Top Posts for last two years

Top Posts for last two years

Pantry's Fish Kitchen -
new to top list!

1- Cork’s Coqbull on Early Charge (5200 hits)

2- Happy Gaggle of Wine Geese

3- Asian Street Food in Cork City

4- Huguenot Bistro

5- The Square Table - Great Addition to Blarney

6- The Sultan of Penrose Quay

7- Happy New Beer at Mayfield’s Cotton Ball

8- Island of Asian Street Food at Phó

9- The Chapel Steps Celebrate

10- Electric. Easy to Book. Hard to Leave.

11- Dinner Supreme at Blarney’s Square Table

12- Taste of the Week. Baklava

13- Top Ten Dinners. Top Lunches. 2014

14- Top Wines 2015

15- Tapas in the Greenroom

16- Al Fresco at Cobh’s Titantic Bar & Grill

17- Zaconey. Out on its own…

18- Dining in Style at Pier 26

19- Bantry’s Fish Kitchen

All White on the Night. Dining Out in Cork City

All White on the Night.

Dining Out in Cork City.

“Bet you never thought you’d be sitting down to a three course meal on the street outside Penny’s and Guiney's,” said one diner as we gathered for Our Table in Oliver Plunkett Street (Cork) last evening. The four hundred of us, dressed in white (mostly!), were dined, wined and entertained for the two hours. The verdict: bring on 2016. Indeed, even before the night, indications were that double the number would be catered for next year.

Starter by House

So lots of craic, good fun and good food too. The long table was divided into four and we were at the B section. Each section had three restaurants looking after its needs and our trio were House, Isaacs and ORSO.

As we arrived we were treated to a refreshing flower-topped juice and guided to our table (and, yes, it was outside Penny’s and Guiney's). Soon we were meeting new and old friends and a glass of wine, sponsored by O'Donovan’s, went down well.

The event was sponsored by BAM Ireland and JCD and there were special thanks to Cork City Council, Cork City Forum, Elbow Lane Brewery, Stonewell Cider, One water, Down to Earth Materials, The Oliver Plunkett, O’Donovan’s Off Licence, The Pavilion Garden Centre, Cork Midsummer Festival. And a big round of applause too for the restaurants (management and staff) involved.

Mains by Isaac's. More on the side!

After the introductory drink and a nibble on the gorgeous Arbutus Bread (with butter), it didn't take long at all and the 400 were settling into the House starter: Carpaccio of baby radish, gold and red beets with tahini grapefruit and pistachio. Loved that mix of flavours, textures, not forgetting colours. A very promising start indeed.

Lamb was the main course at all the tables and Isaac’s came up with Slow roast shoulder of lamb with summer greens, spiced aubergines, and Ballycotton new potatoes. The best of ingredients plus the top class cooking forever associated with the MacCurtain Street venue made for a lot of happy diners at Table B!

The first two courses were excellent and the high standard was maintained right to the sweet end with the appearance of the ORSO dessert: Pecan and local honey baklava with gooseberry and elderflower compote, and Toonsbridge ricotta cream. A delightful dessert indeed, made even more so by the tang of the compote.

All that had to be done then was finish off the wine and head up the street to see how the others were doing. Met diners and restaurateurs alike and it was a case of thumbs up in all cases. Happy out!

The event was part of the Cork Midsummer Festival which continues for another week. See the programme for the coming week here.

Dessert by ORSO

Amuse Bouche

In this way...wheat farmers..are doing their part to poison the environment. Many farmers deliver an extra shot of synthetic nitrogen just before harvest to pump up the protein percentage. “They’re overfertilizing sixty million acres,” Steve said. “And for what? So the industry can bake more loaves per hour, and so they can charge you more to ‘enrich’ and ‘fortify’ it - which just means they can add tons of shit into the bread and it won't collapse.”

from The Third Plate by Dan Barber.

The Brooklyn Brewery. Brews some of New York’s best!

The Brooklyn Brewery. 

Brews some of New York’s best!

Garrett Oliver, brew-master at Brooklyn

Many visitors remark that we in Ireland are fortunate with regard to wine. Drawing from every major wine producing area in the world, we have a great choice on our shelves.

It is, of course, much the same with beer. And that choice is rapidly expanding now that we are in the middle of an invigorating wave of new Irish craft-brewers.  Our own beers are proudly taking up much of the shelf space.

