The Cornstore Wine Bar and Grill in Cork

CORNSTORE

Walked into the Cornstore last evening for another €25.00 Dine-in-Cork meal and was surprised to see the Cornmarket Street venue two thirds full at 6.45pm. Surprising because it was in the middle of a recession, early in the week, early in the evening, and also considering that the famous old street is under re-construction at present and you have to find your way through the various safety barriers.

One of the staff said the Dine in Cork Week was proving successful but there must be more than that to it. We had passed another participating restaurant and it looked close to empty. The Cornstore has been gradually making its reputation and has come up regularly on the grapevine in recent times. In addition, it has won a couple of regional awards and is going for national honours in the current Restaurant Association of Ireland contest.

We were about to find out what the fuss was all about. We got a warm welcome and were soon seated. My Gravlax starter (home cured organic Donegal salmon with capers and a red onion salad) was excellent. The Duck Liver Pate (with an apple and grape chutney and toasted sourdough bread) was of a high standard.
For the mains, I chose the Pork belly (with creamy mash, roast root vegetables with an apple purée and cider jus) and this was another five star plateful. There was a change to one or two items on the menu, including the cod. This was now served in a white bean (with tasty bacon bits and spring onion) cassoulet, quite a creamy one. Not quite on the same standard as the Pork belly but good nonetheless.

Sticky Toffee pudding wasn't on the advertised menu but it was one of the best I’ve come across and the other dessert, much lighter, was a delightful lemon posset with a rhubarb compote, served in its own hinged jar. Nice touch, nice dessert.

Two happy customers finished off with the coffee and a little bar of Milka chocolate, adding the Cornstore to an ever expanding list of quality Cork restaurants. No shortage of staff and the service was excellent all through and we had a laugh or two with our friendly waitress.

The Cornstore probably has the longest list of wine available by the glass in Cork. I counted eleven in the red section. Tasted a few. The house white was the Chilean Los Tilos Sauvignon Blanc (€4.95). The first citrusy mouthful really got your attention: sharp tangy and dry. The house red was Los Tilos Cabernet Sauvignon, a lively easy drinking wine also at €4.95.

If you are going to pay a bit more attention to the wine, maybe less to the conversation, then it would be worthwhile to pay a little extra. I enjoyed a glass of Spanish Bodega Muriel Tempranillo Rioja (€5.95) which was a better drink on all counts: deep red, fruity, great body and lingered well.

Check out my review of The Cornstore Wine Bar and Grill - I am cork - on Qype

GREENE'S (by the waterfall)

GREENE’S   

What did we ever do before butternut squash?

That question was popped in Greene’s Restaurant (by the waterfall) last evening as Dine in Cork Week continued with yet another smashing meal for €25.00.

The butternut squash came in one of the starters where it was combined with Ardsallagh Goats Cheese in a Spring roll, quite a large one, served with mixed baby leaves and a beetroot dressing. We both enjoyed one.

Then on to the main courses. The West Cork confit of duck leg was on  parmesan mash, braised red cabbage and a rosemary jus. An excellent deep plateful though the strongish aroma of the Rosemary jus permeated everything.

We also had the 8 oz ribeye steak, with a brandy pepper sauce. It was cooked to perfection and the presentation was impressive as the dauphnoise potato stack had a neat layer of onion added before being crowned with a Portobello mushroom. Enjoyed that one!

I went for the Irish Liqueur Crème Caramel. It was a lovely dessert but I must say the Crème Brule across the table was really one of the best we’ve ever come across and to top it off it was served with a few delicious homemade shortbread biscuits and ice-cream, a real five star treat.

Very happy too with our bottle of the house red (c €23.00),  a Sicilian Ca'di Ponti Nero D'Avola 2008. It was a juicy, easy-drinking treat with “ripe black cherry and plum fruit” and a hint of spice. Coffee was also included in the price and needless to say we got a friendly welcome and excellent service. Highly recommended. Got out and try that Dine in Cork menu. Most restaurants, including Greene’s have four choices per course and you won't go wrong!

www.greenesrestaurant.com/

Tel +353 21 4552279

BARRY'S TEA QUIZ

BARRY’S TEA COMPETITION

I’m afraid our Barry’s Team quiz turned out to be something of a trick question which was not at all the intention. Many of your parents will have known and been familiar with the company’s shop in Princes Street and that figured in the vast majority of the answers. But the correct answer and you may see it on their website http://www.barrystea.ie/ was Bridge Street.

