The Rising Tide on a High. Winners of Kinsale Chowder Cook-Off

The Rising Tide on a High
Winners of Kinsale Chowder Cook-Off

Winners: Sandra and Craig of the Rising Tide

It was the first chowder that we tasted and we knew it was a good one. The Rising Tide's Sandra Murphy, with Head Chef Craig Guiney alongside, greeted us with a big smile and that smile got even bigger later on when the Rising Tide were declared the winners of the ‘Cork Heat’ of the All-Ireland Chowder Cook-Off.  

This hugely popular competition, sponsored by Clóna,was the opening event of the Kinsale Gourmet Festival, and was hosted by the Kinsale Good Food Circle at Acton’s Hotel last Friday.

Quite a few strong contenders emerged as we made our way around the room. Quinlan’s Seafood Bar were making their debut here and confidence was high as they been crowned Supreme Champions for their fresh crab-meat at the recent Blas na hEireann Awards in Dingle.

Cornstore (left) was busy as was Clon's Richy

The White Horse Bar, from Ballincollig, was one of our first calls - we had arranged a “date’ on twitter. Cockles were in the mix here and it was gluten free. Indeed, I’m told the popular restaurant takes good care of people looking for gluten free. So there’s a tip for you.

The Electric Fish Bar featured mussels in their chowder and that too tasted as if it would be a contender as did Ricky's from Clonakilty, also offering mussel in their bowl. Ballycotton Pier 26 had one of the more colourful offerings, smoked fish in the mix, while the Pink Elephant had prawns.

The Poacher’s Inn had another good one with Star Anise among the flavours while runners up Bastion featured Saffron (which went down very well with CL). Ballydehob’s Budds emerged as a place to watch. Their regular chowder was good and they also had a vegan one on hand. They make great use of seaweed and their seaweed butter was a very tasty example indeed.

A warming chowder from the White Horse crew

Graeme Campbell, executive head chef at the Celtic Ross, had recruited the formidable Sally Barnes and they had another excellent chowder, accompanied by some of Sally’s smoked mackerel paté.

Actually, quite a few of the accompaniments were tasty. Didn't taste all the brown bread available but I thought the one from Nine Market Street in Kinsale was outstanding. Perhaps the top “side” was the drink offered by Cornstore, a Jameson Black Barrel, basil and rosemary infused whiskey sour. Thanks to local brewer Sam Black for the heads up!

Cornstore were the holders and they made a terrific effort to make it two in a row with an excellent chowder containing smoked haddock, mussel chowder, bacon and dry sherry and a vegetable mirepoix.

Budd's of Ballydehob and their vegan chowder (smaller pot)

The line-up in the Kinsale Suite at Actons featured:  Cornstore Restaurant, Budds Restaurant, Ballydehob, The Rising Tide, Glounthaune, The Fish Bar at Electric, Cork City, Bastion of Kinsale, The Pink Elephant, Kilbrittain, The White Horse, Ballincollig,  Richy’s Restaurant, Clonakilty, Poachers Inn, Bandon, Pier 26 Restaurant, Ballycotton, Celtic Ross Hotel, Rosscarbery, Quinlans Seafood Bar, Cork City, Nine Market St, Kinsale and The Speckled Door, Old Head.

The winner will represent Cork at the All-Ireland Chowder Cook-Off in Kinsale next April, and subsequently travel to Newport, Rhode Island to be part of the Great Chowder Cook-off in June, 2017.

Catch the Cornstore Early Bird

Catch the Cornstore Early Bird

Found myself in town about six o’clock one evening last week and started thinking Early Bird. And then started thinking Cornstore - it was just around the corner and they do a great value early bird there, three course for twenty five euro. This menu is available Sunday to Thursday all night and up to 6.30pm Friday and Saturday.

Had sampled it on launch and enjoyed it. It was just as good this time and we had just the meal we wanted. Seems popular too. We were there early but the Cornstore was rapidly filling up by the time we were on dessert.

Dessert, by the way, was the one course that we ordered the same, with some encouragement from the friendly staff! This was the Chocolate and Caramel Eclairs with Vanilla Ice-cream and it lived up to the sweet promise. Other desserts on the night were Rhubarb & LIme Posset, Fruit Salad (with Raspberry Sorbet) and Bakewell Tart with Creme Anglaise.

