Counihans Bar in Cork

COUNIHAN’S

Jazz and football overlapped at Counihan’s on Sunday afternoon. Dropped into the Pembroke Street bar to see the Mary Stokes Band but instead found myself watching the closing quarter of the Liverpool v Man U game on the big screen and not a seat to be had.

But soon the happy Liverpool bunch in front of us left and the six of us grabbed the table and chairs, right in front of the bandstand. Mary came on and passionately and energetically blasted out the hard blues for two hours or so giving ample time to the highly talented lead guitar player to show his talented hands do their hot stuff, so hot you looked for smoke! Great show and the sounds came out so well (by comparison with Ocean’s 6 who never quite got the technical bit right the previous day).

Scotts Bar Of Caroline St in Cork

HIGH PRESSURE

They say the best time to test a pub is when it is under pressure. With the jazz weekend upping the numbers, Scott’s of Oliver Plunkett Street was packed this Saturday afternoon.

Food was flying downstairs while upstairs was packed for the jazz and the show by Ocean’s 6 in particular. The staff were busy but passed with flying collars. Service was top notch. No big delays at the counter while the tables were quickly cleared of plates and glasses.

One table did collapse but the staff were quickly on the job and minutes later there was no trace of the collapse.
Prices too seemed to be reasonable enough at this popular music venue and, by the way, the music was great as Ocean’s 6, who play swing, soul and rock and roll, put on a two hour plus show packed with energy and variety, They drew the audience in and we all left happy!

Check out my review of Scotts Bar Of Caroline St - I am cork - on Qype

Synergy Restaurant in Cork

SYNERGY AT THE CLARION

Jazz was in the air this evening as the annual Cork Jazz Festival kicked off.
I spent a pleasant hour or more listening to Des Hopkins and his accomplished Dixieland band in the Kudo’s bar in the Clarion before heading into the Synergy, the hotel’s main restaurant.

By comparison with the evening before in Les Gourmandises, this was ordinary fare indeed but, at the same time, there was little wrong with it and it would stand comparison with many of the local restaurants. It just emphasised the point that LG is in a different class, perhaps a league of its own.

Starter in Synergy was a Chicken Salad. Good quality chicken pieces, well soaked in good quality olive oil, along with some leaves mainly bay spinach, made for a tasty starter.
Main course was Pork loin and apple, along with a cider sauce. Presentation was nothing to write home about, just a pork chop with an apple slice and then repeated. But the pork and the apple were of excellent quality and the sauce was a treat. The roast potato was only fair but the veg in the side dish, while routine, were up to standard. All in all, a tasty treat for €21.50.
Had started with a Siete Sauvignon Blanc, a pretty decent wine, in the bar and continued with another in Synergy; cost was €5.75 per glass. Not a bad meal at all but a long way short of the league that LG plays in. Service, both in the bar and Synergy, was excellent in the Clarion. And by the way, they were doing a roaring trade in food in the bar.

Check out my review of Synergy Restaurant - I am cork - on Qype

Les Gourmandises Restaurant in Cork

Different Class

Chocolate Brownie on a slate doesn’t promise much as a dessert but you should try it at Les Gourmandises Restaurant in 17 Cook Street. In fact, you should, I should, try everything at this different class establishment as there are pleasant ambushes in every course.
My starter last evening was mackerel on a red onion bed along with a goat’s cheese panacotta. The advisor had a tasting starter, samples of chicken liver parfait, prawns in filo and a cup of parsnip soup. Besides we both drew from the delicious fresh breads. A very promising opening.
Main course for me (like my starter) was the chef’s recommendation: ham hock moulded to a cylindrical shape, standing on a disc of smoked ham which in turn stood on a bed of Savoy Cabbage, the sauce being apple purée and sage. Well and originally presented and beautiful to eat.
The other main course was another brilliant dish: bream with aubergine purée and a cherry tomato and sage sauce. Gorgeous.
We each had the chef’s recommendation for dessert: a rice pudding, served with, on the side, caramelised banana and that smashing Chocolate Brownie! Just the thing to finish off a smashing meal and put you in the mood to call again.
There is decent selection of wines by glass, half bottle and full bottle. We compromised on the Puilly sur Loire, a crisp refreshing tingling Sauvignon Blanc with a mineral hint. Just the job!
By the way, quite a few of the meals are served on a slate which enables the chef to use his presentation artistry! And he does!
It doesn’t come cheap – three courses cost close to forty euro although there is a market menu for thirty euro.

Check out my review of Les Gourmandises Restaurant - I am cork - on Qype

FOOD COMPANY LAUNCHES ART COMPETITION

~Boyne Valley Honey Launches Book of Kells National Art Competition~

Tuesday 13th October: Miriam O’ Callaghan today officially launched Boyne Valley Honey’s National Art Competition, aimed at encouraging primary, secondary, third level students and adults alike to get creative!

