Showing posts with label Coqbull. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coqbull. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

BALLYMALOE FOODS TEAMS UP WITH COQBULL RESTAURANT TO LAUNCH LIMITED-EDITION BURGER

BALLYMALOE FOODS TEAMS UP WITH COQBULL RESTAURANT TO LAUNCH LIMITED-EDITION BURGER 


Irish businesses join forces to celebrate the best of Irish ingredients


Ballymaloe Foods has teamed up with award-winning restaurant CoqBull to create a limited-edition burger. The burger will be available in CoqBull restaurants in Cork and Limerick. 


A team of chefs at CoqBull has produced a rotisserie pulled chicken and beef burger topped with Ballymaloe Fiery Relish, Dubliner Cheddar Cheese, crispy tobacco onions, mayo, lettuce, tomato and onion. 


Sarah Collins, Marketing Manager for Ballymaloe Foods: “Supporting local is key for us at Ballymaloe Foods. We take great pride in sourcing good-quality Irish ingredients and we love to see our products being used in creative ways by other local businesses. The last year has been extremely tough for the restaurant and foodservice industry, however we have seen the resilience of Irish companies and we’re looking to the future with more hope.”


Mags O’Connor from CoqBull says, “CoqBull are delighted to partner with Ballymaloe Foods and use their delicious Fiery Relish in our new ‘Ballymaloe Fiery CoqBull Burger’. We always look to source locally where possible and to support other Irish businesses. It’s very tough times with the current restrictions which is why it’s more important than ever to support local.”


The Ballymaloe Fiery CoqBull burger is now available. You can order at the door, by phone, or click and collect at www.coqbull.com 


CoqBull Cork is a chicken and burger concept located at French Church Street, Cork City, Limerick City and Castletroy. 


press release

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Friday Fuar Fliuch! Here’s the Fix! Bubbles. Burgers. Beers.

Friday Fuar Fliuch! Here’s the Fix! 
Bubbles. Burgers. Beers.

For burger lovers, Coqbull Cork seemed to be the place on Friday evening last. It was jammers, a great buzz, a lively racket really, music in there somewhere (I heard the odd thud, thud). 

They come in the front door. They come in the back door. And somehow they all get seated. 

No doubt, Friday is a busy evening here anyhow but the attendance and the atmosphere was enhanced by the Burger Festival (Jan 22nd to 28th). There was even a guy trying to demolish the six-burger record set earlier that day by Bandon man Colin Minihane who “who demolished 6 burgers, fries & a Coqshake in 10.32 mins yes that’s 10.32”.

One would be enough for me thanks! Coqbull provide the full experience here. You can have starters, desserts, craft beers (including their own lager), cocktails (or coqtails) and choose from a list of top gins.

Our starters were their tasty cool Nachos (with shredded beef added) and the Coqbull Wings with their Blas gold award winning Sticky Asian sauce, a delicious combination. We avoided the Hot Coq sauce though, too hot for chickens they said.

Sipping away at a glass of their lager (CL) and a can of the Metalman Wheat beer, we moved on to the main event. My choice was the most popular burger of the week, and likely to make it on to main menu sometime soon, the Bacon Bomb: double cheese, double beef bacon infused burger, caramelised onion & pickles wrapped in a potato bread bun...served with our FAT BASTARD WEDGES smothered in our new Coqbull secret seasoning. A mega feed for sure, great flavour, especially of the bacon, and that potato bread bun wasn't half-bad either.

CL’s choice was another festival favourite here, the Supreme Bull with blue cheese, bone marrow butter, portobello mushroom, truffle mayonnaise and rocket.

Another interesting one, especially on the Thursday when they had the Cork Whiskey Society in for a Scotch tasting, was The Sloppy Scot, made using the best of Haggis from Mc Carthy's of Kanturk, Beef, Ballymaloe Country Relish, rocket and a whiskey pepper sauce served with neeps and tatties. 