Indeed, the choice of Irish brewed is growing by the week. And much of that is down to brewers who have come from all corners of the world: Kiwis, Germans, British, and Americans are found in the ranks of our brew-masters and, of course, our native brewers (many have returned from abroad) and have soaked up influences from all the above mentioned plus drawing from the likes of Belgium and middle Europe.

The Brooklyn Brewery, founded in 1988 and one of New York’s best, has proved itself a resilient leader in the craft brew movement on the East Coast of America (and beyond) and its brewmaster Garrett Oliver (who joined Brooklyn in 1994)  has many admirers here.

A Beer is Never Alone in Bradley's

His conversion to real beer began with a flavoursome pint of English Ale, he told his audience at the recent Ballymaloe LitFest. And, like many converts, he is now a fervent (but mainly humorous) preacher of the craft-beer gospel.

Most of the beers he showed at Ballymaloe were in large bottles with corks. “This is a beer bottle,” he said. “Not a champagne bottle!” Tongue in cheek, maybe not, he insisted that wine was being sold in a beer bottle.

This is nice, doesn't taste like beer. Garrett said he has often heard people make this remark when they taste a craft beer. He had an explanation: “The beer they grew up with didn't taste like real beer!”

Brooklyn doesn't do only big bottles. The brewery also sells its beers in much more affordable small bottles and I saw quite a few of both sizes on the always well stocked shelves of Bradley’s Off Licence on a recent visit. By the way, the American small bottle is 355ml, slightly bigger than our 330ml.

The Sorachi Ace comes in a small bottle (€3.75) and is based upon a Belgian Saison and that “dill like aroma is unusual”. “It is a super dry beer, slightly hazy and you may find yeast at the bottom. It is very nice with oysters, crabs and other shellfish.” Michael Creedon at Bradley’s is amazed with this one, especially the way it matches with fish and seafood.

I treated myself to a bottle of their 10% Black Chocolate Stout, again in the small size. This is an October to March beer so I was out of season with my tasting. I was thinking of Caroline Hennessy’s Chocolate Brownies as I supped it and indeed their recommendations for this American Imperial Stout are along the same lines.

It achieves its dark chocolate aroma and flavor through the artful blending of six malts and months of aging. Properly kept, it will improve in the bottle for many years. This stout is the toast of the winter season in many countries, and there is nothing better to enjoy with chocolate desserts, cheesecake, ice cream, fine cheeses and roaring fireplaces.

Other small bottles available include an Indian Pale Ale called East IPA (3.29) , a Hoppy Session Saison called ½ Ale (2.69), an American Amber Lager (2.69) and the Double IPA named Blast. Some of these beers are quite strong, though the ½ Ale is just 3.4 per cent.

Among the big bottles in Bradley’s were two that Garrett showed in Ballymaloe. These are 750ml bottles, finished with cork, and will cost you. The highly rated Hand & Seal, for instance, is just under twenty five euro. It is rather special though, a Barleywine style ale that has been aged in Bourbon casks, and ideal with patés, game meats, sausages, rich desserts and cheeses.

The other big one I noted in Bradley’s was the K is for Kriek, Brooklyn’s own take on the Belgian style, although Garrett did remark that no Belgian would recognise it as a Kriek. Again it has been aged in Bourbon barrels with tart dried whole Montmorency cherries from Michigan.

You may check out more of what Garrett said about these and his other big bottles in Ballymaloe here.  Indeed, to get even more detail, check out the brewery’s website. It is quite a read!

Chardonnay Rocks. All Over The World

Chardonnay Rocks

All Over The World

Chardonnay is the best known white grape. It tolerates a wide range of climates and is loved by winemakers as it is easy to grow and very versatile. Sometimes it is let down by the winemaker. It has its detractors, of course. Ironically, quite of of them love Champagne in which Chardonnay is a key ingredient. Below are a few that I like, all available online.

Jip Jip Rocks Chardonnay 2011, Pathaway (Australia), 12.5%, €18.30, Karwig Wines

Colour here is a very pale gold, hints of green. White fruit aromas greet you. On the palate it is smooth, extended lees contact adding texture and complexity. Fruity too, notes of citrus and melon. Light and fresh with lively acidity and a medium finish. Perfect for seafood and quite good solo too. Loved this unoaked beauty and it is Very Highly Recommended.

