Rising Tide Tops in Munster

The Rising Tide Cork awarded ‘Best Restaurant in Munster’
in Good Eating Guide to Ireland

Pictured from left were Sandra Murphy, Rising Tide, Diane O'Sullivan, Fota Resort and  Eileen and Michael Fleming, Flemings 

The Rising Tide in Glounthaune, Cork, picked up the prestigious title of ‘Best Restaurant in Munster’ in the ‘Good Eating Guide to Ireland’ at an event in Dublin that was attended by restaurateurs, food critics and foodies from all over Ireland on Monday 11 June.

The restaurant is quoted as being a secluded sanctuary just 10 minutes from Cork city centre, with some of the best seafood in the region and breath-taking views.   The owner Sandra Murphy brought nationwide attention to the family business during her time on TV3’s The Apprentice, and it has enjoyed further fame from celebrity visits, including Lady Gaga.

Commenting on the win, Sandra Murphy said, “We are over the moon at winning such an esteemed title.  It’s a challenging time for the industry, so we are delighted to see that our hard work, ethos of only sourcing the highest quality local produce, and recognition that customers are looking for value for money and something a little different, is paying off”.

A well established diners’ reference, the 96 page Good Eating Guide to Ireland features over 250 hotels, restaurants and public house eating establishments in virtually every county in Ireland.  45,000 copies have been printed and are available at any of the Guide’s featured hotels, restaurants or pubs.  The Guide is also available as an insert in the July issue of Easy Food Magazine.

The Rising Tide is also recommended by Paolo Tullio's Taste Of Ireland, Georgina Campbell guides, Lucinda O' Sullivan Great Places to Eat, Good Food Ireland, BIM and it was voted Dining Pub of the Year 2009.

Excellent Seafood at The Rising Tide

THE RISING TIDE

Drove down to Glounthaune and had a very pleasant midweek meal in The Rising Tide recently. It is right alongside my old schoolhouse where we used bring our own kindling to light the fires where our billycans, usually containing cocoa, were warmed up for the breaks.

In those days, in the middle of the previous century, the Rising Tide was a popular pub cum grocery shop and belonged to the Donnelly family. It is a different story nowadays; the shop no longer exists and a very comfortable restaurant, run by the Murphy family, now dominates the business.

TV3 The Apprentice star Sandra Murphy is the leading face for the estuary side restaurant – many of the village premises flooded in the bad old days. She was off duty – a girl has to have her time off – but we were well taken care by the staff that we met. Plenty of info on the menu and no shortage of chat and courtesy either.

We felt welcome and comfortable as we sat down by our reserved window-side seat and started to check the menu. The restaurant is the home of the Murphy’s Oyster Festival so seafood is always prominent here. I started with six oven baked garlic and herb oysters (€9.00) while CL went for the Mussels steamed in white wine and cream (8.50).

Both of us were quite happy with the starter and were absolutely delighted with the mains. Here we each choose the Pan Seared Hake, served with Crosshaven brown crab, fresh salsa and Cashel blue cheese.

Neither of us likes blue cheese, or indeed goats’ cheese, with fish so we requested they leave that out. No problem. The dish, quite a substantial one (with a choice of fries and salad or potatoes and veg), was top notch. The brown crab was a natural accompaniment while the hake itself was cooked to perfection. Very nice. Very filling. No room for dessert!

Most of the food is sourced locally and you can see a list of the producers on the menu. Most of the wine too comes from small producers and we enjoyed two whites, each at 5.50 a glass: San Elias Sauvignon Blanc from Chile and Cave de Gallician Chardonnay from France.

Actually bought some wine in that Camargue town last June. Happy days. But, let me add, it was two happy customers that left the Rising Tide into the March darkness.