct 2022

Here we are in Sketch, the bright and airy dining room in the lovely Imperial Hotel, a room where new executive chef Ali Honour is making her mark. There was a group of us and the Steak Sandwich (6oz Sirloin, Onions, Garlic Butter, Focaccia, Lettuce, Tomato, Fries) for  €19.00 proved very popular, ordered by three of the seven adults. The meat and the Focaccia were absolute top notch and all three were well satisfied.

Beautiful! Beef Burger by Woodside Farm Oct 2022

Alphabetically, Woodside Farm is our final destination and they are found every Thursday in Mahon Point Farmers Market (and at other markets on other days). They are perhaps best known for their magnificent free range pork but they also do a highly rated Beef Burger and serve it with relish and salad in a lovely bun, for 8 euro  (if I remember rightly). Superb meat and great value.

All their offerings are cooked and filled in front of you, and there's a chat as well, as the salads and relishes are added. And, if necessary, they even provide a tailor-made insulated envelope to take your purchases back to the office or home.

Bella Napoli Dec 2022

Bella Napoli came up Rigatoni with Ragu Napoletano with six-hour braised beef in an onion and tomato sauce served with rigatoni pasta and bruschetta (17 euro). I hit the jackpot here. This was beautifully cooked, the quality of the beef was top class and plenty of it as was also the case with the ragu. Very happy with this one.

L'Atitude pic Dec 2022

Slow-Braised Beef Cheeks, Celeriac Mash, Spiced Pickled Cranberries (a cool inclusion) was one of the highlights of a recent visit to L'Atitude, a superb dish in an impressively expanded menu and well worthy of inclusion here. More details at https://www.corkbilly.com/2022/12/wine-and-dine-at-latitude-huge-choice.html

* All these dishes enjoyed relatively recently but remember that menus and chefs change.

Marina Market Munch Lights Up Grey Autumn Day

 Marina Market Munch 

Lights Up Grey Autumn Day

Latke with salmon

Q - So, what kind of food can you get in the Marina Market? Why is everyone going there?

A - Oh, you can get all kinds there. Hansum and maybe not so handsome. Sinless and sinful. Messy and brand nua. Deli and delights. Soul and blues…and.

Q - Stop messing. Listen, tell me what cuisines can I sample there?

Okay. No messing. Not too easy to answer though as there’s all kinds of fusion going on. For instance there’s one stall with a French name, Poulet Vous. But on Insta, they say they have Korean Chicken while, on their website it is Bold Nashville style with a Korean twist, so that’s four different nations involved in that small space: Us, US, France and Korea!

The Original by Poulet Vous

Then there is a Sicilian place, a Mexican (Burrito & Blues), Asian with sushi, Brazilian with wood-fired beef, one stall from the Maghreb, and another with Jewish style latkes. Of course, we Irish are well represented with Prátaí!

We’ve sampled quite a few in previous visits, including Nua Asador using wood and fire to give an amazing Latin American makeover to Tom Durcan’s beef. We’ve also enjoyed the fare from Taylor’s Deli (see below), serving Latkes, Jersey Rolls and “the best NY subs you can find”.  

In the earlier days we went to town on two offerings from the Wild Hogs (no longer operating here), enjoyed their pig-fest in a bun, the “Ze Octoberfest”, plus their West Cork Gourmet Sausage Bap.

White Rabbit Menu

Another visit saw us at Sicilian Delights and there we got their sensational Parmigiana. It consists of shallow fried sliced aubergine with tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, then baked. We combined that with a call to Prátaí for their Nacho Fries, a base of fries topped with Bean Chilli, guacamole, Salsa and Sour Cream, one of their Loaded Chips specials. Olé.

Our visit last week began with a call to Taylor’s truck. They, and Soulful, are somewhat unlucky with their placement as their wagons are parked outside the main hall, just outside but you could easily miss them in Autumn and Winter, easier to spot though in the other seasons when many people decide to eat on the outside tables.

We wanted to try their potato pancakes called Latkes. They had three or four versions and the one we picked was “Fish In The Jailhouse": 3x Potato Pancakes, Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese & Chive. The pancakes, a bit like the Swiss rosti, can take a bit of time as they do everything from scratch but soon we ended up with a delightful box of pancakes and smoked salmon for 8 euro.

Part of the Egg menu

Our normal practice here is to share and that is not that easy with many of the meals. They are well packed into their containers and the wooden forks and knives aren’t up to much. So, the tip is to bring an old knife from home to do the dividing and it may be no harm either to bring a small plate or two! Might be easier to get one meal each.