Chateau de Maligny Chablis (AOP) 2013, 12.5%, €22.55 Karwig Wines

Again colour is very pale, very clean. Citrus in the aromas. On the palate, it is crisp and clean, citrus flavours too; it is light and fresh with excellent acidity and there is a good finish. No sign of oak here as “the goal..is to preserve natural character..without any foreign intervention”. Excellent with grilled fish and seafood and Highly Recommended.

El Grano Chardonnay 2012, Chile, 13%, €14.45 Le Caveau

This one does get some oak, 20% of it is fermented in French oak. It is made organically in Chile’s Curico valley by French winemakers Denis and Gregoire Duveau and is Very Highly Recommended.

This well balanced beauty scores on the palate with its engaging natural freshness, absolutely engaging sip after sip, glass after glass. Medium bodied, fine flavours too plus a long finish. Colour is a pale yellow, aromas (peach and exotic fruits) are not overly strong but the character shines through on the palate. Nice wine, nice price.

Domaine de Rochebin Chardonnay 2012 Macon-Lugny (AP), 12.5%, €15.50 Karwig Wines

There is a rich honey colour here, with micro bubbles clinging to the glass. Clinging to it myself as well as this is a good one, aromas are lovely, if a little muted at first. It is fresh and light, refreshing fruit flavours (apple, pear). It has an excellent body, good acidity too and a long finish.

The fresh and fruity style is a direct result of vineyard policy. It has spent 4 to 5 months on fine lees. No oak is used for this gorgeous Chardonnay (popping up in a quite a few restaurants) which is Very Highly Recommended.

Taste of the Week. Mr Jeffares Blackcurrant Cordial

Taste of the Week

Mr Jeffares Blackcurrant Cordial

This week's top taste again comes from one of the stalls in the Big Shed at the Ballymaloe LitFest, a great place to get up to date with the fabulous products that our farmers and other producers are coming up with.

Some terrific cordials around these days and this new Blackcurrant drink, from Mr Jeffares, is a winner for sure and our Taste of the Week. The family have been growing blackcurrants on their Wexford farm for three generations. Fortunately, they know and respect their fruit and do not add any artificial colour, flavour or preservative.

The pure juice “is accentuated by an extract of stevia rebaudiana”. This natural sweetener, also called sweetleaf, is enjoyed worldwide. If you are expecting a sugary taste, forget it. This is a refreshing tart drink, even when diluted with four parts water to one.

No shortage of ideas on how to get the best of it on their website here. Des Jeffares himself was in Ballymaloe and he told me one of his favourites was to use sparkling water. I tried that and it is a good one.

But there are many more ways and I think I'll soon be graduating to the vodka and Blackcurrant one. Then there’s nothing wrong either with topping it up with apple juice. Loads of ideas including Blackcurrant ice-lollies, a Smoothie, and a Salad Dressing. A very versatile Taste of the Week indeed and widely available. Check here for stockists.

Blogger Challenge! Paris is great. When Cono Sur are your hosts, it is even better!

THE CONO SUR BLOGGER CHALLENGE RETURNS!

CONO SUR INVITES IRELAND'S FOOD & LIFESTYLE BLOGGERS TO SUBMIT
AN ORIGINAL RECIPE TO WIN A TRIP FOR TWO TO CHILE

RECIPES ARE TO PAIR UP WITH CONO SUR'S
SINGLE VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC, PINOT NOIR or RIESLING

Last year Cono Sur, one of Ireland's leading Chilean wine brands, launched its inaugural search to find the ultimate dish to match their Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir. The short-list consisted of recipes from Billy Lyons, Melanie May and Jeni Pim, who in addition to even had their recipes featured in EasyFood and Stellar Magazine. It was Billy who went on to the Paris final, but he was unfortunately pipped at the post by the Finnish entry.

This year the competition is back and it's bigger than ever, with Canada, Chile, USA and Japan joining Ireland and Sweden in a battle for the best recipe to pair with Cono Sur's premium Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, or Single Vineyard Riesling.

The entrant with the most votes in Ireland will travel with a friend, compliments of Cono Sur, to compete in the Grand Finale held in Paris in November, with the overall winner winning a once-in-a-lifetime trip for two to the Cono Sur vineyards and winery in Chile.

