SAMBA ON A COLD MONDAY MORNING

COFFEE: BRAZILIAN BRUZZI 

Now it’s official: I am a

FLESH ON SUNDAYS

Ian from An Crúibín has been in touch:

'The Sunday Munch returns

ARDSALLAGH GOATS CHEESE CRANBERRY ROULADE

GOATS CHEESE ROULADE 

Had been on the lookout for Ardsallagh’s Goats Cheese Cranberry Roulade and spotted it in On the Pigs Back on a run through the English Market on Friday. 


Picked up some

SWEET, CHEAP AND CHEERFUL

SWEET, CHEAP AND CHEERFUL 

Glad I got into sweet wines. Have enjoyed a few over the Christmas and still the sweets go on, the latest a Moscatel from Valencia, the “primary source of sweet budget wines”, according to Mr Hugh Johnson.

From grapes grown on

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Florentine Steak

A bumper Weekend Catch, fresh from the Net. 

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Restaurant Wine & Food Scene

via Twitter & Facebook

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RT @CometoCork The French equivalent of the Lonely Planet guide has showered praise on Cork restaurants http://ht.ly/3D6bG via @corkindo

Electric We are

A WINNER FROM KARWIG

ONE TO BUY. AGAIN    

The late Renato Ratti has been credited, at least in Vino Italiano, with being “The Father of Modern Barolo”. He took that wine by the scruff of the neck in 60s and his more accessible style became a hit.

The production of classic affordable Piedmont wines goes on, now under the direction of Pierro Ratti. “..the wines keep getting better” according to Vino Italiano.

Must say I didn’t know much about this producer and their wines until I got a bottle in the Carrigaline premises of Joe Karwig. I’m glad that I did. This was a Barbera d'Alba. The Barbera is the grape variety and the Torriglione on the bottle refers to the vineyards where it is grown.

The colour is an intense Cardinal Red. Remember that

MR ISCHLER’S DELICATESSEN

MR ISCHLER’S DELICATESSEN

Took a short cut through Kyle Street today and spotted a bakery with some tempting looking loaves in the window. Inside, there was quite a selection and also pastries and also fudges and chocolate truffles.

I stuck to

HARVEY'S: BETTER ON THE WEB!

HARVEY’S

Heard some good reports (mainly lunch/brunch) about Harvey’s of Academy Street. Checked out their website  and was quite impressed. Booked a table for dinner and was expecting great things.

But the website flattered the place. Both it and the entry in Whazon says it is fully licensed but they sell only wine, no beer. The expansive list of dishes on the web is a fiction as the actual a la carte menu was much more restricted, disappointingly so. Another letdown came when we asked for dessert. Just five on the list and two of those were “off”. Coffee on the web is set at €2.00 but its actual cost is €2.50.

Started with

THREE LEGS - THREE REDS

THREE FROM SICILY 

Three legs in the Sicilian flag and three reds in this post.

Italians, they say, love their rules. But it is in the way that George Bernard Shaw loved work: “I love work. I could watch it all day.”  Sicilians produce plenty of wine but only about a fifth of it under DOC regulations, much more of it under the looser Indicazione Geografica Tipica regime, the step above table wine.

If you go

BRAMLEY LODGE

BRAMLEY LODGE

Regularly make a call to Bramley Lodge if I’ve been

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Restaurant Wine & Food Scene

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IrishFoodies Irish Food Bloggers 

RT @CometoCork The French equivalent of the Lonely Planet guide has showered praise on Cork restaurants http://ht.ly/3D6bG via @corkindo

Electric We are now taking bookings for

DUBLIN START FOR EATMAGAZINE

Mikey Maguire has been a busy man.  

Today, he launches a new free monthly food & drink magazine called EatMagazine. He will be

Penfold’s Winemaker visits Dublin & Cork

Penfold’s Winemaker visits Dublin & Cork

Tom Portet, Winemaker with legendary Australian winery, Penfold’s, will visit Ireland in February to host wine dinners at two of Ireland’s leading food-lovers’ venues. 

