House Café. In the middle of our town

House Café

In the middle of our town

Mega mushrooms

The shows come and go but The House Café keeps performing in the Opera House, just a few yards from Patrick’s Street. So central, so good.

We called to this friendly place for lunch this week and enjoyed it from the start to finish, the welcome, the friendly informative service, the little chats and, of course, the food. Food that is based for the most part on top notch local produce: Crozier Blue, Knockalara, Ballyhoura, Coolea, O’Mahony Butchers among those featured.

Falafel

We could have had one of the soups (carrot, ginger and coriander looked tempting. Or one of the sandwiches (Coolea cheese with wild garlic pesto caught the eye). But once I saw the Creamed Ballyhoura Wild Mushrooms on sourdough toast with Parmesan and organic leaves, I was hooked. It is one of the best expressions of these fabulous mushrooms (much in demand by the country’s top chefs) you're likely to come across. Go in and try it!

CL too cleaned her plate, every little bit. Her choice was the Spiced Chickpea and Sweet potato Falafel with hummus, tahini sauce and salad with a roasted pide (a Turkish bread). Her dish cost nine euro, mine two euro more. Both were vegetarian but we didn't even think about that, just good food, and that’s the way it should be.

Since we had skipped the soup, dessert was on the cards. I went for one of the specials and it was very special, again worth a call if available. This was the Carrot and Pistachio cake (3/50), toasted and served with butter and cream. It was so good! Too good in fact. CL got very interested and I had to give over fifty per cent, On the other hand, I got fifty per cent of her lemon Drizzle Slice (3.50), and quite a superior Lemon drizzle it was.

Sp we relaxed and finished off our Golden Bean coffees (2.30) before settling up at the counter (cash only, by the way!) and heading off to Pana (the local name for Patrick Street).

House Café

Opera House

Emmet Place

Cork

Tel: (021) 490 5277

Email: housecafecork@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/House-Café-at-Cork-Opera-House-154846831262625/

Twitter: @HouseCafeCork

Munster Wine & Dine On Tour. Cashel Blue & Ballinwillin House

May Day. May Day!

After a fantastic tour and tasting at The Golden Bean Coffee Roastery with Marc Kingston last month, we are delighted to announce the details of our summer day-trip to Cashel Blue and Ballinwillin House on Friday May 27^th. This promises to be another super day of great food and wine.

Tour and Tasting of Cashel Blue in Beechmount Co. Tipperary. 

When Louis & Jane Grubb set out to make Cashel Blue in the early 1980’s, their ambition was to create a farmhouse cheese that “truly represents the outstanding quality of Tipperary grass-fed milk.” Today, 31 years later, Cashel Blue is world famous and is still made by hand on the same 200 acre farm in Beechmount, Co. Tipperary, We are delighted that Sarah Furno, 2^ndgeneration of the Grubb Family, will give us a tour of the cheese-producing facility and a tasting of this much-loved cheese http://www.cashelblue.com

Dinner at Ballinwillin House in Mitchelstown Co.Cork. with hosts Patrick and Miriam Mulcahy. Ballinwillin House is an oasis for lovers of artisan food and wine. The house is set on 80 acres in the heart of the Golden Vale and here they raise deer, as well as rare-breed pigs and geese. They also own a vineyard in Hungary and have built at Ballinwillin a wonderful wine cellar where they host wine tastings of their own Chateau Mulcahy wines. On arrival, we will take a tour of the farm to see the deer (Ballinwillin is one of the prime producers of venison in the country), pigs, geese and the many other animals on the estate. After the tour we will retreat to the wine barn for a tasting of Chateau Mulcahy wines, produced on the Mulcahy Estate in Hungary, and which have received rave reviews. The tasting will be followed by a 4-course meal specially prepared for us by Miriam Mulcahy. We are delighted to have the opportunity to visit this hidden gem that sits right on our doorstep. 

Other surprise tasting stops may be included along the way, subject to timing. 