Visit  www.facebook.com/conosurireland
and bloggercompetition.conosur.com for further details.

Paris is great anytime but when Cono Sur are your hosts, it is even better! Check out my 2014 adventure here.

HOW IT WORKS

For the two months between Thursday 4th June to Monday 4th August, Irish food & lifestyle bloggers across the country can log on to bloggercompetition.conosur.com and upload their original recipe that they feel pairs best with either the Cono Sur Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, or Single Vineyard Riesling.

Voting is then open to the public from 11th August to 15th September, when Cono Sur will select the top three recipes with the most votes from each country to go on to Round Two as semi-finalists.

For Round Two, renowned chef Christopher Carpentier will prepare each semi-finalist's dish and select one finalist from each participating country. Winners will be announced and officially notified on 2nd October.

For the third and final round, the winner from each country will be sent to Paris for 12th-14th November to participate in the Grand Finale. Each finalist will prepare their dish for a panel of judges, including Cono Sur's General Manager and Chief Winemaker, Adolfo Hurtado, as well as chef Christopher Carpentier.

The overall winner will be chosen and announced on the night, winning a fantastic trip for two to Chile.

TIMELINE

• June 4th: Competition opens
• August 4th: End date for submissions
• August 11th: Public voting opens
• September 15th: Voting closes
• September 21st: Chef Christopher Carpentier begins cooking the top 3 entries from each country and chooses the best in conjunction with Cono Sur
• October 2nd: Finalists are notified and publicly announced
• November 13th: Grand finale in Paris

ABOUT CONO SUR SINGLE VINEYARD
The Single Vineyard range of wines was born from the idea of embodying the ideal vineyard site for each grape variety by optimizing the altitude, soil and climate conditions of the vineyard where it is grown, making each wine completely unique.

From voluptuous reds to fresh and aromatic whites, this range pays homage to Chile´s diverse appellations. Each label contains a distinct block number, block name and valley in order to reflect the personality and uniqueness of the terroir where each was born.

Cono Sur Single Vineyard wines retail at €19.99 and are available in specialist off-licences such as O’Briens Wines, nationwide; Mitchell & Sons, Dublin; Redmonds of Ranelagh, Dublin; Sweeney's of Glasnevin, Dublin; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock, Dublin; Bradley's of Cork; O’Driscoll's of Cork; and many more...

Kinsale - just a little taster!

Kinsale - just a little taster!

Just a few of the many eating places in the town.

Click here for more detailed info.

Amuse Bouche

The stories Madame Manec’s visitors bring into the kitchen are terrifying and difficult to believe. Parisian cousins nobody has heard from in decades now write letters begging for capons, hams, hens. The dentist is selling wine through the mail. The perfumer is slaughtering lambs and carrying them in suitcases on the train to Paris, where he sells the meat for an enormous profit.

In Saint-Malo, people are fined for locking their doors, for keeping doves, for hoarding meat. Truffles disappear. Sparkling wine disappears. No eye contact. No chatter in doorways. No sunbathing, no singing, no lovers strolling….

from All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (2014)

Siesta Time in Princes Street

Siesta Time in Princes Street

Quesadillas, Nachos, Fajitas, Guacamole, Tamale, Enchilada, Burrito, Chimichanga, Tacos are all on offer at Siesta in Princes Street. The restaurant opened just over two months back and here too you may have sweet things such as Churros.  Drinks, including Margaritas and Sangria, are available and, of course, beer and wine too.

Don't know very much about Mexican food but enjoyed the offerings at Siesta where Tamara is a very informative and courteous front of house and will help you out as there is quite a large menu to go through, with many variations on all the basics.

The list of starters includes quesadillas and nachos, spicy chicken wings, guacamole, stuffed jalapenos and so on. Thought I might like the Chicken and Bean Nachos (6.95). Didn't expect such a substantial dish where the crispy corn tortilla chips were smothered with refried pinto beans, chicken and cheese topped with Mexican salsa. Delicious mix of colour, texture and flavours and that chicken was pretty good too.

That same chicken featured in CL’s starter. Her Quesadillas Chicken (above) consisted of four crispy envelopes of baked flour tortilla packed with spicy chicken and with a salad on the side. Not quite as big as mine but just as full of flavour. Besides, we had three bowls on the side, one to cool, and two for heat! Red, green and white, just like the Mexican flag.

