Monday, April 19, 2021

Dining NOW Guide. This Week's Choices In Cork. Update #3

Dining NOW Guide. This Week's Choices In Cork

(Contact me before 1.00pm Wed with a sentence, a pic and a link to menu, plan to update regularly)

 w/e 25/4/2021 Update #3

Click and Collect. At Home. Takeout. Takeaway.

Cask



This has been an incredibly difficult time for all of us and we'd like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation for any support you have shown us in the last year, from purchasing from our takeaway menus to even something as small as liking or sharing our social media. Thank you!

For the next 2 weeks our menu will include:

Option 1

Rosti potatoes, Croquetas de Jamon, Irish spring lamb & barley stew, Xixo BBQ skewers, Tonkatsu prawns & Banana and doce de leite empanadas.

and for our veggies we have:

Option 2

Rosti potatoes, Smoked aubergine croquettes, Barley & courgette stew, Halloumi xixo BBQ skewers, Tonkatsu asparagus & Banana and doce de leite empanadas.

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Next door at Greenes

Their weekend menus may be read here.

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Goldie

Giardiniera by Goldie. Full menu and order details here 
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Vienna Woods 



Voted Cork's Best Family Business in last weekend's Cork Business Association Awards. Check out their takeout menu here






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Da Mirco 3-Course Italian Feast

Start with white asparagus from the Veneto, continue with Italian Sausages and Scamorza from the English Market and the Dolce....... see below!


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Wild Rose Artisan Cakes

Would you like a slice of cake after a meal at home? That was a resounding yes. No surprise at that

when you've spotted this or the other impressive creations by Cobh's Wild Artisan Cakes.

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Ballymaloe House At Home


It’s asparagus season and the first of our walled garden and freshly picked, it will be part of our #ballymaloeathome menu this weekend #seasonalfood #treatyourself



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Beautiful Veneto awaits us this week! Veneto is home to the rich, vibrant, full-bodied Amarone and Ripasso, as well as the very popular Prosecco, but as is our wont, we aim to bring you on a journey away from the classics to discover something new or different. And this week’s wine does precisely that!

“Vino Nato Disobbediente” (translates as ‘a wine born disobedient’) made by biodynamic producer Monte Dall’Ora in the Valpolicella Classico region, disobeys the appellation rules. With it’s extremely light 10.5% abv and sold in the larger 1litre ‘peasant’ wine format, it’s a wine made more for the family table than for a formal dining setting. More details of the wine (and the food that comes with it) on their Facebook here.

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Liberty Grill



HOME DINING Fri 23rd / Sat 24th

3 Courses

Pre Order online LibertyGrill.ie @LibertyGrillCork

Simple as.. We deliver on the day, when ready turn on your oven to 180 or 160 fan, Pop hot appetiser in for 8 mins, While you enjoy these, pop in your mains & sides, they will be ready as soon as you've finished your appetiser! Menus and details here.
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Cush Ballycotton


Comin’ in hot this week with another delicious menu ⚓️ make sure to get your order in 🙌🏼
Here’s how it works:
Please place your order by emailing reception@cush.ie with which dishes you would like (1 starter, 1 main, 1 desserts per person) BEFORE 12PM on Thursday, along with if you would like your home dining experience on Friday or Saturday. We will respond to you with an allocated collection time between 5pm - 7pm on your preferred collection day.
*LIMITED AVAILABILITY EACH WEEK*
*ORDERS MADE AFTER 12PM THURSDAY WILL NOT BE TAKEN*
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S A T U R D A Y D E L I V E R Y

By GOOD DAY DELI


We're changing it up + delivering our Kete Kai Boxes + Mōrena Larder Boxes on Saturdays for your celebrations, picnics, lazy lunches + spins to the coast! See link for more details.

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Bunnyconnellan's. Great Views. Great Food too
Herb crusted pollock (from last week's menu)



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The Glass Curtain

Best Restaurant at the Cork Business Association Awards last weekend!

