CorkBilly’s Drinks Digest. Wines, Spirits and Beers Events

CorkBilly’s Drinks Digest

Wines, Spirits and Beers Events

Wine Course at L'Atitude

The Wine Fundamentals Level 1 Course starts Saturday 19th January at 3.30pm and will run over 4 weeks, finishing on February 9th. 

Each class lasts 2 hours and the programme will cover the following: 

- Week 1: Basic Tasting Techniques, Introduction to Winemaking and the Main Wine Regions

- Week 2: Major Grapes of The World

- Week 3: Influence of Winemaking Techniques, Climate and Regionality on Wine Style

- Week 4: Sparkling Wines & Food & Wine Matching

Each class costs €40, or €160 for the full course (€150 with discount if you sign up or all 4 classes). 

You can enrol by ringing L’Atitude 51 on 021 2390219 or coming directly to the bar or send us an email to let us know you'd like to attend - info@latitude51.ie

Prosecco for two features in Greene’s offer

Happy New year from all at Greenes Restaurant.

We have a very special new years offer for all our customers.

You can enjoy a 40% discount on our Weekend 5 Course Lunch Tasting Menu with Prosecco from now until the end of March. Valid Thursday to Sunday

OR

A 40% discount on our midweek 6 course evening tasting menu until the end of March. Valid Sunday to Thursday.

View these offers on our website here.

AFTER DARK AT THE CRAWFORD

5-7pm Sunday 20 January

“So bring a friend or date, grab a complimentary drink, take a pop-up tour with our inspiring guides, and enjoy a night at the gallery as we celebrate the Eve of St Agnes!

At length burst in the argent revelry,

With plume, tiara, and all rich array...

Join us after dark on Sunday 20 January for our special celebration of the Eve of St Agnes in partnership with Irish Distillers.

For centuries, this medieval tradition has inspired lovers, poets, and artists alike, including John Keats and Harry Clarke. This year, it is the central theme of our new exhibition Dreaming in Blue: Harry Clarke Watercolours, in which star-cross'd lovers Madeline and Porphyro elope on St Agnes' Eve!”

This event runs as part of Dreaming in Blue: Harry Clarke Watercolours (until 14 February). Free event but book your place here.  

Consumer Tasting for Australian Wine

O'Brien's Monthly Sale

A Louis Jadot Fleurie is one of the wines featured in O'Brien's monthly sale. Jadot's reputation as one of the grand old houses of Burgundy is well established and justifiably so, classic wines from Grand Cru to Cru Beaujolais. Fleurie is one of the 10 Cru's of Beaujolais situated between Villefranche sur Saone and Macon. And Louis Jadot Fleurie is currently at €16.95 instead of €22.95. Another worth checking is the d'Arenberg d'Arrys Shiraz/Grenache also at €16.95 (from 21.95).

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Lucky Irish

I’ve often thought that Irish wine drinkers are blessed because of the huge choice available to us, bottles from all over the world. And that opinion was reinforced when I read this paragraph from a newsletter I get from a winelover in the Languedoc.

“And just for fun I opened a trio of Gimblett Gravels from New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay, all variations on a bordelais theme, with a very New World taste.    it is virtually impossible to find any New Zealand wines in the Hérault, so our languedocien friends enjoyed being taken out of their comfort zone!”

The Growing Thirst for Exotic Wine

Bored with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc? Discover some new grapes with Wine-Searcher’s Kathleen Willcox who reports that the heirloom tomato effect is at work in the wine world. The biggest driver of the trend is Millennials, who are seeking not only something pleasing to their palate, but wines that will horrify their parents with their unpronounceability and esoteric country of origin. Read more here. 

Richy’s BYO Offer

Clonakilty restaurant Richy’s are offering a helping hand when dining out. “Feeling the crunch after Christmas? Why not save some dosh by bringing your own wine to Richy’s! T&C's apply. Available 14th Jan - 28th Feb 2019. Corkage €5.”

