Barnabrow House - a special place for lunch

Barnabrow House - a special place

Many of you will know that Barnabrow House is a special place for weddings. But did you know you can also enjoy a very special Sunday lunch there? The quality of Stuart Bowes’s cooking is well known and the value is amazing, two courses (plus tea and coffee) for €20.00, three courses (plus tea and coffee) for €25.00.

Take a stroll through the grounds before or after your meal and see the poultry, the donkeys and the goats. You will also spot the walled garden from which much of produce comes as you make your way to the church like Trinity Rooms Restaurant, beautifully decorated and furnished and also quite large. Here you see that local producers such as Green Saffron, O’Connell’s and Caherbeg appear on the tempting menu.

We were there on Sunday and the place was full. And soon we were to see why. Not the longest of menus but still you need time to make up your mind. Eventually, I picked the Gulfstream oak smoked salmon with marinated roast beetroot, omega seeds and wasabi Chantilly. This is the same salmon that Bowes use on his famous Barnabrow Benedict for breakfast and it is gorgeous, enhanced by the accompaniments.

Caherbeg Pork taster.

Our other starter was Confit Duck Terrine, plum chutney, hazelnut chutney and crisp bread. Add in a slice of duck breast and it was another top class treat. Other starters on the day included Gnocchi, roast garden veg, tomato, sugo parmesan and Soup (Roast tomato , almonds and herb oil).

Could have eaten any of the main courses on offer. Did get a taster of their fabulous baked Caherbeg free range pork, colcannon potato, parsnip, carrot and Madeira juice. What a winner, the perfect match between the parsnip and the pork a particular highlight.

But it was highlights all around here. My main course of Roast Sirloin of O'Connell’s beef, cavalo nero, caramelised onions and Szechuan pepper sauce was incredible, so tender and full of flavours, all playing off one another, no element in the plate wasted, a perfect alchemy.

Vegetables, with scattering of almonds to the left!

Must say a word about the vegetables, a bowl of perfectly done (no bother to anyone whose teeth aren’t what they were!) roast potatoes and creamed cauliflowers and broccoli. And our other main course was another flawless culinary joy: Pan Seared fillet of Sea Bass, with soft potato puree, cauliflower and parmesan risotto, smoked paprika.

Could we be tempted by dessert? Well, with the kitchen in this kind of from, the answer had to be in the affirmative. CL picked the spiced apple crumble with Chantilly cream, a seasonal delight, the spices by neighbours Green Saffron, the apples from Barnabrow’s own orchard!

For me, it was the Milk Chocolate Mousse with spiced oranges and shortbread, a delectable pairing, another piece of magic from the kitchen.

White chocolate and orange.

Service, as you might expect, is quietly excellent, courtesy and efficiency combined. As I said at the start, it is a rather special place thanks to the efforts of owner Geraldine Kidd, her Head Chef and their staff. Very highly recommended for your Sunday lunch.

The Winegeese. A New Generation in Cork last night.

The Winegeese. A New Generation.

Languedoc winemakers at L'Atitude

Bottom (l to r): Leslie Williams (Irish Examiner),
Neasa Corish Miquel and Philip Grant.

A couple of modern winegeese were at L’Atitude in Cork lasted evening and very impressive they were too. Both Neasa Corish Miquel and Philip Grant operate in the Languedoc and, with Irish Examiner’s Leslie Williams linking and prompting the pair, we had a very entertaining evening and tasted some excellent wines.

Neasa Corish Miquel is originally from Dublin and married into the Miquel family. They have two vineyards, one near Beziers, the other south of the Narbonne to Toulouse stretch of the A61 autoroute.

The big surprise from Neasa was her 2012 Albarino, the only one in France (at least for the present!). The Miquels took a big gamble here, planting 14 hectares “all in one go”. But is looks like paying off. This is an elegant fresh white wine with a lovely fragrance. Matched with a mix of smoked and fresh salmon, one of the many excellent bites from the L’Atitude kitchen, it went down well.

Her opening wine, the 2011 Viognier, has been harvested by night and “handled gently”. Its freshness was evident and it went well with the cheese. Neasa said it keeps well for days in the open bottle and is even decanted in some restaurants.

