Showing posts with label Cobh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cobh. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Harbourside walk before breakfast at Perry Street in Ringaskiddy

 Harbourside walk before breakfast in Ringaskiddy


I had something of a re-boot of normal activity on a cold sunny morning last week, combining a brisk walk at the People’s Park in Ringaskiddy and a warming breakfast at the busy Perry Street Cafe in the village.

Cobh


The park is on Haulbowline Island. Though there are a few loops that you may take to add to the main tarmac path, it is a short enough stroll - nothing to stop you from a repeat of course! But it has superb views over Cork Harbour in general and towards the colourful terraces of Cobh in particular.



Close to the entrance, you’ll see the Blacksmith's Hammer that "is preserved in honour of all who worked in the former steelworks".

 

Quite a large well laid out parking area is available to walkers and there are also toilets there. The coffee shop that was here previously is no longer open but you will find sustenance in the nearby village


Finding parking outside the Perry Street cafe isn't that easy, not on the day of our visit. The ground floor cafe, spread over two adjoining open-plan rooms, serves breakfast until 11.45 am and lunch (from noon until 4.00 pm).


Breakfast was enjoyed by our little group: four adults and one hungry baby. Despite the fact it looked packed at first glance, they found us a very suitable table indeed with room to add a baby seat at one end.



The breakfast is divided along the usual lines, more or less, of Savoury, Eggs and Sweet. Under Savoury, they offer three versions of the Full Irish: Super Perry, Full Perry and Half Perry. One of us enjoyed the full. 


The Morrocan Breakfast caught my eye, but instead, I picked the Pancakes with Bacon and Maple Syrup while CL had the Berry Compote and Cream version, each quite satisfactory. Our fourth adult had the Granola with layered toasted nuts, dried fruits, oats, honey, a seasonal compote and organic natural yoghurt.



Prices were more or less average though €3.60 for two slices of toast for the baby raised an eyebrow or two! The welcome was warm and the service was friendly and good all through.

Blacksmith's hammer 

#Cobh
#PerryStreet
#Ringaskiddy
#PeoplesPark
#CorkHarbour




Thursday, September 14, 2023

Enjoyable Lunch At Friendly Café Vega In Sunny Cobh

 Enjoyable Lunch At Friendly 

Café Vega In Sunny Cobh

Chicken, cheese, chorizo


No shortage of eating choices when we arrived in Cobh for lunch and a midweek walk in the sun. The Arch Café and Wine Bar is one of several newcomers in the town but, on this occasion, we opted for the well-established and very popular Café Vega just across Casement Square from the wine bar.


And here, in this neighbourhood restaurant, we found no shortage of choice.  The paper menu contains a variety of main dishes (including fish and steak offerings), about five burgers (including El Chapo!), Panninis and Ciabattas with different fillings, and more.

Mural inside Vega


Don't forget the specials. The board may be hanging on a pillar or they may well bring it to the table for a close-up read. Service here is really excellent, efficient and friendly all through. 


After doing quite a lot of “reading”, we settled on two dishes from that specials board. We had arrived at about 12.30 and now the place was really filling up, just as well they had a good number of tables outside in the sunny square.



Duo of salmon


Our specials:

1 - Crispy salt and pepper chicken, goat cheese, roasted pops, confit tomatoes, chorizo, warm salad (13.95)


2 - Open duo of smoked and fresh salmon, two salads and fried potatoes (12.95)



Two excellent lunch plates arrived soon after ordering. Quantities were generous yet each was neatly presented and both looked very appetising indeed. That crispy chicken was a delight, especially with a little sweet chilli sauce on the plate. In addition to the items mentioned, there were also pieces of avocado and the filling dish scored highly in terms of both quality and quantity.


And it was much the same story with CL’s salmon, plenty of the fish on brown bread, a little bowl of coleslaw, with a combined excellent salad that included leaves, tomato and corn. Very satisfactory indeed and no need to cook a dinner later on! 