The first of these dinners takes place in

FLASH FOOD

Patron Silver Reindeer, a flash event by Waddington & Flack, designed by Gary Card

Are you free in Dublin between February 3^rd and 12^th?  Read on if you’d like a free meal.

Layni Joyce of PR company Thinkhouse has been in touch about it: “I thought you and your readers might like to know that 

SALLY BEE GOOD

SALLY BEE GOOD. VERY GOOD. 

Quite a few books came into this house over the holidays, including a pair of cookery books by

MABEL CRAWFORD'S (at Vienna Woods)

Once lost, now found. 

For years,  Mabel Crawford’s pantry was lost in

CORK'S TOP 31

TOPS FOR FOOD 


Seems to be the time of year for making lists: top 10, best 20. Let us be different here and go for the top 31. Simply because I like prime numbers and 31 is one of my favourites. A prime number can only be divided by itself and one, as you all know. So what is my number one? Well, overall that would Augustine's. In the county, it is Nautilus.


I have been to all 31 (and others) over the past 12 months and have been happy enough with the result. Huge differences, of course, in styles and comfort over the range but I'd have no problem in going back to any of them. The list below is alphabetical.


Just be aware also that there are some really good ones that I haven't been to in 2010, notably Les Gourmandises and Cafe Paradiso which would certainly merit places in any top list. Must also try and get out to the county more next year, to Kinsale, Midleton and Clonakilty for example, even if I'll have to cut the wine! Had noted Over the Moon in Skibbereen last year but that unfortunately has ceased to operate.


Control and click on the names below for reviews and further info.

• Aherne's (1)
• AN CRÚIBÍN (1) / Silk Purse (2)
• Augustine's (3)
• Ballymaloe Cafe (1)
• Bramley Lodge (1)
• Club Brasserie (2)
• Cornstore (6)
• Crawford Cafe (1)
• Cronin's Pub (1)
• Electric (2)
• Farmgate Cork (3)
• Fenn's Quay (5)
• Gilbert's (1)
• Greene's (3)
• Hardwood (1)
• Idaho Cafe (2)
• Isaacs (3)
• Jacobs on the Mall (5)
• Jacques (5)
• Kilkenny Cafe (Shanagarry) (1)
• Liberty Grill (4)
• Market Lane (10)
• Nash 19 (9)
• Nautilus (2)
• Perrott's Hayfield Manor (1)
• Raymond's (1)
• Rising Tide (4)
• Star Anise (1)
• The Bulman (1)
• The Continental (3)
• Vienna Woods (4)
• 
  
• 
  

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Nash 19 Congratulations to our

STAR OF THE SPRING IN PAUL STREET

THE WOODFORD 

Popped into the revamped Woodford (in Paul Street) the other evening. It was early in the week, dark and wet and not too many in the bar.

Impressed by their great selection of beer along with friendly and helpful service.  Arranged a little tasting for myself: Becks versus Staropramen.

Had the Becks on draught before but this was a first for my Czech favourite. The Staro is even more a favourite of mine now as it beat the socks off the Becks.

Don’t think there is anywhere else in town selling Staropramen on draught so it looks like I’ll be going back to the Woodford for the star of the Spring. Maybe a bite to eat as well. No hardship there.

WINE BARGAINS - BUT HURRY!

CHECK THESE OUT NOW!   

Just got some sales info in from the folks at From Vineyards Direct , featuring mainly wines from France and Italy. They certainly have some excellent bottles on offer, including the Rocca di Tufo Orvieto Classico 2008.

You rarely go wrong with Burgundy whites and the Spectator Wine Club found nothing at all to complain when summing up the Roger Sauvestre Mercurey 2000: “A rich, deep yellow colour with aromas of passion fruit and butterscotch. Full bodied, viscous and delicious. It can be enjoyed with any rich seafood dish or simply on its own.”

