Showing posts with label Elbow Lane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elbow Lane. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Elbow Lane Brewers Have the Wisdom

Elbow Lane Brewers Have the Wisdom

Didn’t quite expect it when I started this Irish session, didn’t expect that I’d end up proclaiming the Cork City ale as my favourite of the bunch.

I’ve been drinking it from time to time in the Market Lane restaurants, most recently in Goldie, their fish and ale spot across from the mothership and indeed just across from the micro brewery as well. And it always goes well with food. Enjoyed it without the food this time just as much and probably took a bit more notice of its quality without the grub.

All the beers here, with the exception of the Elbow Lane, came from Bradley’s. I bought the Wisdom via Neighbourfood but Bradley’s have the Elbow beers available as well. As you may know, they are all named after lanes in Cork City.

By the way the White Hag Lager is excellent as is the Black’s Mosaic. The other two, if you’re open to experiment, as I was, are worth a try. You just might just find a favourite there!

The White Hag Helles Style Lager, 4.5%, 440ml can

Light gold is the colour, a host of bubbles rising. Very pleasant in the mouth, easy drinking and well balanced to the finish. Light and refreshing they say. Light and refreshing it is.

The Helles style originated in Bavaria (Germany) apparently and this is one of the best Irish efforts that I’ve tasted.

Sligo based White Hag are a modern independent craft brewery from Sligo, on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. “We brew innovative and ground breaking beers, inspired by ancient and classic styles.” They produce quite a range of beers, most of them in can.

Blacks Brewery Mosaic IPA, 6.5%, 330ml bottle

This little bottle from Blacks showcases the Mosaic hops, giving the beer an American style (I suppose any beer with blueberry muffin aromas has to have US influences!). The hops, with its tropical aromas and juicy palate, is the main man here. This, in its small bottle, is well balanced though and another excellent and loveable brew from Kinsale.

They say: A West Coast Style IPA, packed full of tropical aromas, juicy big flavours and absolutely no nonsense. The malt character also shines through with freshly baked pastry and a whiff of blueberry muffin lingering in the background. On the palate, medium in body with a soft texture, mouthwatering acidity and a balance of bitter and sweet flavours.


Stone Barrel (brewed by their Third Barrel Brewing) Cabin Fever Enigma IPA, 7%, 44cl on can (but it’s a 33!).

Long time friends and brewers, Stone Barrel Brewing and Third Circle Brewing, decided to combine their experience, resources, love for brewing and absolute passion for beer and create one of Ireland's most cutting edge breweries.” 

Tropical fruits and white grapes (they say) in the aromas; I’m thinking there’s something  "ferment-y" in the background too, like a sourdough starter. Maybe there is too much Enigma hops here as the brewers say. Not bad at all on the palate and a good hoppy finish as well. It is well balanced and the higher alcohol is hardly noticeable.

They say: Brewed with a lovely blend of Irish base malt, oats and wheat with a strong focus on the dry-hop hops. Big tropical and white grape aromas balanced with a slightly sweet finish.

Larkin’s Quadditch 10.5%, 440ml can

Quadditch is the Larkins’ take on a classic Belgian quad. “With whole plums added to the mix, a deep, rich beer, with complex dark fruit notes, awaits you. A warming beer”. Hop varieties used are Hersbrucker and EKG.

A cloudy muddy brown. Aromas more or less anonymous. This hulk of a beer comes into its own on the palate, deep and rich with fruit flavours, pretty complex for sure. A touch of sweetness is present and the high alcohol is just about noticeable. Probably best with food and recommendations for the Belgian equivalent are Roasted Duck, Aged Gouda and Bread Pudding. Tried it with creamy Gubbeen cheese - needs must. The pairing's not too bad but not a must-do either (though I never refuse a chance to eat the iconic Gubbeen). Serve in a Tulip glass at about 12 degrees.

Elbow Lane Wisdom Ale 5.2%, 500ml bottle (and draught in their restaurants).

Dark, between amber and brown, nice frothy head. Caramel is perhaps the most prominent of the aromas. Good balance of hops and toasty malt on the smooth palate. The Elbow Lane team produce beers to match the food in the various Market Lane restaurants and they certainly succeed.

Goldie, the latest of five restaurants in the group, shows the words Fish and Ale under the main title. And the beers come from the Elbow Lane Micro Brewery, also across the street. Brewers Russell and Davide have specially formulated the ales to suit food and, as customers of the restaurants will tell you, they have been very successful in that regard. And excellent without the food too!

