Bradleys Ltd in Cork

BRADLEY’S

Called into Bradley’s, North Main Street, to browse among their 700 wines.
Wouldn't you know it – they didn't have the Four Sisters Shiraz that I was on the lookout for. At least that was my excuse for calling.
They had some bargains, one Australian Shiraz I had bought elsewhere before Christmas was marked down by three euro. The Penfold's Rawson Retreat range was also down by that amount and I treated herself (my excuse) to a bottle of Semillon Chardonnay.

They also have huge ranges of spirits and beers but I didn't have time to check them all or the arms to carry them. Settled for a few beers on this occasion and am now looking forward to sampling Pilsner Urquell (€2.99), Rick Stein’s Chalky’s Bark Open (€2.99) and, from Oz, Hahn Premium (€1.89).
My father always maintained that Bradley’s had the best bottled Irish beer in town but they have now spread their wings and are well worth a visit. Service, by the way, was relaxed and friendly.

Check out my review of Bradleys Ltd - I am cork - on Qype

Cafe Gusto in Cork

CAFE GUSTO
Cafe Gusto – so good they built it twice, first in Washington Street (Singers Corner) and also at the Lapps Quay Boardwalk (see pic).

Called to Washington Street lunchtime today and enjoyed my snack which consisted of a hot gorgeously crispy Bocadillo, filled with a Caprese (Mozarella du Bufala, basil and plum tomato). Partner helped herself to a Focaccia Farita filled with a juicy Tuna Salad (with plum tomato, red onion, cucumber & a little mayo).

I had a large Americano while she had a medium one; both were superb. The “sandwiches” cost a fiver each and the total came to less than €15.00.
Staff were informative and friendly but the service was a little less than perfect in the sense that the coffee was served well before the eats and there was even a noticeable gap between the Focaccia and the Bocadillo.

But I would nonetheless recommend the place strongly. The food is excellent and so is the coffee. Next time though, I might have a glass of water with the meal and then get the coffee and linger! By the way, all the seating here is of the high stool variety.

Check out my review and map of Cafe Gusto - I am cork - on Qype

SAY I LOVE YOU WITH A LOLLIPOP

All you need is love…… and Pandora Bell Lollipops!

Sassy, retro and indulgent, a Pandora Bell Handmade Lollipop is a quirky way to say ‘I love you’ on Valentines Day.

Something sweet and beautiful is the classic way to show love (or that little crush).  Pandora Bell’s Handmade Lollipops go back to a time when colours and flavourings were natural and sweets looked as beautiful as they tasted.

Pandora Bell’s Nicole Dunphy says their lollipops are made in the traditional way, by stretching and rolling sugar syrup.  "The only extras, are naturally based colours and flavours; to make the lollipops look pretty and taste gorgeous."

For centuries Valentines Day has been a day to celebrate love whether, eternal love, the buzz of passion, a long term friendship or a first teenage crush.

Chocolate is a classic way of expressing love.  The Pandora Bell range has two gift sized nougat bars coated in rich dark chocolate.  Honey and Hazelnut Nougat in a Chocoate Coating and Coffee Nougat with Hazelnuts in a Chocolate Coating.  Both are perfect with a desert wine or coffee after that stay at home romantic meal (a desert guaranteed not to be ruined in the oven).   For non chocoholics there is the Italian favourite, Honey Nougat with Almonds and Pistachios and the sweeter, Honey Nougat with Orange and Almonds.

Pandora Bell’s Handmade Lollipops and Honey Nougat bars are available from independent retailers nationwide.  For a list of stockists log onto www.pandorabell.ie.  Valentines web specials include  a Valentines Lollipop and luxury box of chocolates (200g) for E9.99 and a lollipop and chocolates (400g) for E19.99.

Pandora Bell is a confectionery label based in Co Limerick. The Pandora philosophy is based on old fashioned culinary values, high quality ingredients and exceptional tastes. The Bridgestone Irish Food Guide has named Pandora Bell it’s Newcomer of the Year.