This weekends menus are as follows, and as always, will be available to order from 12pm today (Monday) via The Glass Curtain At Home

  • Friday 40 for 2 people sharing Fish Tacos Panko breaded haddock, pico de gallo, sweetcorn salsa, shredded cabbage, flour tortillas, bravas potatoes with lime chipotle aioli // Doughnuts, cinnamon sugar, rhubarb puree, vanilla custard

  • Saturday 40 for 2 people sharing BBQ short rib of beef, glazed beets, grilled corn, smoked potatoes, bbq beef jus // Chocolate chip cookies, salted caramel sauce

  • Sunday 40 for 2 people sharing Roast rack of pork, crispy crackling, white bean cassoulet, salsa verde, chargrilled spring cabbage // Apple tarte tatin, vanilla anglaise

Veggie option all weekend

  • 35 for 2 people sharing Veggie tacos, panko breaded halloumi and sweet potatoes, pico de gallo, sweetcorn salsa, shredded cabbage, flour tortillas, bravas potatoes with lime chipotle aioli // Served with dessert of the evening

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Jacques - New menu for this coming weekend
Jacques House Paté (on last week's menu)


Check it out here. To place an order call 0214277387 or go to www.Jacquesrestaurant.ie. Collections are Friday and Saturday.
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On the Pig's Back

Fancy a sunny alfresco picnic? And there will be sunny days this week!
We’ve got your lunch sorted at On The Pig's Back!

We have a full range of quiches, salads , pizza , sausage rolls and savoury tarts , perfect for the Sunny outdoors!

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May Bank Holiday Specials



Hotel Montenotte

BOTANICAL THEMED AFTERNOON TEA TO CALL & COLLECT

Have you been yearning for dainty finger sandwiches, fluffy scones and mouth-watering desserts and treats? Fear not, this May Bank Holiday weekend, here at The Montenotte Hotel we have a unique and exciting way for you to treat yourself, your family or friends  from the comfort of your own home as we finally welcome back summer.

“May Day” has been celebrated in Ireland since pagan times as the feast of Bealtaine.  Traditionally, bonfires were lit to mark the coming of summer and to grant luck to people and their livestock. We do not do bonfires anymore, but it is the start of summer  and you can have cake, as you enjoy your weekend at home with some of our tasty delights and even catch up with some of the Cork International Choral Festival virtual hybrid concerts.

More details and ordering here

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Celebrate The May Bank Holiday with Heat at Home from Market Lane

 


We wanted you to know that our May Heat at Home box has just gone on sale!

This month we’re offering locally sourced Rib of Beef, Chicken wrapped in pancetta or an eye-openingly delicious Veggie Moussaka. We’ve new season potatoes and asparagus as sides, while our dessert choices are a Hazelnut and Pear tart or a Lemon Posset.

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CORK HOTEL GROWING VEGETABLES AND HERBS IN NEW ROOFTOP GARDEN

CORK HOTEL GROWING VEGETABLES AND HERBS

IN NEW ROOFTOP GARDEN

 Garden on the roof of the Cork International Hotel will provide ingredients for the kitchen and cocktails

 

Hotel Greening Manager, Edel Kavanagh and Maintenance Manager, Shane O’Mahony.  Photo: Brian Lougheed

A new rooftop garden has been constructed at the Cork International Hotel. It will be used to grow vegetables and herbs for the hotel's team of chefs. The ingredients will also be used in cocktails sold at the bar. The opening of the new addition coincides with Earth Day which takes place this Thursday, April 22nd. Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. 

The Cork International Hotel has set ambitious goals to lower its carbon footprint by 5% every year by reducing energy consumption and waste. The hotel plans to reduce waste by 15% in the next year and to achieve these goals, they will be implementing an inhouse composting system.