The Bridge Street shop opened in 1901 and closed in the 1920s with the Prince’s Street shop opening in 1911. Despite the many “wrong” answers, there was a tie and the name drawn from the hat was: Derek Schaper.

JACQUES KICK OFF MY DINE IN CORK WEEK

JACQUES

Kicked off my Dine in Cork Week at Jacques last evening and thoroughly enjoyed my four course meal for €25.00. Great to see the local restaurants getting together on this one and giving the customer “a cut”. Eithne Barry though reminded me that Jacques have been doing this value menu for ages.

And it is good value, good food. Our starters were typical. One a tasty Chicken Satay (on a skewer) with couscous, the other organic green leaves with chorizo, warm potato and parmesan shavings in a spot-on warm salad.

The confit of Skeaghanore Duck was popular in the packed Phoenix Street room, packed at 7.00pm by the way, but we both went for the Fresh Hake with a Hollandaise sauce and sprouting broccoli. Served with some mashed potato, this was just delicious, a great balance of ingredients.

Just a general point on sauces. I would prefer to see the sauce served in its own container so that the customer can choose the exact amount he or she wants. By the way, the amount served at Jacques was well judged, unlike some establishments where your meat or fish can come “swimming” in the sauce.

There were a few changes from the advertised Dine in Cork Menu e.g. Hollandaise instead of Prawn Butter sauce. But, the kitchen in a busy place is a fluid situation and variations are to be expected here and in the market. One, though, wasn't. The menu on the night promised an Orange and Raspberry Roulade and, in its place, a Blackcurrant Roulade was served.

To tell the truth, it was gorgeous, but not everyone would like the tarty taste of the blackcurrant. The other dessert, an Apple and Olive Oil cake with a Maple icing, was much richer than expected and quite a treat.

We each had a glass (€6.50) of the house wine which was from the Languedoc, an excellent Moulin de Gassac Sauvignon. Finished with a decent cup of decent coffee to round off a fine meal. Service overall was excellent, friendly and quite efficient and the comfortable place was buzzing. Jacques has been a leading player on the local scene for decades and shows every signing of maintaining its high ranking.

Mary and Sheila Fresh Fish

FISH AT BALLINCOLLIG MARKET

Made a quick visit to the Ballincollig Farmer’s Market last Wednesday and met the fish selling ladies from West Cork, Mary and Sheila. I had forgotten I called them lively in an earlier post, maybe my spell checker changed it from lovely.

We had a chat about fish and how the fashions are changing. You hardly ever see whiting nowadays while the now popular monkfish were once thrown back overboard. Like me, they enjoy their meals out and we all agreed that Over the Moon in Skibbereen is top class and they also had a good word to say for Le Voyage at the Wine Vaults restaurant in the town. They were surprised that the gurnard dish, that we enjoyed recently at the Silk Purse, was so expensive (€23.15).

While we were chatting, they were filleting some fresh hake for me and the charge was a very reasonable €11.50 for five big fillets that were all thoroughly enjoyed at home that very evening.

The girls, by the way, do a lively (that word again) business in the Skibbereen Market very Saturday morning and that was where I first saw them in action. And Swanton Plants, where I bought some herbs on Wednesday in Ballincollig, are also regulars in the West Cork town.

On a previous visit to Ballincollig, I had a chat with Joy of Joy’s Jams saying I preferred marmalade with peel. She didn’t have any at the time but didn't she go away and make a batch for me and the minority that enjoy the peel. Thanks Joy, I’m enjoying that pot now!

Check out my review of Mary & Sheila Fresh Fish - I am cork - on Qype

MARCH-APRIL REVIEW

MARCH/APRIL FAVOURITES 

All tried and tested in last two months

Highly Recommended Restaurants: Augustine’s, The Silk Purse, Raymond’s (Midleton),  Fenn’s Quay, Over the Moon (Skibbereen),  Aherne’s (Youghal), Liberty Grill.