Then Philip who, after a successful business career, bought the large Chateau Bellevue estate in November 2007 (just before the crash!), spoke about the main grape grown there. It is the little known Négrette which has “fabulous colour and fabulous fruit” but “is tricky to grow”.

Worth it though as illustrated through his wines. The first was his 2012 Rosé. Some forty per cent of his wine is rosé and this beauty went very well indeed with Jack McCarthy’s classy Pastrami. Bren Smith of Mackenway, who distribute for Grant and Miquel, said it was also a terrific match with curry.

Philip then produced his first red, his 2009, a gold medal winner and his best seller. It is fifty five per cent Négrette, with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah also in the blend. It is fresh and fruity, soft, and matched very well with the mushrooms.

The Canal du Midi flows through the Languedoc
and was once used for carrying wine.

Then came the big hitters. Neasa’s introduced us to her Larmes des Fees (the tears of the fairies), a 100% Syrah from 2006 and under the St Chinian appellation. It has been aged for 18 months in oak and much the same in bottle, is very high quality and will age well. The tears of the fairies, Neasa told us, flowed when they heard a group of washerwomen bad-mouthing absent colleagues. Probably still flowing so.

The 2009 Optimum is powerful and fresh and age worthy and another award winner for Philip. Indeed, it has been awarded a very hard to get Coup de Coeur by Hachette. This Fronton AOC red is from low yield vines and has “an enormous concentration of flavour. “It has taken off very well, “he said, “and the biggest buyers are the Vietnamese”.

It was quite a long evening but we didn’t notice the time going by, thanks to the good company and the good wines. More of the same next Wednesday (7.00pm) when the wines of Domainela Sarabande (also from the Beziers area and owned by Australian Paul Gordon and his Irish wife Isla) will be featured. Tickets from L’Atitude at 021 2390219.

Taste of the Week

Taste of the Week

Brioche and Almond by Arbutus Bread

It's a Brioche and Saffron base, topped with a macaroon paste, plaited and topped with pearl sugar and flaked almonds.

More simply - it's gorgeous.

Amuse Bouche

Taylor's Late Bottled Vintage was launched in 1970 with the 1965 vintage. Not everyone welcomed this innovation. One unnamed source predicted that 'it will kill the Port trade, but it will kill Taylor's first'. In fact the contrary proved to be the case. LBV was a resounding success and gradually other Port houses launched their own versions. 

From Taylor’s, The Story of a Classic Port House.

(Chris Forbes of Taylor's, who did much work on this book, is in Cork City tomorrow evening. The Port tasting is in Brown Thomas at 6.00pm and Sarah Grubb of Cashel Blue will also be there with both Cashel and Crozier. That should make for an interetesing taste event!)

Capri Bay by Youghal Bay

Capri Bay La Trattoria

 Stuffed onion and stuffed apple are not a regular part of any local menu that I know of. Yet I came across the two at a lovely lunch in Youghal's Capri Bay last Sunday as the rain bucketed down on the street outside. Capri is on the main street, on the right as you approach the Clock Tower from the city direction and, believe it or not, there is another Italian place directly across from it.

Had a quick read of the big specials board as we entered. Soon we were at the table and studying the multi page menu, a little bruschetta already delivered to nibble on as we made up our minds. Not easy with such a choice.

Calamari

I had noticed the Cannelloni with Meat and Mushrooms on the Specials and picked that as my Secondo Piatto. But was told that the Amarone Risotto served with smoked pork, my choice of Primo Piatto, would take longer to cook so I started with the Cannelloni. It was flawless, really overflowing with flavour.

CL also enjoyed her first dish, the Fried Calamari served in a lemon and lime mayo,

that came from the Antipasti list. This was vibrant, full of flavour and a great way to start the meal.

Cannelloni

She was also thrilled too with her main course: Pollo Riesling, served in a grape and Riesling wine sauce, with a stuffed apple prominent on the plate. The chicken itself was juicy and perfectly cooked and the sauce was a great complement. 