Last year’s trip was the highlight of the social calendar which included dinner in the Tannery in Dungarvan with stop-offs at Fermoy Natural Cheese Company, Barron’s Bakery in Cappoquin, Dungarvan Brewing Company and a gin tasting with Peter Mulryan of Blackwater Gin. This year’s trip promises to be another really memorable day out! 

Depart Cork City Hall at 12.00pm (Midday) by coach.

Return to Cork City Hall – approximately 9.30pm

Dress: casual (suitable footwear advised for the farm visit)

Price: €75pp for members includes bus, dinner, tastings & tours. Places are limited and will be on a first come first serve basis and limited to members for the first round. Spaces for non-members may be announced later and cost will be €85. 

Send an email to mwdcircle@gmail.com if you’d like to attend. RSVP by Friday May 20th. 

Cheques can be made payable to MWDC.

We hope you can join us on what promises to be a fantastic day out!

The Meatball Place. Tasty Spot in Carey’s Lane

The Meatball Place

Tasty Spot in Carey’s Lane

Get the ball rolling. Superb starters

The Meatball Place, up and running in Carey’s Lane since November last, has a different kind of menu. Here you choose how your main dish is “constructed”.

It is easy and well worthwhile. This is how it works. Pick your meatball (choose from five), then you pick your sauce (from six) and then your side (from eight). No shortage of variety. For instance, on recent visit I had Chicken (Chorizo & Chive) meatballs, a Classic Tomato Sugo, and Buttered greens. CL had Fish (Salmon, Hake & herbs), Pesto Salsa Verde, with Rustic Garlic & Rosemary Potatoes. By the way, all the Meatball mains are just a tenner.

A selection of starters, Meat & Cheese Boards, cannelloni, desserts, teas & coffees, craft beers, draught beers, and wines, complete the choice available.

Fish Balls

Grainne Holland is the chef/proprietor here but you’re more likely to meet fellow proprietor and Front of House Tony Costello. Tony and the staff are very helpful and, if you're wondering which of the gorgeous sauces to have with your Pork Meatballs, then they'll help you out, no problem.

The menu is quite simple really and you may check it all out here.

We got the ball rolling, to use their own phrase, by sharing a plate of starters. The combo of Buffalo Chicken Wings and Chicken Blasts will cost you €12.00; all the prices here are very reasonable.

Chicken Balls. Gorgeous sauce.

The board comes with a little garden salad and the Spicy Blasts are basically Filo Pastry Chicken Rolls, delicious and tasty. The wings are served with a pot of Cashel Blue cheese and celery sticks and are as good as you’ll get. You may buy these separately as well; all starters are €6.50.

Then we were on to the Meatballs: Beef, Chicken, Pork, Fish, and also a Yemeni style Balafel.

My chicken, detailed above, was spot on and a great match with the rich tomato sauce. Every little bit was finished off. And it was the same at the other side of the table with the Fish combination going down very well indeed. On the included side, a generous side, we had Buttered Greens and also Rustic Garlic & Rosemary Potatoes, all well cooked and all delicious.

Grainne serves up quite a variety here, aside from the Meatball combinations. You may have Meat and Cheese Boards, Soul Dishes that include a tempting Angus Beef Cannelloni. And do watch out for the specials. With a full bar licence, there’s no shortage of drinks to wash them down. I certainly enjoyed my bottle of Stag Rua from 9 White Deer in West Cork; their Stan Ban is also available. Good to see the local beers here. Indeed,  their produce is sourced locally.

The Meatball Place

8 Carey’s Lane, Cork

Mon-Sun 12.00pm - 10.00pm

(021) 239 0535

info@themeatballplace.ie

Web: http://www.themeatballplace.ie/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMeatballPlace

Twitter: @MeatballPlace

Wi-Fi available in restaurant.

The Coqbull Buzz. Dishes, and staff, that make you smile

The Coqbull Buzz

Dishes, and staff, that make you smile

Supreme

There are five students sitting at the restaurant table, chatting. Then their burgers arrive; the server says something and there is an explosion of laughter and that continues for minutes after the server has gone. Welcome to the Coqbull Limerick. Service here is efficient and friendly and sometimes there is time for a joke and a laugh.

