Showing posts with label Cafe Paradiso. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cafe Paradiso. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

CorkBilly Latest Food & Drink. Updated 27th August 2021

CorkBilly Latest Food & Drink

Week 210827. Update #1 27th August 2021


Plan to issue this mid-week with updates towards weekend. If you have any food or drink news, DM me a line or two, plus a link and a photo if available. Of course, if you have "big" news, let me know also and we can do a full standalone post.
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Sage


Well the weather looks top notch for the week - We will remain just with the outside area for the moment - Enjoy the last few weeks of the summer - few tables remaining over the week if you’d like to visit -
Few new dishes again this week -
All bookings via the Website Sagerestaurant.ie


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Here comes the Sun!

Oh Happy Days! Great to see the Sunshine back. Why not kick back give the chef a night off and order some Blairs Out!

Here is Friday's Take Out Menu.....

We are also open from 1pm for dining either in our garden or inside providing you have the relevant vaccine cert, menu available on our website https://www.blairsinn.ie/food


When collecting your take out this weekend be sure to check out our new range of take home craft beers and fair trade minerals.

For Take Out you can email in your order as per usual to blairsinn@gmail.com for all orders. 
We are available for collection from 1pm to 8pm.

The phone line will be open from 12 noon on 021-4381470 for anyone looking to order by phone.
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HOME DINING - Friday & Saturday 27th and 28th August ๐Ÿฝ
3 courses just €30 PP including home delivery in the greater Cork City area
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L'Atitude 51



New arrivals from the Jura!! Savagnin Les Chassagnes, Le Vin de Ploussard Ouvre L'Esprit, Vivre d'Amour et de PlouPliou, Le Pinotctambule - from one of our favourite estates: Bormard
Exciting pours ahead!




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Back by popular demand…. The fish cake Bahn mi. ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿฝ Yis missed those pillows of flavour wrapped in a crisp baguette. And a new hash for you to try, Caherbeg slow roast ham hocks. We cook them in lager & spices for extra pizazz! Kitchen open from 9-3.30 all weekend. Defo picnic in the prom weather ๐ŸŒž๐ŸŒž๐ŸŒž๐Ÿงบ #hamhock #picnicdate #lastdaysofsummer #cobh


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On The Pig's Back


An absolutely perfect weekend for a garden Cheese & Charcuterie Board
๐Ÿง€๐Ÿฅ–๐Ÿซ’๐Ÿท๐Ÿ’œ
Add your favourite wine or summer spritzer and you have the ideal summer get together!
Choose from our huge range of speciality Irish & French Farmhouse cheeses and exquisite Charcuterie, and all the extras such as Pate, Hummus, Breads, Quince and so much more!

All available from our stall at @theenglishmarketcork and Douglas Deli

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Kinsale Mead Co.


"..it's honey season, which means beekeepers are out collecting honey from their beehives. The best time to harvest honey is towards the end of summer, after the end of the honey flow when the nectar availability is at its peak. It's also the best time of year to visit Kinsale, which is great news since a certain meadery is open again for tours One of the top places to visit in Kinsale whether it's sunny or raining! More visit details and booking here.

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Eoin O'Mahony, the English Market butcher, announces that their first delivery of @irishpigsociety pork is arriving this week. "Rare breed pigs reared by smallholders.The first pigs are Oxford Sandy & Black crossed with a Duroc." ********* Tom Durcan has something NUA for you! Something NUA is coming…


Ingredient - Wood - Fire
Local and Fresh ingredients played by @chefvictorfranca in partnership with @tom_durcan_meats.
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Cafรฉ Paradiso

We're looking for a chef to join the Paradiso kitchen team, starting 7th September. Apply to paradisocorkwork@gmail.com

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Perry Street Market have news!


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Our opening hours for our Ringaskiddy location have changed! We will now be open until 6pm Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
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So from Monday - Sunday, you can enjoy hot food until 5pm daily with our delicious beverages, sandwiches and desserts available right up until 6pm 7days a week!

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The Montenotte Hotel

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New restaurant at Cobh Golf Club

Thanks to Mags O'Connor for tip off! "Open to the public"

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Dog wash opening soon. Will advise the date in September. €30 for a wash and dry, includes a free tea or coffee and pastry in the cafe while you wait. Small and medium sized dogs only!
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Sunday, December 15, 2019

That was the year that was! Rewind 2019


That was the year that was!
Rewind 2019

When you go over the hill, you go faster. And certainly this year, 2019, went faster!