Recommended: The Bullman, Gilbert’s (Cobh), Vienna Woods, Hardwood, La Jolie Brise (Baltimore),  

Really Good Food Shops: Iago, The Good Food Shop, On the Pig’s Back, Hudson’s Wholefood (Ballydehob), Le Gourmet (Youghal), Nash 19, O’Keeffe’s,

Top Farmers Market: Skibbereen (Saturdays)

Top Cheeses: Ardrahan, St Gall (Fermoy), Hegarty’s Mature Cheddar, Sunview Goats .

Top Yoghurts: Glenilen Farm
Top Soups:  Just Food (Cobh)
Top Marmalades:  Joy’s Jams and Nash 19, both have peel with Joy's having the biggest pieces; also recommended: Follain’s, Joy's Jam (without peel) and Bramley Lodge

Favourites cereals:  Just Food’s Organic Muesli and Nash 19’s Granola

Pubs with a difference: Franciscan Well, The Bierhaus

Weekend break: West Cork Hotel

Looney's Butchers in Mayfield

LOONEY’S BUTCHERS

Looney’s, with their butcher business and the chipper, have been part and parcel of life in Mayfield for decades.

They are obviously providing a great service in the area. If there is one product they excel in then it has to be their mince meat which is the best around. Service is always friendly and chatty.

Check out my review of Patrick Looney - I am cork - on Qype

Swantons Plant Centre in Skibbereen

SWANTON’S PLANT CENTRE

My poor Rosemary was a victim of the hard winter and but it took me a while to write off her chances of a full recovery.

That decision out of the way, I headed to Swantons Plants at the Ballincollig Farmers Market to get a replacement. Told the man on duty my tale of woe and we concluded that the effects of the prolonged winter on plant-life were much the same as those of the banking collapse on business life.

The market is held in a lane between modern buildings, quite a few of them empty. “I’ve been trading here a year, “ said the man from Swantons. “And not one new shop has opened.” Swantons’ main business is in Skibbereen and they are also regulars at the market there.

I had bought some parsley and sage on an earlier visit and added just a pot of thyme to the rosemary. The herbs by the way cost a very reasonable two euro each. The stock though goes away beyond herbs and you can buy all kinds of flowers and small plants there and get a bit of home-spun philosophy as well.

Photo: River Ilen in Skibbereen
Check out my review of Swantons Plant Centre & Plant Scaping Services - I am cork - on Qype

O'Sullivan Poultry (English Market)

O’SULLIVAN POULTRY

O'Sullivan Poultry in the English Market have everything you might expect in such an establishment.

But now they have added some unusual meats as well: Ostrich, Kangaroo, Crocodile, Rabbit, Pigeon and so on. I was on the “hunt” for venison the other day and they had some from Tipperary in stock.

A neat packet, costing less than four euro, caught my eye. Was surprised that it held more than enough for two. Took it home and had ourselves a delightful venison casserole that evening. Easy and not at all costly.

Check out my review of O'Sullivan Poultry - I am cork - on Qype

Barry's Tea Ltd in Cork

BARRY’S TEA
(see competition in older post below)

Barry’s Tea, founded over one hundred years ago, is one of Cork’s iconic firms, well known nationally. It is served in many top class restaurants, currently advertised by Fenn’s Quay as part of the Dine in Cork week.

Their Original, Classic and Gold Blends are, well, classics of the Irish Tea scene. But the folks at Kinsale don't stand still. New packs, especially the Green Tea range and also the Decaf, are doing well as I can see around this house.

And now there are even newer products on the shelves of your local supermarket. One of these is known as Pu-erh. This is from China and is rich in anti-oxidants. And you also have, from South Africa, an herbal tea called Rooibos. It is naturally caffeine free and, like black tea, can be used with milk. So there you are, two new possibilities from our old friends in the Kinsale Road.

Check out my review of Barry's Tea Ltd - I am cork - on Qype

Cork Butter Museum

BUTTER MUSEUM

At first glance, Cork’s Butter Museum mightn’t seem like much of an attraction. But, considering, that most of us (or at least most of our parents) came from the countryside and that virtually all of us use butter, it makes it worth the effort.

You’ll be glad you went when you’ve seen the story unfold, the butter making its way over country “roads” from all over Munster to the Butter Exchange in Shandon which became the world’s largest butter market and exported to many countries including the USA, West Indies, Brazil, Europe, India and Australia. No wonder the Financial Times said: “Do not miss.”