We had the very same server a little later and we too were left laughing and smiling at the exchange, smiling also perhaps because we were contemplating the massive dishes now in front of us. The Bull (there are large cartoons of him on the walls) and the chicken dominate the huge menu here and we had some of each.

Chicken

My choice was the Supreme Bull (14.50), served with Cashel Blue cheese and bone marrow with crisp onion. And fries, of course. Delicious stuff, tender and tasty and washed down with a bottle of Trouble Brewing’s Dark Arts Porter (6.80). Magic match. All burgers, by the way, are dressed with tomato, onion, lettuce and are served with fries.

CL was sipping from her Black’s Session (6.80) as she tucked into her Roast Chicken, half a bird served with those fries (14.00), her little dish of gravy an extra 1.50. She enjoyed that, right to the very last bite. This is rotisserie chicken from the spit, “marinated before roasting in our secret liquor”.

Pork ribs - small portion!

Black magic

Lots of wings on the starter list but we went for the Fighting Coq Pork Ribs and sauce. Even though we went for the smaller portion (9.00), we didn't end up fighting over these sticky pieces of melting meat. The full portion could easily serve as a main course and a very good one at that.

And we had another laugh before we left. The toilets are not marked Ladies and Gents but Sit and Stand. I'm sure you'll find the right one!

By the way, if you don't want all that meat, they have quite a selection of salads: goats cheese, Caesar, Super and so on. And you may add chicken, bull or sautéed prawns to any salad. There are one or two fish and vegetarian dishes available also. From the bar, you can have cocktails (and mocktails) galore, beers and wine.

See also:
Two Days in Limerick City

Holiday break in County Limerick
Lunch at Hook & Ladder
Limerick's Locke Bar
Sage Cafe

Coqbull

49/50 Thomas Street, Limerick

061 311011

limerick@coqbull.com

@Coqbull_Limk

facebook/Coqbull

Cornstore Cork. Tropical On A Cold Night!

Cornstore Cork. 
Tropical On A Cold Night!

Golden tasty wings with super dip

Sitting in Cork Cornstore on a cold February night and wondering if the mango was among the fruits sold here in the market in the heyday of the Coal Quay. I doubt it. But the mango featured in the €28.00 set menu during the past week, both in my main course and in the dessert.

It might have been cold outside but there was a warm welcome inside and, as there always is, time for a smile and a little exchange. And there is always a buzz here too, maybe not so much this Tuesday night, though a couple of big groups - they do big groups well here - did keep it up!

Salmon Teriyaki and an unheralded bowl of Mango Salsa!

But back to my mango. My main course choice was Baked Salmon Teriyaki with steamed rice and wok fried vegetables. No mention of mango here but one of the highlights was a little dish of mango salsa which really added an extra dimension. All perfectly cooked otherwise, the salmon, the rice and I loved the crunch of the veg from the wok.

I had started with quite a large one! And quite a nice one too: their spicy chicken wings with a superb Cashel blue cheese dip and celery. The golden wings were a delight to dispatch. Must have been about seven of them on the plate. Massive! Took my time with them, washing them down with generous sips of Stonewell Cider - they have a decent selection of craft beer here too, not to mention whiskey galore and pages of cocktails!

And then time for the dessert. You have a choice of four on this menu and I picked the Mango Cheesecake with mango and passionfruit sorbet. The cheesecake itself was fine but that sorbet was the star as far as I was concerned!

You can check out all the menus here, including set, A La Carte, lunch and so on.

CL's Thai Green Curry.

Cornstore

Cornmarket Street, Cork

021-4274777

cork@cornstore.com

website: http://cornstorecork.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cornstore.cork/?fref=ts

Twitter: @cornstore_cork

Taste of the Week. Cashel Blue

Taste of the Week

Cashel Blue

When I’m looking for a blue cheese, I rarely venture beyond Cashel. Here, the Grubb family are famous for Cashel Blue (cows) and Crozier Blue (sheep). Of course I’ve tried many of the other Irish blues and very good they are too. Some French ones too.

