Showing posts with label Black Pig Wine Bar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black Pig Wine Bar. Show all posts

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Delicious Food and No Plastic at Kinsale Street Feast

Kinsale Street Feast

The All-Ireland Chowder Cook-Off will take pride of place in Kinsale today (2.00pm) but yesterday it was the turn of the Street Feast. Lots of good food and fun and a big "NO!" to  plastic. I got down there early but not early enough to get one of the 150 lobster rolls that Bastion sold out in an hour! But there were plenty of other excellent offerings to taste and enjoy.

Best in show. This superb bowl of Chorizo and Bean Stew was my favourite on the day, served up by Chef Daniel Horgan from Man Friday. It was full of flavour and helped lessen the chill from the wind and good value too at €4.00. Also enjoyed the Fish Crumble from Fishy Fishy, the Mussels with Thai style sauce from Finns' Table, and the Moroccan Lamb Stew from Max. Most restaurants had at least two dishes on offer.
Julie Finn (right) serving.

"Not too much of that street food down here!"

The Barrett burgers were popular!
High Tide

Claire O'Brien (Gan Gluten) greets an old friend

Fishy Fishy's Fish Crumble

Gubbeen chorizo and cheese from Black Pig Wine Bar.

Street corner musicians
Bastion Sold out their lobster rolls in double quick time. But they did have Prosecco on tap!

Gourmet Pantry


Choices!




Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Top restaurant posts 2013

Top restaurant posts 2013
Aubergine & Roast Pepper Parcels at Chapel Steps

For the second year running, Bandon's Chapel Steps tops the restaurant charts. This year's post didn't score quite as high as the 2012 review but still, thanks to the many fans of this lovely restaurant, came out ahead. Good performances too from newcomers like Brendan Cashman's Gallo & Galettii in Wilton, Finn's Table in Kinsale, and the Greenroom at Sage in Midleton. Electric is tops in city centre, Cafe Gusto is leading cafe while the Sultan is best ethnic.

Top Drinks Posts
Kinsale's Black Pig Wine Bar is the place to go for a glass of wine (and a meal), the newcomer quickly establishing itself at the head of affairs. This was the Year of the WineGeese and great to see the visit of Cullen Wines to Cafe Paradiso featuring as does the series' opening night at L'Atitude 51. The rise of craft beer is underlined by the popularity of the post on the Cotton Ball, Cork's newest micro-brewery; this post, just up a week or two, is gathering in the hits even as I write.

Most popular restaurant posts
1
Speciality Nights at Bandon's Chapel Steps
2
Brendan is back
3
Electric. Easy to Book. Hard to Leave.
4
Magic at Myrtleville
5
Al Fresco dining at the Titanic Bar and Grill in Cobh
6
Old Friend's at Finn's Table
7
The Sultan of Penrose Wharf
8
Tapas in the Greenroom
9
Grazie Cafe Gusto

Most popular drinks posts
1
The Black Pig Wine Bar in Kinsale
2
On the tapas trail with Campo Viejo
3
Cullen Wines at Cafe Paradiso
4
Wine Geese Heading Home
5
Happy New Beer at the Cotton Ball
6
My Curious Case

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The Black Pig Wine Bar


The Black Pig Wine Bar
If you find yourself sitting on a sheepskin covered bench on a painted concrete floor with a fire blazing in the stove alongside and you are trying to decide which of 80 wines you’ll sample, then you are in the Black Pig, Kinsale’s newest wine bar.

It opened on Lower O’Connell Street just a few weeks back and is operated by Gavin and Siobhan who have considerable experience from their years with the Ely Wine Bar in Dublin. It may be new but make sure to book before you go. We did last Sunday night - and found our name chalked on the wall behind our table – and were glad we did as the place filled up very quickly indeed.

Some were there for the wine, of course, but quite a few took the opportunity to enjoy the food. They have lined up some terrific local producers including The Real Olive Company, Frank Hederman, On the Pig’s Back, Milleens, Gubbeen, Golden Bean Coffees, Gurman’s Teas, Koko Chocolates, Colm O’Regan Organic Farm, Diva Boutique Bakery and Billy Connery Butchers

Many of the wines are available by the glass. In the whites, you’ll see old world favourites like Chablis and Riesling and new world wines like the Mount Difficulty Pinot Gris and the Shaw and Smith M3 Chardonnay from Australia. Chile (Carmenere) and Argentina (Malbec/Bonarda) are available by the glass in the reds; by the bottle you may choose the excellent Domaine de Aphillantes Cotes de Rhone Villages 2007 or, if you really love the other half, dip into the sunken treasures and come up smiling with the Close des Papes, Chateauneuf de Papes 1998 at 149 euro.

I sampled a couple of whites, at the lower end, I hasten to add. One was the organic Weingut Wagner-Stempel, Riesling Trochen, Rheinhessen 2011 and the other was the Domain Raimbault-Pineau Sancerre 2011, each at €7.20 a glass. There was a little discussion, almost an argument at the table, but we both, marginally, preferred the Riesling.

Must say we enjoyed our starters: the marinated Artichoke Hearts and the Toonbridge Buffalo Mozzarella with semi sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil, both served with a generous basket of baguettes slices.

The mains were also excellent. No real surprises on the Antipasto Board (12.95) but thoroughly enjoyed the mix of Gubbeen salami and chorizo, Serrano Reserva, mature Manchego along with a bowl of olives, a tasty pesto and more artichokes heart. 

CL was also on a winner with the Frank Hederman Beech smoked organic salmon with horseradish sauce and brown bread. Needless to say there was a fair bit of swapping going on as the enjoyable evening in a busy buzzy spot unfolded, the rain and the wind outside forgotten as the fire glowed. With a cobbled terrace to the rear and a small streetside patio, it should be even better in the good weather ahead.