Cask "toasting". Wine, Whiskey and Beer evening  at the Franciscan Well

It was a good one though, some terrific visits to producers of all kinds, delicious meals, excellent stays at everything from B&Bs to five star hotels and friendly festivals as well.

And great to be able to confirm that friendliness is still a huge and engaging factor in the Irish hospitality sector. There were warm welcomes, above and beyond, in many places and our front of house laurels go to:
and to the entire team at Wicklow Heather in Laragh
With Mary T (right) at Castle Grove

On the Gastro Pub scene, you’ll find it hard to beat the Victor led front of house at O’Mahony’s of Watergrasshill. And in accommodation, the nod goes to Mary T and the Sweeney family at Castle Grove House in Donegal. Always a terrific welcome too at both the Trident in Kinsale and the Celtic Ross in Rosscarbery. Top guesthouses: Perryville (Kinsale) and Sheedy’s (Doolin).

Breakfast is a key part of accommodation of course and we came across some gems this year. Aldridge Lodge  in Wexford is absolutely outstanding while Sheedy’s of Doolin is another excellent place. I don't do breakfasts in restaurants often but ORSO in Cork gets an honourable mention! The most impressive breakfast room we came across is the beautiful conservatory in the Quay House  in Clifden and the breakfast is good too as it is in Kinsale’s Perryville.
Fish breakfast at Aldridge Lodge

O’Mahony’s of Watergrasshill is an outstanding venue for pub grub while Gallagher’s in MacCurtain Street Cork impressed on a pre-theatre visit.

Goldie
The fish offering is also improving all the time and we came across two quite innovative places this year: Fisk in Downings in Donegal and Goldie in Cork City. Kudos too to the Wild Strands Cafรฉ (Malin, Donegal) for their use of seaweed and fish. Superb fish dinner as always in the Bayview Ballycotton, the village is also well served in that regard by Pier 26, and there was an excellent fish lunch at the Mountain House in Ardfield, West Cork. In Cork City and in a few Kerry towns, you'll find, as we did, the ever-reliable Quinlan's.

Great variety in the restaurant scene nowadays, including the famed vegetarian (and wine!) offering at Cafe Paradiso, also on Leeside. Crab claws were superb at Pier 26 (Ballycotton) and Naughton's (Kilkee) while the best steak was served at Liberty Grill (Cork). Hard to beat Nash 19 Cork for pork and the Market Lane group for lamb (especially when the Blasket Lamb is available). When it comes to variety on the menu, Cork’s Dockland is the place to be.
Liberty Grill steak

Enjoyed the Palestinian fare at Izz in Cork though the ethnic highlight was the Pickle Pop-up with Sunil Ghai  in Sage Midleton. Another good one was Richy's Curry Series with his excellent Indian chef Meeran Gani.
Pearse Lyons Distillery

Lunch is an important time if you're on the road. The Woollen Mills Cafรฉ in Foxford , St Francis Provisions (Kinsale), TIA in Louisburgh are all worth noting - great salads and more. In Cork city, put the Farmgate (celebrating 25 years) and Crawford Gallery Cafe on your list, not forgetting Vikki's in Sunday's Well, O'Callaghan's (Mitchelstown) and Seasalt in Cobh. Something more substantial? Then put Tramore’s Copper Hen in your diary. And go for the lunch tasting menu at Greene’s Cork if you are looking for something really special. Off for an afternoon? Why not the extra special Afternoon Tea in the River Lee Hotel?
Ichigo Ichie. "Every moment we change"

We enjoyed a few special dinners. The Sake dinner at Ichigo Ichie was outstanding. Great company, wine and food at the Rizzardi Wine dinner in Courtmacsherry’s Lifeboat Inn. And fantastic wine and fish at a FEAST event in the Bayview. And another excellent night was the Barnabrow Gourmet Evening with ENO Wines.
Paradiso Cork

Indeed, FEAST was our top festival this year. It has made huge strides in recent years. The Pickle Pop-up here was a good one and another very enjoyable meal was the Picado Mexican Pop-up during the West Waterford Festival. 
Quay House, Clifden

Oh, I nearly forgot dessert. Indeed, I’ve been known to skip it sometimes. But two that I remember with pleasure are the Mocha Choca Yumma at the Ballymaloe Cookery School Garden Cafรฉ Truck and the Apple and Berry Crumble at the Copper Hen (Tramore).

