THE CONTINENTAL

CONTINENTAL


The Continental is not a tapas bar but just last night I got a plateful of the best tapas ever in the Maylor Street restaurant – see the photo.

Along with various sauces and relishes, you have skewered prawns (left), crispy bacon and duck, Serrano, a mushroom tart, a lentil burger, a tortilla (Spanish omelette) and, finally on the right, ham with whole plums.

This was our starter (€16.95), a shared platter. It, the plate not necessarily the photo, fully illustrates what this fine establishment is capable of as the Tapas are samples of main dishes available here. We just loved it and could have had such a platter each as a main course.

The main course too was delightful. We both went for the lemon sole (€21.90) served with caramelised carrots, the most gorgeous leeks and a well made mashed potato. The Continental supports local food producers and one could see and taste the freshness here. “Those fish were caught and bought this morning,” said Agnes Stawosz , our ever friendly hostess.

Our wine came from Argentina, a Michel Torino Sauvignon Blanc. Crisp and dry, pale pale yellow, almost green, hints of grapefruit in the nose and also in the mouth, it comes from one of the highest vineyards in the world and it cost €23.95. Finished off with a couple of good coffees at €2.20 each.

On previous enjoyable visits to this restaurant, we noticed that there were very few customers here. But there were encouraging signs last evening that the word is getting out as the place was about half full as we left. Hope this trend continues as there is very good food here at excellent prices.

True we went for broke on the a la carte but you can have a two course dinner for just 19.90 and a three course for 24.95. Value also at lunch, when the place, like the street itself, tends to be busier; you can have soup, open sandwich with rustic potatoes and tea or coffee for just €9.95. Next time I ring to make a booking, I’d be delighted to be told that the place is full. We need restaurants such as this: good food, good cooking and good people.

Agnes trained in Ballymaloe and her restaurant is currently rated number three out of 142 reviewed for Trip Advisor. So the word is getting out! Phone number: 021 4253900. Open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday to Saturday and for dinner Wed to Sat (from 6.00pm).

Nash 19 Food Shop in Cork

NASH 19 FOOD SHOP
The early opening Nash 19 restaurant is closed by the late afternoon (5.00) but that doesn’t mean you can't enjoy the products of this amazing establishment afterhours. Go to their Food Shop (open 'til 6.00pm) and stock up on a readymade meal or two.

I will certainly be doing that after my recent experience. Called in to take a browse and got great help from a smiling on the ball assistant who gave me a run down on the huge range of goodies in jars and tubs (a terrific tasting plum jam, up for sampling that morning, and pickled cucumbers among them ), also the homemade cakes and breads and the food for the freezer that I was interested in.

Must admit though that my purchases, two cartons of Chicken Korma (5.50 each), never made it to the freezer. The temptation was too much and we used them the following night! It was absolutely top class. As I said, I’ll be back and heartily recommend the shop to anyone who wishes to dine at home and treat themselves.

Each carton contained sufficient for one person. There was ample chicken and the other ingredients in this moderately spiced dish were Onion, Coconut Milk, Sugar, Yoghurt, Butter, Ginger, Tomatoes, Garlic, Green Saffron Korma Spices.
Just lovely. Now for the Boeuf Bourguignon! And then.....

Check out my review of Nash 19 Food Shop - I am cork - on Qype

BOOK OF LOVE

BY THE BOOK

Isabel Allende’s book Aphrodite has been described as “a marvellous concoction, for dipping into or for digesting in great chunks.” Cooking in the nude, The spell of aromas, With the tip of the tongue, are among the chapter headings. Is it a food book? Yes and more: food and love.

The book, by one of my favourite South American novelists, was first published in 1998 and the edition I have, a Flamingo paperback, in 1999, so you may find it difficult to get your hands on it.

One of the reviews in my edition, by Rosita Boland, sums it up well: Aphrodite is a magical cauldron of recipes and stories, written to make readers lick lips and each other. The Wall Street Journal said: A light-hearted blend of memories, recipes and research on aphrodisiacs, Aphrodite is a celebration of the senses.”

Widower’s Figs, Salome Sauce, Madame Bovary, Caribbean Bomb and Venus Mousse are among the recipes which also include, in case you may need it later, a Reconciliation Soup.

I have added a play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, to this week’s list. Not much about food here but they do have a way (should that be a wee?) with porridge! Cork run at the Everyman ends on the 13^th but then the production is off to Listowel, Athlone, Castlebar, Monaghan, Virginia, Ballybofey, Lisburn, Newtownabbey, Enniskillen, Sligo, Waterford and Dun Laoghaire

MORE BLACK PUDDING

Many thanks to Nora of Inch House for this recipe and picture

Inch House Traditional Black Pudding topped with Gortnamona Goats Cheese on a bed of Caramelised Onion with Poppy Seeds & Drizzled with a Mixed Berry Compote.

Ingredients:

1 slice of Gortnamona Goats Cheese

1 slice of Inch House Traditional Black Pudding

1 Onion

3 oz Water

3 oz Sugar

Poppy Seeds

Sprig of Parsley

Selection of Seasonal Berries Sweetened & Softened



Method:



*Place onions & sugar in a Pot & slowly sweat them off, turning occasionally until soft. Continue to cook until Golden Brown. Add Poppy Seeds.



