Richy's "No Menu" Night. Huge Success

Richy's "No Menu" Night. Huge Success

Richy Virahsawmy is a happy man this weekend. "The first no menu night was a huge

success, full house !! Thank you all. The next one is on 14/11/2019. Bookings open now!!"

Now wonder it went down well  in the Clonakilty restaurant - just look at these pictures of

 the wonderful dishes created by Richy's Head Chef Meeran Gani Manzoor. You can see

 that this talented guy has learned well from his time spent working in

 Michelin starred restaurants.

House cured salmon with Turmeric, lemongrass & gin, lime fraiche, apple & cucumber gel, wasabi pearls, lemon oil, fermented rice crisps! 

Pumpkin and pink peppercorn brûlée, goats curd, sage and pistachio

Scallops, cauliflower poriyal, tamarind & palm sugar glaze.

Duck, celeriac, red cabbage, carrot and hazelnut 

Chocolate & coffee

Sligo Food Trail launches sizzling Taste The Island calendar

press release

Sligo Food Trail launches sizzling Taste The Island calendar

Pictured at the launch of Sligo Food Trail’s calendar for Taste The Island were (l-r)
Back: Hans & Gaby Wieland, Chef Marc Gallagher, Niall Tracey (Director of Marketing, Fáilte Ireland), Carolanne Rushe, Chef Joe McGlynn, Neil Byrne
Front: Anthony Gray, Prannie Rhatigan, Cllr. Marie Casserly (Chair Sligo Food Trail), Coeurine Murray, John Neary (Wild Atlantic Way, Fáilte Ireland)

 Sligo Food Trail officially launched a compelling autumn calendar packed with Taste The Island events at Sligo Oyster Experience on Tuesday 10^th September 2019. The new Fáilte Ireland Taste The Island programme, celebrating Ireland’s seasonal ingredients, adventurous tastes and bold experiences, dovetails perfectly with Sligo Food Trail experiences. Network members have produced some really creative and attractive food-related events, with the Sligo Food Trail Harvest Feast on Friday 18^th October as the showcase event.

Speaking at the launch, Niall Tracey, Director of Marketing with Fáilte Ireland, said “Initially Taste The Island is targeting places easily reached by the visitor. In year 1 the focus is on domestic visitors from places like Donegal, Dublin or Longford. The second year will target international destinations with direct access from Knock.” He spoke about the Sligo specific promotion, saying, “There are two Sligo specific promotions this year – at the end of August and the end of September. This includes five half page ads in national papers as well as social media and radio campaigns”.

The full Taste The Island programme includes more than 700 food and drink-related events and experiences across the country. Taste the Island Sligo style is an eclectic combination tasting, trying, making and learning including sushi and seaweed, a tapas trail, food tours, farm to fork, fermented foods and Japanese Kaiseki. It comprehensively covers all five pillars designated by Fáilte Ireland: Taste of Place, Meet the Maker, Make it Yourself, Trails and Networks Festivals and Events

Marie Casserly, Chair of Sligo Food Trail spoke about Sligo Food Trail’s Taste The Island events, saying, “Sligo Food Trail is proud to spearhead Taste the Island programme in Sligo. During the 12 week Taste The Island campaign this year Sligo Food Trails has created 30 events. Collaboration is key for all these experiences. We have the people, the passion and the produce to make Sligo a leading food destination”.

Meet the Maker video seriesSligo Food Trail premiered the first of their Meet the Maker video series on the launch night and network member Couerine Murray of food producer Murson Farm introduced it to the audience. The inaugural video features Carrow Coffee Roasters from Beltra. Husband and wife team Andrew and Paola Willis were inspired by a four year stint in Colombia to launch their own coffee roasting business.

