Phô Bar. Hawkers Corner in Cork.

Phô Bar Exotic Delights
South Asian Hawkers Corner in Cork

Roti Prata

With cabin fever about to set in and a change in menu required, after the Christmas marathon, we were inspired to head across town to Douglas Street and to the relatively new Phô Bar. We had already tried and tested this bright and friendly place a month or more back and so had hundreds of others over the holidays if the many crowded Facebook photos were anything to go by.

Brian Casey, who owns the South Asian venue with chef Kash, confirmed it had been busy and so too did the staff. They weren’t expecting that many in on the Friday evening after the New Year celebrations but, even at six o'clock, were surprised at the numbers. It all added to the buzz and we were happy to have had made a reservation before calling.

Chef Kash is from Penang, right bang in the middle where culinary traditions of the neighbouring countries meet and mingle, and what he serves up here is very close indeed to what hawkers might serve you from their rickshaws in Penang. Rice dishes include Phô Thai and Malaysian curries and a gorgeous jasmine rice is served with the Beef Rendang.

In the well named Hawker Corner (of the menu), you'll find Khaw Pad Bai Krapow, Thai stir-fried rice with prawns and sweet basil.  Flat noodles feature on the Char Koey Teow; more noodles, big fat roundy ones, on the simpler Hokkien Mee. There are Udon style noodles cooked with pork liver and soy sauce. Delicious. Other noodle dishes include Phô Bo (from Hanoi) and Penang Prawn Noodles.

Keeping it cool!

There are a couple of vegetarian dishes, including Po Pia with a Hoisin sauce and chilli paste and also watch out for the Sweet Potato and Peanut sauce with the Mamak style Pasembur. Most of the dishes can be halved (chilli removed if need be) for kids.

So where to start? Well, with a Roti Prata, of course, an Indian influenced flat bread, fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, served plain or filled. Very popular as a starter to share while you're waiting for the main course.

It is quite a substantial starter! We shared the Murtabak version (7.50). This is filled with chicken, four big “sandwiches”, and served with Lentil Curry and Anchovy Sambal Dip. A stunning mix of textures and flavours, absolutely irresistible even if the heat factor was #3 (out of 3). That heat is not a problem, especially since I had a pint of the Franciscan Well Ale at hand.

They do quite a few craft brews here, along with some Asian beers. There is a also a short wine list and the usual soft drinks. Don't overlook the cooling Asian drink called Lassi, a lovely yoghurt based drink that comes in peach or mango flavour. And, of course, they have a list of very special Asian inspired cocktails all at a good price!

Fish Curry

On then to my main course. I said I’d try the Fish Curry: mackerel, tamarind, aubergine and okra. Mackerel wasn't available so I got a mix of different coloured fish, including swordfish and hake. It came in a very tasty warming broth, veg included, with a side plate of rice. Again, bursting with flavour, this was amazing - what a change from the turkey and ham! Quite a plateful and worth every cent of the €11.95.

Char Koey Teow, a dish of Malaysian stir-fried flat rice noodles, with prawn, slow smoked duck,  pork sausage, bean sprouts, dark soy sauce and duck eggs, was CL’s choice. Again great textures and flavours, the prawns and sprouts a highlight, and excellent value at €11.50.

Must emphasise that these mains are quite filling. So much so, we couldn't even rise to share Phô’s one desert. I've tried it previously and it is a gem called Ais Kacang: shaved ice with screwpine jelly, grass jelly, rose agar agar, palm seed, rose water syrup, palm sugar syrup or ice cream. The most delicious glassful you'll get anywhere for €4.50. Cooling too if you’ve indulged in the spicier dishes!

There is a full bar here and the Douglas Street venue is a lively informal spot. But service is quite good and very friendly as well. So now, if you're fed up of turkey and ham or simply want a change with a bit of spice, you know where to go.

