RESTAURANTS AND FOOD: Club Brasserie. Out of the ordinary

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Club Brasserie. Out of the ordinary

Club Brasserie. Out of the ordinary

The Club Brasserie must be the most stylish dining room in Cork. Mirrors, chandeliers, flowers, the lighting and more, all brought to a perfect harmony by co-owner and front of house Beth Haughton. All is in perfect balance then and much the same could be said about the cooking of Harold Lynch.

Harold and Beth were well experienced together before they opened the Lapps Quay venue in 2007 and the fact that they are still going strong, when the neighbouring Oysters and Boardwalk have closed, speaks volumes for their offering.

And the offering? They are both chefs and known for their commitment to quality ingredients, sourced locally where possible – and for cooking unfussy food with style. Our menus offer a zesty take on a range of modern classics and many dishes are well-suited to appearing under various guises at different times of day.

Outside view

We called in for dinner last weekend after visiting a wine fair in the adjoining Clarion. The welcome was warm as always and the service was very friendly indeed and on the ball too. The regular menu is supplemented by a strong list of specials and we were soon going through the options. They have an excellent wine list too but, after close to three hours at the fair, we had to “be good”.

CL started with a Warm salad of roasted pear, crispy pancetta and Cashel Blue cheese (€10.00). Perfection, a terrific combination, enhanced hugely by the pear and the pancetta.

The bar

There were four starters on the Specials and my pick was the Chargrilled spicy chicken salad, toasted almonds, roasted harissa oil, lambs lettuce, avocado and mint dressing (10.00). Another gem, with the oil and dressing lifting it well out of the ordinary.

CL likes the duck here and so it was no surprise when she choose the Crispy Duck Confit, with creamy flageolet beans, green beens and a wine sauce (19.00). Another perfect little creation from the Brasserie kitchen.

I went off piste a little with Baked Risotto, wild and fresh mushrooms, spinach, Toonsbridge Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. This is a regular on the menu and a high-scoring one at that. Delicious.

Two happy customers at that point. No thought of dessert but, after the gentlest of persuasion, we surrendered and shared Ice-cream with rum and chocolate chips (70%). Not declared on the specials but it was rather special. Chocolate and rum = yum!