Full details of all the Sligo Food Trail events for Taste The Island are available on the website www.sligofoodtrail.ie

Sligo Food Trail launch flagship Taste The Island event

press release

Sligo Food Trail launch flagship Taste The Island event

 

Sligo Food Trail chefs and producers taking part in the Harvest Feast include: Back (l-r): Alan Fitzmaurice (The Glasshouse), Marcin Szczodrowski (Eala Bhán Restaurant) and Yvonne Kathrein (Waterfront House Hotel). Front: Prannie Rhatigan (Irish Seaweed Kitchen), Joe Shannon (Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa), and Aisling Kelly (Sligo Oyster Experience at WB's)

Sligo Food Trail is delighted to announce their flagship event, the Harvest Feast which takes place on Friday 18^th October 2019. This significant gastronomic event is part of Taste The Island, the international Fáilte Ireland initiative. Sligo Food Trail Harvest Feast consists of a sumptuous nine course tasting menu, each specially created by one of Sligo’s top chefs collaborating with artisan producers. The gala banquet will take place at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa and numbers are strictly limited. MC for the evening will be RTE celebrity chef Shane Smith.

 

“Sligo Food Trail is proud to present Harvest Feast 2019”, said Marie Casserly, Chairperson of Sligo Food Trail, “This is an opportunity to showcase both the enormously talented chefs and also the remarkable artisan producers we have on Sligo Food Trail. The combination is truly electric and we guarantee another outstanding event”.

The combination of award winning chefs and the best of local produce is a real winner. Anyone lucky enough to be at the Harvest Feast 2017 was bowled over by the incredibly high standard of dishes presented. And those dishes just kept on coming – nine delicious courses, competing for attention. Harvest Feast 2019 will be equally thrilling for the taste buds.

“It was such a wonderful experience for everyone involved, we just had to do it again. The chefs love the unusual experience of working together and celebrating the wonderful artisan producers on Sligo Food Trail”, said Anthony Gray, of Sligo Food Trail, “We are so proud of all of our achievements and have put Sligo on the world culinary map with hard work and dedication from all involved”.

The Harvest Feast isn’t just an outstanding dining experience; it is an outstanding event on the Sligo social calendar. From the Canapé, Craft Beer and Drinks reception at the beginning of the evening to the live music throughout, this is a glittering affair in every way.

The chefs involved are a truly outstandingly talented group, many are award winning and all are true ambassadors for food in the northwest. They are keeping the menu a closely guarded secret until the night itself, but we can introduce you to the award winning chefs:

Joe Shannon (Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa)

Well known TV3 personality chef who has cooked for all kinds of personalities including Hillary Clinton.

Marcin Szczodrowski (Eala Bhán Restaurant)

Talented Polish born chef with a penchant for classical French cuisine. Marcin revels in creating culinary masterpieces with top quality ingredients sourced in the northwest.

Alan Fitzmaurice (The Glasshouse)

Chef, chocolatier and dedicated forager who loves to take classical dishes and add his own contemporary twist.

Joe McGlynn (Hooked)

Donegal born Joe is head chef at Anthony Gray’s eclectic Hooked restaurant.

Marc Gallagher (Sligo Wellness Centre)

A leading light on the thriving Sligo organic food scene.

Yvonne Kathrein (Waterfront House Hotel)

Originally from Austria, Yvonne has a passion for seafood, artisan foods and local suppliers which is strongly reflected in her menus.

Chris Friel (Sligo Park Hotel)For Chris, being a chef is a true vocation and classical training an essential.

Representing the artisan aspect of Sligo Food Trail, courses will also be presented by Neil Byrne (Mamma Johnston’s) and Aisling Kelly (Sligo Oyster Experience at WB’s).

Tickets are just €75 each and can be booked online at www.sligofoodtrail.ie, by contacting Marie Casserly (086 3182529) or calling to Hooked, the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, WBs Coffee Shop, Ósta Café and Wine Bar or Sweet Beat. A special overnight rate of €109 single and €119 double is available, just quote Sligo Food Trail Harvest Feast when booking.

Killorglin's Kingdom 1795. Up and Running

Killorglin's Kingdom 1795. Up and Running.

House Focaccia with Toonsbridge Mozzarella, Piquillo Pepper, Tomato and Basil.