A few months back, I enjoyed a similar vibe in The Shamrock in Dungarvan where I was reminded of the bar atmosphere in the TV series Cheers. Like the Shamrock, Vega is another neighbourhood restaurant where customers and staff know one another. They didn't know my name. I was a blow-in but, now, could well blow in again.



Where everybody knows your name

And they're always glad you came

You wanna go where people know

People are all the same

You wanna go where everybody knows your name


You'll find the Vega on Facebook here

************


The Cobh Walk in Pictures


There was no cruise liner docked in the town on this occasion but still plenty to see on our walk, a gentle stroll really, from the Five Foot Way Car Park. We reached this unique building (1860), once the home of the Cobh Urban District Council before turning back. In an eye-catching waterside location, it now houses an Asian restaurant with an inviting outdoor covered dining area (check it out in the photo) but it is looking the worst for wear, just seems to be dying a slow death.

Table with a view by the Water’s Edge Hotel.



The Commodore Hotel looking very well in its blue colours. Haven’t dined there in over a year!



The Navigator, in a contemplative mood, with the cathedral in the background. The work is by Irish sculptor Mary Gregoriy.




I hadn't noticed this before. These are a set of steps by which you can enter and or exit the promenade at its western end. Best viewed before and certainly not while you walk up.

Saturday, September 2, 2023

A weekend stroll in Cobh.

A weekend stroll in Cobh. 
Deutschland (Nassau), a cruise liner.


St Colman's Cathedral

Flowers frame the Water's Edge Hotel

See also: Take a walk or a run in Cobh
See also: Cobh on a sunny morning
The Titanic Experience (nearest) with the Commodore Hotel (in blue)

Commodore Hotel

The blue-painted Commodore Hotel looks well.

Coffee time at Casement Square

Cathedral and boats

The new-ish Arch Wine Bar & Café in Casement Square

Annie Moore and siblings.

Monday, June 7, 2021

Cobh on a sunny morning!

Cobh on a sunny morning!

Cobh, County Cork, Ireland 06.06.2021

 

Reinforced!




Annie Moore sculpture

Bee friendly

St Coleman's Cathedral

Cobh corner

Not just flowers. Fruit too!

The Irish Navy's ship George Bernard Shaw



Cobh Heritage Centre and view up the harbour in the direction of Cork city



The new-ish marina

Outdoor breakfast on the quays

Rib on GB Shaw

Athletic hero Sonia O'Sullivan

Cathedral from the bandstand

Badly in need of a refurb!

Cobh waterfront

Sunday, December 20, 2020

Taking a Walk in Cobh on a Sunny Winter's Day

 Take a Walk (or a Run) in Cobh

 on a Sunny Winter's Day

Cobh's Sonia O'Sullivan, the town's well-loved daughter
with the cathedral in the background. All pics taken 12/12/20
Check out my summertime walk (2020) in Cobh here.

Cobh, taken from the Titanic Memorial Garden at eastern end of town.

Looking west from Titanic Memorial Garden. The building on the right is the Port of Cork Operations centre from where the harbour traffic is observed and coordinated.



One of the old piers

Another shot from The Mall, Cuskinny.



The glass memorial wall at the Titanic Memorial Garden in The Cove, Cuskinny.
Here the 123 passengers who boarded the ill-fated liner in Cobh
are listed, survivors among them have an asterisk by their names.

Enjoying the winter sun in The Mall, Cuskinny.

Just one of quite a few similarly planted windows in the local credit union.

Looking west from the signposted spot known as The Bench.



Once the offices of the Cunard Shipping line.

St Colman's Cathedral (1879)


The Preacher's Steps or the Preaching House Steps
 took you to the first Methodist Church (1810) on the terrace above

The local garda station.


In the foreground is the Titanic Experience (in the former White Star offices);
on the hill above is The Crescent

The Georgian buildings of Westbourne Place rise above
 the town's promenade and bandstand.

Check out a summertime walk (2020) in Cobh here.