Electric Fish Bar Celebrates

Electric Fish Bar Celebrates

Congratulations to Electric on the South Mall who celebrated the first birthday of their upstairs Fish Bar with quite a party last Wednesday night. Great too to meet and have a chat with Denis O’Mullane and Ernest Cantillon, the men behind the Electric enterprise. Neither seems to know where the past 12 months vanished to, but then they've been working hard!

Cork’s foodies were out in force to help celebrate the event and restaurant manager Triona Hennessy was on hand to ensure it all went well. She needn't have worried, as the happy guests were treated to some of the most popular dishes from the past year including Scallop & Cod Burgers, Thai Monkfish and Fresh Oysters.

Must say that the Burger, with its fabulous flavours plus the gorgeous texture of that Brioche bun (made on the premises), is a winner for sure and I enjoyed every tasty bit of that one. CL meanwhile was tucking into the Pan Fried Hake with Chickpea, Tomato and Spinach Ragout and Crispy Chorizo, another cracking dish.

We enjoyed the sunny view over the Lee as we started with a medley of Oysters, Seared Tuna and Salmon Gravadlax. Delicious and so too was Fiona Turner’s Tinpot Hut Pinot Gris that accompanied us for the evening. Nice touch too at the end with a dessert plate that surprised and included a Fruit Sushi, Pineapple Melty Bits and meltingly gorgeous truffles. Yes, indeed, Electric know how to celebrate!

Speaking about the success of the Fish Bar's first year, Ernest said: "The FishBar at Electric is extremely popular. We pride ourselves on being innovative and providing the highest quality fish dishes to our customers. We are lucky in Cork that we have access to such a plentiful supply of locally sourced fresh seafood, so we like to make the most of it. To celebrate our first birthday we wanted to treat our guests to some of our favourite and most popular dishes over the past year and judging by the empty plates it went down well.”

In the last 12 months, this Mediterranean inspired FishBar has gone from strength to strength, creating a fresh buzz in Cork City, and open each week from Wednesday to Saturday (5.00pm till late). No need to book - reservations are not taken - just walk in and enjoy.

Wanted: Ireland's Best Fish Dish!

Wanted: Ireland's Best Fish Dish!

To celebrate its brand new All You Can Eat Everything offer on Bill Pay, Three mobile is searching for Ireland’s Best Fish Dish. Irish foodies are being challenged to battle it out in the kitchen to have their fishy creation judged by a panel of foodies including Masterchef UK star John Torode and have their dish crowned, Ireland’s Best Fish Dish

Three, Ireland’s largest high-speed network is asking fish fanatics across the country to submit their tasty entries to IrelandsBestFishDish@three.ie by Thursday July 11^th. Entries must include the recipe and supporting imagery of the finished dish. They will be judged on technique, ingredients, creativity and presentation by top Irish foodies Ross Golden-Bannon and Andrew Rudd (left). The chosen two finalists will then go head-to-head in a once-in-a-lifetime cook-off event in Dublin’s Medley restaurant and have their dishes judged by Torode and his Irish foodie panellists

The winner of the competition will be treated to the ultimate foodies weekend away for two in the stunning Cliff House Hotel with dinner at its famed Michelin star restaurant and a brand new Samsung Galaxy S4 handset.

Speaking of the competition, John Torode said: "I'm delighted to be travelling over to Ireland to help find Ireland's Best Fish Dish. I have heard many stories about the quality of fish in Irish restaurants that I look forward to seeing a high standard of entry from the amateur chefs across the country, seeking to create their perfect dish. I have always expected a high level of cooking and this competition will be no different."

Electric: Fish you were here!

Electric: Fish you were here!

Bream

From the large windows on Electric’s New Fish Bar, you see three of Cork’s quays: French’s Quay (named after a wine merchant), Sullivan’s Quay (where our government built ugly) and George’s Quay (from where this story comes).

Back in the last century, before the swinging sixties, a young girl from Evergreen Street skipped down Nicholas Hill and Dunbar Street to the riverside steps to collect sardines for her grandmother from the fishermen in their rowing boats. She took them back up, wrapped in a few pages of the Echo, where granny fried them and then ate them, bones and all.

 That story came up after Friday’s visit to that splendid new upstairs fish bar, bright and informal with those riverside views. Might have had ordered the sardines on the menu had we thought of it earlier but, as it was, we were delighted with what we had and the lovely welcome and service.