Pollo

Must say that the three side dishes delivered with the main plates were really eye-catching and proved quite a highlight in themselves. Owner Chef Gerald Esposito has a stone oven for his huge range of pizzas and one of the dishes had a couple of slices of the gorgeous bread, soaked in olive oil. Another dish contained the vegetables, haricot vert and red cabbage (both beautifully cooked), and the third had some flavoursome rustic potatoes from the oven along with that stuffed onion, its hinged “cap” revealing a cache of spinach when lifted.  

It was quite a meal all told and no room for dessert. But we did have a cup of coffee each and enjoyed a complimentary mini meringue before saying ciao and thanks for a lovely meal and service.

Capri Bay details

55 South Main Street

Youghal

Co. Cork

Opening hours

Mon - Thu: 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Fri - Sat: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm, 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Sun: 12:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Phone	02490262 or 0872251298
Email	capribay@hotmail.com
Website	http://www.capribay.com

Zaconey, out on its own and loose in the Rebel County.

Old Time Zaconey

An amazing 120,000 barrels make their way from the bourbon distilleries of America to Irish Distillers Ltd every year, arriving with a pool of golden bourbon resting inside. This is the origin of Zaconey (35% ABV), a new crafted spirit with a twist of American bourbon.

The new spirit, not a rum, not a vodka, was launched at Rearden’s Secret Garden on Tuesday evening with the sounds and sights of the fifties dominating. Some nice bites also, via Right Catering, with Sweet Potato Fries (in cones, of course), tasty sliders and bags of popcorn featuring.

And the fun doesn’t stop there.  During the months of November and December, the Zaconey carnival will turn into a travelling funfair visiting a number of towns across the ‘Rebel County’, bringing 1950’s Americana to the homes of lucky consumers.  

Corkonians will be invited to call on the ‘Zaconey Party Starter’ in order to taste the retro spirit of Zaconey in the comfort of their very own home, where it will whip up the magical spirit of 1950’s Americana, bringing it to life with games and glamour galore.   For further information on how to call on the Zaconey Party Starter visit, check here.  Participants must be over 21 years of age.

The new spirit is meant to be mixed, usually about one to three. Coke seems to be the preferred option going by Tuesday night. Use a big tumbler and loads of ice. But you may try other mixers. I tried soda, Club lemon, and also a white lemonade (probably my favourite, but to each his own!). Quite possible too that Zaconey will provide the base for many cocktails in the months ahead as inventive rollers and shakers get to know it.

Taylor's Port and Cashel Blue at BT Friday

Taylor's Port and Cashel Blue at BT Friday

 Friday 15th November, 6pm

Cashel, before the blue.

Ballymaloe's Colm McCan has been in touch about Friday's tempting "match-up" in the Food Emporium (Brown Thomas) between Taylor's Port and Cashel Blue Cheese.

"Established over three centuries ago in 1692, Taylor’s is one of the oldest of the founding Port houses and will be represented by Chris Forbes. We will also be joined by Sarah Furno from Cashel Blue Cheese and Crozier Blue Cheese, in Co. Tipperary, so an evening to look forward to, with Taylor's Port and Cashel Blue.

Here too, we have a selection of wines from our award winning wine list and wine cellar here at Ballymaloe. Open seven days a week, we have a great selection of wines and gift ideas, and we will also be holding wine tastings and welcoming visiting winemakers."

Some well priced good wines

Thought I might share the details on some decent well priced wines that I've come across recently.

In Cafe Gusto last weekend, I was reminded of the merits of Beso de Vino range imported by Wine Alliance and widely available. They are the house wines in Gusto. The white is a Macabeo and the red is a blend of Syrah and Garnacha, and both come from the Carinena region of Spain. Just checked on Bradley's Off Licence website where they are available for €10.99 a bottle.

Earlier, I had picked up an award winning white in Karwig Wines (Carrigaline). The Claude Val Vendages 2012, an IGP by Paul Mas from the Aude Valley in the Languedoc, is a blend of no less than six grapes: Grenache Blanc, Chenin, Mauzac, Chasan, Vermentino and Sauvignon Blanc. Didn't quite know what to expect when I parted with my €11.25 but it is a beauty: fruity, fresh and well balanced and a smooth, almost oily, mouthfeel. Quite a good wine at a decent price.

