The Four Liars

The Four Liars

Spent an enjoyable ninety minutes or so in the Four Liars Bistro, in the shadow of Shandon, on Friday night. First impressions were good. The place was neat and tidy with solid but very comfortable tables and chairs. The standard table for two was more spacious than most.

We got a lovely warm welcome and the service was friendly throughout. Great too to read on the menu folder about their focus on local produce. The menu had been “put together with the best of local ingredients while adding a continental touch. All our food is sourced locally... our beef is from O’Flynn’s, Sunday’s Well, Chicken from the English Market, Fish from Good Fish, Carrigaline..”

I started off with a beauty: Lobster Bisque with Cognac and Cream. This, from the A La Carte, cost €9.50. A handful of prawns were in the very tasty bisque. The other starter, Duck Spring Rolls with Mango Chutney (7.25), was another excellent combination of taste and flavour.

Had been given one of those discount vouchers as a Christmas present and we used that to pick our mains from the Value Menu (which looks good value with three courses for 24.95). They also do an Early Bird with three courses for 19.95. The voucher also allowed us a drink, a glass of wine or a bottle of beer (no craft beer here, so had a Miller).

My mains was Chicken Creole sautéed in a sweet chilli and red wine sauce with Chorizo and sweet red peppers. A lovely piece of chicken, well cooked, spicy but not overly so and there was a really well made Potato Croquet also in the mix. And that wasn't all as we got a superb side plate of vegetables that included turnip, carrot and pea. Quite a pleasing dish, also quite filling and, if you didn’t have a voucher, reasonably priced at €15.00.

Between the various menus, there is a great choice. You may spend as much or as little as you like here, with mains on the A La Carte priced between €13.95 and €32.00. And, going by last Friday’s performance, I’d have no worries about quality. We enjoyed our visit and great to see another restaurant supporting local produce.

Four Liars Bistro,
The Butter Exchange,
Shandon,
Cork,
Ireland .

Contact:  021 4394040  and thefourliarsbistro@gmail.com

Nash 19. Alive with good food and good humour.

Nash 19. 

Alive with good food and good humour.

 Thought I wouldn’t get a spot at Nash 19 yesterday at lunchtime but there was a table at the back. After a big warm welcome we settled down, our order was taken and we sipped the gorgeous Italian white wine Pecorino.

While we were waiting for the mains, we were treated to an Amuse Bouche, chicken liver paté with their own cranberry sauce (when it is as good as this, a little goes a long way).

 Then down to business, sorry, that should read pleasure. CL picked the O’Connell’s Hake, served with a pea puree and field mushrooms. As usual the fish was fresh, just out of the water you’d think, and cooked to perfection as was everything else on the plate.

 I choose the Supreme of O’Sullivan’s Chicken with Gubbeen chorizo and spinach. Supreme is the word. Moist and tasty and a spirited reminder every now and then from Fingal Ferguson’s lively chorizo. A vote of confidence in this game is an empty plate and two of them went back to the kitchen.

 If you are in Nash 19 at this time of the year, you just have to try the Christmas treats. I went for the traditional Mince Pie. Been eating these for over 60 years now and I reckon the Princes Street version is the best ever. Try it for yourself some day. Even if you don’t have time for a meal, just drop in for a pie and a cup of coffee and let me know!

CL thoroughly enjoyed her Warm Festive Fruit Tart and I loved my sample but it’s the mince pies for me, though I could me tempted by the Christmas pudding next time.

I finished off with a couple of cups of Bewley’s Coffee and headed out in good humour, not just because of the good food but because of the good humour of everyone we met in the restaurant. It is true what they say – it is contagious. Laugh and the world laughs with you. Happy Christmas to all at Nash 19.

Fabulous Fleming’s

Fabulous Fleming’s

Foie Gras

Enjoyed the most perfect dinner in Fleming’s  last week. Game, as you know, is now in season and featured on the menu. But there was so much more besides.

Eileen and husband Michael, now an Award Winning Chef Patron with vast experience, took over the Georgian building in Tivoli in 1989 and gradually set about restoring it while at the same time building up a restaurant. Eileen took us to our table in one of the two comfortable rooms that combine to make a lovely dining space.

From quite a range of tempting starters, CL choose the Foie Gras, served hot with Timoleague Black pudding, glazed apple and Pineau de Charente Sauce. Ate a lot of Foie Gras in the Dordogne a few years back but nothing to match this!

Rabbit

I too enjoyed a very special starter: Roast stuffed saddle of rabbit with a plum compote and a light grain mustard sauce. Rabbit, tender and tasty, never tasted like this before.

Sorbet

We were up and running to a very high standard. Shouldn’t have been surprised. Michael: “I’m not media –focused. I’m kitchen –focused.” But he is highly regarded by his fellow chefs and you may read a bit about him here.

While waiting for the mains, we were treated to a couple of surprises. One was a Cappuccino of Wild Mushroom and the other an eye catching Champagne Sorbet with passion fruit and a sweet balsamic.