Dessert at Ballymaloe CS truck
Both Eight Degrees and Kinnegar breweries, two of the best around, took time out to show us their breweries. Another very enjoyable event was the Wine, Whiskey and Beer evening  at the Franciscan Well. Other producers visited included Clonakilty Black Pudding, Seymour Biscuits (Bandon), St Tola Cheese (Clare), Hegarty's Cheese (Whitechurch).

On the wine side, there was a very impressive Spit 2019 day in the River Lee. Best wine bar we visited was the Gallery in Westport. More and more non-alcoholic drinks, good ones, are coming on the market and our favourite this year is the Highbank Orchards Organic Drivers Cider.

A couple of excellent distillery visits too including to Clonakilty and Powerscourt (both new). Perhaps the most memorable was the lovely Pearse Lyons distillery  in Dublin’s Liberties, big thanks there to our guides Bernard and James.

Speaking of guides, we had the lovely Karen Coakley include us on her excellent Kenmare Food Tour, lots of good food and variety in this small Kerry town. Kenmare is excellent but our top town of 2019 for good drink, excellent food and off-the-scale craic is Clonakilty. My highlight in Clon is the annual Street Carnival. In the city, we enjoyed the Long Table Walk in June and the Gourmet Trail (part of the Oyster Fest) in September. And in mid-summer, we thoroughly enjoyed a West Cork Farm Tour where another three top class guides - the O'Donovan family - showed us around..
Downings

Can’t go without mentioning pizza. I know there are many good ones around nowadays but my nod goes to newcomer Curley Stu  (check his Facebook here for venues) and the well established Pompeii (regulars at the Franciscan Well and in Waterville for the summer).

Lunch at Greene's
Great to see so many places now putting the emphasis on local and Blarney’s Square Table, champions of local, have been doing exactly that since they started. The Europe has, we think, the best five star hotel lounge/bar while Powerscourt has the best pub. 

For comfort and ticking all the other restaurant boxes as well, it has to be the Cornstore in Cork. Always a good atmosphere here. This year though the best buzz we came across was at Tapas de Lola (Dublin) and The Bullman (Kinsale).

Always get around to the farmers markets and it usually pays off! And it paid off on the double when we called to Killavullen before Christmas as it was here that we found the best ever Mince Pies (Noirin) and the best ever Sausage Rolls (Ciaran).
Bray Head walk

Some Random Bits
Top walks for auld fellas: Knockadoon, Ballycotton Cliff Walk, Nire Valley Gap, Bray Head (Valentia)  and Carrigfadda (West Cork).
Film: Satan and Adam (Netflix)
Books: Beautiful Affair (Mike Hanrahan), Suzy Suzy (William Wall), Rewind (Catherine Ryan Howard), all different but each with a strong East Cork connection.
Museum: Little Museum of Dublin.

So that was 2019, or at least a summary. If you have any suggestions for 2020, you know where to find me! 




Thursday, August 17, 2017

Cork City by The Lee. Stay. Eat. Shop. See!

Cork City by The Lee. 
Stay. Eat. Shop. See!
Music city



The Firkin Crane in Shandon,
once the butter capital of the world
See: The Queen made it her number one stop in Cork so you’ve just got to see the English Market, an institution in the city since 1788. Nearby, you’ll see the spires of historic St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.

St Anne’s Church in Shandon is another landmark. Visit and don’t forget to ring the bells.  Cork was once the butter capital of the world and the Butter Museum is in the shadow of Shandon.

Staying north of the river, why not pay a call to the storied cells of the 
City GaolThe Glucksman is a lovely art gallery in the leafy grounds of the university while the well established Crawford Gallery is easily accessible in the city centre, next door to the Opera House. And don't forget Elizabeth Fort and the newly opened Nano Nagle PlaceAlways something interesting on at The Triskel, an arts venue in a converted church.

Shop: While in the English Market why not do a bit of shopping and check out local delicacies such as buttered eggs and spiced beef. The compact city centre boasts a few top notch shopping centres: Merchants Quay, Opera Lane and the new Capitol area. North Main Street has Bradley’s, founded in 1850, and famous for its wall of craft beers.