For over one hundred years, Cork was a major player in the international butter market and the story is told by way of artefacts, audio-visual aids plus maps and other documents. There is even a container of bog butter, over a thousand years old!

You will also see old style butter making equipment and other types of containers such as the famous firkin. The firkin was a measure of weight and that weight was checked on a crane, hence the nearby round building called the Firkin Crane (now a dance academy).

Those of you of a certain age will remember getting loose butter in the English Market, the stall holder cutting the pound from a slab and tapping it into shape with a pair of small wood paddles (also on display).

There are a few video points around the two story display (the visit costs just four euro for an adult) and the one I liked best showed the butter being made in a demonstration for the RTE programme The Butter Road. The butter road doesn't sound all that exciting but remember it took a week or so to complete the round trip from Killarney to Shandon and then you had the highwaymen ready to relieve you of your earnings on the way back.

Cork, which had introduced a before-its-time system of quality control, eventually ran out of steam and began to lose out to other countries and butter making technologies.

Irish butter ended up being sold unbranded and very cheaply in the UK until the 1960s when a national marketing effort put the product right back where it belonged and at a proper price. Joining the EEC also helped and you can see that story, the Kerrygold story, on video here.

Butter is part of what we are and you’ll understand it all a little better after an hour or so at this pleasant place in Shandon. Actually, before I finish, I must mention the gentleman that we met there yesterday. He sold us our tickets but didn’t leave it at that. He came in a few times to see how we were doing and added his own considerable knowledge to make it a very enjoyable visit indeed.

Well done to all involved and I hope that many visitors take the short trip up from the city centre to the Butter Museum this summer and that many locals, city and county folk alike, do likewise.

Photos, from the top: A firkin, churns, butter-maker and spade, an informative poster.

Check out my review of Cork Butter Museum Ltd - I am cork - on Qype

Franciscan Well Brew Pub in Cork

THE FRANCISCAN WELL
Called into the Franciscan Well Brew Pub over the weekend. You know this is a different sort of pub when you see the three big vats behind the counter and a group of fifteen fellows coming in to start the tour.

But, micro-brewery or no, it is still a pub, a fine spacious one at that, with a very friendly and helpful service. If you are wondering which of the many beers you should taste on draught then you’ll get a little sample to help you make up your mind.

Leaving the Friar Weisse, the Rebel Red and the Shandon Stout aside, at least for this visit, I went for the Blarney Blond. This lager is an excellent drink and a pint and half cost about €6.45 which is more or less the normal lager price. Well worth a try if you are a lager drinker.

As the bar is a magnet for tourists, there is also a large selection of international beers available (though no Heineken or Carlsberg or Guinness or Murphy’s, nothing form the big name brewers). But you won't miss them.

I’m beginning to liking for Czech lagers. They didn’t have Staropramen and, from the selection offered by the very helpful Polish bar-person, I choose the 1795 Budejovicky Pivo. A 50cl bottle cost me €4.80. This is a terrific drink, even better then the Staro, and I’ll certainly be looking out for it in the future, especially if I’m passing Bradleys in North Main Street.

The Franciscan Well is nicely laid out and has a covered Beer Garden. They also do various Beer fests, seasonal barbeques, live music, tours and tastings and also supply Party Kegs. See their website www.franciscanwellbrewery.com or ring 021 4210130.

Check out my review of Franciscan Well Brew Pub - I am cork - on Qype

Ardrahan Farmhouse Cheese in Kanturk

ARDRAHAN FARMHOUSE CHEESE

Ardrahan Farmhouse Cheese is one of the best around and has got the awards to prove it.

I have come across it regularly enough. Bought some recently from the Pig’s Back in the English Market and enjoyed it. It is a semi-soft cheese with a complex delicate flavour which most people like.
It is hand-made in Kanturk – North Cork seems to be quite a place for making farmhouse cheeses – by Mary Burns of Ardrahan House and comes in two sizes.

The large wheel weights about 1.5 kilo, the smaller one about 300g. As the product is handmade, the weights will vary slightly form piece to piece.

The cheese is generally available in Ireland and also in England and Scotland. See website for details.

Check out my review and contact details of Ardrahan Farmhouse Cheese - I am cork - on Qype