Tip Top Tapas and a lovely experience at Vikki's in Sunday's Well

 Tip Top Tapas and a lovely experience at Vikki's in Sunday's Well

Camembert 

“Wild mushroom and truffle arancini” 

“Tempura prawn, wasabi mayo” 

“Burrata, tomatoes, olives and sour dough”

“Mackerel Pate and watercress salad”

 “Wild mushroom bruschetta”

“Miso glazed tofu, sesame and smoked almond crumbs”

All and more chalked on the tempting Tapas Board at Vikki’s (which comes under the Blue Haven wing) in Sunday’s Well. 

Add in the Charcuterie board (Ballinwillin goat salami, bresaola, Serrano ham, Ummera smoked duck, salami, olives and croutons). Plus the Cheeseboard of Cashel Blue cheese, Hegarty's cheddar, Macroom mozzarella, Taleggio, Knockanore vintage red cheddar, sundried tomatoes, Ballymaloe relish, grapes, crackers, apple chutney. I could see I was in for a tapas treat.

Yakitori

And that it would be enhanced by some excellent wines. Quite a few whites by the glass including the Blue Haven Collection Sauvignon Blanc by Better Half in Marlborough, New Zealand, and reds too such as the Johnny Q Shiraz-Viognier (South Australia). Fancy a full bottle? No bother. I can rarely resist a Gruner Veltliner and they have the Peter Scheiger Kogelberg among their whites, while the red list includes Chateau Maucoil Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Rhone, France).

No shortage of sparkling or rosé either. And they also offer local drinks in bottle such as Blacks of Kinsale KPA and Stonewell Cider Medium Dry, each a favourite of mine. As we started making tapas decisions, we sipped two terrific whites, the Abadia de Seixo Albariño and the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The Marlborough has been created in partnership between The Blue Haven Collection and Better Half Wines Marlborough, a small family winery sourcing premium grapes from thirteen hard-working, local growers in the Wairau and Awatere Valleys. Each was impressive in its own way.

Cauliflower

Soon our opening tapas were on the table and the sharing began. The cauliflower pakora with its mint yogurt was a pleasant opener but it was the Chicken Yakitori that came with its crunchy slaw and spicy dip that stole the opening act of a very pleasant and satisfactory meal.  All part of an easy-going evening with pleasant and good humoured staff who knew the menu and had time for a chat and a laugh or two.

I often feel that local chefs can better display their talents through smaller dishes and indeed we often agree that we would sometimes prefer to eat nothing but starters on certain occasions. And this is more or less what we were doing here because the tapas portions are equal in quantity to many starters.

Quantity and quality came together again in our next double. First up was the Baked Camembert with chutney and sourdough. Another superb dish, another highlight of the evening, the experience enhanced no end by the stunning plum chutney.

Cauliflower

We had now moved on to a couple of red wines. One was Organic “Authentico” Bobal Tempranillo, an excellent tapas wine, a rounded, fruity and persistent blend of Bobal and Tempranillo organic vines by Covinas. Bobal is a relatively unknown grape despite being widely planted in Spain. As it turned out, we both leaned towards our other red, the  “Original” Malbec by Rigal, from the South of France, a smooth fruity and harmonious wine.

The Bobal Tempranillo really came into its own with the Wild boar and Gubbeen cheese croquettes, perhaps the least photogenic of our tapas, but packed full of robust flavours and a delight to dispatch, especially with the lively sauce on which they were laid.

Would we like dessert? Reluctantly, we shook our heads, even though earlier we had put an eye on the Tunisian almond and orange cake in the short selection. We had enjoyed our tapas and the wine and the evening in Vikki’s and decided to call a halt!

You’ll find all the details, opening times and menus, on their website here and stay up to date with last minute changes by checking their Facebook page.  By the way, their Covid 19 precautions are some of the most impressive around. Delighted to take up an invite to visit this comfortable venue.

Tapas are served here from Wednesday to Sunday. They also do lunch and brunch - see social media. Below is a screenshot of their Christmas opening times (subject to Covid changes).

Taking a Walk in Cobh on a Sunny Winter's Day

 Take a Walk (or a Run) in Cobh

 on a Sunny Winter's Day

Cobh's Sonia O'Sullivan, the town's well-loved daughter
with the cathedral in the background. All pics taken 12/12/20
Check out my summertime walk (2020) in Cobh here.

Cobh, taken from the Titanic Memorial Garden at eastern end of town.