This 100 percent Chardonnay can now be purchased for €13.95 instead of €15.95. But do hurry as there are only a limited number of cases left.  Stuart, Stephen or Dave can be contacted at: 01 845 7645.

WINE	CASES	RRP	OFFER
Roger Sauvestre Mercurey 2000	10	€15.95	€13.95
Domaine Eugenie  Carrion Chablis 2008	4	€14.95	€13.00
Domaine de Valensac Chardonnay 2009	5	€10.95	€10.00
Rocca di Tufo Orvieto Classico 2008	5	€12.95	€11.50
Marco Real Rosado 2007	8	€8.95	€8.00
Chateau Pontet Bagatelle Rubis 2000	3	€12.00	€10.00
Chateau Meaume Rose 2009	1	€9.95	€9.50
Les Mines Tinto 2007	3	€21.95	€20.25
Valpolicella Classico 2007	6	€12.95	€11.00
Chateau Pedesclaux 5th Growth Pauillac 2004	2	€28.95	€26.00
Clos de Portail Graves Superieur	2	€9.95	€7.95

REDUCTIONS AT THE WINE STORE

PROVENCE TEMPTATION 

Provence

I have a holiday planned for Provence this year so was immediately alerted when I saw the January sale list from the Wine Store. The top of its list featured wines from Domaine de la Citadelle, quite close to where I’ll be staying.

The Chataignier 2008 red has been reduced by three euro to €8.95 while the 2001 Les Artemes red has been cut by six to €10.95. 

Certainly worth a look as are the rest on the list. Perhaps the most eye catching reduction is in the award winning Franck Massard Huellas Priorat 2006 which goes from €29.99 to 18.99.

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libertygrill Liberty Grill 

With this month's specials, Liberty Grill will be promoting and donating to http://www.corkpennydinners.ie/

Ballymaloe Ballymaloe Shop & Cafe are open each day during January, shop 9am - 6pm, Cafe 10am - 5pm.

The Cornstore Cork

Weather forced your Christmas Party to

BORDEAUX WINE STUDENTS SEEK IRISH WORK PLACEMENT

BORDEAUX WINE STUDENTS SEEK IRISH WORK PLACEMENT

Florence Hivert from Bordeaux has written to inquire whether your company would receive students from their school http://www.institut-rural-vayres.fr for individual work placements in your company in May or June and July 2011.

  “The Institut Rural de Vayres is a wine school located

VALUE AND VARIETY IN ISAAC'S

Wall pic in Isaac's, 20 years running

ISAAC’S

The value from November’s Dine in Cork Week is still to be found in Isaac's in McCurtain Street. From Monday to Wednesday, they offer three top notch courses for €25.00.

Isaac’s is perhaps the city restaurant nearest to me and one I regularly pass by. Not last night though. Called in on spec about 6.30 and had no bother getting a table in what I thought is a very old restaurant only to find that Isaac’s reputation as one of Cork’s best has been built up in about twenty years, not quite the long running tradition I’d believed in.

But undeniably, Isaac’s is a core part of the city’s food and drink scene and long may it continue. Speaking of drink, last night’s wine was a gem from the Marlborough area of New Zealand: Lawson’s Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc (€27.00 per bottle, €18.00 for 50cl, and €6.00 per glass). Quite a complex SB and very

THREE OF THE BEST FROM B & G

BARTON & GUESTIER – NÉGOCIANTS

Barton and Guestier are major players in the French wine scene, with a fascinating heritage going all the way back to 1725. Then the company’s founder, 30 year old Thomas Barton (left), departed his native Ireland and emigrated to Bordeaux.

“As a true adventurer he founded his wine

TOP IRISH CHEESES

HAPPY NEW CHEESE

So many Irish cheeses around these days, you could buy a different one for each and every day of 2011.

Started on the local track, not that I ever strayed too far off it, at our New