Amuse Bouche

There’s something wonderful about drinking in the afternoon. A not-too-cold pint, absolutely alone at the bar - even in this fake-ass Irish pub. It’s new, built to look like old. Erin go Bragh bullshit with its four flat screens… The generic Irish bric-a-brac they deliver by the truck-load. Empty moving vans roaming the Irish countryside right now, I imagine, waiting for old Missus Meagher to drop dead into her black pudding so they can buy up the contents of her curio shelves. All of it shipped straight off to a central clearing house, where it’s divvied up between Instant Irish Pubs in New York, Milwaukee,Singapore and Verone.

from Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain.

Out of the Blue. Where the best fish go.

Out of the Blue.

Where The Fab Fish Go

Dingle was all abuzz for last weekend’s annual Food Festival. Not easy to get a restaurant booking on Saturday night and one of the most sought after tables was at Out of the Blue on the waterfront. Tim Mason’s 12 year old fish restaurant, powered by two French chefs, has a colourful “hut” type frontage. But don’t worry. The building, which goes back a bit from the road, is solid and the cooking is spectacular.

After emails, phone calls and texts, all a few days earlier, they managed to squeeze us in late on Saturday night. Met one of my twitter pals at the wine bar on the way in. “You’re in for a treat”, she said. And, boy, was she right! The good vibes continued with the smiling welcome and service was a delight all the way to the final cheery good nights.

They have quite a wine list normally but had added a string of specials for the Food Festival. I didn't go further than the first one. I like my Verdejo and, with the fish in mind, choose the Mesta Verdejo Organic 2013 from the Ucles region in Spain. Inviting aromas are followed by a clean and refreshing palate; a very enjoyable wine. Was also tempted by the Cres Richards Marsanne-Roussane (a favourite blend) but was very happy with my Spaniard.

Amuse, soup, and crab

Didn't need to touch the wine for a while though as we started off this special festival tasting menu with a glass of prosecco to accompany Mackerel Pate and home cured Salmon. The sea, oh the sea,  gra geal mo chroi! Great flavours and texture had us humming.

And that was followed by a Pumpkin and Fennel and Curry Soup with some sautéed scallops lurking in the gorgeous warming mix. Eating and drinking in this well blended bowl. Then it was the turn of the crustacean: crab balls and crab toes with a mango and chilli pesto. Looked well and the flavours were clean and brilliant. The sea, oh the sea!

And then another chorus as the “main event” arrived. This was the magnificent duo of fish: roasted turbot with morelle crumble, pan-fired John Dory with tarragon and horse-radish sauce, with a mini pumpkin stuffed with ratatouille and basil. That ratatouille was brilliant, could have eaten it on its own but, combined with the two fish, the whole ensemble fully deserved the main event tag. It must have been full-tilt in the kitchen at that point but no sign of any turbulence on this superb plate.

Main event

Before dessert, we had baked camembert with rhubarb and pear chutney. I enjoyed mine but there was a mixed reception, some thinking that the mustard dressing with the salad was just too much!

And then there was quite a finale, a massive multi part dessert: Passionfruit panna cotta, hazelnut, walnut and caramel tart, hazelnut and almond biscuit and a gianduja (a mix of hazelnut and chocolate).  “For a treat” they said. And they weren't kidding. Superb dessert, superb meal. Very Highly Recommended.

See also:
The Dingle Taste Trail
The Dingle Distillery Tour
My Dingle Food Experience

Irish Tea Rooms Worth Noting!

Irish Tea Rooms Worth Noting!
(in no particular order)

What are your own favourites? Use Comment facility below to reply.

You'll find the Pie Cafe and Tea Rooms, the latest addition to this list, at the back of the famous Dick Mac's Yard in Dingle. Π or Pie is a colourful spot. Tea is served in unusual pots and the speciality here is their Sweet and Savoury Pies. On a recent visit, I enjoyed their Cornish Pasty which had one half filled with venison in red wine and chocolate, the other with raspberry and strawberry. Super.