Cask Ales and Strange Brew Fest

Our favourite festival of the year....The Cask Ales and Extraordinary Brew Festival running from Jan 31st to Feb 2nd. 

Featuring a range of special brews using curious and interesting ingredients, the festival will showcase the growing experimentation of Irish brewers and their ability to challenge the norms of brewing.

Yellow Belly, Rising Suns, Metalman and West Cork Brewing are just some of the brewers at the festival and will compete in the Beoir Cask Competition to see who can come up with the most extraordinary beer under categories: Best lager, best "pale', best stout and best specialty. Judged by The national Beer enthusiasts club, winners will be announced on the Saturday of the festival. 

Live music, performances & Pompeii pizza! Admission is free

  

Nox Hotel’s "Pay for Dinner Stay for Free Offer"

Nox Hotel’s "Pay for Dinner Stay for Free" Offer

Great Location For Business and Pleasure

Fish of the Day

Hard to beat the modern Nox Hotel in Galway for its marvellous location. More or less at the junction of the M6/N6 (now the main road in from Dublin, Sligo, Limerick, and Cork) and the  N84 (to Mayo), it is situated within a few kilometres of most of the city business parks, is within minutes of the city centre and, if you want to go west to the heart of Connemara, skip the city traffic by taking the N6 over the Quincentenary Bridge, pick up the nearby N59 and soon you’ll be in Clifden.

I paid my first visit to the hotel this week and it looked quite small on the outside. So it was with some surprise that I found out they have over 100 bedrooms. Lovely spacious well-equipped rooms too with all you, as a holiday-maker or as a business traveller, will need, including top class WiFi. The duvets are warm, very warm, and the mattresses are deep and comfortable and rooms have individual thermostat control. No bath in our room but a very efficient and easy to use shower-unit.

The hotel is neat and tidy throughout and all the main services are clustered together on the ground floor. A superb comfortable lounge area is on your right as you enter and more armchairs and nooks and crannies by the reception. To the right of the reception, you’ll find the Fork Restaurant where they serve evening meals and breakfast.

And the other thing you’ll soon notice is the warmth of the welcome. As we were waiting for check-in, one employee was on her way home. She noticed the receptionist was tied up on the phone, so removed her overcoat and booked us in. And that quality of care and courtesy continued throughout the evening meal and the breakfast.

Prawns starter

Actually, I'll start with the breakfast as I think its delivery sums up the hotel, friendly, neat and tidy and efficient. The breakfast is served  every morning from 7.30am-10.30am; it is all buffet so you’ll help yourself from their Georgina Campbell Award Winning continental and cooked Breakfasts. Staff are on hand to help and they keep a regular eye on the well-organised buffet so all the cooked stuff is just so and there’s no shortage of anything, right down to their specialty Nespresso coffee or the wide selection of herbal teas.

We were soon seated and had no bother helping ourselves to the juices. CL enjoyed picking from a great selection of fruit while I went for Granola Topped Yogurt. Lots of other choices too, including cereals. The hot buffet was excellent and one of the good things about buffets is that you may take just as much or as little as you like. You make your own tea (and coffee) here and that can be a good thing as in some hotels, the tea is on the table stewing before you even start!

Chowder

Lots of hotels and restaurants are going on about the VAT hike and the slack period after the Christmas and New Year. Others do something about it. And Nox have a very attractive plan for you: come and dine with us and pay for it and then stay for free! How cool is that? 

General Manager of Nox Hotel Galway, Victor O Brien, encourages people to avail of this exciting not to be missed offer: “January is often a month where people don’t have a lot to look forward to, so this year we decided to do something about that! For just €79, two people can enjoy a delicious three-course meal and overnight stay in one of our contemporary and comfortable duo rooms. I can’t wait to personally welcome both new and returning customers during January. With food as good as ours we don’t believe in New Year’s diets, and after visiting neither will you!”

Delicious sauce with the chicken!

Read more about COME FOR DINNER, STAY FOR FREE! here.  By the way, breakfast is not included.

We were there specifically to check out the menu for the offer and, even if it’s not quite as expansive as the usual A la Carte, we found plenty to choose from; it was well cooked, tidily presented and served and we enjoyed it very much indeed.