Venison

Now we were ready for the Plat de résistance, not that there was any resistance. I went for the Roast Loin of Venison, poached pear, venison sausage and a port sauce. Just perfect. The Loin was medium as requested and spot on, so tender and falvoursome, while the sausage provided a contrasting texture, all enhanced by the pear and gorgeous sauce, not to mention a glass of the smoothest Tempranillo from Navarre.

CL too enjoyed contrasting textures with her Roast Duck Breast and Duck Leg Confit, compote of fresh orange and a Grand Marnier jus. What a brilliant combination, every element cooked to perfection. Another prefect dish!

Duck

Sabyonne

 After all that, CL was thinking she’d have a light dessert, perhaps the first one that featured fresh fruit. Quelle surprise! We just weren’t prepared for the stunning plate that came to the table as the Sabyonne des Fruits was presented. It is an Italian dessert of Fresh Fruits with a glazed Sabyonne, sweet Sauterne wine and Grand Marnier. Gorgeous even if the egg yolk made the mix a little more filling than anticipated!

Mine, if anything, was somewhat lighter than expected but I wasn’t complaining as I spooned in my Warm Rich Soft Centered Chocolate Fondant with Crème Anglaise and Vanilla Ice Cream, all the while sipping a little Champagne as did my partner in crime!

 And so a fantastic evening in a fantastic place came to a lovely end. With Eileen heading the team, service was friendly and so well timed all through. It is a lovely space with comfortable chairs and heavy linen on the tables and with, the fantastic cooking of Michael and his team, you won’t be disappointed. If you want the best in town, this is the place to go!

* See earlier post on Christmas specials at Flemings here.

Cork’s Fab Food Trail

Triskel: Christchurch venue

Cork’s Fab Food Trail
A wee stroll.
A little history. 
Lots of Food!

Nash 19

Even for one who has done more than his fair share of walking (and eating) around the city of Cork, Saturday’s Fab Food Trail proved to be something of an eye opener. Alice, from Galway, was our excellent guide and the other walkers were, surprisingly enough, all from Munster.


The eye opener for me came in the shape of the owners of the food venues, all very professional and absolutely friendly, and all willing to explain how they operated and all rightly proud of their operations and the local input.

O'Conaill's

Met up at the English Market gate and headed first for the Gulpd Cafe at the Triskel whose policy is to buy local.

Enjoyed a macchiato here and that was made from a single estate bean, roasted locally by the Golden Bean in Ballymaloe.  Gulpd's butcher is Eoin O’Mahony in the English Market and he could well feature in the menu when they realise their plans to do Sunday lunch.

Alice took us on a little tour of the restored Christchurch, a Triskel venue for theatre and music. Must go back again soon for the full tour which they do on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  

More history now, Alice explaining briefly about location of the old city as we walked down to the end of South Main Street. The Co-op Cafe in Sullivan’s Quay is a regular stop for this tour but not on this occasion. Crossed back over the river again and headed to Nash 19, no better place! 

Head Chef Pam Kelly took time out to explain their philosophy of supporting local producers. And that philosophy was tastily illustrated when we each received a mini-taster that included Jack McCarthy’s famous Black Pudding and the soon to be famous Lordan's sausages that are regulars on the menus here.

At the Roundy!

Across the road then for some hot chocolate and some nice samples at O’Conaill’s. Great friendly staff there as well and they sent us off with a little gift pack that didn’t last too long!

Wouldn’t be a fab food trail in Cork without a visit to the English Market. The big stop here was at O’Connell’s Fish Stall where we were treated to oysters, mussels and quite  a few other samples.

Had a brief chat with Eoin O’Mahony at his butcher’s stall before we were taken up the Parade and across to the Roundy, where Alice pointed out the city’s development on maps inlaid on seven tables in the bar. Soon though our eyes were on the Irish Whiskeys that were laid before us by owner Frank Bradley and one of the party was delighted to have found a natural venue to watch Munster’s Heineken Cup game late in the afternoon.

Cornstore cheese plate

A few steps later, we landed in the Cornstore and another warm welcome. Mike Kelly then joined us and told us something of the history of the street, including the fact that the building once housed a potato market before becoming a corn market. Local food then and local food now! Mike told us they source locally, getting quite a lot of their meat from, you’ve guessed it, O’Mahony’s.

Fortified by a delicious cheese plate, we headed out into the sunshine and a short stroll down to the Saturday Coal Quay street market. And more food. Here, they had a table laid out with samples from virtually every stall holder.

Really enjoyed those and, then suddenly, that was it. The two and a half hours had flown by and it was time to say goodbye. Very enjoyable morning in Cork that confirmed for me that we have a good thing going on here and what better way to show it to visitors than via the Fab Food Trail. They also run one in Dublin. Check it out!

Rocket Man's salads in the Coal Quay Market

Oysters. The Clarion's New Dining Gem!

Oysters. New Dining Gem in the Clarion!

 Oysters  is a welcome addition to the Cork dining scene and not just because it specialises in fish. It has taken the place of Augustine’s in the Clarion Hotel. Service is friendly and efficient and most importantly the food, fish and otherwise, is top notch.

Made my “debut” there the other day and must I was well pleased with the €35.00 menu (see bottom) which is served from 5.30pm to 7.00pm. Started off with a Tomato and Herbs shot, an Amuse Bouche that brought the appetite to attention.