CL, the little girl in the opening story, started off with a gorgeous Gravadlax, a superb vodka and dill cured salmon with marinated beetroot and cucumber pickle. This was from the regular menu as was my opener: Dressed Crab and Shrimp (that comes in a pot), served with lemon, chilli and a basil and olive oil infused sourdough.

 We were sitting at the bar by the window and there is also one around the kitchen. Don’t like sitting up at bars? Don’t worry as there are quite a lot of tables here as well. As we ate, eyes were kind of hopping from one’s own dish to the other’s. Eventually, halfway through, a swap was arranged. Two different yet lovely dishes.

 And the same sharing arrangement continued when the main courses arrived. Again also the same simplicity on the plate, mainly the fish. If you want a little more, you have the option of ordering from a little list of sides.

Back to the fish. CL had (should say started) with the popular special: Whole Pink Bream with roasted Lemon and Fennell, a delicious reminder of seaside eating in Portugal (which Electric quote as an inspiration for the Fish Bar). My pick was also delicious and also fresh. This was the  Pan Fried Cod  served with chilli jam and Asian Slaw.

And, yes, they do have a dessert menu. No fish on this list but there was a trace of seaweed in the one we shared: Lemon and Carrageen Moss Posset with Raspberries. And that was polished off  before two happy customers walked out into the South Mall sunshine. Oh, forgot to mention (almost) that our bill was accompanied by two colourful postcards, one printed with the Fish you were here (above).

Fish Bar opening hours: Thursday - Friday – Saturday 12pm Midday to 10pm; also open Bank Holiday Sundays.

Fish in the City: Oysters

Fish in the City: Oysters

Swordfish...

If you like your fish, then Oysters is the place to go in Cork City. Here, you can take your pick of the fish from the nearby Atlantic, fresh as fresh can be and superbly cooked in their excellent city centre restaurant in the Clarion Hotel.

Called in there this week to try out the €35.00 set menu. There is also an A La Carte menu and that is the next target. One thing I like about Oysters is the cloakroom. Your coats are put away and you can relax and read the menu at the spacious table and in your comfortable chair or seat, the place beautifully lit.

Chowder

They had a little Amuse Bouche for us: Tomato Gazpacho, a lively little shot of it, sufficient to wake up your taste buds. By now, we had settled on our choices and there are quite a few choices even on the €35.00 euro menu. We had also picked our wine, a carafe of Zimmer Riesling 2010 (€19.00) and we were also sampling some terrific breads and butters, one a combination of Fennell Seed and Thyme, the other a magnificent mix of Blue Cheese, White Fish and Sundried Tomatoes.

Soon, we were tucking into our starter. CL’s was probably the more enticing looking of the two: Duck (Croquette, Parfait, Beetroot, Pear, Candied Walnuts, Truffled Dressing, and Brioche). Superb plateful, some great flavours there especially the Candied Walnuts.

Hake

Mine mightn’t have looked that well but it sure tasted great: Swordfish - Ceviche, Mango, Avocado, Fennel, Lime Confit, Pistachio, Frisee Lettuce, Citrus Oil. A super thinly sliced cut and my fishy night was up and running. Surprisingly, they had no oysters available on the night! It can happen, I suppose. I remember a few years back, sitting at a sunny table on the waterfront in Baltimore and they had no mussels!

Anyway, that was soon forgotten and we were onto the soup course. Mine was the Oysters Seafood Chowder- Pancetta, Samphire, Potatoes and Light Bisque. Chunky bits and pieces of fish with all the other bits combining to give a really lovely combination. And much the same could be said about CL’s choice: Turnip and Parsnip Velouté- Chestnut, Cep Dust.

A nicely judged gap followed before the mains arrived. We had both picked the same one: Hake- Cep Agnolotti, Smoked Sausage, Oyster Mushroom, Samphire, Pine Nuts. Once again a superb combination of flavours and textures and it certainly looked well also. A side dish of potatoes was also appreciated.

Desserts selection

Riesling

And now again an appropriate pause before the desserts arrived, along with a couple of glasses of a dessert wine from Jurancon: Chateau Jolys 2009. Mine was Chocolate - Tart, Salted Caramel Mousse, White Chocolate & Banana Parfait, Sherry. Excellent, no shortage of chocolate but not too heavy either. CL settled for Chef’s Selection of Small Desserts, quite a winning selection indeed, especially that Champagne Sorbet.

So that was about it. Soon we had our coats on and heading out into the cool night. The restaurant, thanks to two big groups arriving in, was reasonably busy for a midweek stuck between bank holidays but bookings were flying in for the coming weekend. Popular place by the sound of it.