Clockwise from top left: Calamari, Hake, Flat-iron steak and Quinoa salad.

CL had started with the Quinoa Salad with roast red pepper and cherry tomatoes, baby gem, sugarsnap and tender-stem broccoli, mixed seeds and apple cider dressing. She enjoyed it all: the colours, the flavours, the textures. My Peppered Calamari with tomato and cucumber salsa didn't look quite as dramatic but I certainly enjoyed it, its lively flavours and differing textures.

Others Starters available were Soup of the Day, Toonsbridge Mozzarella, Duck Parfait.

I hit the jackpot with my mains: Braised Flat-iron steak with Mushroom Ravioli, braised carrot and pan jus. This comes from the Chuck section of the animal and is not your usual steak. It is served as a “cube” of tender pieces and easily and pleasurably dispatched. CL too made a great choice, a really tasty dish this Roast Hake on Wild Garlic Risotto with tomato vinaigrette.

Just to give you an idea of choice, the Others mains available were Roast Chicken supreme, Cornstore Aged Beef Burger, Thai Green Vegetable Curry, and Aged Beef Fillet Medallions (€3 extra). I had the medallions on a previous visit and they are well worth the supplement.

Spring Time at The Cornstore

Spring Time at The Cornstore.

Day and Night Delights

Aged beef and amazing béarnaise sauce

The Cornstore has marked the coming of Spring with a trio of new menus: new Cocktails, a new Lunch line-up and a stunning Early Bird which gives you quality at an excellent price.

I sampled the Early Bird in mid-week and was very happy with it. No shortage of choice here. You have five starters to pick from, six main courses and four desserts. It is available Monday to Saturday and the three course menu will cost you a very reasonable twenty five euro but do get in before the cut-off time of 6.30pm.

Both the starters were perfect. CL’s was Buffalo Mozzarella and Beef Tomato Salad (Toonsbridge mozzarella, pea shoot and balsamic). The cheese was so fresh, hard to beat unless maybe you go to the dairy itself. My Duck Parfait, served with their own award winning Fig Whiskey Chutney and Sourdough Toast, was another perfectly judged gem.

Cornstore always have their eye on the season and wild Garlic featured in CL’s delicious mains: Roast Cod on a Wild Garlic Risotto with tomato vinaigrette. Here were aromas and flavours to beat the band, a top notch combination.

Starters

And so was mine, though it carries a modest three euro supplement. The Cornstore are renowned for their aged beef and so I couldn't resist the Aged Beef Fillet Medallions with Caesar dressed leaves, home cut fries and béarnaise sauce. Oh my! I could have eaten each element on its own, nothing else, and been happy. But put them all together like this and my palate was beyond happy!

Good variation on the mains on offer. Also available were: Brazed Flat Iron Steak, Oven Roast Chicken, Truffle Burger (this is mega!), and Thai Green Vegetable Curry. Other starters on the night were Soup of the Day, Quinoa Salad and Peppered Calamari.

And the seasonal theme continued as we moved to dessert. My delightful choice was the Rhubarb and Lime Posset with Madeline biscuit while CL enjoyed her Fruit Salad with a Raspberry Sorbet.

There are Lite Bites, To Share plates, and a long list of mains on the Lunch Menu. But the section that caught my eye was the Set Lunch. Here you may have 2 courses for just 15 euro, picking from five starters and five mains (including that Truffle Burger). Three course come to twenty euro.

The Cornstore cocktails aren't just a fast drink. Did you know that preparations can take up to 14 days! Didn't get a chance to sample the new mixes but Cornstore’s Mags O’Connor is enthusiastic: “The final exclusive menu, just launched, will delight everyone from the cocktail connoisseur, to the person taking their first ever sip of the clever creations”.   

“Vodka, gin, whiskey and rum are infused with various fruits and vegetable based elixirs for up to 14 days. Time works its magic to create infusions that are at their ultimate flavoursome peak. Think vodka infused with chilli, gin infused with Earl Grey tea, lemon and peel, whiskey infused with plums or rum infused with dried apricots.”