They say: This medium bodied amber ale is brewed with a selection of specialty malts that impact rich, toasty and caramel malt character, balanced by a firm yet pleasant hop flavor and aroma. This ale is excellent with many foods and uniquely satisfying as a stand alone pint.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Goldie. Where Fish Reigns


Goldie. Where The Fish Reigns
Sardines

It’s new and cool. Check out those white tiles with black designs opposite the counter. Ease yourself into those comfortable low-backed chairs and, if someone to the side talks to you, just swing round a few degrees and go face to face. But most of all, Goldie is all about the fish.
Crumpet

The clue of course is in the name. Most natives and many visitors will know that the big fish that forever swims at the top of the tower in Shandon has forever been nick-named Goldie. And the city loves its fish both in sentiment and in tasty reality. And Goldies makes that reality even more flavoursome.

Prawn cocktail crisps
The restaurant takes the ‘whole catch’ from the Ballycotton small day boats (so they take whatever is caught on the day, regardless of the quantity and species) ensuring a daily changing menu featuring the freshest produce available. They also buy in the English Market. 

Goldie operates a ‘gill to tail approach’, using as much of the fish as possible. So you’ll see some surprises on the menu, not just the species on offer but also the parts. Anyone for crunchy fish spines?
Lemon Sole

We were prepared to be surprised when we visited the other day. Front of house is very friendly and on the ball here. There’s an immediate welcome, help with the menu if need be and a chat or two over the evening. We were in early and it filled up quickly enough. Another upstairs room is being readied even as the confident new restaurant takes its first accomplished steps.

The window, more or less facing the “parent” Market Lane, shows the words Fish and Ale under the main title. And the beers come from the Elbow Lane Micro Brewery, also across the street. Brewers Russell and Davide have specially formulated the ales to suit food and, as customers of Market Lane and Elbow Lane itself will tell you, they have been very successful in that regard. 

I enjoyed a pint of the Jawbone Pale Ale with my fish. It is on draught as are the others: Angel Stout, Elbow Lager and Wisdom Ale, all named after Cork lanes.
Gurnard

Jawbone
The menu is divided into four sections. Inexpensive options come under Snacks. Next step is Small Plates, followed by Mains, and Desserts (no fish but they do use sea salt!). A quartet of sides available also including Sea Salt Shoestring Chips, Crushed baby potatoes (with scallion and seaweed), Roast Cauliflower (with hazelnut brown butter), and Sea Vegetable kimchi salad (with squid).

There were five snacks on the Friday we called and we enjoyed the Golden Crumpet and seaweed butter and enjoyed, even more, the Prawn cocktail crisps with cultured cream and seaweed, each priced at €2.50.

Harty’s Oyster feature on the small plates but our choices were the Salt Fish brandade, seaweed cracker and pickled celery, a very tasty combination indeed (7.5). The similarly priced Seared devilled sardines with pickled celeriac were superb, so good I thought briefly (it was raining outside) I was back in the old town of Albufeira enjoying a plateful in the hot sun with a glass of wine. By the way, they have a wine list with most of the whites very well suited to the fish.
Panna Cotta

The superb mains were yet to come. I’m a sucker for Gurnard but rarely come across it when eating out. The Pan fried Gurnard here (21.50), with bok choi and lasooni butter, is a delight. Simply delicious, especially with the sauce.

And the chicken butter sauce with the Pan Fried Lemon Sole (22.50) was also a winner. There was a decent chunk of swede (how often do you come across that veg in restaurants?) on the plate as well. We could have had sides but resisted the temptation as we were determined to go through all three courses.
Budino

As it turned out, the strategy worked very well indeed. We completed the three and felt good for the fourth! Just a short list of sweets but two were enough for us. The Pom ‘O apple port Panna Cotta with caramelised apple and crumble and the Achill Island Sea Salt and caramel pudding with hazelnut biscotti were each that bit different to the usual dessert and a lovely finalĂ© to a superb fish dinner.

Goldie is the result of an exciting collaboration between Aishling Moore (25), former head chef of Elbow Lane, and Stephen Kehoe, (39) executive chef of the Market Lane Group. 


Wednesday, October 16, 2019

GOLDIE AIMS TO MAKE A SPLASH IN CORK'S CULINARY SCENE


GOLDIE AIMS TO MAKE A SPLASH IN CORK'S CULINARY SCENE

- Cork city’s burgeoning culinary reputation has been boosted with the opening of a new restaurant on the bustling Oliver Plunkett Street -


Goldie is a small restaurant aiming to have a big impact on Cork's dining scene, serving the freshest and most exciting fish dishes in the city. It is the result of an exciting collaboration between Aishling Moore (25), former head chef of Elbow Lane, and Stephen Kehoe, (39) executive chef of the Market Lane Group (pictured right). 
Goldie sources its fish from the day boats that operate out of Ballycotton in East Cork and the English Market. The restaurant takes the ‘whole catch’ from these boats (so they take whatever is caught on the day, regardless
of the quantity and species) ensuring a daily changing menu featuring the freshest produce available.
The name of the restaurant is a nod to the much loved ‘Goldie’ fish-shaped weathervane that sits on top of the famous Shandon Bells at the ancient St Anne’s church in Shandon, just north of the city centre.   The weathervane symbolises the historical importance of fishing to Cork.