Looking west from Titanic Memorial Garden. The building on the right is the Port of Cork Operations centre from where the harbour traffic is observed and coordinated.

One of the old piers

Another shot from The Mall, Cuskinny.

The glass memorial wall at the Titanic Memorial Garden in The Cove, Cuskinny.
Here the 123 passengers who boarded the ill-fated liner in Cobh
are listed, survivors among them have an asterisk by their names.

Enjoying the winter sun in The Mall, Cuskinny.

Just one of quite a few similarly planted windows in the local credit union.

Looking west from the signposted spot known as The Bench.

Once the offices of the Cunard Shipping line.

St Colman's Cathedral (1879)

The Preacher's Steps or the Preaching House Steps
 took you to the first Methodist Church (1810) on the terrace above

The local garda station.

In the foreground is the Titanic Experience (in the former White Star offices);
on the hill above is The Crescent

The Georgian buildings of Westbourne Place rise above
 the town's promenade and bandstand.

Check out a summertime walk (2020) in Cobh here.

Sage Opening Hours

Kevin and Reid have just been in touch from Sage with their Christmas opening hours....

"Just to let you know the restaurant will be open for Lunch Tuesday 22nd ,Wednesday 23rd & Christmas Eve .

We will be closed from the 25th -29th of December

Pending on imminent restrictions we will re open on the 30th You can place your reservation via the link

http://www.sagerestaurant.ie/book-your-table/

We will also be open in The Food store this coming Monday for Collections, Hampers, Vouchers etc

https://sage.tablepath.com/vouchers/purchase

Once Again a very Merry Christmas - Take Care."

Kev & Reid

Amuse Bouche

via Pixabay

Ostrovskiy texted a picture of the proceedings to Khaykin, then ordered a continental breakfast…. As juice and rolls arrived, Ostrovskiy strained to hear the conversation at the next table. The men had accents he couldn’t quite place. Eastern European, maybe. He overheard snatches of dialogue about far-flung locations: Cyprus; a bank in Luxembourg; something about men in Russia.

from Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow (2019). Very Highly Recommended.

Blackwater's Tasters Club Keeps On Giving

Blackwater's Tasters Club Keeps On Giving.

The Christmas Box from the Blackwater Distillery’s Tasters Club was launched, with not a little fanfare, at the Ballyduff distillery last Wednesday evening. Seasonal gins and unique spirits crafted exclusively for the members are delivered on  bimonthly basis and the latest offering consisted of a Christmas Pudding Gin and a Cranberry Vodka Liqueur. By the way, there a few boxes still available but you need to move quickly as the cut off for the Republic of Ireland is midnight on Sunday next the 29th! Details here. 

Following the musical intro by the resident distillery band, Peter Mulryan introduced the two new products. “That Christmas pudding gin, I’ve wanted to make that happen for a long time. I also enjoyed bringing the Cranberry Vodka to fruition. Now I enjoy it straight from the freezer which brings out the sour taste of the cranberry. We stop-sweetened it, not too sweet, still a slightly bitter bite. We made it from frozen berries macerated in vodka. It is not fully filtered so you see a little haze, all normal. And it is fab in cocktail.”

Cocktail ace John Coleman was again on hand to take us through his creation, the Festive Fizz (left). And he came up with a very impressive finish indeed. Prosecco or elderflower tonic or soda water are recommended as top-ups but John's favourite is Cava and then he demoed how to make an ice nest that sits on top, very cool.

Blackwater’s Caroline Senior then introduced is to local artist Valerie Lee who made the gift labels the came with the current box. Based in Lismore, she makes all kinds of cards, earrings, even figures out of clothes pegs. Find her on Insta at GalleryValerieLismore.

Now it was time for the pudding gin and a chat with its creator Kieran Curtin. That particular journey had its origins when Kieran steeped some damsons in poitin. It was “interesting, a snapps like spirit.” And he began thinking of a Christmas pudding gin. Quite a few more experiments advanced the project until they had it more or less where they wanted it. Still lacking something though, until he took up a suggestion to finish it in Cognac and Port casks. That did the trick. “I love it,’ said Kieran who sometimes enhances it with a little drop of brandy and he did mean little!

Now it was time for John Coleman to introduce the cocktail (above right) for this unusual gin, called Blas na Nollag. It took quite a bit of thought, he admitted. “I played around with a lot of ideas and settled on making a hot one. No shaker required here.” But you will need to add coffee to the mix and then finish it off with a layer of lightly whipped cream which John did to perfection! See John in action and much more from the December unveiling here.