Indeed, it was in France, a few years ago, that I once had reason to fly the Irish flag. In a wine shop in Rasteau, a lady was giving me a tasting of their sweet red wine, recommending I pair it with my Stilton. I couldn't stay quiet on that one and so told her all about our very own Cashel. She was unfazed, started her sales speech again and told me to pair it with Cashel Blue! As if it was all her own idea. We had a good laugh, a very enjoyable visit and left with a few cases of their Cotes du Rhone and a few bottles of the Rasteau vdn.

I was lucky in the days before Christmas to win a cheese hamper from Sheridan's Cheese and the biggest piece in the box was a mature Cashel Blue, our Taste of the Week. Blue for sure but contained in that marvellous irresistible creaminess from the well watered grass of Tipperary. This Cashel Blue Extra Mature "is selected and matured to be creamy and buttery, with perfectly integrated blue flavour". I reckon the Grubbs and the Sheridans have this spot-on!

One of the great blues. No wonder it is so popular in Ireland. Indeed, it is sold all over the world including in dozens of outlets in France (mainly in Paris). Stockists here.

Taste of the Week. Watermelon Rind Pickle

Taste of the Week

Watermelon Rind Pickle

Watermelon Rind Pickle on Cashel Blue

Hadn't heard of this Watermelon Rind Pickle until Michael Creedon recommended it to me in Bradley’s, North Main Street, before Christmas. I was chasing cheeses and he told me that this was a brilliant match with blue.

I have never had a bum tip from Michael and this proved to be another winner. I meant to try it with his Wicklow Blue but that was sold out. In the meantime, I won a Cheese hamper in a Sheridan's Competition and that included a large piece of Cashel Blue, one of my all time favourites. The match was brilliant, no doubt about it. And it also went well with 15 Fields, a mature cheddar that was also in the hamper. Lucky me!

The pickle is by made by Passion Preserved, based in Ballinderry (between Lisburn and Lough Neagh), the idea coming from the southern states of the USA. This Dixie Delicacy takes three days to make. Try it with pork chops! Also in cocktails, wrapped in bacon and baked, even with ice-cream. They make a whole range of preserves, including Rhubarb and Date, Kasundi (spicy Indian), Sunchoke Relish (another from the southern states) and more. Check them all out here or at Bradley’s.

Culture Night. Paintings and Plates

Culture Night

Paintings and Plates

Silvia of La Cocina

The Crawford Gallery was the first stop on Culture Night (18.09.15) with particular attention paid to two paintings. The first encountered featured Hugh Lawton, a direct ancestor of current Bordeaux negociant Pierre Lawton, who was Mayor of Cork City in 1776, and his enormous portrait hangs above the main staircase in the Crawford. Hugh would have quite a few more visitors later on as the L’Atitude 51 Wine Walk had the painting marked as one of their stopping points.

My second painting of interest was another large one, the Men of the South by Sean Keating. This features a group of rather good looking IRA men who, but for the rifles and pistols, could be on their way to a match or a dance even. But you can see the tension as they patiently wait to carry out an ambush. Perhaps I gave this painting more attention than usual because of the state funeral, earlier that day, for executed 1916 rebel Thomas Kent.

Hugh Lawton

For me, there is always a food call or two during Culture Night, usually to the English Market. But the Crawford Gallery Cafe were offering an intriguing menu, with a touch of Swiss and Spanish, and here we stayed for a pleasant while.

My fondue was based on a humble cheddar from East Cork but, enhanced by the kitchen, it proved a gem. Meanwhile CL tucked into a plate of Tapas that featured Rosscarbery Black Pudding and Gubbeen chorizo among other interesting flavours.

And La Cocina proved a very sweet ending indeed, “not too much sugar” though. From quite a selection we picked and shared a wedge of No Flour Almond and Lemon and a luscious custard cake (almost like a profiterole). Believe it or not, each went well with the last of the Biohof Pratsch Riesling.