Entrants are invited to submit a work of art on the subject of their choice, using either the Book of Kells itself, the monks who wrote and illustrated it or life in 9th century Ireland as inspiration.
Three Fine Art Facsimiles of The Book of Kells will be presented to the primary and secondary winning schools and to the individual from the third level and adult category, with runners up receiving cash prizes of €100, €250 and €500.
Miriam O’ Callaghan commented: “It’s a great initiative to start the new education year. The judges are looking for creativity, individuality and real pride in work. The Book of Kells is a national, visual treasure, so we expect exciting works of art to be created!”

Each month from October 2009 to February 2010, a finalist will be chosen from the various categories, with all finalists going head to head in the grand finale in March 2010.

The Boyne Valley Honey Company launched a similar competition in the 80s, Brand Manager Gillian Hennessy comments: “We decided to run this competition again with a noughties feel, so students can use newer techniques and tools that were not around 30 years ago, to showcase a modern feel. Given times of late, the general feeling is to get back to what’s important in life. We hope this initiative gives students the chance to reflect on our Nation’s heritage.”

Judges will include; Malachy McCloskey, founder and chairman of the Boyne Valley Honey Company; Des Egan, renowned poet; Robin Adams, College Librarian and Archivist, Trinity College; Edward McPartland, Fellow Emeritus, History of Art, Trinity College.

The culmination of the competition will be an exhibition of winning entries, with winners being presented their prizes by Miriam O’ Callaghan.

See http://www.boynevalleyhoneyart.com/  for further details / to enter.


* Painting in oils, watercolours, drawings, tapestries, screen printing, embroidery, photography etc. will all qualify. Each entry must be accompanied by three Book of Kells tokens from jars of Boyne Valley Honey.
Closing Date is Feb 28th 2010

THE CONTINENTAL

PLAT DU JOUR - Any Day!


The best main dish in Cork this year came my way at The Continental tonight.



The Maylor Street venue was more or less deserted – they do much better at lunchtime when the street is busy – but Agnes and her chef still came up trumps.



Started with complimentary breads (brown and white) served with dips of parsley pesto and beetroot relish. Butter was also on the plate but we went with the other two and found them very enjoyable indeed.

Then came that main course: duck breast with a plum sauce with chilli and ginger (less than €21.00). Absolutely gorgeous and you’d go a long way to find anything as good. Pity the Cork diners can't make their way down Maylor Street and catch up on the good things that this lovely restaurant serves up.



Finished off with an unusual dessert; a banana and brandy cake, served with ice cream. Very tasty but might have went down better had it been served with custard.



Didn't really go through the wine list, just had a glass of the house red (Cabernet Sauvignon) which came in at about a fiver or so.

TV DINNER

RTE'S THE RESTAURANT

Do you want to dine in RTÉ's "The Restaurant"?
Are you a foodie who loves to eat out?
Do you know your chilli from your cayenne?
Then we want you!

We would like to invite any interested members of Irish food and wine blogs to apply to be a diner on our upcoming series.

The Restaurant is back for its seventh series on RTÉ One. In each
episode a 'celebrity' head chef will take on the culinary challenge to
produce a top class, three course meal with two value-for-money wines.
The celebrities who become chefs for a night will be people who have a
passion for food and dining. The programme will give the "chef" the
opportunity to "go pro" for one night and serve up a real restaurant
meal. The resident critics are Tom Doorley and Paolo Tullio, with one
other special guest critic each week.

The identity of the "mystery chef" will remain secret to all in "The Restaurant" until after the
meal. Before the chef leaves the kitchen the critics will decide whether the meal is worth a star rating of between one and five. When the celebrity chef's identity is revealed they sit down with critics
to find out how they fared.

Dining at 'The Restaurant' involves becoming a 'critic' for the
evening. We need YOU, as our diners, to get involved in the experience
and to voice your opinions on the food and wine being served to you.


Vision Independent Productions are looking for diners for the series
which will be filming on location in The Wineport Lodge in Athlone
on Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th October.
So if you think you're up to the challenge of
critiquing the menu the mystery "chef" whips up in the kitchen, we
want to hear from you.

For more information or to get involved please contact:
Telephone - 01 864 1444
Mobile - 085 77 080 52
Email - rte1therestaurant@eircom.net
Don't forget to include your contact details - Name, address, phone
number and tell us a little about yourself and your interest cooking
and dining.

September 27, 2009 1:10 AM
from:
Lorna Hartnett
Researcher
The Restaurant
+353 85 77 080 52
+353 1864 1444
http://www.visionindependentproductions.com/
www.rte.ie/therestaurant

US SHOW

Got US roots? This may be of interest   ....

We're working on a really cool project this weekend. A major cable network and Parade Magazine are shooting a PILOT episode searching to find a unique, home grown recipe that deserves the title "America's Best Recipe."




http://www.gotcast.com/casting-calls/Americas-Best-Recipe/54938




It's free to sign up and submit to the casting call, so feel free to forward on my message.



Thanks!



Justin Moodley

jmoodley@gotcast.com

AN SPAILPIN FANACH

AN SPAILPIN FANACH

(The itinerant labourer)

An Spailpin Fanach is a traditional music venue in Cork City; not surprising then that some of its lunchtime food is traditional.

