Showing posts with label The Wine Tavern St Luke's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Wine Tavern St Luke's. Show all posts

Monday, February 3, 2025

January Dining In Summary. Good Hood and The Wine Tavern at St Luke's and K. O'Connell's in Dunnes Stores

January Dining. Good Hood,  The Wine Tavern at St Luke's and K. O'Connell's in Dunnes Stores

Good Times Roll at The Wine Tavern St Luke's


The Wine Tavern at St Luke's, a family-run establishment, has been a local favourite for years, known for its warm welcome, relaxed atmosphere, and focus on wine and tapas. The Tavern aims to provide a social dining experience for individuals or groups. 

A highlight of the Wine Tavern is their sharing board, a generous platter featuring Cashel Blue cheese, smoked cheddar, brie, spiced beef, serrano ham, chorizo, roasted almonds, pickles, and homemade dips. It's a perfect accompaniment to their wine selection. Beyond the sharing board, the menu offers a variety of tapas, including the highly recommended Crispy potatoes with Garlic butter and Parmesan cubes, a delicious alternative to standard chips or Patatas Bravas. Full review here.


Tapas, Pizza, and Service: A Winning Formula at Good Hood


Good Hood, a new restaurant at St Luke's Cross, has quickly gained popularity with its winning combination of tapas and pizzas. 

Headed by Colin Ryan, known for Hansum Rotisserie Chicken and Paperboys Café, and partnered with Ciarán O'Regan of Dublin’s Rita's Pizzeria, Good Hood is focused on delivering quality food and service, leading to a strong initial success. The restaurant's popularity is evident in its consistently full house, with reservations recommended.

Until its expected drinks license arrives, Good Hood encourages patrons to bring their own beverages from the nearby off-license, providing glasses and waiving any corkage fee. They anticipate obtaining a drinks license soon and adding dessert options in the near future. The pizzas are a highlight, with options like the Diego, featuring tomato, mozzarella, garlic, oregano, anchovies, and capers. The menu also includes other creative pizza options like the Hunted Hog, Hay Pesto, and the Cheek of It.

Beyond pizzas, Goodhood offers a selection of tapas-style sharing plates, including highly recommended dishes like the Beef Cheek with crispy potato terrine and Pecorino Romano, and the Beets on Goats with beetroot, blackberries, goat’s cheese, and chive oil.  Full review here


Kate's back in town at O'Connell Fishmongers


Chef Kate Lawlor, formerly of 5 Fenns Quay, has returned to the Cork culinary scene, now heading up the kitchen at Kay O'Connell's Fish Merchants within the new food hall in Dunne's Stores on Patrick Street. This collaboration between renowned fishmonger Pat O'Connell and Lawlor offers a variety of fresh seafood dishes, from oysters and crab to salmon and cod, with both a regular menu and daily specials. Customers can purchase their hot meals and enjoy them at the seating provided within the food hall or opt for convenient takeout.

The menu features diverse options like Monkfish Nuggets with tonkatsu sauce and rice, a Fish Plate with smoked salmon, and sandwiches such as Smoked Salmon and Prawn Cocktail. Lawlor's culinary skills are evident in dishes like the Seafood and Pasta special. In addition to its new Dunnes Stores location, O'Connell's also operates Kay's Kitchen in the English Market, offering a "Fish Box" and other seafood delights. Full review here.


Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Good Times Roll at The Wine Tavern St Luke's. Food, Wine and Friends on the Menu

Good Times Roll at The Wine Tavern St Luke's.

Food, Wine and Friends on the Menu

 


The Wine Tavern at St Luke’s has been up and running for quite a few years now. Indeed, it was established by dad Declan in July 2013. It is managed now by son Sean and head chef daughter Tara.


The family's main aim was and is “to give customers a warm welcome and a great wine and tapas experience with a relaxed ambience whether you are by yourself or in a group”.

Exterior seating for the summertime!

I’ve long known about the social aspect of the venue as all the ladies in my life are regular visitors for girls' nights out there and are always full of praise for the Tavern (you'll find it next door to Henchy’s).

On last week’s visit, we were no sooner in the door than we were given a warm welcome, not just because the fire was blazing. And then we were immediately told that they had a ukulele band that evening!

The former church of St Luke's is now the venue for Live at St Luke's,
a series of musical events held throughout the year. More details here 

But first to the food. With free wines to accompany it (on January Tuesdays and Wednesdays), their sharing board came into focus as an option. It was a winner, the standard set by the delicious Cashel Blue cheese. Other cheeses were smoked cheddar and brie, while the meats were spiced beef, serrano ham, and chorizo. 

The generous board (€32 for two persons) was also loaded with roasted almonds, pickles, and a selection of homemade dips. By the way, if you are in the mood for tapas, here’s a tip. Give the chips and Patatas Bravas a skip for once and go for the delicious Crispy potatoes with Garlic butter and Parmesan cubes (below).


The free wines (offer concludes this week) were both South African, Nyala Sauvignon Blanc and Nyala Cabernet Sauvignon. One of us was driving, so we picked the Ara Zero Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) instead of the Nyala and enjoyed it very much. It was certainly endowed with some characteristics of the famous Sauvignon from Marlborough and was refreshing with a crisp finish, one of the better non-alcoholic wines we’ve come across.

Back to their “social calendar”, where Maura and Mary's annual Grab A Guna Gig, the 7th of a series, is scheduled for February 10th. At this friendly and fun event, you can do some shopping and help raise much-needed funds for UNICEF (to support the children of Gaza). It starts at 6.00 pm. More details on their Instagram. 

St Luke’s is a very busy food and drink hub these days, and it is not always easy to find parking. But don't forget that two buses, 208 and 207, stop more or less just outside the door.