*In a Separate Pot place berries & sugar over a gentle heat. Bring to the boil & cook for 3-5 minutes.



*Pan Fry 1 Slice of Inch House Traditional Black Pudding on a very hot pan for 2 minutes each side. Place a slice of Gortnamona Goats Cheese on top of the Pudding & gratinate under the grill until Golden Brown.



*Serve on a Bed of Caramelised onions and drizzle with the Berry Compote. Top it with a Sprig of Fresh Parsley.

Inch House in Thurles

INCH HOUSE TRADITIONAL BLACK PUDDING
Disappointed with the generally salty black pudding available? Why not try something traditional.
I had that in mind on a recent visit to the Nash 19 food shop and hit the jackpot with a cube of traditional pudding (€4.95) from Tipperary’s Inch House (in association with Crowe’s farm).
The pudding does contain salt but not that you’d notice along with pinhead oatmeal and pearl rice. It has a really pleasant construction, feels and more importantly tastes good and indeed converted at least one previous black pudding hater of my acquaintance.
It can of course form part of your traditional fry but my preferred plate, another old dish, is with good eggs (fried) and a well made mashed potato. Next on the agenda is the Trevor Thornton Chicken and Black pudding recipe available on the Bord Gas website http://www.bordgaisenergy.ie/publications/recipes/

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

John Martin' Honey from Dunmanway Co. Cork

JOHN MARTIN’S HONEY
The Bee Knees
I like the occasional jar of honey. Picked one up recently made by John Martin of Dunmanway.
It has a very enjoyable caramel like taste and a modest pleasing aroma; it is clear and full bodied, with a thick consistency. It tastes great on its own (as a treat or maybe to ease a sore throat, any excuse really) but obviously may be used as a spread or drizzle. Someone has suggested using it on porridge, so we’ll try that.
It doesn’t come cheap, costing well over a fiver for a 340gm jar and I bought mine at the Nash 19 Food Shop (attached to the well known restaurant in Prince’s Street)

Check out my review of John Martin's Honey - I am cork - on Qype

Tribes Cafe in Cork

As the mid-morning drizzle got thicker, I called into this cosy Tuckey Street cafe for a coffee. As I made myself comfortable and sipped my way through the strong hot cuppa (€2.50), I had a flick through the menu.

They have what could well be a bargain dinner offer on at present. You can have starter or dessert, plus your main course (good choice), a small 18.75cl bottle of wine plus tea or coffee for just 20 euro.

Could be worth a try if you are in town some evening and don't worry if it’s late. Tribes is open until 11.00pm Tue-Thu and Sun and until 4.00am Fri & Sat.

Check out my review of Tribes Coffee Shop - I am cork - on Qype

ANGELS INVADE CITY PARK

Read all about it at http://corkandabout.blogspot.com/

RISING TIDE

RISING TIDE


Had an enjoyable family lunch at Glounthaune’s Rising Tide at the weekend.

Food and prices were good at this popular bistro and so too was the welcome and the service, the latter unobtrusively chatty and well tuned to the two kids, one of whom incredibly demolished that dessert Death by Chocolate.

Most started with the vegetable soup and a decent one it was. Lamb was the roast of the day and the two who choose that were very happy with it as was the punter who enjoyed the fish pie. I picked the lambs liver, with a rich sauce that included caramelised onion; it was very tasty and the vegetables on a side dish were nicely done. All main courses were priced in the €11.00 to €13.00 region.

Had a nice glass of merlot so was well set up for the day.

Didn't need much that evening. Have you ever felt that way, saying to yourself around the 7.00pm mark, what will I eat now? My solution: smoked mackerel (one fillet per person), Ruby grapefruit and a mixed small leaf salad, plus a glass of water, wine or Cava. Not bad.

CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS (JAN 31st 2010)

CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS (31-01-10)

Les Gourmandises and Fenns Quay for great dinners, for sure.

Nash 19 for classy snacks and lunches; Cafe Gusto for the smaller bright bites.

Market Lane and the nearby Continental for excellent meals. 

Fishy Fishy in Kinsale for ..work it out!

Kudos (in the Clarion) for Asian at a great price.

The Brick Oven for Pizza and more.

Boqueria for tapas..

Find yourself east of the city? Then try the Rising Tide Bistro in Glounthaune; further east, go to the Woodside on the Midleton-Whitegate Road.#

To the southwest, you have Kinsale, of course, and further along, there is the original Brick Oven in Bantry.

Haven’t visited or recently visited places such as Jacques, The Silk Purse, Isaac’s, The Farm-Gate, Star Anise, Green’s, Cafe Paradiso and the Liberty Grill but all are well established, well regarded and the only problem you’ll have is getting a table.

Maritime Hotel in Bantry

MARITIME HOTEL

Enjoyed my two day stay at Bantry’s Maritime Hotel: spacious rooms, good service, regular bar entertainment and decent food.
It is so central and not just to the town and the bay but to the spectacular peninsulas of Sheep’s Head and Beara and also quite close to the Healy Pass which takes you over the hills and into Kerry.
If you want a change from the hotel food, then the Brick Oven (yes, they really have one for the pizzas) is just a short walk up the road.
By the way, if you are going into Bantry (from the Cork side) watch out for the hotel’s underground car park which is on the left hand side (opposite the hotel itself).