Hayfield Festive Wine Event

"Join us on December 5th for our Festive Wine Society evening, delight in an evening of superior wines and exceptional cuisine. Our guest speaker is Richard McMahon from Erne Wines and he will be presenting Spanish wines which they supply exclusively from the Baron de Ley winery. 

Begin your evening with a sparkling wine reception,this shall be followed by a 5 course menu, exclusively designed by Executive Head Chef Graeme Campbell, to complement the 5 wines showcased."

Tickets are €79 per person. To Book: Please call us on +353214845941 or email events@hayfieldmanor.ie

Cornstore's Craft Beer and Food Month. A series of successful pairings

Craft Beer and Food Month at The Cornstore

A series of successful pairings.

Goat cheese starter

 For those who love good food and a good beer to go with it, Cork’s Cornstore is the place to be this month. The popular restaurant is running a Craft Beer and Food Menu every Wednesday and Thursday. I sampled it last week and can highly recommend it. The Menu is proving very popular so the advice is to book ahead.

They have put a lot of effort into the pairings and a beer (or cider) is suggested with each course. You can, of course, swap around to suit yourself. But we went with the suggested beers and found a series of successful pairings.

Ravioli

You have  a choice of five starters. I kicked off with the Porcini Mushroom Ravioli in a game broth with shredded duck leg and celeriac remoulade. This was a lovely dish on its own but, matched with O’Hara’s Curim, perhaps Ireland’s only wheat beer, it was even better, the object of the November exercise accomplished!

The Warm Goat's Cheese was recommended to us and, with poached fig and red pepper and tomato compote, it sure was a gem, But, matched with the flavoursome red ale, the Dungarvan Copper Coast, the balance was spot-on, the result perfectly delectable. 

Venison

Other starters included Crisp Pork Belly with Stonewell Medium Dry Cider, Chicken Wings with Trouble Brewing Sabotage IPA and Pan Seared Scallops with Eight Degrees Barefoot Bohemian. Check the full menu here.

Brown Bread was the unusual but excellent addition to the Wild Venison Stew, also with braised red cabbage and a wild mushroom dumpling. This earthy game dish, a wintery dark in the bowl, had a great complement in the black stout from Trouble Brewing called Dark Arts, an appropriate name indeed. A highly recommended dish!  

Steak

Trouble Brewing’s Sabotage IPA was one of the suggestions to go with the Aged Rib Eye Steak. Recommending it, the Cornstore said that it has a lovely bitter finish. “And really works well with our award winning steak rub and cuts through the little extra fat of the rib eye steak.” Very true indeed, a perfect alchemy of beer and boeuf, the steak served with mushroom and onion fricassee, a half roast plum tomato and pepper sauce.

Dessert and Beer? No problem to the taste team at the Cornstore. The Flourless Chocolate Cake, with fresh cream and raspberry coulis, is a luxury treat, some very expensive chocolate used here, and it was well matched with a small glass of the Franciscan Well Limited Edition Stout, aged in Jameson Whiskey Casks. The stout, a special treat, also doubled up well with the magnificent Cheese Board Selection (with fruit and crackers). 

And then what do you match with their Apple Dessert plate (mini apple crumble, apple sorbet and apple panna cotta)? Why, Stonewell Dry Cider, of course, the dry style of the Nohoval produced cider perfectly complementing the seasonal apple selection. 

Grazie Cafe Gusto

Grazie Cafe Gusto

Found out on Friday that I have been missing out on a good thing at Cafe Gusto. Called there for their evening menu - it runs Thurs to Sat - and enjoyed a terrific meal for just thirty euro for two. And that included two glasses of wine! We got a warm greeting and service was really friendly and on the ball throughout.

They have a great selection of Cicchetti (the Italian version of tapas) for just one euro each. They had a selection of six  on the counter in Washington Street (this menu is not available at the cafe on Lapps Quay). We took all six and shared, all gorgeous bites, everything from Toons Bridge Mozzarella to anchovies to the local favourite Spiced Beef.

It was a cold evening so we were inclined for something hot and that meant their inviting Mezze platters were out. You can have charcuterie, also a cheese board, maybe a mix, or perhaps a vegetarian selection.