So that was the burger done. Earlier, we had the bubbles, as an aperitivo. Every Friday, L’Atitude 51 on Union Quay have a Friday Fizz between 4.00pm and 7.00pm, featuring a different fizz each time. Last Friday’s was La Jara Rosato Frizzante - a semi-sparkling wine made from red Raboso with a delicate pink colour and wonderfully fresh aromas of red apple and raspberry and juicy peach and pear flavours. It was every bit as delicious as they promised on Facebook, really good and good value too at €5.50 a glass. Watch out for future Fizz Fridays.

Indeed, if you like your bubbles, why not check out the Imperial Hotel too. In their Seventy Six Bar, they are offering a champagne flight, three Taittinger champagnes including a rosé, at a special price of fifteen euro.

After stuffing ourselves at Coqbull, we walked out into heavy rain, heavy enough to halt our planned walk to the beer festival at Franciscan Well. Instead we headed closer to home and, with the brolly up, made it to the new Bridge Bar in Bridge Street where the counter was full and there was live music from the O.C.D. trio. Food (charcuterie and cheese) also available here.

Great to see a long line-up of craft beers here, available on draft. We ended up comparing two ales, one from Yellow Belly, the other from Beavertown. Two excellent ales. The Wexford drink had attractive aromas and flavours and the expected hoppy finish. Beavertown is a London Brewery and their ale was possibly more focussed, a brewer’s beer maybe. Not much between them in any case. May have to go back for a replay.
Lager (left), Red Ale (right). But what's in the middle? The Bridge Bar.

May have to go back for a gin and tonic adventure too. That could take a while though. This is their long long list.

BLACKS OF KINSALE 7.25
BERTHAS REVENGE 6.50
MARTIN MILLERS 6.50
KINSALE GIN 6.70
BLACK WATER 6.10
MONKEY 47 10.10
QUINCE GIN 6.50
SHORTCROSS 6.80
BROCKMANS 6.80
GUNPOWDER 6.10
BEEFEATER 5.10
HENDRICKS 6.10
SIPSMITH 6.80
CORK DRY 4.80 
CAORUNN 7.00
BOMBAY 5.50
DINGLE 6.50
UNGAVA 6.50
JAWBOX 6.50
BLOOM 6.20
OPIHR 6.00

Sunday, April 10, 2016

The Coqbull Buzz. Dishes, and staff, that make you smile

The Coqbull Buzz
Dishes, and staff, that make you smile
Supreme

There are five students sitting at the restaurant table, chatting. Then their burgers arrive; the server says something and there is an explosion of laughter and that continues for minutes after the server has gone. Welcome to the Coqbull Limerick. Service here is efficient and friendly and sometimes there is time for a joke and a laugh.


We had the very same server a little later and we too were left laughing and smiling at the exchange, smiling also perhaps because we were contemplating the massive dishes now in front of us. The Bull (there are large cartoons of him on the walls) and the chicken dominate the huge menu here and we had some of each.



Chicken

My choice was the Supreme Bull (14.50), served with Cashel Blue cheese and bone marrow with crisp onion. And fries, of course. Delicious stuff, tender and tasty and washed down with a bottle of Trouble Brewing’s Dark Arts Porter (6.80). Magic match. All burgers, by the way, are dressed with tomato, onion, lettuce and are served with fries.


CL was sipping from her Black’s Session (6.80) as she tucked into her Roast Chicken, half a bird served with those fries (14.00), her little dish of gravy an extra 1.50. She enjoyed that, right to the very last bite. This is rotisserie chicken from the spit, “marinated before roasting in our secret liquor”.



Pork ribs - small portion!
Black magic

Lots of wings on the starter list but we went for the Fighting Coq Pork Ribs and sauce. Even though we went for the smaller portion (9.00), we didn't end up fighting over these sticky pieces of melting meat. The full portion could easily serve as a main course and a very good one at that.


And we had another laugh before we left. The toilets are not marked Ladies and Gents but Sit and Stand. I'm sure you'll find the right one!

By the way, if you don't want all that meat, they have quite a selection of salads: goats cheese, Caesar, Super and so on. And you may add chicken, bull or sautéed prawns to any salad. There are one or two fish and vegetarian dishes available also. From the bar, you can have cocktails (and mocktails) galore, beers and wine.