Apple crumble

You’ll have a choice of four starters, including soup and a Goats Cheese Pannacotta. I picked the Seafood Chowder, a big creamy bowlful packed with salmon, mussels, prawns and vegetables and served with a very tasty brown bread. CL enjoyed her Tempura Tiger Prawns that came with Oriental Salad an Chilli oil.

And the good mood continued with the mains. Hers was the Fish of the day: Pan-fried fillet of Hake with Samphire, mussels, pea purée (and lots of peas!) and some very acceptable crispy potatoes (I had a few of those).

I went for the humble chicken but with a very interesting sauce indeed. The Grilled Fillet of good quality chicken came with Mashed potato, spiced carrot purée, kale and that lovely chorizo and black lentil jus. Happy out!

Other main courses available included Confit Duck Leg, Roasted Mediterranean Pasta, and 6 ounce Striploin steak. Dessert choices were more limited but we both enjoyed the Nox version of Apple Crumble, made with excellent real apple!

The bar is part of the restaurant so no shortage of drinks but there were no local craft beers (they are available during the season) but we enjoyed a glass of wine (6.50) each. There’s a decent gin list there including Dingle and Gunpowder. Maybe the local Micil will be added soon! 

No shortage of cocktails either. Perhaps you’d like to try the vodka based Ballsy Cherry Bomb or the Corpse Reviver (another vodka based one). Think my favourite might be the Good Fellas (Tullamore DEW, Amaretto, Fresh Lemon, Sugar Syrup, Egg White and Bitters). Cheers from Nox!

The Cat. The Octopus. The Pig. Three Ace Wines from Le Caveau.

Jean-Claude Chanudet La Cuvée du Chat Vin de France 2016, 13%, €23.50 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Baudelaire’s cat may well have had  “un dangereux parfum” but, while tempting, Chanudet’s La Cuvée du Chat has nothing of menace about it at all. Jean-Claude is highly regarded in organic and natural wine circles and this bottle shows exactly why.

One word you don’t see on the labels is Beaujolais even though this 100% Gamay comes mainly from the cru area of Morgon. Vin de table indeed! Some table wine for 23 euro.

Colour is the typical light ruby. Pleasant, even modest, aromas of cherry and raspberry. But, like the cat of the poem, it does have something of a sexy backbone. Life in the old cat yet, the fruit harvested from vines of 80 years old.

Superb soft and deep flavours, nice acidity too and a persistent finish. Eminently digestible, easy drinking, full of palatable pleasure and Very Highly Recommended. Sediment noted by the way so might be worthwhile decanting as young wines often are.

The label by Maurice Sinet (died 2016, aged 87) always brings a smile. He was better known as Siné and was a columnist for Charlie Hebdo. 

Beck Ink Austria 2016, 12.5%, €16.95 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

The label is dominated by an octopus expelling ink. Not much else though two key words appear: trocken (dry) and Bio-Wein. Not much on the outside then but quality all the way inside this Austrian bottle.

Colour is ruby with a beautiful healthy sheen. Warm and fairly intense aromas (cherry mainly). Soft and juicy flavours (cherry, raspberry) envelop the palate, attractive spice notes too. This lovely wine has an excellent balance. Loads of character and very quaffable. Very Highly Recommended.

There was some sediment so probably best to decant. No big deal either way.

Ink is a fresh, juicy, vibrant and delicious blend of 80% Zweigelt and 20% St. Laurent. Both are traditional Austrian varieties and the former is the most widely planted red-wine grape in the country - by the way, most of wine-growing is done in the eastern part. Judith Beck is based in Burgenland and has produced wines in accordance with bio-dynamic principles since 2007.

Interestingly, St Laurent was one of the “parents” (the other was Blaufrankisch) when Zweigelt was created in 1922.

