Sunday, November 8, 2009

The Woodside in Midleton


THE WOODSIDE
Cold wet and windy outside but there was a warm welcome inside from Brian, the host at the relatively new Woodside, a restaurant in Saleen, on the Midleton Whitegate road. Would it be worth the trip out of town on this miserable November evening? The answer? An emphatic yes.


Promising start with a little taster of one of their starters: Tomato Broth, served in a wee glass. As it turned out, I had ordered this Broth, served with a Gin Cream, and it came in a large glass cup with handle. Gorgeous also was the Potato and Leek soup. This soup is often quite bland but the Woodside’s version had bits of bacon through it, maybe even done in a bacon stock, and the verdict was that this the was best such soup we had ever had!
My main course was baked cod with a tomato sauce and on a bed of mashed potatoes with some haricot vert. It was a top class dish and so was the presentation which included a string of nicely cooked but intact small tomatoes still on the vine, still full of juice. The other main course was Duck Breast with Chinese cabbage, a substantial and very tasty dish indeed.
Portions are quite large so didn't take on the dessert offer. Finished with a massive cup of Americano for €2.50. House wines, by the way, start at a fiver a glass and there was a special on the night, a Rioja for €7.50 per glass.
It was a very enjoyable meal, well cooked, well presented and served with a smile and the occasional but unobtrusive query: Is everything alright? The answer all through and at the end was that emphatic yes!
It is a spacious comfortable venue, dominated by a huge almost Breughel like painting of a Nun’s Kitchen. Your host is also a whiskey nut and will put on a tasting on request. Find out more at www.thewoodside.ie

Check out my review of The Woodside - I am cork - on Qype

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