Showing posts with label Cafe Serendipity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cafe Serendipity. Show all posts

Monday, December 16, 2013

Stop at Cafe Serendipity

Stop at Cafe Serendipity!
Not merely Bread & Butter Pudding
but a step up to Croissant & Butter Pudding!
Bailey’s Croissant and Butter Pudding with Creme Anglaise
Having a restaurant on the number 208 bus route became a priority for us on a wet and miserable Friday night. It wasn't the only consideration of course but when Cafe Serendipity came to mind, it was an agreed yes. Soon we were stepping off the bus at the Western Road stop alongside the River Lee Hotel and crossing the road to the welcoming lights of the cafe.


Our reservation was confirmed (the place was busy and would soon be full) and, without delay, we were at our table and studying the menu. We had been in before earlier in the year and once again were glad to see that they do things a little differently here (e.g. soup is cauliflower and blue cheese) and spent some time checking the choices as the guitarist began to play.


We didn’t take the soup option but picked the Grilled Halloumi with red and green pesto and fennel coleslaw and also the Crab and Black Pudding with summer salsa and lime jelly as our starters. Getting used to Halloumi lately, thanks to the folks at Toonsbridge Dairies, and this was excellent, very tasty and the fennel was a new touch. The other starter was not quite as successful as we felt that the delicate crab was a bit overwhelmed but still it was a flavoursome dish overall and the lime jelly was a tasty touch.


We could also have chosen the Smoked Chicken Salad or a Smoked Salmon Gratin. Service was excellent throughout, friendly and courteous and efficient, and we were not long in getting to grips with the main courses.

Mine was definitely the more eyecatching and it was the Confit of Duck Leg, chorizo croquette, baby carrots, asparagus, parsnip crisp and jus. Really enjoyed this one (above). The duck was perfect. so too were the vegetables, especially those little carrots, and the croquette was a flavoursome and slightly spicy treat.


Duck also featured on our other mains. Here it was shredded in a Duck and Pear Salad, served with mixed lettuce and Mediterranean vegetable. Duck and pear always go well together and the salad was excellent, well prepared. A fine combination that could also be served as a starter. Other choices included Sirloin, Smoked Chicken Risotto, Pan Fried Hake (with buckwheat), and a Provencal Goats Cheese Tart.


They had a short but tempting dessert list. They offered, not your common garden Bread and Butter Pudding, but a scrumptious step up in class to a Bailey’s Croissant and Butter Pudding with Creme Anglaise. Loved that!  

Duck and pear 
CL’s special was the Apple Crumble. But that belied its humble title and, with a gorgeous thin layer of crumble and a great depth of real apple, matched mine. Soon after, two happy customers departed Serendipity and even a walk (it had dried up) to the bus stop at back of the block didn't dampen the feeling. Indeed, it was enhanced when that sometimes elusive  number 208 turned up within seconds!


Quality at Cafe Serendipity is good and so too is the value, two courses for €23.00, three for €26.00. The wine list is rather short but most tastes are catered for with, for instance, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Rioja available to those who like reds.

Crumble

Cafe Serendipity

Western Road, Cork City
Mon: 8:00 am - 5:30 pm
Tue - Sat: 8:00 am - 5:30 pm, 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Phone
085 8645216 or 021 2410466
Email
serendipitycork@gmail.com
Website




Friday, April 12, 2013

Cafe Serendipity. A Happy Hour


Cafe Serendipity. A Happy Hour
Calamari

They were praying for the weather to dry up when we arrived at Cafe Serendipity on the Western Road one night last week. We joined in the prayers. They weren’t answered but our wish for a good dinner certainly was and we spent a happy hour being well cared for by Aideen (the General Manager), Krzysztof (Head Chef) and Keeley (waitress).

The fire was on and we enjoyed its warmth and glow and also the artwork on the whitewashed stone wall as we settled into our comfortable seats. Then we studied the menu and it looked very promising indeed and that good feeling was enhanced with the arrival of the mini-specials board to the table. These had a terrific selection of fish dishes and one very special dessert!

Hake

John Dory
We went with the specials for the main course. I was delighted with my Pan Fried Hake, served with Rösti Potatoes, chorizo chowder, jumbo capers, sundried tomatoes, and crispy Parma ham (16.00). A good mix of flavours, some nice sharpness from the capers and tomatoes and gorgeous fresh fish. Wondering what the chorizo chowder was? Just the sauce but a terrific one.

John Dory, with fondant potatoes, baby carrots, asparagus, Samphire, artichokes and saffron beurre blanc (20.00) was the other special at our table and that too drew the kudos. Looked well and tasted even better. Perfect.

The starters came from the regular list and were none the worse for that. CL enjoyed her Serendipity Smoked Chicken Salad. My pick was the Hot Calamari Salad - Artichokes, jumbo capers, red onions, asparagus, figs and sundried tomato (7.00), one of the best squid starters I’ve had in a while.
 
Prune Crème Brûlée
For dessert, it was back to the Special Boards for CL and a lovely Natural Yoghurt and Red Wine Barry Compote (4.25). Something different for me too, though from the regular list: Prune Crème Brûlée with Pine nut shortbread, a lovely variation on the Crème Brûlée theme.

A Happy Hour? Yes indeed. Perhaps a bit longer, closer to two hours, but we enjoyed the time spent there, the excellent food and friendly service.