Phô Bar

12/ 13 Douglas Street, Cork

(021) 431 6915

Char Koey Teow

Taste of the Week

Taste of the Week
Baklava from The Sultan

Best of luck to the Sultan who officially opens another new enterprise in McCurtain Street today. This shop, close to the Everyman, is called the Sultan's Delight. It is full of sweet things and also sells flavoured teas and coffees.

I popped in on Saturday and bought myself some baklava. This is also on sale at the Sultan Restaurant on Penrose Wharf and at their market stalls. Quite a variety of flavours available.

Pistachio (bottom left), Almond and Cinnamon (right), Fig and Date (top) caption

I enjoyed my Almond and Cinnamon and found that the Pistachio variety, my Taste of the Week, goes very well indeed with a drop of sweet Chaume from the Loire. The Fig and Date is not in the usual Filo but is also very enjoyable. You may also buy Turkish Delight here in the very area where Hadji Bey once operated.

Amuse Bouche

The Pudding Shop no longer has a garden. It is just another cafe behind a street window catering to tourists. Happily, it still specialises in Turkish milk puddings of all flavours.

The owner brought me a pudding bursting with fruit and berries. ‘Is special pudding,’ he whispered in my ear. ‘Is called sex pudding. After this, you go three, four times in one night.’ He formed a fist and pumped his arm,winking.

‘Maybe for a Turk,’ I said. “An Australian - oh, maybe twelve, thirteen times.’

The old man roared. ‘For you, this pudding is free. No charge.’

from Turn Right At Istanbul by Tony Wright

Ten Top Dinners. And Lunches. 2014 Highlights

2014 Highlights

Excellent for Dinner

Oysters at Au Mille Saveurs

Au Mille Saveurs (Arcachon)*

Ballymaloe House*

Cliff House Hotel*

Fenn’s Quay*

Le Flora (onboard Pont Aven)*

Ravioli. Le Flora

Le Patio (Arcachon)*

MacNean House*

Out of the Blue (Dingle)* F

Sage*  

Zuni (Kilkenny)*

Sage. The 12 Mile Plate

Amicus
An Canteen (Dingle)

Blair’s Inn

Brook Inn
Cafe Gusto

Cafe Serendipity

Church Lane (Macroom)

Club Brasserie

Cornstore

Electric F

ely Wine Bar (Dublin)

Fleming’s

Greene’s

Huguenot

Jacque’s

La Dolce Vita

Market Lane

Mitchell’s (Clifden) F

O’Connor’s (Bantry) F

Oysters F

Pier 26
Rising Tide F

Star Anise

The Square Table

Tuscany Bistro (Ballina, Tipperary)

West End (Killarney)

Excellent for Lunch

Barnabrow

Auberge des Vignes (Sauternes)*

Barnabrow*

Cafe Lavinal (Bages)*
Cornstore*

Farmgate (English Market)*

Forest Avenue (Dublin)*

Heather (Gap of Dunloe)*

Nash 19*

Bakestone Cafe

Ballymaloe Cafe

Bramley Lodge

Bula Bus U

Castle Cafe

Greenbarn (Killeagh)

Griffin’s Spinning Wheel

Isaac’s

Iyer’s

Pie Cafe (Dingle)

Sage (Youghal)

The Workshop

Toons Bridge Dairy

Excellent Hotel Dining Rooms

Cork International Hotel

River Lee Hotel

Newcomers to Watch

Aroi

CoqBull

Heather (Gap of Dunloe)

Huguenot

Pho Bar

Square Table

* Exceptional meal on visit

F  Great for fish

U  Most unusual lunch venue (in a parked bus)

All above visited last 14 months. Lots of other good places out there. If I didn’t get to your place last year, maybe we’ll meet in 2015! Hard to keep track - might need a reminder!