Les Champs Libres Lard Des Choix, Vin de France, 2016, 12.5% abv, €21.35 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Anything goes in the fields of freedom, especially if you have two experienced conductors, well-known vigneron Hervé Souhaut and René-Jean Dard (Dard et Ribo), at the head of the fun. Here, they offer a “chillable and eminently gluggable blend of Gamay and Syrah”, an unusual blend that works to perfection.

It is a mid to dark ruby. Aromas are intense and intriguing, dark fruits and something too from those fields where the fat pigs roam. Dark fruit flavours too, berries and cherries, spice also. Gluggable juice yes but with an exceptional grippy finish.

With a name like Lard Des Choix, there are lots of tongue in (pig’s) cheek and puns of course in the notices of this wine, a newcomer to the Le Caveau range. The producers are certainly highly regarded, best known for their Rhone wines. This lively Ardèche number is Highly Recommended. (The verdict was not unanimous: CL gave it Very Highly Recommended).

Taste of the Week. Mella’s All Butter Rum & Raisin Fudge

Taste of the Week

Mella’s All Butter Rum & Raisin Fudge

No fudging about: I love Mella. I also love Miena but that’s a-nougat story. They can’t get away from me. They always hangout at the Simply Better section in Dunnes Stores.

And that’s exactly where I bought my little “bag” of All Butter Rum & Raisin Fudge, handmade with loads of Irish butter and tons of Mella magic in her kitchen in West Cork.

That potent amalgam of texture and flavour remains intact until you place a piece on your tongue. Then the melt-down begins. Everything else stops as the deliciousness spreads across the palate and spreads to other regions. A moment of paradise.

Sure it dissolves all too soon but the good news is that there is no less than one hundred and sixty grams of this superb mix of butter, raisins and Jamaican rum in the Simply Better pack. Put it on your resolution list for 2019!

In France, with Karwig Wine

Domaine Machard de Gramont Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune (AOC) 2012, 13%, €19.95 Karwig Wines

This elegant refined wine is a beauty from the high slopes of the southern Côte d’Or. Its colour is a very light red, even for a Pinot Noir. Delightful aromas of red berries (strawberry) welcome you. Fresh and smooth, more supple (muscle, if you like) than expected, more flavour than anticipated, velvety, comfortably compelling right through to the fabulous finalé. Very Highly Recommended.

The mainly red region of Hautes-Côtes de Beaune is regarded as the poor relation of its lower altitude neighbour Cotes de Beaune. Hautes-Côtes de Beaune is more picturesque but its vineyards are cool and exposed, the fruit slow to ripen. Careful replanting (to face the sun) and a more traditional approach has paid off over the decades. 

At their best, according to French Wines (1999), “these light wines are supple and fruity and offer good value for money”. This Gramont, with the emphasis on its fruit character rather than on its weight, is an excellent illustration as to how the gap between these Burgundy neighbours has closed and the current opinion seems to be that Hautes-Côtes de Beaune is now only slightly less prestigious than the neighbour!

Mas Cuvée Secrète, Merlot - Cabernet Franc, Pays D’Oc (IGP) 2017, 14%, €15.95 Karwig Wine

Colour of this red blend is a dark ruby. Aromas are rich and jammy, black berries, plum, cassis. Fruity (black and red) again on the palate but beautifully restrained, fresh acidity too and a long pleasant finish. This well-made vibrant young wine is Highly Recommended. Good value too.

Jean-Claude Mas has been working on the “Cuvée Secrete” wines for seven years. This Organic Cuvée comes from Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes with low yields. It had no added sulphur and offers great richness – a lovely wine from the Languedoc region which is the perfect match to grilled meat, pasta, cheeses and fruit tarts. 

Merlot is widely credited with giving this opulent wine its complex flavours but the Cabernet Franc must be credited for the engaging Loire-like freshness.  

Heart of Spain. In the heart of East Cork

Heart of Spain

In the heart of East Cork

You’ll find the Heart of Spain at the very back of the Fota Retail Park (by Cobh cross). And by the Heart of Spain, Alejandro and his friends, mean Castilla y Leon, a big region in the North-West of the country. Speaking of Castilla y Leon, Lonely Planet says “as with most of Spain, food here is an agreeable obsession, promising the country's best jamón (cured ham), roast lamb and suckling pig.”