Mostly though you’ll get by with what the vendors supply and they certainly draw in the punters. We were there last Tuesday and there was no shortage of customers, customers of all ages. And if you have a baby in tow, then there are a few baby seats around the place.

More Egg!

Our other call on this visit was to "multi-national" Poulet Vous and we could see from the menu that it looked like Korean all the way, not that I know much about Korean food other than kimchi! 

They promise: you won’t find our flavours and colours anywhere else! We serve it all hot, fresh and in a format that’s affordable and comfortable for urban Corkonians to enjoy. They highlight four on their website.

KOREOLE

House Fried Chicken, Fries Kimchi Mayo House Pickles in a Golden Pitta

GOCHUJANG CHICKEN TENDERS

Sweet & Spicy Signature Fried Chicken Tenders

KFC BAO BUNS

Korean Fried Chicken, Kimchi Slaw, Pickles

WINGS

Honey Soy Garlic Maple Hoisin Gochujang

All interesting, though I usually steer clear of BAO buns as they themselves are fairly tasteless. Of course it is what’s in them that counts.

Trick or treat? Poulet Vous.

Anyway, we picked the top item on the menu called The Original: Korean Fried Chicken, fries, Kimchi Mayo, Shredduce (what language is that?😉) and house pickles in a golden pitta bread with sesame and chive. Not easy to make two halves of that! But it was well worthwhile, full of flavour and texture and nicely spiced as well. 

They also had an offer to make a dinner of any of their mains by adding fries and a drink for another four euro. And they don’t forget the kids with a box of Fried Chicken pieces with fries for €6.50.

Took the opportunity to do a walkabout or two and found a few menus that will result in another visit to the food market that keeps on giving!

Previous visits

Featuring Wild Hogs Food Truck 

Featuring Taylor’s Deli and Nua Asador 

Featuring Sicilian Delights and Prátaí 

Bad News...and Good

Just as I was wrapping up this post, Taylor's Deli were posting some bad news.

"We have made the very difficult decision to close our doors after this Bank Holiday Weekend.

The rising cost of everything has made it unviable for us to remain open without drastically increasing our prices which we don't want to do

We want to extend a massive thank you to all our customers who Made It Rain and kept a smile on our faces 😊 and to our amazing local suppliers
@panabreadcork
@carthyjack
@rebelchilli
@eastferryfarm
@buddswestcork"

Hopefully Taylor's will find a way back.. I still have a lot of their subs and Latkes to try! Best of luck to you all.

Almost at the same time, Marina Market announced the opening of a new stall....

"Introducing Charcú 🍷

The first wine, cheese and meat bar in the Marina Market and just in time for Jazz 🎷

Try Cork's most unique new bar in a one of kind venue.... Delicious meats and cheese sourced locally and the finest wine this side of the Lee."

.

Marina Market food vouchers to be won at Dad Rocks event!

Dad Rocks Family Fun Day celebrating Dads and Father Figures Everywhere is heading to the Marina Market this Father’s Day June 19^th

 

The inaugural Dad Rocks Family Fun Day comes to the Marina Market this Father’s Day, Sunday 19^th June, presented by Eventi Management and funded by the Local Live Performance Programming Scheme Phase III and supported by Cork City Council’s Sports and Sustainability Section. The Dad Rocks Family Fun Day is a day celebrating all things  father figures on Father’s Day – rock and funk sounds, dad jokes, air guitars and more to beat the band! Here's to the Dads!

 

Director of Eventi Management, Sinéad Dunphy said, “Dad Rocks is a true celebration of dads and father figures everywhere and promises entertainment and fun for all the family.  We invite everyone to bring their dads, moms, grandads, grandmas, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and any other father figure in their life to come and enjoy their dedicated day with music, food and fun. We have a jam packed schedule for the day so there really is something for every kind of dad!”

 

The day of dad fun includes a raucous line-up of DJ Ian Richards, King K, One Horse Pony, Quangodelic, Harvey K and the Wrecking Crew, playing all your favourite classics on our outdoor music stage. The day will be filled with fun antics including Best Dad Jokes Competition hosted by the hilariously pompous dad of the year (!!) Reggie from the Blackrock Road, an Air Guitar Competition and a DIY Dad Obstacle Course that will put dad skills to the ultimate test in a race against the clock!