Amuse Bouche

We stop at a butcher’s and buy some meat to grill and milk for the dog, who won’t touch it. I begin to worry more about the animal's health than the cash I coughed up for it. The meat turns out to be horse. It’s incredibly sweet and we can't eat it. Fed up, I chuck a bit away and the dog wolfs it down in no time. Amazed, I throw it another piece and the same thing happens. The milk regime is lifted.

from The Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara

Pfeiffer’s Parish Wine Travels Well

Pfeiffer’s Parish Wine Travels Well.

So You Don’t Have To!

Pfeiffer Carlyle Chardonnay Marsanne 2011, Rutherglen (Victoria, AUS), 13%, €14.95 (reduced from 19.95) Karwig Wines http://www.karwigwines.ie .

Some two hundred kilometres north-east of Melbourne, you will find Rutherglen and, in the parish of Carlyle, among the “beautiful and tranquil surrounds of Sandy Creek”, you’ll come across the Pfeiffer winery and this gorgeous blend.

Alternatively, a few kilometers south of Cork, at the southern edge of Carrigaline, you’ll find Joe Karwig’s Wine-shop and inside, just across from the front door, you’ll see this Chardonnay Marsanne on the Australian shelf. But, hurry, there is a fiver off at present.

Marsanne is not all that well known and, according to the latest edition of the World Atlas of Wine, is a regional (rather than international) grape. But is it widely grown, not least here in the state of Victoria. Father and daughter winemaking team, Chris (below) and Jen Pfeiffer, oversee the blend.

Extended lees contact helps build a creamy texture. I have been drinking the various editions of the blend over the years and have always been impressed. This current one is no exception. It is crisp and fresh with stone fruit aromas and flavours, lightly creamy on the palate and with a clean and refreshing finish.

Just the job for the New Year celebrations!

• Rutherford is probably best known for its stickies, the local name for sweet dessert wines. Chris Pfeiffer was in Cork three years back promoting them. See what he had to say here.

Taste of the Week. Glenstal Abbey's Mandarin Liqueur Truffles

Taste of the Week

Mandarin Liqueur Truffles

For centuries, the monks of Europe have produced some great beer, great wines and delicious liqueurs. Now two abbeys have got together and produced our Taste of the Week, the Glenstal Abbey Mandarin Liqueur Truffles, available at Bradley's, North Main Street, Cork.

The truffles are flavoured with Mandarin Liqueur specially imported from the Abbey of Lerins off the south coast of France, an ancient monastic site where "St Patrick is said to have studied". Got a bit worried at first when I read on the French site that the liqueur is "gasoline Tangerine" but that is just a quirk of the Google translation.

More of that in the next phrase: brassy and bright orange dress.  But that's just saying it has a bright orange robe. And then you read of intense aromas of tangerine, orange peel and candied citrus. Some of that combination comes through in the truffles. Delicious!

Quite a difference in the approach of the different abbeys to the "advertising" of their products on their respective internet sites. The French are, dare I say, quite brassy, the Limerick lads much more reticent! Still I did note on the Irish site that they also do a 16 piece box of Dessert and Liqueur Chocolate Truffles, that features some of the "oldest and finest liqueurs from the monasteries of Europe, such as Chartreuse”. Might be a future Taste of the Week. Must see if Bradley's sell it as well!

Top Posts for 2014

Top Posts* for Past 12 Months

(to end of December ‘14)

Dessert at Huguenot

1 Cork's Coqbull On An Early Charge

2 The Square Table - Great Addition to Blarney

3 Huguenot. New French Bistro

4 Aroi. Asian Street Food in Cork City

5 Pride of Ireland Awards 2013/14

6 Top Wines 2014

7 Island of Asian Street Food at Phô

8 Slow and Low at the Chicken Inn. Swing by. And Buy.

9 Schull Country Market. Cornucopia in a Car Park

10 Electric Start to Beery Good Night

At the market in Schull

*Place in rankings determined by number of hits. Readers certainly give new restaurants every chance in the Cork area and they feature in five of the top seven posts. Delighted to see my own list of the top wines well entrenched in the list.