The Pie Cafe and Tea Rooms, Green Street, Dingle, Co. Kerry

The Workshop, Ballygarvan, County Cork

The Ardmore Gallery & Tea Rooms

Welcome to Ardmore, Co. Waterford

Drumcliffe Tea House (Sligo)

Ben Bulben from Drumcliffe

Scrummylicious Bakery and Tearoom (Dungloe, Donegal)

Donegal sunset

Doneraile Court Tea Rooms (Doneraile, Cork)

The Awbeg river in Doneraile Court

Tea and Garden Rooms, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare

The Phoenix Park Tea Rooms, Dublin

Pancake Cottage, Strawberry Field, Sneem to Moll's Gap Road, Co. Kerry

Duchess Tea Rooms, Bandon, Co. Cork

The Tea House at the Walled Garden, Kylemore Abbey, Co. Galway.

Tea Rooms at Camden Fort Meagher, Crosshaven, Co. Cork

Tea and a view over Cork Harbour

Adare's Old Creamery

Doll's House in the shop.

Taste of the Week

Taste of the Week
Badger & Dodo Columbian Coffee

No shortage of good coffees in the Cork area these days and this is the one I'm enjoying currently. It is from Columbia, San Pablo #1 Estate, and is Taste of the Week. Badger & Dodo roast this in Fermoy and I bought mine in Bradley's, North Main Street. A little bit of sweetness is evident here but it is really well balanced and a very pleasant coffee indeed.

The Dingle Taste Trail. Biggest in the land?

The Dingle Taste Trail

Biggest in the land?

Time to hit the Taste Trail.

No danger of going hungry on the streets of Dingle last weekend. No less than 81 outlets took part in the gigantic Taste Trail, a major feature of the annual Food Festival.

And it wasn't just food outlets. An Siopa Ceol, Liam O’Neill Art Studio (where Derry Clarke served up the local Mutton pie) and Dingle Crystal were among those in the merry mix.

And what a mix! Your tokens (or cash) could buy you anything from a Shark Snack to a Pumpkin Soup, from Vegetarian Sushi to those mutton Pies, from a Dublin Coddle to Dingle Fudge. Not to mention a full range of drinks, including local spirits (Dingle Distillery) and local beer (Tom Crean Brewery).

So where to start? The highly rated Out of the Blue was our first port of call and here we enjoyed their shark bites. Tasty stuff. From a nearby wagon, we got some fish on a skewer.

Time then for a glass (or more) of wine at An Siopa Ceol where Karwig Wines rep Frank conducted a band of enthusiasts through a quartet of whites. The opening wine, a “spritzy” Vinho Verde, provided a cheerful allegro. He brought us down to andante then with a duo of Italians, Passarina and Pradalupo. And the finish, a golden 2007 Monbazillac by Chateau Belingard, was dolcissimo. Bravo Frank.

That pleasant interlude behind us, we hit the trail again. Big queues at Fenton’s for their Dexter mini-burgers and at Finn McCools/Bushtucker Meats for the kangaroo. The vegetarian Raclette at the Little Cheese Shop was causing a lot of oohs and aahs as we passed.

The Karwig Quartet at An Siopa Ceol

 Time now for a pause and a sit-down at the Pie Cafe. Here I enjoyed a Sweet and Savoury Pie and a pot of tea. The Cornish Pasty had one half filled with venison in red wine and chocolate, the other with raspberry and strawberry. Super. Must remember to add this place to my list of Irish Tea Rooms.

We thought we had all the market stalls covered during our morning ramble but, just off Main Street, we stumbled on another packed section in a cul de sac where we said a quick bon jour to Laurent of Buffalolo. The highlight here was a superb Venison Sausage with a blackcurrant mustard by local butcher Jerry Kennedy.

At the Pie Cafe

 Retraced our steps to Main Street and headed down to John Street where we had another top class treat, a buckwheat crepe filled with goats cheese and sun-dried tomatoes at the Creperie Ti Koz.

Didn't have the Breton cider there but, back on the sunny street, the need for a drink asserted itself. An Canteen was (and always had been) our destination of choice.

Classy crepe

The street outside was packed and it looked impossible to get in. But there was no bother. It was just that the punters had moved out to get the sun. At the temporary bars set up around the small restaurant space, craft producers such as Franciscan Well, Porterhouse, Mountain Man, and Tempted? were selling their tasty wares.

Met Daniel Emerson (Stonewell) and Sam Black (Kinsale) and they gave me a sample of a cider and beer mix that they have been collaborating on. When I asked what they were calling the tasty drop, full of flavour and strong at 15% or so, they chimed W.I.P. (work in progress!). Worth keeping an eye on.