 

Reggie, from the Blackrock Road and a dad himself, noted, “I'm no stranger to Dad humour. My own father pretended that we were moving to Ballinlough once, he thought it was hilarious. The prize will go to whoever can give me a belly laugh and 200 quid in used fivers. See you in Marina Market!”

 

You can prep your best joke on air with REDFM’s Philip Burke in the run up to the big day on June 19^th. 

 

With many more surprises in store, grab all the dads in your life for fatherly frolics through the Marina Market this Father’s Day! Dad Rocks runs from 1pm – 8pm and entry is completely free!

1  Dad Rocks is an original event produced by Eventi Management and funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media by way of the Local Live Performance Scheme Phase III. 

 

2  REDFM are official media partners with a dad joke competition on air with the Philip Burke show every day from the week of the 13^th, and prizes in the form of Marina Market food vouchers will be given.

 

3  Marina Market are the official venue partners of the event. 

media release

Sicilian Parmigiana and Irish spuds the highlights of Marina Market visit

Sicilian Parmigiana and Irish spuds the highlights at Marina Market

Sicilian Parmigiana and Irish spuds were the highlights of our most recent visit to the Marina Market. The first came from Dario’s “Sicilian Delights” while the second was provided by Prátaí.

Dario Di Giandomenico is the driving force behind Sicilian Delights who also have a cafe on Magazine Road. He confesses to being a “perfectionist by nature” and that certainly shows in the absolutely delicious Parmigiana. It consists of shallow fried sliced aubergine with tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, then baked. Sicily is one of the southern regions claiming the origin of Parmigiana!

Two stages but fairly simple, yet simply superb. Quite an amazing experience for just eight euro. We just tucked into it, lots of oohs and aah, until the little beauty, with its incredible sauce, had totally vanished from its container. Then, we spoke properly!

You may taste more of these full bodied authentic Sicilian flavours at their market stall, including three versions of Tagliatelle, two versions of Fusilli (one spicy), plus Gnocchi Mushroom and Gnocchi Pesto, each around the eight euro mark. Well, worth a visit.

Read all about Sicilian Delights here, 

Tel: (083) 828 8014 |  Email: siciliandelights@gmail.com

*****

Prátaí

Prátaí mission statement: “Main aim is to celebrate such humble product and giving it a bit of a twist. It will be Baked - Coal Roasted - Smoked. Bringing Best of Irish Potatoes. Fresh cut Chips and Baked Spuds with seasonal toppings."

And they do it, with some style!

Our introduction came via the 10-euro Nacho Fries, vegetarian as it turned out. The base of the container, a generous sized one, is packed with fries and then loaded with Bean Chilli, guacamole, Salsa and Sour Cream. A delightful, slightly spicy, flavoursome package of different colours, tastes and textures and enough to keep you going for the rest of the day. A genuine big thumbs up for this one!

It comes under the Loaded Chips heading on the menu board. Other options in this section include Pulled Pork (Cajun Pork, Zesty Red Slaw, Crispy Onion) and Funky Shroom (Mushroom, Fresh Parsley, Chorizo and Mild Cheddar). Or maybe you’d fancy Crispy Duck (Malaysian Curry, Red Slaw, and Spring Onion).

Another section is headed Baked Potatoes (all spuds come buttered and with cheese). Here you may have Irish (Buttered cabbage, bacon, dill); BBQ Beef (corn, crispy onion, red slaw); Mexican (Bean Chilli, Crispy Jelapenos, Sour cream)

And more.

The basic section is Chips In Cone. Lots of choice here as regards sauces for your chips, cold such as Garlic, Samura and Chic A Fila or hot like Malaysian Curry.  No shortage of toppings either, Bacon Lardons, Chorizo, Parmesan shavings, and crushed cashews among them.

Best thing to do is to visit and check it out for yourself! They are there every day. More details on their Facebook here.  

Time for a coffee?

A Local and Multinational Feast at Cork's Marina Market

A Local and Multinational Feast

 at Cork's Marina Market

Taylor's New Jersey Roll

You walk past a tall concrete silo into an old warehouse on Cork Docklands. The area has seen better days but rarely better food. 

For this warehouse is full of food stalls and is the base of the thriving Marina Market where influences from as far away as Brazil and Sicily, from East Coast US and Korea, are seen at their delicious best in a variety of dishes, big and small. Of course there is a large local input too, beef from Tom Durcan and spuds in many guises by Prátaí for example.