No roast lamb in Cork but they do have expressions of the other two. The Heart of Spain is the quality seal for Castilla y Leon´s finest food , has a special place amongst those products that bear the name, tradition and history of the farmers that have produced the ingredients they are made with. The eye-catching yellow heart seal certifies total traceability from origin, guaranteeing professionals and consumers alike clearly differentiated quality.

Just to be clear, you won’t be getting food or drink here from all over Spain, just from this region and that yellow seal is stamped with Tierra de Sabor, meaning Castilla y Leon is  “a land of flavour”.

Take the cured meats for example. Their supplier, Chacinerías Diaz, manages the entire manufacturing process from breeding and raising their own livestock to producing their own fodder, slaughterhouse and production plant.

You’ll find quite a display of sheeps cheese here for which Pago Los Vivales has been nominated twice at the World Cheese Awards between 2017 & 2018. You can get it at 6 months, 12 months (Reserva) and 18 months (Gran Reserva).

Lots of patés here also, including Foie Gras, made by three French brothers who returned to their parents’ Spanish village in the summer of 1989. Not just duck. They also sell pork paté and Ostrich (the one I bought).

This came in handy over the Christmas.

Quite a selection of jams and mermeladas too including Quince Jelly, Tomato Jelly, and a Fig jam that caught my eye. If you call there around lunch-time (from 1.00 to 3.00pm) on Saturdays, you won’t be buying blind. They serve up some lovely tapas, using the cheese and the various spreads. By the way, if you cannot make it to the store, they do have an on-line ordering facility.

And they have a couple of bottles of wine open as well every Saturday, usually one red and one white. The wines are DO Rueda & Ribera del Duero and produced by Emina, based in Valladolid.  Got myself a 50cl bottle of their Moscatel - also handy over the Christmas!

And where there’s wine, there’s usually olive oil. And yes, they have Extra Virgin Olive Oil and also Balsamic Vinegar of various flavours. 

No huge selection of anything - this is not a supermarket. More like a farmers market. If you have a taste for the real food of Spain, then this is worth a call. And while you are there, don’t forget that, a hundred meters away, the fantastic Bakestone Pantry has well over one hundred Irish artisan products for sale. 

Mary Presents Another Excellent Double!

Ferraton “Calendes” Rouge 2015, Crozes-Hermitage (AOC), 13.5% abv, €24.90 Mary Pawle Wines

Calendes is the name for the day of the new moon and an indication of time passing, an indication also that the winemaker is guided by the lunar cycles. This Biodynamic wine is one hundred per cent Syrah. The barrel ageing (20 to 30% in new oak) lasts about 12 to 14 months depending on the vintage.

It has a deep ruby colour. Ripe red fruits on the nose. Smooth and rich too on the palate with a strong waft of spice; it is ample and generous with delicate tannins and a slight hint of vanilla and the lengthy finalé also features ripe fruity notes and spices. 

They advise decanting about one hour in advance; must admit I didn’t do that. Serve at 16-18 degrees. Wines from Hermitage itself are of course the most sought after in this Northern Rhone area but you can find some good ones too in the much larger Croze-Hermitage and this is one of them. Very Highly Recommended.

According to an official Inter-Rhone information booklet, these reds in their youth combine well with delicatessen meat, lamb or roasted guinea fowl. On maturity they are the perfect accompaniment to casseroles, coq au vin, rich beef stew, beef in red wine etc. 

La Marouette Blanc Pays D’Oc (IGP) 2017, 12.5%, €13.50 Mary Pawle.

Sans sulfite ajouté is proudly displayed on the front label of this organic wine, one hundred per cent Chardonnay and new to the Mary Pawle list. Mary says this is “eagerly awaited” with pleasing aromas of pineapple and honey. Well rounded and supple in the mouth and a good match with fish, chicken or salad dishes. 