Not everyone is ‘romancing’ for valentines, if you don’t have a cosy dinner for two planned, take the opportunity to treat yourself anyway… take the 

The Brick Oven in Cork

THE BRICK OVEN
Bantry’s best, the Brick Oven, has opened up in the city and may be found in the shadow of St Fin Barre’s on French’s Quay, close to South Gate Bridge.
(Local knowledge lesson: the quay is named after a late 17th early 18th century wine merchant James French).
The oven is on your left, as you enter. It is called the Big Fella and certainly produces the goods, perhaps the best pizza in the city.
Certainly enjoyed my Heartstopper there last night, eight inches of class with all the fillings. You can almost taste and smell the flames from the base which stays crisply edible and "cut-able" all the way to the end.
Heartstopper (€10.50) had most of the fillings available. The other pizza at the table was the Hawaiian (€9.50), looked down on by guides in Italy but still readily available at Latin pizzerias, which is more than can be said for brick ovens. In any case, ham and pineapple do go well together and last night’s piece was no exception.
Brick Oven supply their pizzas (they also do take-out) in two sizes, 8” and 10”. If you’re not up to the bigger size why not do what I spotted a couple doing last night. Order one between you and take a cone-full (yes, that’s how they serve fries here) to share as well.
While the Pizza is first class, the Brick Oven (which opened just before Christmas) has a huge general menu both for lunch and later and had some tempting specials as well available last night. Well worth checking out, which means I’ll be back.
Started off with a delicious mussels and tomato and herb sauce combination, available in three sizes (starter €8.95, lunch and dinner). Quite a lovely starter and substantial too as you have your mussels and the very tasty sauce doubles as a soup and you get a fine sized spoon to take it up. You also get a few toasted bits of baguette, though I’d prefer plain breads and also something to wipe the fingers!
Dessert was a Meringue and Berry with ice cream. Meringue soft and sweet, the whole thing delicious, cost €6.00. Wine is available from €5.00 per glass upwards. Our bottle, Pepperton Estate Chardonnay Semillon, cost €21.00, a reasonable price for a reasonable Australian.
The restaurant, previously Proby’s Bistro, is spacious and comfortable. Ceiling decor is unusual, with some three dozen or so closely packed old type fringed lampshades enclosing the adequate lighting but the thing to see is that Big Fella, the real brick oven!
Service was excellent and the staff were very friendly and helpful.
Didn't notice any music last night but you might get lucky some night, maybe something from the Rubyhorse back catalogue!

A SECOND VISIT

BACK TO THE OVEN

Always a little nervous going back to a place which I’ve praised. The Brick Oven was the venue and this time I accompanied, to a midweek lunch, two colleagues to whom I had recommended it.

Needn’t have worried. We were first in, got the table by the fire, and were the last to leave. Enjoyed our re-union and the meal. Two of us sampled the Risotto Special (at less than a tenner) while the third tucked into a steak burger with fries and salad.

Not a huge selection of desserts so I suggested the Berries, meringue and ice-cream and it went down well.

The house red and white wines were decent as were the coffees. All that, plus the friendly and efficient service, led to a relaxing feeling and a lazy long lunch by the fire in a reasonably busy spot.

Check out my review of The Brick Oven - I am cork - on Qype

O'KEEFFE'S ST LUKES

Must admit I was a happy camper after a recent visit to O’Keeffe’s (St Luke’s), a treasure trove of top class artisan foods. The produce is mainly local but one of my purchases was a pack of Hazer Baba Turkish Delight, all the way from Istanbul. Pistachio was embedded in the sweet sweet cubes and that made for a slightly more chewy version, more satisfying than the normal coated “jelly”.

Met some very satisfied diners this weekend. One couple had been at Market Lane, another in Kudos and a larger group at Tracy’s in Ballincollig.

Not so satisfied was a customer of BB’s in Ballincollig who thought €2.80 was very expensive for a cup of Coffee-to-go; in addition “they were very slow”. By way of comparison, Quiznos in Merchant's Quay, sells coffee for €1. Reference: grapes_of_sloth on Twitter.

see reviews of O'Keeffe's at http://www.qype.co.uk/place/1067148-OKeeffes-Groceries-Cork

Old Irish Creamery in Limerick

OLD IRISH CREAMERY
Picked up a Cheddar Cheese with Red Wine recently, just to try it out. It is a beauty and made under the Old Irish Creamery label in Effin Co Limerick.
Checked it out further and found that the JOD Food Company is building up its share of the market and has won awards at shows in Dublin and Nantwich (Cheshire). Cheeses produced include Natural Irish Oak Smoked, Garlic & Herbs, Walnut, Chilli, Porter, Whiskey, the Wine, Chives, Blueberries, and Effin Spicy Cheese coated with black peppercorns.
I’ll be on the lookout for the others. If they are all as good as the Cheddar with Red Wine then I’m on a winner.