No Shortage of Sparkle at Year’s End

No Shortage of Sparkle at Year’s End

There is no shortage of sparkling wine to see out the old year and to welcome the new, anything from an expensive champagne such as Krug to the inexpensive Prosecco below. The big selection gives you a good chance to get one to suit both your palate and budget.

Champagne Pierre Darcys Brut, €20.00 at SuperValu

Cava Brut Barcino, €12.00 at Supervalu

Griffon Prosecco Frizzante, €9.00 at SuperValu

These are just three from the SuperValu range. The champagne itself was put to the test here on Christmas Day and went down very well indeed. It certainly has got the usual characteristics, is crisp and well balanced and runs out quickly!

The Cava stood into the breach then and you'd hardly notice. No shortage of small bubbles here, the typical breaded nose and again fresh and zesty. Just the job at about half the price.

Prosecco has made a huge impact, not always good, on the sparkling wine scene and this friendly Frizzante is but one of many on the market. It is made in a different way with the secondary fermentation taking place in a bulk tank rather than in the individual bottle, hence the twine on the cork, rather than the more usual more robust arrangement! It is less expensive to produce than Spumante which undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle. Don't delay too long with your glass of Frizzante as the bubbles don't hang around.

Carl Jung Sparkling White (de-alcoholised), €5.99 widely available

Superquinn; Dunnes Stores; Joyce's of Galway; Molloy's Off-Licences, Dublin; O'Brien's; Next Door Off-Licences; Supervalu nationwide; and good independent off-licences nationwide

With a few drivers among those calling to the house at Christmas, I thought this Carl Jung might come in handy. It sure did and drew a few compliments as well, showing that sparkling celebrations may be enjoyed without the alcohol. Actually, there is quite an intense rush of bubbles and no shortage of fruit in the palate. 

Oh, by the way, if someone says he’d prefer to drink tea, you can keep the sparkle going by offering him a glass of Mariko. Cheers!

Bouvet Saphir Saumur Brut 2011

No doubt that Champagne, Cava and Prosecco are the big three in sparkling wine. But there are many more from all over the world. We enjoyed a white and a rosé from Cono Sur during the recent blogging competition final in Paris and, speaking of France, the country produces well over twenty such wines aside from the well known champagne.  This is one of them, from the Loire and made in the same way as Champagne (méthode traditionnelle). It survived the Christmas and I'm looking forward to opening it on New Year’s Eve. Happy New Year to you all.

Merry Christmas

Happy Christmas. See you all at the other side. --- Billy

Amuse Bouche

Last time I was in here, it was Friday and spectacular. A cheeky chien trotted perkily down the middle of the rue with a baguette in his mouth. Champignons, wild like delicate orchids, tumbled from wooden boxes. Monsters of the deep with claws akimbo lay spread on ice. Hares hung from hooks over coils of sausage and chickens that were thick-boned from healthy life. Fromageries oozed their heady pungency. Patisseries seduced me with the sweet scent of tartes, a crumb of which could exhaust your tastebuds for a week. Today is Sunday. Rue des Martyrs is desolate.

From City-Lit Paris, edited by Heather Reyes.

Great Rhone Run Continues. Bourgogne Angels Deliver

Great Rhone Run Continues

Bourgogne Angels Deliver For Christmas

Domaine Chaume-Arnaud, Vinsobres Rhone (Fr) 2012, 14.5%, c. €21.00, Le Caveau Kilkenny.

Vinsobres (once famous for its olive groves) is a hillside village in the Southern Rhone, just to the south-east of Montelimar (famous for it nougat). It obtained its local appellation (red wine only) as recently as 2005. Minimum alcohol content, according to AOC rules, is 12.5% but that is well exceeded here. I've had a great run on the Rhone recently and this is another excellent bottle. Very Highly Recommended.