So well done again to the Blackwater team and I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ll come up with for the Valentine’s Day box. In the meantime, if you want one of those few remaining Christmas boxes, remember the cut off point is midnight on Sunday.

Carmel Recognised For Her Hotel Career And Charity Work

 CORK HOTELIER RECOGNISED FOR HER CAREER AND CHARITY WORK

The General Manager at the Cork International Hotel, Carmel Lonergan has scooped an award in recognition of her career, charity work and contributions to the local community. 

Carmel was awarded the Southside and District Special Business Award at a special ceremony. 

Carmel Lonergan is General Manager of the Cork International Hotel and is from Cashel in Tipperary. She has been at the helm of the Cork International Hotel for almost five years but has been working in various management roles in the hotel for the last 13 years.

Carmel said: “I am so honoured to have received this award. Whilst the hospitality industry is challenging and certainly has faced extremely difficult periods, there is a unique level of resilience, passion and determination within the industry that sets us aside from so many other industries.

“Hotel guests are the main purpose of our business and we aim to always ensure that exceptional care is taken of them and they receive impeccable service when they come to the hotel. I am incredibly passionate about guest care but also team care. In fact, I refuse to use the word ‘staff’ and will always be heard correcting people and request that the word ‘team’ is used.”

Managing Director of Trigon Hotels, Aaron Mansworth said: “We are delighted that Carmel has received this award and it is very much deserved. The longevity of the team at the Cork International Hotel is testament to how the hotel is managed and there is immense pride to be found by all who work there. Carmel and the team in the hotel have also invested significantly in the “Southside and District Sports Awards” as the main sponsor to recognise the contributions to those within the community. Recognising the achievements of local people at grass roots level is a testament to Carmel and the hotel’s commitment to its responsibility as a community business.”

Since its inception over 11 years ago the Awards has recognised over 130 local sporting individuals and teams located in the community be it in their achievements or contributions to sport. 

Something that Carmel has always been heavily involved in is fundraising and also community projects. This is an area that Carmel puts significant personal time and effort into as she is acutely aware of the challenges faced by charities and communities and is also grateful for the support that they give to the hotel.  

Jack White (left), Director The Carrigdhoun, Media Sponsors; Lord Mayor, Cllr. Joe Kavanagh presenting the Special Business Award
 to Carmel Lonergan General Manager Cork International Hotel.

Corporate social responsibility is incredibly important to the team at the Cork International Hotel and so each year, they nominate a charity that they will work with for a minimum of a 12-month period. Carmel joined the Bumbleance fundraising committee for two years when they were the charity of choice and with the team at the hotel, over €30,000 was raised during their tenure with the Cork International Hotel which contributed to a new BUMBLEance vehicle being allotted to the South West of Ireland. The current charity partner, the Rainbow Club, which is a centre for children with autism in Cork has been able to accelerate the opening of a new facility as a direct result of a fundraising drive by the hotel, which resulted in €50,000 being raised for the charity over the past 18 months.

Hospitality was not always the plan for Carmel, as she had initially contemplated a life in healthcare and looked at following the footsteps of her mother who is a nurse in Tipperary. However after a summer part time job in a local coffee shop she began a training programme with the Dunraven Arms in Adare over 20 years ago. Carmel knew then that she wanted to embark on a career in the hospitality industry as she thrived on the fast pace and the varied opportunities that were available.

She studied hospitality management in the GMIT and on completion of her time there, she travelled extensively gaining experience in London and the United States before returning to Ireland and choosing Cork as her home.

Sophie’s Tall, Dark and Handsome! And The Food's Pretty Good Too

Sophie’s Tall, Dark and Handsome!

And The Food's Pretty Good Too.

Pork Belly Salad

It’s big, bright and, being on the 6th floor of The Dean, Cork’s newest hotel, Sophie’s Restaurant has some of the best dining-room views in the city. Big, because they can seat 150 here. Bright, because there is glass on three sides; on the western edge, the windows give you terrific views over the north west part of the city, right out to the distant County Hall. On the fourth side, you’ll see the crew busy in the kitchen. And the hotel is dark, on the outside!

And it is comfortable, with tables for two and booths for more. Quite a few of those booths are along the length of the western side which means more of you can enjoy the views.  Designed by interior designers O’Donnell O’Neill, it is a stunning space for a variety of occasions. 