Moore and Kehoe show excellent form.  Under their stewardship, Elbow Lane regularly appears in the top 100 list of the best eateries in Ireland and they were arguably at the vanguard of open fire cooking in Ireland.  With Goldie, the pair have spread their wings and created a mostly fish menu that will delight and surprise.  Dishes include the likes of ‘Pan-fried Ray with fennel and langoustine butter sauce’ and ‘Salt fish brandade with dillisk cracker and Churchfield tomatoes’.

The interior of the restaurant is contemporary chic and the atmosphere is intimate and relaxed.  The duo has kept price points extremely accessible; snacks start from €2, small plates from €7.50 and large plates from €18
As well as taking the whole catch, Goldie operates a ‘gill to tail approach’, using as much of the fish as possible.  Some of the most notable dishes are fish spines served with house togarashi, made with hops from Elbow Lane’s brewery and Pollock collar Teryaki.  The ultimate aim is to utilise as much of the fish as possible, with an emphasis on serving parts that are usually discarded.
Elbow Lane’s beers feature on the drink’s menu alongside a small, but carefully chosen wine list. Says Moore "While it has been extremely hard work opening my own restaurant, it has also been so enjoyable and is absolutely a career highlight for me.  To be doing so with Stephen as a business partner, who has been such a huge influence on my cooking, is a dream come true”
 Opening times are Wednesday – Sunday from 5 pm until late.  For further information please visit www.goldie.ie.

Press release

Sunday, October 13, 2019

It’s Blasket Lamb Time at Market Lane Group.


It’s Blasket Lamb Time at Market Lane Group.
Uan Blasta at ORSO, Castle Cafe and Elbow Lane
Lamb Shank

It’s that time of year again. The Market Lane’s precious quota of delicious Blasket Lamb has arrived in Cork and the chefs at ORSO, Elbow Lane, Castle CafĂ© and the parent restaurant itself are trying to outdo each other with tasty expressions. Every bit of the lamb will be used and there’ll be quite a variety of offerings to choose from.

Diners can look forward to dishes such as ‘Spicy Lamb Sausage, grated tomato, red onion, parsley pine nuts, mint, and sumac served with flatbread, ‘Slow Roasted Lamb Neck Shawarma with tahini, green peppercorn and pickled squash, ‘Braised lamb breast with black garlic mash, wild mushroom and Tawny cider jus’, and ‘Loin of lamb with pancetta and potato terrine, aubergine puree, winter vegetables and a lamb jus’.

When I got the call to try out the dishes at Elbow Lane, there was no hesitation. We got in early on Friday evening last and enjoyed two fabulous courses from their famous grill and some of their own superb beers as well.
Lamb Cutlet

Not too many restaurants use kidneys nowadays, maybe the customers are reluctant. But we had no hesitation when our fantastic server detailed this starter dish for us: Blasket Lamb Kidneys, with Quince, Rhubarb and Kombucha glaze and sautéed Chard.

Kidneys with Chard
Quite a hat trick on the plate. The glaze was unreal, the green Chard provided an extra texture (and flavour of course) and the interaction with the kidneys rounded the potentially robust and rustic dish into a very sophisticated mouthful indeed. Quite a few mouthfuls actually!

The sauce in the next dish, a preserved lemon and marjoram beurre blanc, was another standout. You could have either Lamb Leg (no bone) or Lamb Chops. Both had the same sauce and also a crunchily delicious caper roast cauliflower. 

So one of us  had the Chops, the other the Leg, and there was a bit of swapping going on. If it had been a contest, I think I’d have given the chops, with their amazing fat enhanced flavour (or was it the Angel Lane stout factor), the edge. Must admit I know little about the grill here but it sure delivers fantastic flavours.

Elbow Lane Smokehouse and Brewery, as you may know, is not the biggest, but the crew here make the very best of it, whether it’s the chef is his very confined quarter or the front of house people explaining the various dishes, helped diners make their own choices, in the narrow dimly-lit space,  and it all runs very smoothly indeed. Quite an enjoyable customer experience and highly recommended, especially for couples and foursomes.


Just a bit of background on the Blasket Lamb….