Tapas

More art and food next at Nash 19. Indeed, both are always on the menu since Claire Nash opened the Sternview Gallery about a year ago. Rebecca Bradley’s Provisional View is the current show (until October 15th). The Irish Times critic Aidan Dunne summed it up as “Outstanding textural paintings based on landscape”. It is just that the landscape - suburbs, coastlines, fields and bogs - is never quite the same, “our sense of place not certain” as the handout says.

Time then for more food and with a goodly group of her producers on hand, there was no shortage. Got some lovely tastes of Hederman’s pate and Ardsallagh cheese from Claire. More cheese from Tipperary with Cashel Blue and Crozier Blue (my slight favourite) on hand.

Restaurant manager Mairead was handing out samples of the outstanding Longueville House cider and nearby the O'Connell’s were generous with their spiced beef, now in demand all year round.

All smiles: Champion pudding and spiced beef

 Kanturk’s Timmy McCarthy, not for the first time, had mixed booze and blood to great effect.This time the Premium drop was Teeling Single Malt and the result was top class. We also tasted the Jack McCarthy Smoked Air Dried Beef that last week won the Supreme Champion Award (and a lovely trophy) in the Speciality Foods Competition and the McCarthy’s were similarly awarded for the White Pudding in these Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland awards.

Timmy is rarely puzzled but he did have a quizzical look on his face as he spoke to three Danish visitors. They didn't know what black pudding was, saying they don't have blood puddings on Denmark, once the leading producer of bacon. Different cultures on culture night!

• If truth be told, our first stop of the evening was at a No. 208 bus stop. It turned out to be a long wait. Two scheduled bus times came and went, without a bus in sight, before we finally set out some forty minutes later, very poor service for around four o'clock on a Friday. It was no much better coming home, with two arriving together after another forty minute wait.

Schull’s Café Cois Cuan. Good View, Good Food

Schull’s Café Cois Cuan.

Good View, Good Food

Roast Mediterranean Vegetable salad

 Many visitors will arrive in Schull around lunch-time. You park the car in the car-park above the fishing boats and wonder where will you get lunch. Just look up towards the street and there you’ll see Café Cois Cuan, serving breakfast, lunch, teas and coffee.

It wasn't there last year, you might say. And you'd be right. The bright and tidy café, run by Kevin Rochford (chef) and Brittany Ingram, opened at the start of 2015 and, during a lunch-time visit last week, Brittany told me that each week so far has been better than the previous one.

And we hope that trend continues. For here you will find good food at a fair price. And, by the way, you'll find excellent coffee. They prefer the “classic” and so they went for a Maher’s blend and the cup I enjoyed was one of the very best I’ve had in a long while.

There is quite an extensive menu at this family run place and be sure to check the board for their daily specials. Indeed, we went for two of the specials. CL picked the Roast Mediterranean Vegetable salad, a very impressive plateful indeed in which the aubergine played the starring role. It was available in two sizes, one for €6.95, the larger for €9.95.

I had been thinking of going for the De Roiste Black Pudding and Cashel Blue Cheese salad but instead picked the Tune special, basically a Tuna Wrap Special with salad and chips. Quite a meal, I must say, and the salad, just like CL’s, was superb.

There were lots of sandwiches available as well, including a Ploughman’s Lunch for just €5.95. You could also start with a bowl of soup and if you were feeling the chill, they were offering a Beef and Murphy’s Stew!

And if you enjoy something sweet, well they have you covered as well. They have Baked Apple cake, Chocolate Fudge cake and Maple Banana Slice (in nibble and full size!). No alcohol here but they have lots of soft drinks and teas and that superb coffee. Service is efficient and friendly and yes the view from the window seats is excellent.

Café Cois Cuan http://www.cafecoiscuan.ie

East End, An Scoil, Cork, Ireland

Tue - Sat:

8:30 am - 5:00pm.

028 27005

kevin@cafecoiscuan.ie