A shower brought the crowd back into An Canteen. The rain didn't last too long and soon we were looking for something sweet to finish the tour on. Murphy’s Ice Cream was to be our final stop and here I enjoyed their Atlantic Caramel (honeycomb and butterscotch ice cream). A sweet finalé indeed.

See also: Dingle Distillery Tour and My Dingle Food Experience

The Murphy's menu.

The Dingle Distillery Tour. Well worth ten of your euros!

The Dingle Distillery Tour

Well worth ten of your euros!

Welcome to the Dingle Distillery

 When you arrive at the Dingle Distillery, just west of the town, you’ll want to look inside. But your guide Joe tells you to look outside. “Look through the gates there,’” he says, then directs your gaze further out to the mouth of the harbour. It is, even on a dull day, a pretty picture and one that appears on the Dingle bottles.

It doesn't appear yet on their whiskey bottles, the reason being that their irish whiskey is not yet on sale. By law, Irish whiskey (spelt with an e) must mature for three years and one day. That period will be up for Dingle at the end of next year but it could be well into 2016 before Dingle Whiskey appears on the shelves, joining the gin and vodka which are now available and bringing badly needed revenue into the fledgling operation.

Joe took us, a small international group, though the history of the liquid. His story says it was “invented”, though more likely a happy accident, around the time of Christ. The Irish may well have been the first in the Northern Hemisphere to distil it though the first written reference to it here does not appear until 1405.

It is often claimed, and Joe endorsed it, that the word whiskey comes from the Irish word for water which is uisce. Uisce beatha is the Irish name for whiskey and this translates as water of life and has many equivalents (eg aqua vitae) in European languages.

Joe reckons the Norman invaders couldn't quite pronounce uisce (maybe they were drinking too much!) and changed it to whiskey. No shortage of humour when Joe’s your guide. He recalled an old Irish saying: “When you’re well, whiskey makes you sick; when you’re sick, whiskey makes you well.” Whiskey making though is no joke. “If things go wrong, you could end up with porridge.”

He took us through the technical details of the process as we walked around, telling us that towards the end, the alcohol count is in the high 70s, early 80s. The strength is reduced by adding water before bottling.

The process here follows the usual Irish practice.”Triple distillation gives a very smooth whiskey, much smoother than the Scotch which is double distilled.”

Spirit stills

 Dingle buy in Ethanol to make their gin and vodka (not Joe’s favourite drink: “does nothing for me”). This is already distilled four times. Dingle distil it one more time and, in the case of the gin, add in their own botanicals (which he didn't disclose!).

Gin, he told us, is a Dutch (not a British) invention and that is why we get the term Dutch courage for alcohol induced bravery. This was just one of a few explanations. He also had one for the term Blind Drunk, no laughing matter. Drinking methanol, one type of alcohol, will literally turn you blind.

Our tasting was of the Gin and Vodka (both in attractive distinctive bottles) and we got a few tips but generally the talk was of whiskey. Joe emphasized the importance of the casks but cautioned that to get good stuff out, you had to put good stuff in.

The cask of choice currently is one that had been previously used for Bourbon, Sherry or Port. We were able to taste some of the immature whiskey, including some at 20 months, and could get the flavour of whatever had been in the cask previously.

Quite a few people have invested in the distillery through buying a cask of the whiskey for the future and these casks are named and stored here. In addition, there is an internal wall where the names of the founding fathers are displayed.

It looks like they have made a wise investment. Joe says that there is a renaissance of interest in whiskey worldwide. Quoting from the New York Times, he said the foxy lady (a name sometimes used for the liquid) is appreciating in value at a higher rate than gold!

And that was it, tour over. On the way down, ex cop Joe said: “Drop into the office and I’ll take ten of your euros off you.” Well worth it Joe. Thanks for the entertaining and informative tour.

I was in Dingle for the Blas na hEireann Awards and the Food Festival. Read all about it here. The Taste Trail was another highlight of the weekend.