This is Chef Damien Ring's take on the more usual Caprese salad. 

Simple and simply delicious and excellent value too at €7.85.

 Buttermilk fried chicken on a blaa, smoked tomato, Coolea cheese, harissa mayo, is another of Damien's 

lunch-time dishes, another superb combination. You don't often see a Blaa in Kerry. 

Just €8.00, again excellent value in this impressive new restaurant

Looks great outside, even better inside. You'll find it on the corner of Main Street
and Market Street. Kingdom is well worth a visit.

You'll find many variations of Tiramisu in Ireland and many will fall short against this beauty from the kitchen
 of Kingdom 1795. The building once housed the Kingdom Bar and the leasing records start in 1795.

Restaurant manager Suzi and Chef Damien are the young couple behind this impressive new restaurant in the middle of Killorglin, County Kerry. The pic (right) gives you an idea of the amazing design and you may see more here.  The food though is the main thing and the only way to check that out is to make a dinner reservation and get in there! Best of luck to the couple who honed their skills over the past three years in the lovely Screebe House in Connemara.


Kingdom 1795

Main Street
Killorglin, Co. Kerry V93XED7

(066) 979 6527

Also on this trip: Malarkey in Killarney

Tasting Malarkey's at Rebel O'Connell's New Kingdom Base

Tasting Malarkey's at Rebel O'Connell's New Kingdom Base. 

Amazingly substantial 6th course of Tasting menu; amazingly delicious too!

It’s hot in the kitchen at Malarkey, the Killarney restaurant just opened by chef-patron Seamus O’Connell, best known for his years of good food, fun and frustration in Cork’s Ivory Tower. 

Pilsner from 9 White Deer

Service is in full swing. Probably just as well the restaurant, with its eye-catching decor both upstairs and downstairs, is not packed. The staff are extra busy though because they are also showing their new beer garden to the trade in Killarney and serving boxty and bubbles to their many guests.

After a superb meal, I take up an invite from one of the staff to have a look out back and am surprised at the overall size of the premises that Seamus has taken on and at how much work has already been done here.

Before I go, I get a chance to saw hello and have a brief word with the man himself. And he tells me that his biggest problem in these early months is the lack of staff, especially chefs. Seamus himself just has to work harder but there is no sign of the kitchen pressure on the plates. We have just enjoyed a superb 7-course Tasting Menu.

Choices are amazing here. Our Tasting Menu (Tasting Malarkey) is €50.00 each and he has a different Tasting Menu (Fusion De Luxe) priced at €70.00. There is a set menu (with lots of choice) for what seems good value at €30.00. And if you really want choice, just take a look at the A La Carte where you’ll have to allow extra time to make decisions; there are no less than 19 starters listed, including four of boxty.

Wild Salmon cured with Alder smoked salt in herbs

Wood pigeon, with beetroot

The finalé at Killarney's Malarkey. Toffee Apple crumble with smoked treacle ice-cream.

Nettle and Knotweed Soup (duck and orange centrepiece)

Crubeens with smoky onion poitín

Halibut with lobster sauce. And it is, but there’s some delicious bits of bacon and cabbage as well.

Local Producers Shine as Cask Introduces Weekend Brunch

Local Producers Shine as Cask Introduces Weekend Brunch

French Toast

When Cork’s Cask recently introduced its weekend Brunch, there was no doubt that it would be local and seasonal. Head Chef Bryan McCarthy emphasised it in the notice: “For the brunch menu at Cask we wanted to keep it simple, offering no-frills brunch favourites with the focus firmly on the quality of the ingredients which we’ve sourced from some wonderful local producers. We’re delighted with how it has turned out and we think people are going to love it.”

I tried it out this weekend, enjoyed it and delighted too that Killahora Orchards, a producer just about five miles east of the city, figured so much in my choice. I should say choices as there was a cocktail involved as well! Well, it was a late brunch.

The menu is short, with favourites, such as Eggs Benedict featuring. Seated by the window, we ignored the busy street scene outside and studied the options. My choice was the French Toast with the Killahora Apple Syrup and Strawberries (bananas were an alternative).