These bowls would stay on the table through the main course as well. If something wasn't hot enough, you could dip into the red, if you really wanted to up the spiciness then add from the green and, if you added too much go to the white sour cream.

Chicken and Bean Nachos

The mains list offered mainly chicken, beef and pork dishes, the meat often enclosed in one of the envelopes. That wasn't the case with our favourite on the night, the Chilli Con Carne (13.95). This consists of Premium Irish Minced Beef, cooked with red wine and pinto beans and served with rice (or French fries and salad). Great dish and very well priced.

Aside from the Mexican dishes, you can also have Fillet Steak, Burger, Baked Cod and a Seafood Paella. And they also offer three healthy salads, all featuring quinoa.

Tamale Pork

The dessert list is short but you just have to try the Churros, Mexican doughnuts served with Cinnamon, Chocolate Sauce and ice cream. Yum! Next time, maybe I’ll try the Dulce Leche cheesecake or the Lime Pie. Maybe not! Might be the Churros again!

The restaurant supports local suppliers and lists Barry O’Connor (meat), Keohane (fish), Sam Donegan (fruit and veg) and English Market (eggs) on the menu.

Churros

Siesta is open for both lunch and dinner. See the full menus here. Contact details and map here.

Boats and Bites. Float a Boat. Feast on Fish.

Boats and Bites. 
Float a Boat. Feast on Fish.

The Cork Harbour Festival continued last evening with a Boats and Bites event on the quay. Great to see the river being used more and more as a recreation area and great too to sample the fish bites from the various stalls. Didn't get to them all, of course, but particularly enjoyed the Ceviche from The Rocketman and the amazing oysters supplied with a smile by Harty's of Dungarvan. More of this, please, Cork.

The festival continues all this week. Details here.

Spanish Organic Duo

Spanish Organic Duo

Bodegas del Rosario Monastrell 2012 (Bullas DO), 14%, €12.90 Karwig Wines

Red fruits prominent in the pretty intense aromas here. Fresh and light on the palate, with excellent fruit flavours, tannins yes but very close to smooth. This medium bodied red has a good share of acidity, some spice too, with a pleasant finish. More for summer recreation than winter contemplation and Highly Recommended.

Monastrell is the Spanish equivalent of Mourvedre and it is unusual to see this grape out on its own in Ireland as it is much better known as a part of many French blends. Also unusual to see anything from this appellation of Bullas which is in Murcia in South East Spain and about 75 minutes inland from Alicante. Just goes to show the work that Karwig puts in in sourcing their wines.

Hacienda Grimon Crianza 2012 (Rioja DOC), 13.5%, €15.70 Le Caveau

Colour is a medium to dark red and it gives up dark fruit aromas. On the palate you have rounded fruit flavours, tannins are pretty well integrated and there is a long dry finish. Overall you get the impression that this is a more mature wine than the age indicates.

Perhaps the rigorous fruit selection plus the 16 months in oak (6 months is minimum for Crianza) has combined to good effect to give more than a hint of almost old fashioned Rioja elegance, a rather serious one at that, and the wine is Highly Recommended.

The blend is 85% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha and 5% Graciano. Viticulture is organic, no herbicides, no pesticides; the sheep provide the fertiliser and harvest is by hand.

Taste of the Week. Stonewell's New Sparkling Prestige

Taste of the Week

Stonewell's New Sparkling Prestige

Prosecco Beware!

The Stonewall Cider logo has won many plaudits since it was introduced about five years ago. It looks good on the regular cider bottles and looks even better on their new Esterre sparkling prestige.  And the 75 cl contents are a bubbling revelation.

Made exclusively from the beautiful Elstar Apple (grown in Tipperary and Waterford), Esterre is a sparkling cider "with reflections of a sparkling wine".  This is dry, really dry, is clean and crisp in the mouth with tart elements of the orchard and citrus notes and a smooth finish.

It is a class product in a class bottle. I'm delighted to say that I am very impressed with it and wouldn't be at all surprised to see it replace, to some degree, the ubiquitous Prosecco at receptions. And at 6% abv, you may allow yourself a second glass.

Available at: Matsons Wine Store in Bandon and Grange; Bradley's, North Main Street, Cork. Price: €16.99