Check out my review and map of Maritime Hotel - I am cork - on Qype

BRIDGESTONE FOOD GUIDE - GOOD BUT NOT BIBLE

THE BRIDGESTONE IRISH FOOD GUIDE

Picked up the Bridgestone Irish Food Guide the other day and am enjoying flicking through the information packed pages. It is an excellent reference and I’ll be using it for market trips, for day trips and weekend trips.

It is good but would have been better without the strident editorial, especially the bit that deems it “a traitorous action” to buy imported food in a foreign-owned supermarket. Passion is admirable but this “tackle” would earn a card on the football field. It is a bit over the top, especially considering that the book itself was printed in Spain. What do the excellent local printers think about that?

Sauce for the goose... If I have to watch my back in the supermarket, must I also be wary if I call to the listed and praised On the Pigs Back for some Bayonne Ham or Boudin Noir? Come on lads, get real. The good food movement is both local and international and if Brittany Ferries hadn’t taken so many of us to the continent in the 70s and 80s, the taste for it here would have much slower to develop.

No doubt huge strides have been made in the quality and variety of food available here in recent years, much of the movement sparked by “imported” innovators from abroad, notably, in the Cork area anyhow, by English, Dutch, French and Spanish artisans. The international element again!

Add these to those Irish who kept the good food faith when it wasn’t really fashionable and there is now a decent base for the future.

There are still huge challenges to be met, huge opportunities to exploit. Take fish of example. Cork is poorly served here, just three stalls plus a small Hederman’s smoked counter in the English Market and nothing else in the city centre! You’d get as much choice in a weekly market in a small French town.

This lack of choice can lead to lack of competition on price. At least O'Driscoll’s Fresh Fish from Schull came to the Mahon Farmers Market, not just with fresh fish but with fresh pricing (a bag of fish for a fiver) as well and that is why they draw the queues, even though Ballycotton are now matching them nearby for choice and price though not yet the queue!

There is no lack of opportunities for fish and markets. Just look at the North East of Cork City, an area including St Luke’s, Dillon’s Cross, Ballyvolane, Barnavara, Mayfield (pictured), Silverheights, Tivoli, Murmount and Montenotte. The population here is in the tens of thousands, bigger than most Irish cities and towns. Yet it hasn’t as much as one fish stall, not even a fish van calling, and no Farmers Market whatsoever.

So come on, all you current and potential good food producers out there. Do your bit. Put out the quality where the people can see it and you won't have to wrap it in green white and gold for me to buy it. Quality and availability will do the trick.

The guide is bigger than ever, over 600 pages, more food places included. But some notable absentees. On the restaurant side, there is no mention of Fenns Quay (who do get a recommendation from Michelin this year) and Market Lane (who are a delicious example of using local produce), both places that I have enjoyed recently.

Augustine’s, which had just moved to the Clarion, fails to make the listings but Boqueria, which has undergone both renovations and a change of ownership, maintains its status, though with a caveat.

At some point soon, they’ll probably have to impose a limit on entries. Maybe some of the artisans will upscale to, God forbid, factory size. Maybe that is why big outfits such as Flahavan’s (Oats and Oatmeal) are not included, though Barry’s Tea are. Then again, I didn't see any mention of East Cork’s small outfit, the Magpie Dairy who do excellent goats cheese products.

The guide is extensive but it is not the whole story. Consult it to be sure but also use your own initiative. I am having fun doing so. Take a chance on a new taste. You never know where it might lead you. 

Supervalu Beers

SUPERVALU

Supervalu in the old Roches Stores in Merchant’s Quay is not the place I’d normally think of when looking for beers with a difference. But time was short and I tried and found a decent enough selection there from both sides of the Atlantic.
Stuck with the Europeans though. Got the Budejovicky Budwar (€2.78) - was this the one transferred across the Atlantic? - from the Czech Republic, plus two from Bavaria , Paulaner Hefe-Weisbier ( €2.32) and the Erdinger Weissbrau (€2.78), all in 500ml bottles.
Just a note on last week’s trio (from Bradley’s). They were Pilsner Urquell (€2.99), Rick Stein’s Chalky’s Bark Open (€2.99) and, from Oz, Hahn Premium (€1.89). All very enjoyable and I found it impossible to put them in a 1-2-3 order. Pleasantly surprised with the Chalky’s Bark as I was a bit apprehensive about the ginger element.
I must say that I didn't enjoy my Supervalu trio as much. The Erdinger, a dark beer, flattered to deceive. Rather enjoyed the first mouthful but gradually the sweetness got to me and I didn't finish it.
The Pualaner, which also produced an abundant head, looked promising but there was something about it, noticeable in the nose and just when you finished the swallow, a kind of clove like whiff. Not for me.
The Budwar saved the day! Better colour, better body, better all round that the pale watery American version, it was a decent beer, more or less on a par with the three from the previous week

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