My second course was also something of a tease. The sea-bass tartare was lively and tasty and left me looking forward to more.  While CL was delighted with her Crab, we agreed that the Sea-bass was a better choice.

Crab

Then it was on to the soups. Well, they came in gorgeous soup bowls but were much more than soup. CL had the Chowder and thought it brilliant. And my Velouté struck the spot with the first sip. Both five star dishes!

Cheese

Now down to the serious stuff, the main course. We both went for the Fish of the Day, in this case cod, a beautiful well cooked wedge, quite substantial too. The Boulangere Potatoes was a tasty stack, lighter and healthier than Dauphinoise and just as impressive, while the Baby Gem stew and the delicious broad beans really demonstrated what a chef can do with a sauce without resorting to cream and butter. The whole dish was a thoughtful blend and a delight to dispatch, not that we rushed it one little bit.

Strawberries

No rush either with the dessert, just a decent pause. CL picked the Strawberries and, oh boy,  was she happy. Presentation was delightful and that fact that the berries were served at room temperature enhanced the experience.

I choose the Cheeseboard, despite the rather stiff fiver supplement. It was good, very good, a well judged mix: Hibernian (from Fermoy), Wicklow Brie and Cashel Blue and some really nice bits and pieces on the board as well.

Sun Shines on Cork Food Fest

Tour de Food, Part 2!
A few pics from yesterday. The Cork Food Fest in Fitzgerald's Park continues today (Sunday), starting at 12noon and is due to finish at 5.00pm. Tickets on the gate and, just in case this soft mist continues, they have 3000 ponchos available.

Take it easy! The Dublin Gospel Choir. Pa Fitz was also on song here.

Tasty Salt and Pepper Squid by Jacobs on the Mall

Don't miss: Hayfield's Hay-smoked Pigeon

Start with this: Prawn Pil Pil at the Cornstore

Loved this. The Rising Tide's Herb Crumb Fish Cake

Try one. Ballymaloe Crab Pate

Get a taste of these. Some of the Ballymaloe Sherry selection

Don't pass Fresco (1). Try this Teriyaki of Salmon salad

Hayfield's Head Chef Graeme Campbell (centre) and Paul O'Connell (right) with yours truly

Don't pass Fresco (2): Chicken Rendang Curry in Banana leaf.
=======================================
Opening Night

At the Cork Food Fest last night (Thurs).

Picnic style weather in Fitzgerald Park as the Irish Examiner Cork Food Festival got underway yesterday (Thurs) evening. Many of the area's top restaurants and food producers joined the effort to show the very best of local food. No shortage of cooks - Rachel Allen drew a capacity attendance to her demo - and there was live music by the fountain.

Sonie O'Sullivan passes the Sherry pouring test!

 I enjoyed my stroll around the park and got to quite a few stands, including the impressive Hayfield Manor one. Enjoyed meeting Ciara and Paul again at their plush and hospitable “stall”. Electric chef Kevin was in demand as he dished out slices of Iberico from a rapidly diminishing leg.

Sage's 12 Mile Menu on a Plate. Unmissable.

 Isaac's also had a good spot and some tempting dishes, including a selection of curries with a glass of wine for a tenner. Check it out before the festival ends on Sunday. Also worth checking out is the Sage stand where they are rightly proud of their 12 Mile Menu on a Plate.

Treats by Bite Size

Checking out the Hayfield!

Tasty Thai treat by Isaac's

Anyone for ham? Electric's Kevin.

Springfort chef Bryan McCarthy and yours truly.

Ballymaloe were next door with sommelier Colm McCan inviting us all to try out some great sherry. Only catch was you had to pour it yourself in the traditional manner. I couldn't manage it but Sonia O'Sullivan got it right first time.

Met Mairead from Nash 19 and Idaho Cafe's Richard and Mairead as we continued the tour, picking some tasty pastries up at Midleton's Bite Size and a selection of puddings from Kanturk's Jack McCarthy Butchers. Jack wasn't on duty but son Timmy was and he was in top form.

Oh, almost forgot. Called to Springfort Hall to sample Bryan McCarthy's Feather blade beef - have had it before but you can't get too much of a good thing. And that's my reasoning for making a return to the Mardyke, at least one more call before the show closes on Sunday to call to the places I missed last night.

Fabulous Fish. 14 tempting plates.

Some of the great fish dishes I've enjoyed in 2012

The continental selection, clockwise from top left: Tuna at La Cabane (Hendaye), Squid at Chez Kake (H), Turbot at Nerua (Bilbao), Bream at La Cabane, Hake at La Cabane, Cod at La Cabane, Cod at Le Flora (Pont Aven, Brittany Ferries). Hendaye is a small town on the Atlantic, on the border with Spain. La Cabane de Pecheur was obviously my favourite restaurant during the holidays!

The home selection, clockwise from top left): Hake at Augustine's, Monkfish at Hayfield, Sea Bass at Star Anise, Hake at Dillon's, Halibut at Hayfield, Hake at Nash 19, Smoked Mackerel at Ballymaloe Cafe.