Check out my review of Old Irish Creamery - I am cork - on Qype

Whitechurch Foods in Cork

HEGARTY’S WHITECHURCH CHEESE
Hegarty’s of Whitechurch are practically neighbours yet it was at a cheese stall down in the Mahon Pointy Farmers market that I bought some of their aged Cheddar.
Great stuff, compared to your normal cheddar, capable of more than holding its own with more famous products. Definitely worth a try.

Check out my review of Whitechurch Foods - I am cork - on Qype

Jacobs On The Mall in Cork

JACOBS ON THE MALL
Good crowd at Jacobs on the Mall last evening, though not your typical Women’s Christmas groups, as couples were very much in evidence.
They have a special offer on, €24.00 approx for 2 courses, 28 for three. Though the menu is cheaper, the standard of food and service is still very high.
My ladies went for the crisp crunchy breads supplied at the start, especially the fig enhanced brown version.
The long chicken and veg spring roll was a popular starter, served with a salad and dip. Very nice.
Most went for the Venison, served with champ and red cabbage, as the main course. Portions were generous but beware: unless you ask otherwise, the meat will be served rare.
Not too many had the appetite for the big range of deserts but those that did were delighted, with the Triple Chocolate Wedge in particular.
Lovely evening, Lovely food. Now they tell me.

Check out my review of Jacobs On The Mall - I am cork - on Qype

Rebel Chilli in Cork

REBEL CHILLI
Picked up some jars of Rebel Chilli on a recent visit to the Mahon Point Farmers’ Market.

Quite a tasty and versatile product, with different degrees of spiciness. Main uses are to liven up cheeses and hot and cold meats.

The two jars I bought were on the lower end of the “hot” scale and the Jalapeno and Raspberry went particularly well with hard cheese.

Check out my review of Rebel Chilli - I am cork - on Qype

Bandon Vale in Cork

BANDON VALE FINE CHEESES
Bandon Vale is dedicated to providing quality products and offers a selection of shredded, block, sliced and pre-packed products, ranging from cheddars to bespoke blends and mixes.
But this fairly large producer, a member of the West Cork Regional Branding Initiative, under the Fuchsia logo, also sells some speciality packs, mainly cheddar.
The one I bought recently was their Glandór Red Leicester. I was very happy with it. It had a mellow yet distinct flavour and is quite a nice change from the usual cheddar.

Check out my review (and contact details) of Bandon Vale - I am cork - on Qype

BALLYCURRAGINNY FARM in Cork

BALLYCURRAGINNY FARM
Hard to beat fresh vegetables, just out of the ground. And what a display the Burns family (from Mt Uniacke, Killeagh) had at the Mahon farmers market on a recent frosty morning.
No artificial lights. But there was more than enough illumination in the low sun. The display and the obvious health of the veg was irresistible and soon the bag was full with Brussels sprouts, celery, carrots and gleaming cauliflowers.
Reminded me of the days when I grew my own, pulled them, cleaned them and put them into the pot!

Check out my review of BALLYCURRAGINNY FARM - I am cork - on Qype

O'Hanlon's Off Licence in Cork

O’HANLON’S OFF LICENCE
The relatively new establishment in the Mayfield Shopping Centre is well established after 18 months and my recent call showed why.
They are a friendly lot in this off licence. Loads of free advice on the best beer buys locally and also some down to earth advice on their extensive stock of wines.

They informally steer you through the maze of types and prices and don't just hand out the expensive bottle. They want customers, sure, but they want happy repeat customers. I went off with my purchases, including a Wyndham Bin 555 Shiraz, and will be back.

Check out my review (including map)  of O'Hanlon's Off Licence - I am cork - on Qype

Pandora Bell in Limerick

PANDORA BELL - The Sweetest things...

My sweetest thing this Christmas? Pandora Bell's honey nougat. Sense-ational. Picked up a couple of packets at O’Keeffe’s (St Luke’s). Gorgeous. No wonder the Bridgestone Irish Food Guide has named this new Limerick confectionery label as its Newcomer of the Year.
Bridgestone’s John McKenna says of Pandora Bell, “You want to see and taste perfection? Here it is, again. Nicole Dunphy's salted caramels and nougats and lollipops are of a standard no one in Ireland has ever achieved, and she has just started her Pandora Bell business, so what awaits us in the future? We can't wait.”

Neither can I.

Check out my review of Pandora Bell - I am cork - on Qype