The hotel is working with its team to encourage eco-friendly practices at work and at home. It’s also engaging with suppliers to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and is introducing ‘carbon neutralising’ initiatives for guests after travelling. All team members at the hotel have begun a 6 month training programme with “50 Shades Greener”.

General Manager of the Cork International Hotel, Carmel Lonergan said: “We are committed to ensuring that our activities at the hotel have the least possible detrimental impact on the environment. The construction of a rooftop garden is just one element of this. We are dedicated to our team’s education and awareness to ensure that there is a culture of environmental responsibility across the company at every level which will ensure our sustainable strategy is maintained year on year. During the past year, it really gave us an opportunity to see what improvements we can make as individuals and as a business. It has been so fulfilling and actually so much fun to see how we have all worked together as a team to bring our vision to reality.

 

Hotel Greening Manager, Edel Kavanagh said: “It is such an honour to have been appointed as the Greening Manager for the hotel, along with my existing role of Front Office Manager. We all have a responsibility to look after the world that we live in and it is such an exciting project for us as a team. We are passionate about making a difference but we are also really excited about the creative and fun challenges that we have set for the team over the next few months”.


Head Chef at the Cork International Hotel, Christopher O’Sullivan said: “It’s wonderful to see what was an unused space being turned into a practical, kitchen garden. We’re committed to responsibly sourced produce and you can’t get more responsibly sourced than vegetables and herbs grown on our own roof. It also means we will have the freshest ingredients possible in our food and drinks.” 

press release


Sunday, April 18, 2021

Jacques Add To The Variety Of Dine At Home Options. Their Castletownbere Lobster’s A Tasty Winner

Jacques Add To Variety Of Eat At Home Options

Their Castletownbere Lobster’s A Tasty Winner


Jacques are back in the game and resumed at their usual high standard as we found out last weekend. And they are also adding to the amazing variety of dishes available to take home in the city and county. Their “comeback” saw lobster on their Easter Weekend Menu and the next weekend’s offering had Fish Bouillabaisse included.

Last week, when we checked out the list, lobster was back and we were hooked. Also available were Moroccan Lamb Shanks and Organic Spatchcocked Spiced Chicken and the dessert in all cases was the very tempting Boozy Tiramisu (with lots of 5 Farms Liquor included!). Not alone do they cater for different tastes, they also cater for different budgets with prices (for 2 courses for 2 people) usually ranging from forty to fifty euro.


We rarely have lobster and even more rarely have it at home so that’s the one we ordered, tempted also by the fact that the whole meal requires no cooking on our part, just some re-heating. All easy peasy and all delicious.

No heating at all with the starter, the Jacques Paté with Sourdough Crisp Breads and Rhubarb Chutney. Enough for two people, it said! Enough for a large family, I reckon. But it wasn’t just the quantity, the quality was top-drawer.

They also have quite a selection of wine to pair with the various dishes and the Mara Martin Godello came with our box. The traditional food match is seafood, especially shellfish specialities like scallops, mussels, clams, lobster, crab and oysters. And it was spot-on, a marvellous match for the lobster. 

The main event, after 20 minutes in the oven, was now on the plate. It came with a lemon and herb butter and a parmesan crust and was  served with  their Potato Rosti and green leaf salad dressed with a French dressing. Silence descended for quite a spell, just the odd whine from the dog who waited, in vain (we did make it up to him later), for a morsel of the lobster. A superb highlight of a lovely meal.

Bet you’d like to try Jacques this coming weekend. Then do keep an eye on their social media (Instagram and Facebook mostly, I think). The menu is up every Monday. Check it out, make your choice and ring 0214277387 with your order on Monday or Tuesday. Heat At Home collections are very Friday and Saturday. 

On arrival!


Saturday, April 17, 2021

Doneraile Park, where the Awbeg River runs through 166 hectares.

 Doneraile Park

15th April 2021

The Awbeg River runs through the Park's 166 hectares where you also see groups of deer (all fenced off, so you may bring the dog but on a lead of course).  Also there is the recently restored Doneraile Court and Tea Rooms, also a playground. One of Ireland's most popular attractions has plenty of parking and may also be accessed directly from the main street.