Languages galore as well. Aside from the spuds,here are a few random samples from the menus: Nua Asador, Fusilli Amatriciana, Latke, Carnitas, Funky Shoom, Koreole, and more. Might have to re-christen that silo Tower of Babel. But you don’t have to worry about the languages. Just get the food into your mouth where no translation is needed! And enjoy.

Picanha Steak by Nua Asador

I started this visit with a call to two stalls from the many that were operating in midweek. First up was the Nua Asador looking rather splendid with the wood fire blazing away in the rear, the whole operation lit by vintage lights (by James Gibbons Electrical). 

Here Chef Victor Franca, in partnership with Tom Durcan Meats, serves up, without gas or electricity, the best of Irish beef in a Brazilian style. You’ll also get chicken and pork here and there’s a daily special. They are open Mon - Sun from 12pm.

The menu appears on a long board, you give your order, pay and then wait for a few minutes for it to be cooked. I couldn’t resist the Picanha Steak with sourdough bread, grilled baby potatoes, chargrilled onions, Farofa, and Chimichurri Sauce (13.00).

Dine out

This is a tender traditional Brazilian rump cut steak, served in a cardboard container on a bed of potatoes, a generous amount of the sauce and that tasty Farofa (a traditional Brazilian side dish made with toasted yuca flour/cassava flour). The steak is a winner for sure and very highly recommended. It reminded me of a phrase from James Joyce in Portrait of a Young Man: "Stuff it into you, his belly counselled him." 

Must call back soon to try some of the other items on the menu. And the same goes for our other call, that to is to Taylor’s of Cork, specialising in New Jersey Rolls, New York Subs and Latke Dishes. Latke are little pancakes with a huge tradition - I'll be checking them out next time.

This time we picked the most popular dish of the day, one of the New Jersey rolls, this called “Make it Rain”. For €8.00 you get Taylor’s Bacon slices, Latke, Cheese, Fried Egg and House Hot Sauce (other sauce options available). The fried egg by the way is runny in all three Jersey Rolls, the others called Sight for Sore Eyes and Lord I’ve Been Changed.

A superb lunch feed, made even better by the fact that we could eat outside in the hot April sun; full of flavour and textures and very enjoyable, even with the messy egg! Taylor's Deli at the market is open seven days a week from 9.00am.

Plenty of soft drinks and water available at the various stalls which also include Sicilian Delights, Prátaí, Poulet Vous, Burritos & Blues, Alchemy for coffee and bites, and many more. There’s even a baby shop here. And you may also get your hair cut. Many reasons to go back to the Marina Market.

Dine in

Wild Hogs Food Truck and the Marina Market

Wild Hogs Food Truck and the Marina Market

Met Eireann are forecasting sunny weather for the next few days, the kind of weather that will tempt many down to the Marina and a visit to the market there. I did just that last Wednesday and I can tell you no dinner was needed that evening as the "Ze Octoberfest" (on the right below) was all the fuel that was needed until the following morning. The one on the left, The West Cork Gourmet Sausage Bap, was CL's choice, another winner.

Two specials from the Wild Hogs Food truck    

The Marina Market

"Cork's new weekend food and craft market. Check out our social media pages for all updates. Meanwhile Guji Coffee Bar and Wild Hogs Food Truck open every day, plus extra stalls every weekend!"

The paragraph above comes from the market's website but the set-up time-wise seems quite flexible. Not alone were Wilds Hogs and Guji Coffee doing brisk business when I called last Wednesday but there quite a few other food stalls open, including the likes of Ardsallagh Cheese,  Bufalina, Burnt Pizza,  The Sultan and Young Plant Superfoods. There are a few grassy banks around and people were taking the sun and enjoying their grub there. Guji are outside the building on the Centre Park Road side. When we looked inside, we could see nothing in the "cavern" from the door. But don't back away - the midweek stalls are down at the far end! More info on the market's Facebook page here. Regular updates too on the Wild Hogs page here. By the way, the weekend stalls feature much more than food. Be prepared to be surprised!

The Ardsallagh menu

Chef Richard Milnes is the man behind the Wild Hogs truck
and he uses local pork from the Allshire family farm in Rosscarbery

Tempting stuff from the East Cork goats cheese producer.

Quite a selection of pizzas here

Lots of room in this huge building. Expect it to be busier at the weekend. It is an easy walk from
the City Hall. If you are coming by car, continue on down the quay and you'll find a
large parking area at the back of the market.