49/50 Thomas Street, Limerick
061 311011
limerick@coqbull.com
@Coqbull_Limk

facebook/Coqbull

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Two Enjoyable Days in Limerick. Culture, Cuisine

Two Enjoyable Days in Limerick
Culture, Cuisine
Castle
Drove into Limerick city on a Spring Wednesday with King John’s Castle as the main target! But, it being close to lunchtime when we arrived, Hook and Ladder in Sarsfield Street was our first call. It was busy, busy. But very good. Enjoyed a lively Salad Nicoise there and shared a scrumptious Strawberry and White Chocolate Meringue Roulade.

Finished off with a cup of Earl Grey and headed for the Castle. It is a great visit. Lot of info, presented in all kinds of ways and then of course there is the building itself - you can even get down underneath it. And the views from the top are magnificent. Lots of history here and you may check it all out on the website.
Salad at Hook & Ladder
Food is never far from my mind so I was surprised to read that it was the Normans who introduced the rabbit to the Irish diet and also spinach, fallow deer, frog and maybe even hedgehog!

Poachers were around then too, as you might expect. And so the Corporation controlled the highly profitable fisheries, including the salmon fishery at Corbally which was guarded by a watchtower to prevent illegal fishing.
Beer with Coqbull burger
Salmon or no salmon, the citizens of medieval Limerick ate well from the locality. Wild mushrooms, wild garlic, pork, bacon, beef, barley butter, eggs, cabbage, herring, hake, cod, eels and ling all featured. And it was washed down with ale. And with wine in the wealthier households.

For instance, one board records a master carpenter being paid 9 pence a day, enough to buy him six bottles of French wine. They don't say if the six came from the top shelf or the bottom!
Clarion Hotel
Drove up along the city then to the striking modern building, the Clarion Hotel on Steamboat Quay, and checked in, having parked in a nearby high-rise car park. There are great views of the mighty River Shannon (Ireland's longest river) from many parts of this well-equipped hotel.

Food again took us into town in the evening. But the first call was for a drink, a great draught of Trouble Brewing’s Sabotage India Pale Ale. After that and a friendly chat in the Cornstore we strolled down the street (Thomas Street) to the lively Coqbull where the Bull (and the Chicken too) reign in burger heaven. My bun contained the Supreme Bull, slathered in Cashel Blue cheese, and all washed down with the Dark Arts Porter, another gem from the Trouble Brewing folk. The other drink we enjoyed was the Session Ale by Black’s of Kinsale.
In City Gallery of Art
No inclination for dessert here so back to the hotel bar which shares the space with their Kudo’s restaurant. We settled back into the comfortable seats with a couple of very familiar beers: Rebel Red Ale and Chieftan Pale Ale, both by Cork’s Franciscan Well Brewery and both on draught. Cheers until tomorrow!
People's Park
Day Two
Excellent choices at breakfast in the Clarion’s Synergie Restaurant this morning, the views over the river a bonus. Some lovely fruits on offer, including juicy melon. No big fry today for me, though the hot buffet was popular. Finished off with a cuppa and a couple of croissants.

First stop today was the Limerick City Gallery of Art in Pery Square and indeed inside the railings of the People’s Park. There were a couple of exhibitions winding down here but the big problem for this gallery is lack of space for its permanent collection. About 200 paintings, some of them highly rated, are squeezed, edge to edge, onto the available walls. You can't see the wood for the trees.
You may pick-up a photocopied list on the way in and use it as a guide. Evie Hone’s A Walk in the Woods at Marley, William Orpen’s Man of the West, and some works by Marie Jellett caught my eye and I also liked the series of industrial landscapes, including one of the local Dock Road (where the Clarion now is), by Dieter Blodau. And, for a food connection, see the fruit photo. There is also an exhibit of butter and briquette (bog butter?).

After a walk in and around the park, it was time for lunch and so we headed to the nearby Sage in Catherine Street. Very friendly service, efficient too, though it got a bit stretched as lunchtime peaked. The food was excellent here and I very much enjoyed my fish plate: steamed salmon and prawns and a selection of salads. We enjoyed a couple of cups of their excellent coffee.
Hunt, by night
Soon we were back on the street and heading down to the old custom house on Rutland Street where the Hunt Museum is situated. This is a private museum so, unlike the City Gallery, there is an entrance fee. But they usually have one free exhibition on and the current one is about 1916 and local involvement.