My Dingle Food Experience

My Dingle Food Experience
Festival and Blas na hEireann Awards

Local starter, all local here, at An Canteen:
 chorizo croquetta and ham hock terrine (supplier Jerry Kennedy)

Trucks, tractors, trains, even tourists, may have delayed our arrival in Dingle last Thursday but nothing was keeping us away from the Blas na hEireann Awards or the fantastic Dingle Food Festival.

Artie Clifford and his hard-working Blas committee had all the products - there are well over two thousand in some ninety categories - lined up for the tables of judges in the Skellig Hotel. The food and drink products would be fully tested and so to would the palates of the judges as there were two sessions lasting a combined total of around five hours.

You have no idea of who makes what. It is not a blind tasting as such (no blindfolds!) but the unpackaged products in front of you are “anonymous” for want of a better word. There are up to five on the shortlist for each category and each judge tastes quite a few groups over the morning and afternoon.  My standout category? I thought the standard in blue cheese (winners: Cashel Blue) was top class, with three of the five outstanding. See the full list of winners here.

Not all food. This piece, from recycled tyres,
 created by Mick Davis, is called Ram's Head.

With the judging completed - we still wouldn't know the winners until Saturday afternoon - it was time to check in at our accommodation. The next event was the press opening of the Dingle Food Festival at the Tom Crean Brewery. More food here but, after all the little bites during the day, I opted for a couple pints of the cool and fresh Tom Crean lager.

Lovely chats then with fellow judges and bloggers and all fell silent as Neven Maguire, presented earlier with a special award by Blas, cut the ribbon and opened the festival. Next port of call was the bar in Benners. Tom  Crean available there too of course and a whole selection of Irish craft beers included on the drinks menu.

Neven Maguire at the opening of the
Dingle Cookery School.

Very impressed with that development (Benner’s also have Dingle vodka and gin from the local distillery). Next stop was An Canteen, another huge supporter of craft beers. Here hosts Brian and Niall greeted us and served up a fantastic meal, made with pride and passion and no little skill, from local produce. Even Neven was highly impressed.

Time then, for me at least, to stroll down the lane and head back to the bed. Friday would be another busy and very enjoyable day.

Blas winners on the double:
East Cork's Sandra and Joe Burns.

The rain came down for a while on Friday morning but that didn't stop the punters from turning up in the farmers market to see Neven Maguire signing his new book Fast. He was in great form, chatting and smiling and standing in for photos as the fans queued up to buy the book.

Thanks to Lisa McGee (@Dingle Spirit on Twitter), we had heard that there was a two o’clock tour at the Dingle Distillery so we strolled out to the west of the town and joined an international group for a very interesting 75 minutes or so. See separate post here on this tour.

Fun times at Tom Crean's

On the way back, we called into the Dingle Cookery School opening. Here again, Neven was doing the honours and, as usual, joining in the fun. It is a tremendous facility. Lots of courses are now available, some short, some long. Check out all the details here. Hope to do a separate story on this also.

And still more to do. Next Blas event was the announcement of the winners in the awards given by the local enterprise offices. Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Tipperary and Waterford were among those represented at Benner’s. Delighted to see Beara Seafoods and Joe’s Farm, two small family producers that I've met this year, among the winners.

Dessert at Idás

Friday night found a group of us in Idás, an excellent restaurant more on John Street. Lots of conversation and good food, good wine too, as an enjoyable evening unfolded. Great to meet chef and owner Kevin Murphy who had laid on a special tasting menu for us. Check Idás out if you’re in the town or the area - worth a detour!

The rain, aside from a few showers, held off on Saturday and just as well. First stop was the Blas Producers Networking Event. Buyers were here in their dozens and it was great chance for the producers to show and talk about their produce. Lovely to meet up again with Olivia  from An Olivia Chocolates, a winner last year (and gold again this year), with Sam from Cloudberry Bakery (also a gold this year - see her tasty produce in Brown Thomas in Cork) and with so many more.

On the Taste Trail at Out of the Blue.
Their shark bite (front) was a big hit!

And then it was off to the market which covers most of the central streets of the town. This includes the regular farmers market but it is so much more. Producers who have won in the previous year’s awards had the opportunity to have a stand and so the selection of foods and drinks is huge. The Foods of Athenry, Hartnett’s Oils, Wild Irish Foragers and Blurini Blasta were among the many stops we made.