The Burren Brewery

The Burren Brewery

Ireland's Smallest Micro-Brewery!

When you walk into the Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna, you see the normal beer dispensers on the high counter. But then, in the middle, you see something totally different: three unusual taps labelled Gold, Red and Black.

Owner Peter Curtin has his own brewery here, “the smallest micro-brewery in Ireland”, and the taps, designed by a local artist, dispense his lager (Burren Gold), ale (Burren Red) and stout (Burren Black). And very tasty they are too, as we discovered after a tasting of the three.

The brewery, just over 12 months old, is upstairs and Peter showed us up his stairway to heaven! It is all neat and compact. He has got some very good gear here and a great love for the task as we found out. And the pub is the only place that you can get these beers.

The pub itself, just a few miles from the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, has a very long history, in family hands since 1893. But the Curtins were also bakers and that history goes back even further, hundreds of years. Nowadays the pub is also noted for its food and, this year, was voted “Best Gastro-pub in Munster” by the Restaurants Association of Ireland.

 Timing wasn’t quite right for us to eat there but the menu is filled with delicious dishes such as traditional Irish bacon, Cabbage and Parsley sauce and a slightly less traditional rendition of Irish stew (featuring local Burren beef in place of the more typical lamb).

Pride of place is given to several dishes featuring Smoked Fish and Eel from the family's award-winning Burren Smokehouse, run by Peter and Birgitta Curtin. Try the Burren smoked fish platter which is served with organic leaves from nearby New Quay. The Burren Smokehouse  is literally a few yards down the road and well worth a visit. And they have a great shop there too with local products from other producers. You may also buy online.

And don’t skip dessert in the Tavern. Peter says they are fabulous, homemade by Fabiola's Patisserie in Doolin. Fabiola has worked in Michelin starred restaurants and you may also sample her pastry delights at the Cafe in the Doolin Crafts Centre.


Food and good beer. What more do you want? Well, you get much more in this bar as there is a fantastic music programme throughout the season. That series is drawing to a close now but not before paying a massive tribute to Micilín Conlon (who played in the pub for all of 57 years) over three nights (26th,27th,28th of October). And, on the Saturday and Sunday (4.00 to 6.00pm), there will be a tasting combining the local beers, breads and cheese. Sounds great.

If you like a laugh, you’ll never be short of one with Peter and his crew in the Roadside. His sense of humour was seen at its sharpest recently when he more or less hi-jacked the Thursday set aside for Arthur and instead designated it Peter’s Day with pints of Burren Beer selling at three euro.

The beers are very popular with tourists. They are good, really good. So why not call in if you are in the area. Worth a detour, as they say in the best guides.

 Also visited: Cliffs of Moher   Wild Honey Inn  St Tola Goat Cheese Lahinch area Ballyvaughan Tea and Garden Rooms The Burren

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.

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.

FENNS QUAY FISH SPECIAL

FENNS QUAY FISH SPECIAL

Click on image to enlarge

All the buzz in Fenns Quay is about the Chef du Jour joust next Tuesday and Wednesday but regulars have to be fed in the meantime and I must say there is no slacking in that regard. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit last night where the Fish of the Day special was a highlight of a very satisfying meal.

There are usually plenty of choices in Fenns Quay, including a very attractive Cork on a Fork menu. Both it and the A La Carte are supplemented by a bunch of daily specials.

The Bream was their Market Fish of the Day Special and you can see why were tempted. Quite a plateful, topped by fillets of very fresh fish. And all the extra bits and pieces made for a very tasty and very well balanced dish, also very filling.

Well perhaps the “filling up” feeling also had something to do with the starter, a rather large one. Again, we picked from the specials and Seared Scallops, done to a “T”, and the ever so tasty Rosscarbery White Pudding were an excellent match, enhanced by the parsnip purée.

After all that, we did manage one dessert between us and that was their house specialty: V’Ice-cream (a pichet of  Pedro Ximenez sherry with vanilla ice cream). Just the job, as it sweetly slid down!

New Zealand’s Marlborough has a strong reputation for producing high quality Sauvignon Blanc and our fruity and full of flavor Fair Hall Cliffs 2010, at €6.95 a glass, didn’t damage that reputation in any way.

NEW DISHES FROM BALLYCOTTON SEAFOOD

BALLYCOTTON SEAFOOD

Salmon & Sweet Chili

Mediterranean Cod Gratin

Always like calling to see the folks at the Ballycotton Seafood in the English Market and also make the odd call to their shop in Midleton.

Now the good news for