Start with a little movie!



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Friday, April 16, 2021

Blarney Castle Gardens

 Blarney Castle Gardens

13th April 2021


Fox in the grass. We did see a real fox here today, at least I saw the tail.
And then it was gone. Also spotted a jay in the beautiful Fern Garden





I like this, whatever it is! It is a blockhead, a water-carrier, or a Janus figure.

Big teeth

Watch this space over the coming months!






Ivy and rope on a post


First bunch of wild garlic flowers that I've seen




Thursday, April 15, 2021

The versatility of Shines Tuna. And do watch out for that Yellow Fin Belly

The versatility of Shines Tuna

And do watch out for that Yellow Fin Tuna Belly

Shines Yellow Fin Tuna with Macroom Buffalo Mozzarella.


I never really thought of the can of tuna in the cupboard as anything other than a handy standby. But all that changed over the past month or so. Beginning when a box of cans that I had ordered from Shines of Killybegs arrived at the house, six cans and two jars!


How could that all be used without us getting fed up of the fish? We did a little bit of research and found recipes in unexpected places. Firstly, Shines themselves have quite a few on their website and it was there that we started.

Shines Wild Irish Tuna


We picked one by Ciara Shine. Her “Speedy Salad” was described as “a nice fresh dish, easy to prepare. Looks and tastes amazing!” And it lived up to its billing. You can see the recipe here.There are a quite a few items on the list of ingredients but you can pick and choose. Basically you need Shines Wild Irish Tuna (we used the jar) and salad leaves. We added olives and semi-sundried tomatoes and also some of the ORSO Pickled Red Onion (which didn’t make the photo). We were off to a great start.


Another look at the Shine page led to us following, approximately, John Shine’s own contribution: Tuna Mediterranean Wrap. Again, some substitutions were made and our “mix” consisted mainly of Shines Chilli Tuna, lettuce leaves, tomatoes, peppers. Easy to do and worked out well and met John’s description: “Healthy and tasty. Perfect lunchtime treat.”



So what next? Well, the answer was in the post. I had recently ordered The Anti-Cancer Cookbook (an excellent cookbook with all the royalties going to cancer research). A quick flick through on arrival and, without specifically looking for tuna recipes, two turned up. We picked the Tuna and Sweetcorn Fritters, something different, something quite tasty. We added a nice salad to the tuna (Shines Irish Tuna from a can this time) and sweetcorn with a Spicy Ketch-up (by Tipp’s 3 Men in a Trailer). And this surprise recipe turned out very well indeed!



I had read somewhere about tuna being used with Mozzarella and that became our focus for our next dish, another easy one. Yellowfin Tuna belly in olive oil was the chosen can this time - John Shine is very enthusiastic about this particular Tuna, with very good reason as this particular fish is so exquisite you could eat it straight out of the can. A quick trip to the local Dunnes Stores saw us get the Macroom Mozzarella from Johnny Lynch’s farm.



Tuna Fritters


We didn’t need much more, some large tomatoes and basil for the cheese, and a bunch of cherry tomatoes for the salad. It looked nice and tasted even better. Thanks to an internet event, I had just received received the marvellous prize winning Rós Cider (Apple and Rhubarb) from local producer Stonewell. And Rós got on so well with the tuna and the cheese you’d have sworn they were made for each other. 


We still have a few cans of Shines fish left (sardines certainly) but I doubt that we’ll top the Tuna belly, the Mozzarella and the Rós cider combination! Might well do it again soon as there’s still another bottle of that delicious Rós hanging around here.. I think!


On a separate note, did you know the Irish fishermen catch plenty of top quality sardines each November /December ? Very soon you will be able to buy Irish sardines from Shines. Interested businesses are invited to call John Shine anytime on 0868164106 for further info on this new product.