There are generous red-fruit aromas from this ruby wine, spice too with vanilla and pepper prominent. This is the Rhone, powerful and refreshing, in a glass and on a palate. Rich fruit flavours abound and no shortage of spice either. Full bodied and earthy, with fine tannins, it has a quality aftertaste. Pair it with red meat, game, cheese.



The blend is the usual Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre but with a splash of Cinsault. No chemical fertilisers are used and harvesting is by hand on this biodynamic vineyard run by husband and wife team Philippe and Valerie Chaume-Arnaud.

Les Couteaux Des Anges, Pinot Noir (Bourgogne) 2013, 12.5%, €10.00 SuperValu ‘til 31st Dec.

Burgundy is the place for Pinot Noir and this is a very good example. Colour is the typical light red, clean and bright and the aromas are of red cherry. There are beautiful soft fruit flavours and a lovely balancing acidity. This medium bodied wine is a real pleasure on the palate, light and fruity, and it has quite an elegant finish to boot. Don't be afraid to agitate it slightly while in the mouth - you’ll be well rewarded! Very Highly Recommended.

SuperValu recommend you try it with their Salmon Mulled Wine Christmas dinner. I think it would also go well with Scallops and Truly Irish Rashers (of which we’ve had some recent experience!) Generally though, it should match with meaty fish, mushrooms, soft cheese, poultry and cured meats.

Speaking of matching, the recently reviewed Vinha de Foral Moscatel de Setubal is a natural with mince pies!

Alcohol Free. Full Flavour.

Alcohol Free Wines From Torres

Full Flavour Maintained

Torres Natureo Free, Muscat 2013 (Spain), 0.5% abv, €7.99 widely available

Was thinking of designated drivers over Christmas and the New Year when I took an interest in this alcohol free “beverage” from Torres. Having tasted it, I think it could also have a lot of appeal on warm summer days and, at any time, would be a good base for a kir.

Should be acceptable also to some of the parents driving the family around at Christmas from one set of in-laws to another, maybe with an aunt or an uncle to be visited as well. And for the rest of us, with quite a lot of wine available over the next two weeks, a glass or two of Natureo, strategically placed between glasses of its full alcohol cousins, could well cut down the risk of a hangover!

Colour here is a very clean pale yellow and it has promising fresh floral aromas. Fresh and lively too on the palate, hints of sweetness but a terrific balancing acidity makes for quite a pleasant drop.  Torres suggest using it as an aperitif and also with fish and seafood and rice dishes. Oh yes, don't forget the kir.

Torres also sell a red version, a Syrah. In both cases, the wine may be kept in the fridge for five days after opening.

Virtually all alcohol is removed with only a trace 0.5% ABV remaining, meaning that you would have to drink three full bottles in under an hour in order to reach the limit of one standard drink!

Furthermore, the alcohol is removed by using an innovative spinning cone technique, which ensures no chemicals are used and the full flavour and antioxidant properties are maintained.

Sutter Homes Fre is another wine like the Torres and it is America’s #1 alcohol-removed wine brand. Chardonnay, Merlot and White Zinfandel are the three varieties. German company Carl Jung developed their own vacuum technique in 1908! Nowadays, they make three such wines, including a sparkling wine which could also come in very handy for the Christmas and New Year celebrations! All three companies sell these wines in Ireland and you may read a summary (including stockists) here.

Meanwhile, in California….

According to the Drinks Business website, ConeTech’s alcohol removal technology sees a portion of wine go through a spinning cone which separates all the volatile aromas compounds from the liquid, before removing the alcohol from the remaining odourless liquid. And, believe it or not, one in four bottles of Californian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay have been through the industrial alcohol removal process supplied by ConeTech in the past year. The purpose and result of this process is to reduce the alcohol content from high to normal levels, not to reduce it to close to zero. Check it out here.

But will it stop at that. Unlikely! The same technology currently being used to remove alcohol from wine could be employed to take out green flavours, or add in beneficial characters from grape pomace. Read more.