Smoked Pork Pizza

Floor to ceiling windows throughout allow light to pour in, whilst the reclaimed wooden roof and soft lighting give the space a cosy feel. The granite topped bar in the centre of the room is a real focal point, while the long open kitchen allows guests to watch the team in action, busy creating delectable dishes and working the wood fired pizza oven.

 

Two terraces, close to completion, extend the restaurant space allowing for al fresco dining. Both, front and back, are covered and heated to allow you to get cosy and watch the sun set over the River Lee with cocktail (and they have quite a range here) in hand! 

 

Of course, Sophie’s Restaurant would not be complete without their famous swings. Find them on the ground floor right beside the elevators. Snap yourself swinging before heading upstairs, just remember to hold on tight. Even if you miss the first pair, there’s another pair at Sophie’s entrance.

All very well, you say, but what about the food? A bit like the dress code: smart casual. Food in Sophie's (on the 6th floor) is enjoyable and excellent without being at all fussy or stuffy. Staff are a delight, informal and chatty but on the ball. All in all, an excellent experience, even if I forgot to try the famous swings!

I’ve seen the menu is billed as New York Italian and so Pizza is a large part of the menu, both for lunch and dinner. We were in for lunch and my choice of Pizza was the BBQ Smoked Pork, Pickled Cider Apples, Onion Jam (16.50). Enjoyed that very much indeed. It was a terrific combination of flavours and altogether well executed.

CL meanwhile was enjoying her Maple Glazed Pork Belly & Gubbeen Chorizo, Apple Salad (14.95), another well-chosen combination, even if she’d have preferred a little less fat in the pork. She had no problem though dipping into the Parmesan Italian fries (5.95); neither did I as we shared.

No local craft beers on offer, we were told, though they do have Lagunitas. The wine is interesting, including six on tap. Also, aside from the regular list, they offer a selection from an organic vineyard in the South of France and no shortage of bubbles either. CL went for the aromatic and crisp Richemer Picpoul de Pinet while my pick was the Marlborough, Stoneleigh Pinot Noir, each at 8.80 a glass.

As we enjoyed the wine, we picked our desserts from a short list. The warm and flavourful Blackberry & Apple Crumble & Vanilla Ice Cream (7.95) was one and the other was an equally satisfactory Raspberry Trifle, Vanilla Custard & Fresh Cream (also 7.95).

* The striking seven storey building, designed by Cork firm Wilson Architecture, forms part of the new Horgan’s Quay development, located moments from Kent Station.  There’s also a bus service almost to the door. And no shortage of car parking, especially in the CIE facility next door.

 

* Art is a prominent feature across the building. The Dean are creative partners of IMMA, and aim to promote and support Irish art. The Dean Cork’s walls will feature over 400 pieces of eye-catching, innovative and inspiring  Irish art  from both established and up and coming artists and will be sourced predominantly from Cork and the Munster region.  

Taste of the Week. Ummera Smoked Organic Irish Picanha Beef

 Taste of the Week

Ummera Smoked Organic Irish Picanha Beef

Ummera, winner of the Golden Fork Award for their smoked Irish organic salmon in the 2020 Great Taste, have another winner in their Smoked Organic Irish Picanha Beef. I recently ordered a box of produce from the Timoleague producer and the Picanha, with its out of this world flavour, is now our Taste of the Week. 

Owner/operator Anthony Cresswell: "The Rump Cap is a highly regarded cut of beef in Brazil where it is called Picanha and Ummera have adopted the name, despite people saying it should be Irish, to which we reply and what about Entrecote Steak? It also adds uniqueness; I mean have you ever heard of Irish Picanha? Probably not!"

Anthony recommends serving it with a fresh salad and a light dressing and that's just what we did with the Aberdeen Angus beef. The salad came via Neighbourfood, a bag of superb mixed leaves from Horizon Farms, delicious, semi sundried tomatoes from Sicily in a mixed oil, equally delicious quartered artichoke globes in a mixed oil also from Sicily along with, from the Pyrenees, freshly dressed Arbequina olives (tiny but with a huge flavour). Quite a plateful! 

The Picanha is available in whole pieces with weights varying from 500gm to 1 kg to 1.5kgs and should be sliced thinly. Very Highly Recommended! 