It is produced in the heart of the Pays d'Oc in the South of France. The vinification is done at low temperature for a good conservation of the aromas. Jacques Frelin Vignobles, formerly La Maison des Terroirs Vivants, is a major French player in organic wine.

It has a lovely light to mid-gold colour. The aromas, gentle tropical fruit, are reasonably intense. And there’s a similar persistent intensity on the palate, pineapple to the fore, fresh and with a delicately buttered body and the finish is good too. Highly Recommended. Good value also by the way. Serve between eight and ten degrees. Ideal as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to fish or shellfish.

Planning 2019? Try A Day and a Night on the Ring of Kerry.

A Day and a Night on the Ring of Kerry.

See. Stay. Dine. Visit.

Some foodie shopping had been notionally lined up for this October morning. But the sun shone so brightly, the landscape looked so inviting, even from our hotel window (above), that we decided to spend the day outdoors, outdoors on the beautiful Ring of Kerry. 

And that was the new, if last-minute, plan as we drove off from Killarney in the direction of Killorglin, the home of King Puck whose feisty statue greets you as you enter the town.

View from Carrig House dining room

We had no need to stop in Killorglin this time. But if you haven’t been, you could well take the short walk from the town centre over the old railway bridge. Go to a big car park just off to the right of the one-way (up) main street. Park there and walk downhill with the church to your left. Then up a slope, again on the left, as a metal bridge looms overhead. Up on to the bridge, the old railway bridge, from where there are very good views of the River Laune and the road bridge that you just crossed.

Feel like a mid-morning snack? Check out Jack’s Bakery & Deli, on Bridge Street, and they’ll feed you well and you can take your well-filled baps outside to the street side tables.

On the Ring. The Dingle peninsula is in the distance

There will be photo stops today, lots of them. After all, you are driving on one side of the Wild Atlantic Way and across the bay is the Dingle Peninsula. On a day like this, you can even see the beautiful Inch Beach where part of Ryan’s Daughter was filmed.

A place worth calling to between Killorglin and Cahersiveen is Kells Bay. We enjoyed a tour of the gardens (and the swing bridge!) there a year previously.

In Kells Bay Gardens

Ancient tracks

On now to Cahersiveen, from where you can take the short ferry to Valentia Island where there are terrific walks and views to enjoy; don’t miss the 385 million year old tracks of the Tetra Pod and also the lighthouse.

Cahersiveen (make sure you spell it correctly when entering it into your Sat-Nav!) is a busy enough town, boasting attractions such as The Old Barracks, the Daniel O'Connell memorial church and ancient stone forts and that ferry to Valentia. But the island, and the Skelligs Ring, is too much of a detour for us today and we carry on towards the pretty village of Glenbeigh.

Views from Valentia Island

Mick O'Dwyer

Our main stop is at Waterville on the huge and scenic Ballinskelligs Bay. Both Charlie Chaplin and General de Gaulle holidayed in the area. Indeed, there is a sculpture of Chaplin alongside the beach but, perhaps because of a rough looking character sitting alongside Charlie, no one seems to be taking his photo today. De Gaulle by the way has his sculpture in Sneem.

A more recent Waterville “statue” of a living legend, footballer Mick O’Dwyer, has no such distraction. There is also another sculpture here and it commemorates the Commercial Cable Company that in 1884 laid two cables across the Atlantic connecting Canada, Britain and France all via a station in Waterville.

Snack in Waterville

The first message from Waterville to St. John, Nova Scotia, passed along the transatlantic cable on Christmas Eve 1884. The cable station in Waterville was operational from 1884 – 1962. Read more here.  

We had enjoyed a hearty breakfast, as always in the Cahernane House Hotel, and didn’t need much of a mid-day meal. Not too many cafés in Waterville - bigger choice in Sneem. After a good walk, we headed for the Beachcove and enjoyed an excellent pot of tea (of generous proportions) and slices of well made apple tart, chunks of real apple here, none of that stuff squeezed from a tube!).