Soon though we were down to business, on the Taste Trail. With over 80 participants, this must be the biggest and best of its kind in the country (if not, let me know!). Everything, from shark to kangaroo, from ling pie to Dingle Fudge, from wine to craft beers and ciders, available. Purchase with your book of tokens or with cash. Separate post here.

Saturday's special menu at Out of the Blue (OOTB)

All the while the awards were being presented in the cinema and again it was a delight to see many hard working producers that I know get their just rewards.

Just as well our booking for Saturday's dinner was on the late side. It was 9.15 when we arrived at Out of the Blue, the fish specialist restaurant on the waterfront in Dingle. The French chefs had a special multi-course menu for the night, even a special wine menu. It was a terrific meal in a small place with a great atmosphere and a great staff. Highly recommended. Post to follow.

Stamina had run out by the time Sunday morning dawned. There was still much to do, including the Taste Trail and market again, but home called and we headed east with lots of lovely memories and a promise to ourselves to call again.

Slán go fóill.

Amuse Bouche

The main course was not ambrosia but suckling pig, pheasant, and partridge, with artichokes, courgette, cucumber, and rocket leaves. The latter were a sure aphrodisiac, as were the snails and oysters already consumed. In place of nectar, they drank the finest wines of the empire, Falernian and Mamertine, Chian and Lesbian.

from Iron and Rust by Harry Sidebottom

For your Weekend: One White, One Red

For your Weekend: One White, One Red

Vina del Sopie Verdejo DO Rueda 2013, 13.5% abv, €13.95 Karwig Wines

Venture away from the usual white grapes and you'll be richly rewarded. Especially if you try this one which is one hundred per cent Verdejo (pronounced Ver-deko) and all the grapes are from fifty year old vines.

It is yellow in colour with green tones and looks clean and bright. The nose is rather expressive, white fruits combine with floral aromas, for me it was love at first sniff. And the affair intensified when it hit the palate, smooth and round and again those fruits and indeed floral characters, ending in a long and fruity finish.

The Spanish vineyard recommend pairing it with Mediterranean dishes, vegetables, rice and seafood and flavourful fish and I can agree when they say it is exceptional as an aperitif. Quite delicious all round and very highly recommended.

If you’d like to pick up a red while you’re in Karwigs, check out the Caldora Montepulciano and the Caldora Sangiovese. I’ve had these recently and they are two really lovely reds and each is well priced.

Chateau Lezin, Bordeaux Superieur 2011, 13%, €10.00 (down from 19.99), SuperValu.

Merlot (69%) certainly dominates the blend here. Soft and lush on the palate, the fruit flavours and hints of spice are well balanced, tannins are just about noticeable and it all ends with a persistent finalé.

The renovated winery are very happy with this one, describing it as powerful and complex. Not sure I'd go that far but I'd have no hesitation in recommending it as an excellent example of Bordeaux red.

With the French wine sale still on in SuperValu, you might be tempted to get your white here as well and the one I’d recommend is the Michel Lynch Barrel Select Sauvignon blanc 2012 .

Top Posts for Past 12 Months (to end of September ‘14)

Top Posts for Past 12 Months (to end of September ‘14)

Coqbull.

The big change this month sees Coqbull come from nowhere to top the chart. Two other new city centre restaurants, Aroi and Huguenot, also feature. Looks like French Church Street and Carey's Lane is the area to be as all three are within a few steps of one another. Minimum hits for this list is now 800.

1 Cork's Coqbull On An Early Charge

2 The Square Table - Great Addition to Blarney

3 Happy Gaggle of Wine Geese

4 Happy New Beer at The Cotton Ball

5 Electric. Easy to book. Hard to leave.

6 The Chapel Steps Celebrates

7 Aroi. Asian Street Food in Cork City

8 Pride of Ireland Awards 2013/14

9 Dining in Style at Pier 26

10 Huguenot. New French Bistro

Taste of the Week

Taste of the Week

Sourdough by Pana

Thanks largely to the pioneering work of Arbutus Breads, many of us are used to getting high quality loaves at markets and shops. If I had to guess, I would say that sourdough is the most popular. This is an excellent example. It is made by Pana (who have a shop in Merchant's Quay) and has won at Blas na hEireann. I bought this at the Coal Quay Market last Saturday from the Clover Wholefood stall and it is Taste of the Week.