Desserts

Ten Top Dinners. And Lunches. 2014 Highlights

2014 Highlights

Excellent for Dinner

Oysters at Au Mille Saveurs

Au Mille Saveurs (Arcachon)*

Ballymaloe House*

Cliff House Hotel*

Fenn’s Quay*

Le Flora (onboard Pont Aven)*

Ravioli. Le Flora

Le Patio (Arcachon)*

MacNean House*

Out of the Blue (Dingle)* F

Sage*  

Zuni (Kilkenny)*

Sage. The 12 Mile Plate

Amicus
An Canteen (Dingle)

Blair’s Inn

Brook Inn
Cafe Gusto

Cafe Serendipity

Church Lane (Macroom)

Club Brasserie

Cornstore

Electric F

ely Wine Bar (Dublin)

Fleming’s

Greene’s

Huguenot

Jacque’s

La Dolce Vita

Market Lane

Mitchell’s (Clifden) F

O’Connor’s (Bantry) F

Oysters F

Pier 26
Rising Tide F

Star Anise

The Square Table

Tuscany Bistro (Ballina, Tipperary)

West End (Killarney)

Excellent for Lunch

Barnabrow

Auberge des Vignes (Sauternes)*

Barnabrow*

Cafe Lavinal (Bages)*
Cornstore*

Farmgate (English Market)*

Forest Avenue (Dublin)*

Heather (Gap of Dunloe)*

Nash 19*

Bakestone Cafe

Ballymaloe Cafe

Bramley Lodge

Bula Bus U

Castle Cafe

Greenbarn (Killeagh)

Griffin’s Spinning Wheel

Isaac’s

Iyer’s

Pie Cafe (Dingle)

Sage (Youghal)

The Workshop

Toons Bridge Dairy

Excellent Hotel Dining Rooms

Cork International Hotel

River Lee Hotel

Newcomers to Watch

Aroi

CoqBull

Heather (Gap of Dunloe)

Huguenot

Pho Bar

Square Table

* Exceptional meal on visit

F  Great for fish

U  Most unusual lunch venue (in a parked bus)

All above visited last 14 months. Lots of other good places out there. If I didn’t get to your place last year, maybe we’ll meet in 2015! Hard to keep track - might need a reminder!

Argentina Scores with Reds. And Whites.

Argentina Scores with Reds. And Whites.
Mascota Malbec And Beef Wellington Hit The Spot At Cornstore Wine Event

Matias, introduced by Mags O'Connor (Cornstore)

The Cornstore is renowned for its aged steak, Argentina’s Mascota Vineyards for their Malbec. Put the two together and you are on a winner. That happened in Cork’s Cornstore last Monday night and it was the highlight of a lovely wine evening with El Esteco’s Matias Ferraro our knowledgeable and humorous host.

Matias took us through a series of excellent wines from two vineyards, the whites from Amaru High, the reds from Mascota, all imported by Cork company Classic Drinks who also helped the evening run smoothly.

As we started off with some gorgeous tapas from the Cornstore kitchen, we were introduced to the Amaru High Torrontes 2013. The vineyard, believe it or not, is situated at 1700 metres and higher. “The height and coolness leads to a thicker skin, more concentration. Light yellow, it is a little spicy but with good balance,” said Matias.

The Torrontes is regarded as Argentina’s national grape and I'm surprised it is not better known here. Perhaps with Matias and Classic Drinks promoting it, we’ll see more of this gorgeous wine with its beautiful fresh flavours and balancing acidity. If Albarino can make the breakthrough here, Torrontes must have as good a chance.

Now we dropped down to the Finca La Mascota, a vineyard near Mendoza, the town where Scotland beat Holland in the 1978 World Cup. Matias may have been down following the recent World Cup final loss to Germany but this Buenos Aires resident has Boca Juniors to cheer on in the weeks ahead.

He cheered us all up on Monday when he introduced the Opi Cabernet Sauvignon. Opi Sadler is the winemaker; delays in his journey meant he didn't make the Cornstore but Matias went solo and was in top form. As was this excellent wine, full bodied and full too of dark fruit with a long finish. Superb with some of the tapas, particularly the Beef Carpaccio.