So what cocktail? You have to smile at the names here but there is something a little more serious behind the one I picked: Bee Positive. Ketel One vodka, Killahora Rare Apple Iced Wine, Suze, Borage and local honey are the ingredients. And it comes with a packet of wildflower seeds to throw and grow! Aside from the needed nod to the bees, the drink itself is delicious, nectar springs to mind! 

In any event, the drink and the superb French Toast went very well together, I’m glad to report. CL meantime was enjoying her substantial plate of Avocado, Bacon, Tomato, Rocket, and Poached Egg on toast. That too was delicious, quite a feed. I know, as we swapped halfway through.

Like an increasing number of places, Cask offer a non alcoholic cocktail. Their Shrub consists of Ceders Non Alcoholic Spirit, Seasonal Shrub, and Poachers Ginger Ale. Tonic and soda are listed as alternatives but Dan, who was looking after us, hinted that the Poachers Ginger ale was just the job and he was talking to the converted as CL had recently enjoyed a cocktail with ginger ale in Kerry. This didn’t look all that spectacular, just the one flowerhead, providing colour, but it tasted very well indeed.

Cheers to the bees

Andy Ferreira, Cask bar manager and chief mixologist. “In recent years brunch as a concept has really taken off so we were excited to introduce it to Cask, but making sure to put our own unique spin on things. We’ve combined delicious food and a fun and intriguing drinks menu with the great craic that we’ve become known for - a killer combination!”

Having been asked to put it to the test, we can endorse that! Also on the menu are Eggs Benedict on Toasted Honey Spelt Bread; Potato, Black Pudding and Beef Hash with Baked Eggs. Lighter dining options include Granola with Natural Yogurt and Berry Compote, and Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs and Chives.

Brunch is available here from 10:00am - 3:00pm every Saturday and Sunday. Cask is also open daily for lunch and dinner from 12:30pm - 10:00pm. 

Cask

48 MacCurtain Street

Cork

Tel:  (021) 450 0011

Ballycotton's Pier 26. A Natural for Fish!

Ballycotton's Pier 26. A Natural for Fish!

These delicious Crab Claws came with Garlic Butter and Organic Leaves. I think I've have preferred it if the claws hadn't been released from the shell. But they had and I missed that little bit of a tussle! Better outcome though than last year in a West Cork dining room when they came entire and I was presented with a plastic hammer!

In Ballycotton's excellent Pier 26 restaurant, head chef Colin Hennessy can't write the menu (at least the fish part) until the boats come in at the pier below. Only then does he know what he has to work with and that is why you'll find most of the fish dishes on the Specials Board. There is a lovely bar alongside, even a handful of rooms, all now under the Pier 26 name.

We were there recently - be sure and book before you go - and enjoyed our meal from start to finish. Fish, of course dominated, at least until the desserts!

We started with a couple of aperitifs. I enjoyed my Kir as I looked out the large window in front of me towards the island and its lighthouse. If you are in the inner room, you'll miss that view. CL had her back to the water as she concentrated on her Pimm's (left).

Fresh Crab with pickled gooseberries and organic leaves. An unusual combination but another excellent starter.

Roast Fillet of Hake, summer greens and pickled fennel. Just perfect. By the way, you get some fabulous sides here as well including Buttered Mash, Skinny Fries,  Buttered Summer Greens, John Kennefick's British Queens, Truffle Aioli and Parmesan Fries...

John Dory is a favourite here. This winner is served with Purple Broccoli, Heritage tomatoes and the combination with that seafood bisque is hard to beat.

No fishy dessert, that I know of. This flower enhanced Pavlova with fresh strawberries, blackberries, poached apricots and Chantilly Cream (and a bit of rhubarb too) was a beauty while the Raspberry Soufflé with white chocolate ice cream (below) was just the ticket to finish off an excellent meal.

Next time I'm down, I may well try this Seafood Platter. What do you think?