It's not the first time, I've had this as Taste of the Week. During the Ballymaloe LitFest, I got the very first bite of it at Anthony's stall in the Big Shed. That was in 2016, the same year that it was voted the Best New Organic Product at the Irish National Organic Awards

Ummera

Call on +353 (0)23 88 46644

For all enquiries please email info@ummera.com

Stockists here

Wine for Good - a charity fundraising initiative from O'Briens Wine in aid of ALONE

 O’Briens Wine Make Everyone A Winner.

Update from O'Briens (22/12/2020): Raised a total of 30k for Alone through our Wine for Good charity fundraiser, O'Briens would like to thank their customers, wineries, winemakers and Irish wine suppliers whose generous support have made this initiative possible. 

Wine for Good - a charity fundraising initiative from O'Briens Wine in aid of ALONE

A few months back, O’Briens Wine announced a charity fundraising initiative, Wine for Good, to take the place of the fund-raising they normally do at their November wine-fairs (knocked out by Covid19). ALONE was the nominated charity and the individual donation requested was €100.00.

Others were donating in kind, namely O’Brien’s wineries, winemakers and Irish wine suppliers. And the wines coming in meant that anyone who paid the €100.00 had the chance of winning a bottle or bottles worth anything from €75.00 to €250.00. Sent off my hundred as fast as I could and just as well as the 200 tickets was sold out in no time!

A few weeks later, a parcel arrived at the door. I was like a kid opening a Christmas present. And as happy as any kid (well, big “kid”) when I spied my “prize”: Domaine Seguin-Manuel "Les Cents Vignes", Beaune 1er Cru 2013 (AOC). And not just a bottle but a Magnum! It was generously donated by Thibaut Marion, owner of Domaine Seguin-Manuel.

An alluring mid ruby is the colour of this Pinot Noir. The aromatics are charming with scents of red berry fruit, spice and floral notes, a hint of toast too; complex yet delicate. More complexity on the palate, vibrant and engaging, silky bright fruit (cherry and blackcurrant) and that spice again and a little vanilla too while tannins are soft. Delicious from start to persistent finish. Just like the O’Brien initiative.

This wine is produced from a tiny plot of 40-year-old Pinot Noir vines in Beaune's Premier Cru area 'Les Cents Vignes'. The grapes are hand-harvested to ensure only the healthiest fruit is used. After fermentation the wine is aged in the finest quality French oak for 12 months.

At 7 years old, the wine has aged perfectly in the Domaine's cellars, developing the complex tertiary aromas and flavours for which top Burgundy Pinot Noirs are so famous. 

Domaine Seguin-Manuel was founded in 1824 in the Côte-d’Or region of Burgundy. It was purchased by Thibaut Marion in 2004 and he farms his 8.5 hectares of small premium vineyard plots organically.  

BALLYMALOE FOODS PARTNER WITH FOOD CLOUD TO GIVE THE GIFT OF FOOD TO THOSE MOST IN NEED THIS CHRISTMAS

BALLYMALOE FOODS PARTNER WITH FOOD CLOUD TO GIVE THE GIFT OF FOOD TO THOSE MOST IN NEED THIS CHRISTMAS 

Ballymaloe Foods to donate meals to Food Cloud and jars of Ballymaloe Relish 

 

The COVID-19 pandemic poses unprecedented challenges this Christmas, and it has been exceptionally hard for individuals and charities. Christmas has historically been a critical time when it comes to fundraising and will now take on added significance this year. With this in mind, Ballymaloe Foods has partnered with Food Cloud to try help out those who are most in need this Christmas. 

 

Instead of sending gifts to thank their customers, the team at Ballymaloe will be donating 30 meals to Food Cloud in the name of each customer. 

 

They have also just launched their Free Christmas Recipe Booklet with 14 delicious festive recipes and ideas for tasty starters, sides and desserts. Christmas will still taste special with the Ballymaloe signature christmas sausage roll garland, vegan nut roast, white chocolate and cranberry and prosecco fudge cake and lots more! For EVERY download of this Booklet, the team will donate a jar of their world-famous Ballymaloe Relish to Food Cloud who will distribute these jars to local charities and community groups in Ireland for Christmas.

 

Maxine Hyde general manager of Ballymaloe Foods says: “It’s been such a challenging year for so many people and this Christmas is going to look and feel so different for us all. Everyone is trying their best to have the most normal Christmas they can and charitable donations seem more critical now than ever before. We wanted to give something to those people who are most in need and felt partnering with FoodCloud was a direct way we could make a small difference.”

 

Download your FREE Christmas Recipes Downloadable Booklet before December 18th here - https://ballymaloefoods.ie/christmas-ballymaloe/