Rising Tide’s Special for Fish

Rising Tide’s Special for Fish

Bream

The Rising Tide’s menu caters for most tastes but, if your taste is for fish, your luck is in at this picturesquely situated Glounthaune venue. You can have your steak, your corn fed chicken, your pasta but do check out the blackboard as the chefs here take a great pride in their specials and more than likely, these will be fish and appropriately so, considering the harbourside location of Sandra Murphy’s bar cum restaurant, a long established favourite for both locals and visitors.

We, both of us with a big grá for fish, were in luck when we called in midweek as the board featured two tempting fish specials, one for each of us! Not that there was any shortage of fish on the general menu. We could have had fish and chips two ways,  and there was also hake, cod and a fish pie, not to mention the regular mussels and oysters dishes.

I went for the Pan-fried King scallops with char-grilled aubergine and fresh salsa. Don't think I’ve ever had the scallop-aubergine combination before but it was a fantastic tasty mix, an appealing pairing by the Rising Tide chefs and so well presented.

Scallops, aubergine

I don't think I really needed anything else with it but there was no shortage on the sides with, between the two of us, salad, vegetables, and french fries all available. CL’s main dish was another well executed gem: Grilled sea-bream fillets set on a basil and goats cheese risotto. The risotto was lovely on its own and also a superb match with the well cooked fish. Big compliments to Head Chef Craig Guiney.

Quite an enticing list of starters here too, including Chowder, Crab, Goat’s Cheese, and Prawns, all sourced locally, as are the ingredients for the main dishes.  

After enjoying the breads and dips, I tucked into my opening dish. This was a delicate delicious starter: Lemongrass and Honey Chicken, cooked in a parma ham cream sauce in a savoury tartlet. CL got a bit more than she bargained for with two big discs of Jack McCarthy Wild Boar Black Pudding. Served with cider apple and seasonal leaves, this was a flavoursome reminder as to why McCarthy’s black pudding is regarded as the best in the country.

Black pudding and, top: Chicken starter (right) and dessert (Lemon & Figs)

By the time the main courses were polished off, a debate started on the desserts and the final agreement was to share the Lemon and Fig Posset and this, so velvety and so smooth, proved to be another little beauty from the Rising Tide kitchen.

Being a full bar, there is a great variety of drinks here. I enjoyed my pint of Rebel Red from the Franciscan Well while CL was very happy with a glass of Santa Sofia Pinot Grigio, billed, rather truthfully,  as “much richer and full bodied than your average Pinot Grigio”.

The Rising Tide

• Glounthaune Village,
• Cork

  Phone	(021) 435 3233
  Email	sandra@therisingtide.ie
  Website	http://www.therisingtide.ie

Michelin's Best Pubs to eat in. And a few of my own!

Seafood platter at the Seaview Tavern in Malin.

The Michelin ‘eating out in pubs’ guide

Thirty-four Irish pubs spread across fifteen counties have secured listings in the 2014 Michelin ‘Eating Out In Pubs’ Guide just published. 

Is that too many? Too few? What do you think? Perhaps we have too many listings of the best this and the best that! Still, that won’t stop me from adding a few of my own, in red at the bottom! I ate in all of my recommendations this year.

By the way, I’m not saying that any of those listed shouldn’t be there. Don’t know them all obviously but I have enjoyed the high standards in places such as the Wild Honey Inn in Lisdoonvarna and Cronin’s in Crosshaven.

Hake & Scallops lunch in Murph's

Of the twenty-seven pubs in the Republic of Ireland, five are new listings – Byrne and Woods (Roundwood), Tavern (Murrisk), Fallon’s (Kilcullen), Linnane’s Lobster Bar (New Quay) and Morrissey’s (Doonbeg). Three received Inspector’s Favourite listings – Wild Honey Inn (Lisdoonvarna), Deasy’s (Clonakilty) and Toddy’s at The Bulman (Kinsale).

Produced by leading tyre manufacturer Michelin, this year’s Guide recommends some 577 pubs spread across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland of which 70 are new entries and all of which are selected, first and foremost, for the quality of their food.

Noting that no one has to put up with bad food in a pub anymore, editor Rebecca Burr said that all pubs listed in the Guide have been “rigorously inspected” by a team of full-time inspectors – the same team who produce the famed Michelin Great Britain & Ireland restaurant guide.

The Michelin ‘Eating Out In Pubs’ Guide 2014 is now available in bookshops and online priced at EUR14.99.

The full list of 2014 Michelin ‘Eating Out In Pubs’ Guide listings for Ireland is:
 
DOWN (7)
Pheasant (Annahilt), Coyle’s (Bangor), Lisbarnett House (Comber), Grace Neill’s and Pier 36 (both in Donaghadee) and The Parson’s Nose and The Plough Inn (both in Hillsborough)

CORK (6)
Mary Ann’s (Castletownshend), Poacher’s Inn (Bandon), An Súgan and Deasy’s (Clonakilty), Cronin’s (Crosshaven) and Toddies at The Bulman (Kinsale).