Sunshine on the edge of the sea at Waterville

They say do the Ring in the anti-clockwise direction and so we did, leaving Waterville and heading now towards Sneem, with the Atlantic on our right, one fabulous view following another, some back towards Waterville and the bay, and more as we came towards Derrynane, home of The Liberator Daniel O’Connell.

And soon, we were in Sneem, the sun still shining strongly, people eating and drinking outside, a man playing classical guitar, another serving coffee and crepes from a mobile van. Hey, I asked myself, what country am I in. But look, I know where I am. Maybe my momma told me, maybe she didn’t, but I often get days like this in Ireland.

We have been in Sneem quite often and have seen quite a few sculptures here. This time, on the road in, we saw signs for a Sculpture Park and started looking for it. But, as we walked around, we found it is really a sculpture trail, spread over three small parks. 

We did see one new one, that of the famous Kerry footballer John Egan who died too young. Like his family and friends, we would have preferred to have had to wait much longer for the event that gave rise to the memorial, nice and all as the statue is.  

Steve "Crusher" Casey, in Sneem

So now, we said goodbye to the Ring of Kerry. We could have headed into Kenmare but we had been there a few weeks earlier and instead took the high road towards Molls Gap. Again, there are spectacular views, this time mostly of the mountains. We also pass the Strawberry Field and its Pancake Cottage (below) where we’ve enjoyed a tasty snack from time to time! 

The views as we pass the high point of Moll’s Gap are now of the Lakes of Killarney and spectacular views they are and you can easily see how they would have attracted tourists especially in Victorian times when the railway arrived in the town. Soon, after negotiating 1001 bends on the narrow road, we would arrive in the town.

Superb steak at Murphy Browne's

We have dinner at a relatively new venue, Murphy Browne’s on High Street. Nothing cutting-edge in the cuisine offered here but they do their stuff well and turn local produce into very attractive meals indeed and the service is also excellent.

Our base for the night is the very centrally situated Killarney Lodge. It has 17 rooms and is just three minutes from the town centre. The rooms are spacious and very well equipped and the breakfast is top notch, served with a smile and a chat. 

And so it was with a smile on our faces that we left the Lodge and headed up the N22, back to our city by the Lee, knowing that the magic of the Kingdom is just about 90 minutes away!

Chill unit keeps breakfast items cool at Killarney Lodge

Amuse Bouche

One afternoon, a number of rainbow runners were lying on the deck and I took a filleting lesson from Em Phumanny, the bowl-cut Cambodian with Buddhist tattoos. We planned to make kinilaw, a kind of Filipino ceviche made of a cold, chopped, vinegary whitefish. “The fish is not cooked, you know?” said Tony, “It is cured in the vinegar.”

I squatted in the sun near the cutaway rail while the pirates watched us drowsily.

from The Desert and The Sea (977 days captive on the Somali pirate coast) by Michael Scott Moore (2018). Very Highly Recommended.

Dockland's Post-Christmas Delights

Dockland's Post-Christmas Delights

Curry

Amazing how the Turkey and Ham (and the spiced beef) seem to overstretch their welcome every single Christmas. Time to get out and about and away from the many variations of that particular diet and no better place to head to than the beautifully decorated Dockland on Lapps Quay. Open from 2.00pm (on the 28th December) and we arrived soon afterwards to a warm welcome and a meal that was right on the money.

Broccoli Caesar Salad

Don’t get me wrong  - you may have lots of meats here. They offer Toulouse Sausage and Clonakilty Black pudding among the starters, Lamb and Steak among the mains. But definitely no turkey!

There’s Baltimore Shiitake with all the little trimmings and also a West Cork Crab crepe offered on the Bites to Bigger Bites list. On a previous visit, I had tasted the Chargrilled Broccoli tender stem Caesar Salad with toasted hazelnuts, parmesan crumble, and parmesan cheese (€6.00). This was every bit as good, as tasty, as I remembered.

Aubergine, Mozzarella

And CL also had a winner in her Roasted aubergine, Macroom Mozzarella,  tomato fondue bake, parmesan, pesto (also six euro), juicy and delicious, another lovely “Bite” in this attractive space.