The selection available in this small comfortable welcoming cafe is quite large, and boosted by five or six specials. In the event, we choose the Meatballs in tomato sauce with country bread and Lamb Kofta in Pitta with Tzatziki, chilli sauce and salad, each costing a modest €7.50.

And they were both really good. The meat in each case was top notch, really tender. I was very happy with my spicy Kofta but quite a bit of traffic went on between the two of us and I can tell you that the meat ball dish was also a winner, so that speaks volumes for the rest of the menu that you may check out here.

And the wine is good and reasonably priced at €4.50 a glass. The house white is a Macabeo and the red is a blend of Syrah and Garnacha, both by Beso de Vino from the Carinena region of Spain.

Cafe Gusto info:

http://cafegusto.com/

✉ info@cafegusto.com   Tel: +353 21 4254 446

3 Washington Street, Cork.

Mon, Tues & Wed. 7:45am—5:00pm Thurs, Fri & Sat. 7.45am—10:00pm Closed on Sunday.

Cicchetti, Mezze & Small plates served from 5pm Thurs – Sat. Coffee, bruschetta, stews, soups & sandwiches served all day.

Spanish, Italian, French & Portuguese wines. B.Y.O available (Wine licence only. €5 corkage fee per bottle. €10 minimum spend per person)

Visa and Mastercard accepted

Super Saturday. Castlemary Farm. Midleton Farmers Market. The Food Emporium.

Super Saturday

Castlemary Farm. Midleton Farmers Market. The Food Emporium.

Olive and one of her goats.

This super Saturday started with a visit to Castlemary Farm. Great to meet up with the hard-working Olive Hallahan and her goats (who have a very comfortable life, especially Dan the Man!). Olive’s small shop on the farm opens every Saturday morning and today, for the first time, she had her Smoked Goats Cheddar on sale.

Frank Hederman did the smoking here so that cheese was top of our list but we also got a  few other bits and pieces including a Goat Cheese Fruit Yoghurt and a lovely brown loaf made with goat buttermilk! She also sells produce by the neighbours, including honey and eggs. The smoked cheese, by the way, tastes like a success, the smoking very finely judged indeed.

Olive meets another Billy

You may also buy Castlemary products at the regular Friday Country Market in Midleton and at the nearby shop recently opened by Helen Aherne. Olive tells me that Helen is a talented baker and her cakes also feature in the Midleton shop.

From Castlemary, I made my way to Midleton and to the regular Saturday morning Farmers Market. We were still reasonably early but O’Driscoll’s of Schull were rapidly running out of fish. Still we managed to get some fresh cod. Mushrooms from Irish Shiitake, Smoked Mackerel from the aforementioned Mr Hederman, and a lovely sweet Almond Brioche ring from Arbutus Bread were among the other products to find a way into the sturdy shopping bag. Lots of choices for lunch and later!

Gurnard

The sunshine was giving way to rain as I headed downtown in the afternoon to the Food Emporium at Brown Thomas. Lovely to meet Darina Allen who was signing copies of her most recent book, 30 Years at Ballymaloe (with over 100 new recipes), and to renew acquaintance also with Anthony Cresswell of Ummera Smoked Products who had samples of his brilliant produce for tasting.

Ballymaloe have a pop-up wine shop here and some of their wines were open for tasting with Peter Corr of Febvre Wines doing the honours and opening some terrific wines including a Vacheron Sancerre, a lovely pure white wine, mineral rich and zesty, produced by biodynamic farming.

That was good but the star of the show was undoubtedly the 2008 Raveneau Chablis. It was a rare pleasure to sample this Classic Chablis 1er Cru from Reveneau’s Butteaux vineyard.

The tastings here are of a very high standard indeed and that will continue next Friday evening at 6.00pm when Chris Forbes of Taylor's Port, one of the oldest of the founding Port houses, and Sarah Furno, of the magnificent Cashel Blue and Croizier Blue Cheeses, are the distinguished visitors. Should be a lovely evening.

Darina Allen, Ursula Bosman (Brown Thomas) and Yours Truly at the
Food Emporium.