CLARE (4)
Morrissey’s (Doonbeg), Vaughan’s Anchor Inn (Liscannor), Wild Honey Inn (Lisdoonvarna) and Linnane’s Lobster Bar (New Quay)

MAYO (3)
Crockets on the Quay (Ballina), The Tavern (Murrisk) and Sheebeen (Westport)

GALWAY (2)
Moran’s Oyster Cottage (Kilcolgan) and O’Dowd’s (Roundstone)

KERRY (2)
O’Neill’s Seafood Bar and QC’s (both in Caherciveen)

KILDARE (2)
Ballymore Inn (Ballymore Eustace) and Fallon’s (Kilcullen)

DUBLIN (1)
Chop House (Ballsbridge)

LEITRIM (1)
Oarsman (Carrick-on-Shannon)

LOUTH (1)
Fitzpatrick’s (Jenkinstown)

SLIGO (1)
Hargadons (O’Connell Street, Sligo)

TIPPERARY (1)
Larkin’s (Garrykennedy)

WESTMEATH (1)
Fatted Calf (Glasson)

WEXFORD (1)
Lobster Pot (Carne)

WICKLOW (1)
Byrne & Woods (Roundwood)

My Tuppence Worth

Donegal

SeaviewTavern  in Malin Head Village.

Olde Glen Bar in Carrickart.

Mayo

The Market Kitchen at Murphy Brothers Bar (Ballina)

Kerry

An Canteen (Dingle)

Cork

Blair’s Inn (Cloghroe)

The Rising Tide (Glounthaune)

Murph’s (East Ferry)

Charlie Mac’s (Fermoy)

Annie’s (Sunday’s Well)

Woodford (Paul Street, Cork)

Rising Tide Tops in Munster

The Rising Tide Cork awarded ‘Best Restaurant in Munster’
in Good Eating Guide to Ireland

Pictured from left were Sandra Murphy, Rising Tide, Diane O'Sullivan, Fota Resort and  Eileen and Michael Fleming, Flemings 

The Rising Tide in Glounthaune, Cork, picked up the prestigious title of ‘Best Restaurant in Munster’ in the ‘Good Eating Guide to Ireland’ at an event in Dublin that was attended by restaurateurs, food critics and foodies from all over Ireland on Monday 11 June.

The restaurant is quoted as being a secluded sanctuary just 10 minutes from Cork city centre, with some of the best seafood in the region and breath-taking views.   The owner Sandra Murphy brought nationwide attention to the family business during her time on TV3’s The Apprentice, and it has enjoyed further fame from celebrity visits, including Lady Gaga.

Commenting on the win, Sandra Murphy said, “We are over the moon at winning such an esteemed title.  It’s a challenging time for the industry, so we are delighted to see that our hard work, ethos of only sourcing the highest quality local produce, and recognition that customers are looking for value for money and something a little different, is paying off”.

A well established diners’ reference, the 96 page Good Eating Guide to Ireland features over 250 hotels, restaurants and public house eating establishments in virtually every county in Ireland.  45,000 copies have been printed and are available at any of the Guide’s featured hotels, restaurants or pubs.  The Guide is also available as an insert in the July issue of Easy Food Magazine.

The Rising Tide is also recommended by Paolo Tullio's Taste Of Ireland, Georgina Campbell guides, Lucinda O' Sullivan Great Places to Eat, Good Food Ireland, BIM and it was voted Dining Pub of the Year 2009.

Excellent Seafood at The Rising Tide

THE RISING TIDE

Drove down to Glounthaune and had a very pleasant midweek meal in The Rising Tide recently. It is right alongside my old schoolhouse where we used bring our own kindling to light the fires where our billycans, usually containing cocoa, were warmed up for the breaks.

In those days, in the middle of the previous century, the Rising Tide was a popular pub cum grocery shop and belonged to the Donnelly family. It is a different story nowadays; the shop no longer exists and a very comfortable restaurant, run by the Murphy family, now dominates the business.

TV3 The Apprentice star Sandra Murphy is the leading face for the estuary side restaurant – many of the village premises flooded in the bad old days. She was off duty – a girl has to have her time off – but we were well taken care by the staff that we met. Plenty of info on the menu and no shortage of chat and courtesy either.

We felt welcome and comfortable as we sat down by our reserved window-side seat and started to check the menu. The restaurant is the home of the Murphy’s Oyster Festival so seafood is always prominent here. I started with six oven baked garlic and herb oysters (€9.00) while CL went for the Mussels steamed in white wine and cream (8.50).

Both of us were quite happy with the starter and were absolutely delighted with the mains. Here we each choose the Pan Seared Hake, served with Crosshaven brown crab, fresh salsa and Cashel blue cheese.

Neither of us likes blue cheese, or indeed goats’ cheese, with fish so we requested they leave that out. No problem. The dish, quite a substantial one (with a choice of fries and salad or potatoes and veg), was top notch. The brown crab was a natural accompaniment while the hake itself was cooked to perfection. Very nice. Very filling. No room for dessert!

Most of the food is sourced locally and you can see a list of the producers on the menu. Most of the wine too comes from small producers and we enjoyed two whites, each at 5.50 a glass: San Elias Sauvignon Blanc from Chile and Cave de Gallician Chardonnay from France.

Actually bought some wine in that Camargue town last June. Happy days. But, let me add, it was two happy customers that left the Rising Tide into the March darkness.