No less than eleven choices (meat, fish, duck included) on the Mains List, pork belly too and fish cakes. The Dahl took my fancy: Spiced lentil and sweet potato Dahl, spinach, basmati rise, poppadum crisps, yogurt (16.00). Superb, a lovely mix of flavour and texture and quite a feed too.

Our other mains was the Thai Green chicken curry, basmati rice, cucumber mint salad (18.00). This has been well tried and tested here and was spot-on, nicely spiced, no shortage of top notch chicken and overall quite a treat.

At this stage too, Beth’s Picpoul de Pinet had proved itself a terrific match to both the mains. Happy New Year to Dockland, to Beth and Harold and their terrific staff. Service was once again terrific - it wasn’t that mighty busy in mid-afternoon - but we enjoyed the smiles and the chats as always.

Dahl

Hadn’t noticed this before but they do have an excellent gin list here, a good mix of Irish and imported. The offer includes Dingle, Blackwater and Gunpowder. Most local of all is Cork Dry Gin and that comes with Rosemary, Lemon, and Fever-tree Tonic (9.00). 

Tanqueray, Hendricks, and Beefeater are among the imports. And here too you’ll find the Botanist. This Scottish gin is a favourite of mine and here they offer it with Lavender, Lemon, and Mediterranean Fever-Tree Tonic (10.00). Bottoms up!

CorkBilly’s Drinks Digest. Wines, Spirits and Beers.

CorkBilly’s Drinks Digest

Wines, Spirits and Beers

Bierhaus New Year Beer Trek (was supposed to be Christmas!)

Jan 9th at 6.00pm

“More like a New year Pubs do this year!!!
Join myself David, John & Conal on a epic tour of the best beer spots in Cork! It’s an annual event and everyone who know us is welcome to join us!

The route
5.45pm meet at Bierhaus
6pm The Abbots Ale House
6.45pm quick one in Maureen’s if open?
7.15pm Impala
8.15pm Rising Sons (pizza stop)
9.30pm Back to Bierhaus to end the night in style”

Richy’s BYO Offer

Clonakilty restaurant Richy’s are offering a helping hand when dining out. “Feeling the crunch after Christmas? Why not save some dosh by bringing your own wine to Richy’s! T&C's apply. Available 14th Jan - 28th Feb 2019. Corkage €5.”

Cask Ales and Strange Brew Fest

Our favourite festival of the year....The Cask Ales and Extraordinary Brew Festival running from Jan 31st to Feb 2nd. 

Featuring a range of special brews using curious and interesting ingredients, the festival will showcase the growing experimentation of Irish brewers and their ability to challenge the norms of brewing.

Yellow Belly, Rising Suns, Metalman and West Cork Brewing are just some of the brewers at the festival and will compete in the Beoir Cask Competition to see who can come up with the most extraordinary beer under categories: Best lager, best "pale', best stout and best specialty. Judged by The national Beer enthusiasts club, winners will be announced on the Saturday of the festival. 

Live music, performances & Pompeii pizza! Admission is free

Feature on old vines

Most Popular Spanish Wine Stories from 2018. In English!

The informative and entertaining Spanish wine social media outlet, Spanish Wine Lover, recaps its most popular English language from 2018 here https://www.spanishwinelover.com/enjoy-353-most-popular-stories-in-2018. A Trio to Watch; Old Vines Stand Out; Sought After Producers, are among the titles.

New Zealand Tasting Coming Soon (trade and press)

New Zealand Winegrowers will host its 22^nd tasting of New Zealand wines in Ireland on Monday 14th January 2019 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Golden Lane, Dublin 8.  Time: 2.00-6.00 p.m. It will be preceded by a Masterclass at 13.00. Queries to jean@jeansmullen.com 

Visit Bordeaux and stay at Chateau Feely

Thinking of visiting Bordeaux and the new Cité du Vin in 2019? A special offer on accommodation at the vineyard of Chateau Feely in the Dordogne may help you make up your mind.  Sean and Carlo would love to see you there! Details here.