For a different experience head to 
Mahon Point Farmer’s Market every Thursday where you’ll find fantastic local cheese and meat and much more, including wild mushrooms, all within a few yards of the large shopping centre.
No shortage of farm to fork restaurants in Cork

Eat: No shortage of eating places including Greene's, JacquesLesGourmandises and Isaac's while lively lunchtime venues include the Farmgate and Nash 19Mad on meat? Try Son of a Bun, Holy Smoke, SpitJack, and many more. Exceptional Japanese at Miyazaki (just six stools though!) No meat? Then the amazing Cafe Paradiso is the one, Iyers is another. Idaho is the city centre cafe while coffee stops abound.  For a fuller list of restaurants and cafes, city and county, see my regularly updated list here. Also check the Whazon Cork listings.

A city of bridges
Drink: For something a little different try L’Atitude Wine Cafรฉ close to the City Hall. The emphasis here is on quality wines and tasty local snacks with a continental touch. Electric, with its downstairs bar and upstairs fish bar, has taken the South Mall by storm since it opened in 2010.  SoHo and the Bodega are other modern bars with restaurants attached.

For something more traditional, including the music, there are quite a few with The Oliver Plunket being very central indeed.
And, if you prefer craft beers then the Franciscan Well on the North Mall is the place to go as they have a micro brewery right behind the counter. Other pubs with micro-breweries include Rising Sons (Cornmarket Street), Elbow Lane (Oliver Plunket Street, excellent food here also) and Cotton Ball (Mayfield).

Stay: With excellent food in the building and efficient and friendly service, the River Lee is a lovely place to stay in Cork. If you need something more central, the Clayton is for you. A short distance from the centre, you'll find the Ambassador and the Montenotte, each with great views over the city
Fitzgerald's Park

If you are caught for time, stay at the Metropole and explore the amazing McCurtain Street, its pubs, theatre, cafes and restaurants.

Something on the traditional side? Why not the Imperial where you’ll be wined and dined and never be short of company as the locals come and go. Like it leafy? Then the Hayfield Manor and the Maryborough near Douglas are recommended as is the Radisson in Little Island.

Making a quick getaway? The Cork International Airport Hotel is excellent. Heading north or west? Check the Commons Inn.

Walk: Cork is very compact and great for walks. Call to the tourist office and pick up the maps and info for some city centre strolls.

Like to try something more energetic? Then start at the 
North Mall and take a brisk riverside stroll through the Mardyke, into Fitzgerald’s Park, past the UCC Grounds and then onto the Lee Fields. Just remember you have to come back!

There is a very popular walk by the harbour starting at 
Blackrock Castle, another great place to visit with an excellent restaurant, the Castle Cafe. For something shorter but still interesting, do the circular walk around the Lough, a suburban lake full of swans and ducks and other wildfowl.

Ballycotton cliff walk, just east of the city
Get Out: No shortage of things to see and do on the eastern side of the city. Take a trip to Fota House and its famous gardens and arboretum. If you have kids, then the Fota Wildlife Park is at hand. Much to do in Cobh also, including a trip by boat to Spike Island, a former prison with history galore. 

Spike Island
To the south then and a highlight in Crosshaven is the coastal artillery fort of 
Camden with a wealth of history and great views. Another fort, this also being restored, is Charlesfort in Kinsale, a historic town rich in excellent eating places and with a must visit Wine Museum in Desmond Castle. Blarney is just north of the city. The castle, and its famous stone, is a busy spot. Eat at The Square Table.

Strike off to the west and take in the impressive ruins of the abbey at 
Timoleague . WestCork boasts magnificent beaches and good food producers whose products you may sample in restaurants such as the Pilgrim's (Rosscarbery),  Richy’s Bistro (Clonakilty), and Bastion (Kinsale).

For more detailed guides to the county, check out my East Cork and North Cork recommendations.

Jazz time
Listen: There is almost always a music festival on in Cork and surrounds and the big one is the Jazz, always on the final weekend of October. There is a Folk Festival at the end of September and film buffs are in town in force in November. Check them all out here.

The Choral festival dominates in the spring and summer sings with the Midsummer Festival, followed by the International Folk Dancing Festival. 
Music in the Marquee  is a big highlight. Night after summer night, the Marquee hosts top names. Bryan Adams, Cliff Richard and Elton John played this summer (2017).


Avoid: The usual big city security precautions apply. Avoid leaving anything visible in your car and so on. Not much else to avoid. Maybe the rainy days. But even those can be fun. Never know who you’ll find singing at the local bar, even on the street. It is a fun city. So enjoy!