Quite a lot of letters and memorabilia highlighting the efforts for Ireland of John Daly, long before 1916, and of his nephew Edward who was one of the men shot immediately after the rising. John, who was Mayor of Limerick (he was dubbed the Fenian Mayor) and who had a bakery in the city, died a few months later.
Riverpoint
Three floors lie at the heart of the main museum. We followed the suggested course and started in the First Floor which examines the development of decorative arts. Quite a few wine jugs on display, also a drinking horn, a huge salt cellar, a Japanese sweetmeat dish, an 18th spirit barrell along with punch and soup ladles. High art too and you’ll see a few Roderic O’Connell works, including his sturdy Breton Woman. Here, too you'll find the Midleton Mace.

Up then to the second floor which houses the archaeological collection, and more. Lots of stuff from ancient Greece and Rome, including a 1st century wine strainer and a 2nd century wine cup. And, more up to date is an Irish Drinking Vessel, made from wood and dated 16/17th century. Here too you’ll find other interesting objects including the Mary Queen of Scots Cross.
Wine-time at the Clarion
Down next, via the impressive 18th century stairs, to view the Religious Art collection on the ground floor. A coin here is reputed to be one of the “30 pieces of silver”. The Limerick diocese has some noteworthy pieces in the display, including a very impressive mitre and crosier. And on the way out you'll pass three large cartoons for stained glass by Evie Hone (who we met earlier in the day).

Anyone for coffee? Well, the museum can sort you out here too as they have a lovely cafe with views out to the water of the Shannon.  So if you want a light lunch or a cup of coffee (quite good too), go no further.
Rowers at sunset on the Shannon
We enjoyed our coffee and headed back towards the Clarion, walking up the banks of the Shannon, part of the way on boardwalk, with lots of seats too if the sun is out and you want a rest or maybe just a stop to enjoy the view which might include a large flock of pigeons on the eye out for people with bread, the many swans just as eager.

We thought we deserved a glass of wine by the time we reached the Clarion. We had a chat with the friendly bar staff and settled on a glass each of Freixenet Mia Tempranillo (Spain) and a Finca Florencia Malbec (Argentina) and enjoyed them.
Craft beers in the Locke
Dinner that evening was down at the Locke Bar but before we headed out, we spotted quite a lot of rowing activity on the Shannon and the sun about to go down. It wasn't the most dramatic sunset you’ll ever see but the silhouetted boats made a pretty picture.

It was quite enough as we headed down the main streets (O’Connell and Patrick) to Georges Quay where the Locke Bar is situated on the riverbank. On opening the door we were struck by the buzz and the crowd;  a friendly server soon welcomed us and found us a table in the restaurant where we enjoyed some decent bar food.

And more wine, of course, a couple of enjoyably flavoured Artisan’s Blend Sauvignon Blanc Semillon from Australia. There was even wine in my gorgeous starter: Dingle Bay crab claws, chardonnay cream and garlic bread. The bar, which also has a large floor upstairs, can feed hundreds and the numbers were rising as we left. In the summer time, the seats by the banks will be full too and many boats will be tied up down on the river.

Day 3: We were back down that way again in the morning for a quick look at Limerick's famous Milk Market. Saturday is the main day here for food, so we were a day early. A little early for most as it turned out. It was supposed to be a ten o'clock start and, with a Bank Holiday weekend ahead, perhaps the traders were getting into the mood and there was virtually nothing of note happening when we had to leave about the 10.30 mark. Another time.

And another time also for Limerick itself, after two very enjoyable days there. There was even a laugh in the toilets. No Mna or Fir for the Coqbull; they go with Standing and Sitting. In the Gents at the Locke Bar, they have a metal shield along the base of the pissoir to prevent you spraying your own shoes! I christened that the Parapee.


For more on Limerick, check out the Tourist Office.