And then it was on to the Beef Wellington, with twice cooked Roast Potatoes and Caramelised Root Vegetables and a Bordelaise Sauce. What a dish! What a wine! The La Mascota Malbec 2012 is a gem, beautiful aromas, vibrantly fruity, smooth and easy drinking and with a long lazy finish. It takes two to tango and this beef and this wine were the perfect pair.

Beef Welllington.

The Menu

Amaru High Vineyards Torrontes Rosé 2014

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Parma Ham and Toonsbridge Mozzarella Roulade.

Beef Carpaccio en Croute with Truffle Oil & Parmesan Cheese.

Smoked Salmon Rillette with pickled Cucumber.

Wild Mushroom Risotto beignets with Celeriac Purée.

Amara High Vineyards Torrontes 2013.

Opi Cabernet Sauvignon 2012.

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Classic Beef Wellington, with twice cooked Roast Potatoes and Caramelised Root Vegetables and a Bordelaise Sauce.

La Mascota Malbec 2012.

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Poached Rhubarb and Strawberry in Rose Jelly with Blood Orange Sorbet.

Santa Ana Sparkling Wine Malbec Rosé.

Yours Truly and Matias.

Tapas, Musica, Vino in the City

Tapas, Musica, Vino in the City

Last Sunday, we joined the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail in Cork and soon we saw why this now annual event has enjoyed such remarkable success, the events sold out (and with long waiting lists) in both Cork and Dublin. First you have the wine, the Campo Viejo 2008 Reserva, also specially commissioned art in each venue, then you have the excellent food at the restaurants and invariably good company and a guide, like our Paul, who pulls it all together with good grace and good humour.

Sunday’s “gang” (there is also a Wednesday trail) joined up at the remarkable Arthur Maynes Wine Bar in the city and the ice was broken with a welcome glass of cava by Campo Viejo. Paul introduced himself and soon each of us had a glass of the Reserva in hand.

Then came the tapas, a selection of three: bruschettas and dips, a lovely chorizo stew and a very popular dish of rustic patatas. This set the pattern for our first three visits; the fourth would be for dessert. There are four groups on the trail, each starting and finishing at a different restaurant. Had we finished at Arthur Maynes, we would have been been treated to Lemon Posset and Fresh Strawberries.

Great platter at Oysters

There were a few on- street stops as well, not for food but for a little local history from our guide. Perhaps his most interesting story was that of Cork born Dr James Miranda Barry. She was born Margaret Ann Bulkley, at the end of the 18th century, before going on to have a remarkable career as a male doctor with the British army. An amazing story. Check the Wikipedia version here.

A big welcome awaited us at Oysters and a classy platter of Savoury Tapas. Loved those pickled fennel and carrot but perhaps the highlights were the Sea Trout (with dill mayonnaise), the spicy Crab, and the American Style Meatloaf. Another group would enjoy their dessert menu: Cafe Gourmand and three miniatures of Chocolate Fondant, Champagne Sorbet and "Flambe" Pineapple.

Paul then illustrated the rise and rise of street art, reminding us that the original artists were fined for their efforts and now they are being paid. How times change. Soon we were in Electric and their three tapas were Tre Arancini Formaggi, Panko Crab Cakes and Moroccan Lamb Meatballs.

Arthur Maynes (left) and Electric

Paul had some vocal competition in Cornmarket Street but got his story told and then there was a musical welcome (by Treble Clef) at the Cornstore where Mags O’Connor greeted us and showed us to our seats and our deserts of Chocolate Negusse, Lemon Roulade and Vanilla & White Chocolate Cheesecake. Had we started here, we would have enjoyed Vietnamese Beef Brochette, Wild Mushroom Risotto Beignet, Smoked Mackerel Feuillett.

The wine throughout was the Campo Viejo Reserva, mainly Tempranillo but with some Graciano and Mazuelo in the blend. Smooth and fruity and with a long finish, and also very versatile as we discovered at the various venues on Sunday, it is widely available in all the major supermarkets, O’Brien’s (where it is currently on offer) and off licences nationwide. RRP is €14.31.

The art on this year’s trail is by renowned illustrator Steve Simpson. His stunning piece, evocative of the sun and the colours of Spain, is in four quadrants and each restaurant had one quadrant and the titles were Musica, Hola, Fiesta and Tapas. See the full art story and read more about the Tapas trails here.

Sweet things at the Cornstore