Tomorrow it will be bacon and cabbage in this city centre pub but today (Wed 23 Sep) Irish Stew was high on the lunch menu.

We had started with a smashing vegetable soup, tasty, straight from the pot and no extra salt added. Then came the stew, a plateful of smashing food. Loved it and finished it off before staying on the trad path with a well made apple tart. A cup of decent coffee rounded off an enjoyable hour or so.

Check out my review of An Spailpin Fanach - I am cork - on Qype

ROCHESTOWN PARK HOTEL

ROCHESTOWN PARK HOTEL

I always found the Rochestown Park Hotel of a high standard when catering to large groups. I hadn’t been there for some time until recently for a club function where the attendance was around the 170 mark.

There has been a change of management at the venue but you need have no worries about its ability to cater to a large number (indeed, there were other large functions going on simultaneously in various parts of the building). Started with Vol au Vent and then soup. Each was of a good standard and neither had this salty taste that you often get in this type of situation.

The main course was beef or salmon. I had the beef. It was excellent as were the vegetables (broccoli, carrot, cauliflower – all cooked well, nether too hard nor too soft). Then we finished off with a medley of mini desserts and a grand cup of coffee.

Service was top class, helped along by the fact that they had an “overseer” on the floor, making sure that all the tables were well covered.

Check out my review of Rochestown Park Hotel - I am cork - on Qype

THE BROKEN JUG

For more on Mayo trip see: http://swissroll07.blogspot.com/

Ballina - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs


THE BROKEN JUG

“Situated in the heart of Ballina this extensive pub is really warm, welcoming and cosy. Providing the very best in food and drink, their carvery lunches are superb. A haven for the tourist or the weary shopper the Broken Jug is also very popular with the younger age group. The friendly and efficient staff will make your visit here truly memorable.”

The opening paragraph comes courtesy of the Broken Jug itself, a pub cum eatery in the Co. Mayo town. It is warm and friendly but the bare timber furniture and backless seating is more for the “younger age group”!

The restaurant section is a shade more comfortable and the food is very good, the service friendly and efficient and the prices reasonable.

The other night, I started with a magnificent chowder, very very tasty (indeed one of the best I've come across) and not suffocated with cream as happened in a Cork venue recently.

Main course was a lasagne. It was almost top class, and would have been but for it being a little overdone in the heating which made some of the edges too hard. Overall though – the cheese and mincemeat were excellent – it was a fine dish, served with chips and an undressed well mixed salad.

Dessert, there were about five choices, was homemade apple tart with cream and, yes, the apple was real chunky stuff, just the way I like it.

I have given it four stars but three and half would be more like it - if you're over forty!

Check out my review of The Broken Jug - I am cork - on Qype
For more on Mayo trip see: http://swissroll07.blogspot.com/

DOWNHILL HOUSE HOTEL (Ballina)

For more on Mayo trip see: http://swissroll07.blogspot.com/

DOWNHILL HOUSE HOTEL

The Downhill House Hotel, on the Sligo Road, was our Ballina base for a recent trip to County Mayo.

The Hotel, in a wooded riverside location quite close to the town centre, is well up to its 3 star rating.

All the staff are friendly and efficient; the rooms and public areas are comfortable, the leisure centre is popular and the Hotel also boasts well kept gardens where you can sit and stroll.

We enjoyed an excellent evening meal there: braised shank of lamb with an exceptional red wine sauce. A bottle of red from one of the Bordeaux chateaux cost just €20.00.

Service here is also friendly though sometimes a bit over attentive – you don't need your glass of water topped up each time you take a sup!

The breakfast was also very good and the full Irish was perhaps the best that I’ve come across.

If dinner is not included in your package, the restaurant prices can be very stiff and this is where the bar comes to the rescue.

Prices are reasonable here and the chef’s special often includes two or three items from the restaurant menu. We had a mild chicken curry one evening and it was a superb example of the type.

Check out my review of Downhill House Hotel - I am cork - on Qype

For more on Mayo trip see: http://swissroll07.blogspot.com/

FISHY FISHY

NO TALL TAILS

Quite a lot of hype recently about the Fishy Fishy Cafe in Kinsale. Believe it – no tall tales here.

A late burst of summer tempted me to the coastal town and quite a lot of tourists too. Got in early for lunch this Thursday, just ahead of a posse of international visitors.

Started with the local mussels, served with fresh basil and lemon butter. Well done, tasty and a promising start, as were the accompanying pieces of freshly baked breads.
Main course was Brill, one of the day’s specials, served with creamed cabbage and a mustard sauce along with some well dressed fresh leaves. Simple and simply beautiful. Just what I like – the Brill was the star and it wasn't overwhelmed by anything else on the plate. Perhaps it could have been a little less costly than the €23.90 tag.
Had myself a lovely glass of very dry Riesling (forget where it came from) for €5.90.
Didn't really associate dessert with a fish restaurant for some reason but had a look when the list was offered. Glad I did. Had a smashing fresh fruit trifle. It was beautifully presented and was melt in the mouth stuff.
Service was excellent, friendly, smiling and efficient.

Check out my review of Fishy Fishy - I am cork - on Qype