The habitat on the islands is what makes this product so special. The animals mostly graze on the small island of Beginish, a natural bird sanctuary, which makes the soil incredibly fertile.  There, the animals graze at leisure in a marshy meadow full of heather, grasslands and wild herbs.  They have even been known to nibble on the seaweed which washes up on the natural beaches that provide access to the island.  The grass is salty from sea spray and this gives the lamb its highly valued flavour.
Donnacha (farmer) and Jerry (butcher) inspect the sheep as they arrive on the mainland.
As the animals are free to roam uninterrupted, there is no forced ‘fattening’.  This means that the lamb is leaner, ‘creating a near-perfect fat to meat ratio’ says award-winning Dingle Butcher, Jerry Kennedy.  “Fortunately, there is no liver fluke on the islands, so the lamb is not treated for anything other than worms.” 

Conrad Howard, head of the Market Lane Group, who has been supporting Blasket Island lamb for many years now says “We are delighted as a group to highlight this very special produce.  The impeccable provenance of this lamb is reflected in its superb quality and flavour. We are also very proud to be the only restaurants to serve it to our customers. Our chefs begin creating their dishes in August in the anticipation and hope that the lamb will arrive.”

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

ORSO FOCUSES ON NIGHTTIME AND RENEWS COMMITMENT TO LOCAL SOURCING


press release
Dee (left) and Tracey

ORSO FOCUSES ON NIGHTTIME AND RENEWS COMMITMENT TO LOCAL SOURCING


Pictured are ORSO managers-owners, Dee Munnelly and Tracey Corbett, who revealed their new interior makeover and evening food and drink menus, all sourced locally, aimed at the growing nightlife market in Cork city centre. The Market Lane Group which includes iconic Cork restaurants Market Lane, Elbow Lane Smokehouse & Brewery and Castle CafĂ© Blackrock, also announced that its spend on local producers has exceeded €500,000 since Jan 1st, this year.

ORSO, Cork city’s tiny Levantine restaurant is famous for its delicious, fresh, flavour-forward dishes inspired by the cuisines of Eastern Mediterranean countries and islands. Following a colourful interior makeover at its Pembroke St location for its 7th Birthday this month, and the introduction of new evening food and drinks menus, owners and managers Dee Munnelly and Tracey Corbett have created an exciting, night-time experience full of rich, exotic tastes and flavours for new and existing customers.


Says Dee Munnelly “We wanted to offer something different with a great atmosphere and fantastic food to open up the night-time at ORSO. We are delighted that many of our regulars are now making ORSO a starting point for their evenings out. We are so lucky to be part of such a vibrant and diverse neighbourhood, a microcosm of independent retail, that has so much to offer locals and visitors alike. This also goes hand in hand in collaborating with local suppliers and small local producers where possible“

One of the best-loved breakfast and lunchtime spots in the city, the new evening menus build on ORSO’S culinary roots. It has a new Mezze section with lots of sharing plates such as ‘whole roasted Harissa prawns with confit of garlic’, ‘Sfeehas - Moroccan spiced beef in pastry with fennel cream’ and ‘Batersh - roasted aubergine, crispy lamb served with flatbread’.


Bigger plates offer dishes such as ‘Clay baked seafood, chermoula and garlic crust’ and Beef fillet skewers with tahini, fried sumac onions and dried limes’. Desserts include a ‘to die for’ homemade Pomegranate and pistachio ice cream sandwich with lime curd and a delightful chocolate board.

New to the drink’s menu is a range of traditional Turkish Sharbats; fresh home-made cordials served with sparkling water and dressed with fresh herbs (to which alcohol can be added). The wine list has some new organic and sustainable choices. Beer is exclusively from ORSO’s sister establishment, Elbow Lane Brewery.

The restaurant fully caters for vegans and vegetarians and many dishes are gluten-free. Menus are created with the season in mind in the restaurant’s kitchen, where spices are blended, fresh bread is baked daily and food is prepared. For further details about the restaurant’s local sourcing policies please visit www.ORSO.ie. ORSO is located at 8 Pembroke Street, Cork city centre.

Evening opening times are Tuesday – Saturday inclusive. Dishes can also be ordered online www.ORSO.ie

Monday, January 14, 2019

ORSO: Making a difference. Superb new 3-course menu for €19.00


ORSO: Making a difference.
Superb new 3-course menu for €19.00
Watermelon

For the past six years, tiny ORSO has been making its own distinctive mark, serving fresh and vibrant flavours, in the heart of Cork City. This is Irish food but influenced by the Mediterranean, including the Maghreb and the Levant, and places further east. The Pembroke Street venue may be small but there’s a big variety here and now it's well illustrated in a delicious new 3-course menu for just nineteen euro!

This Prix Fixe menu is available between 5.00 and 7.00pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. And this is not just a January offer. It trialled in December, is now formalised and manager Dee Munnelly and her enthusiastic kitchen team hope it goes on and on. And the reaction so far indicates that it will.
Bruschetta

We were there last week to try it out and can honestly give it a very enthusiastic thumbs up as we enjoyed every bite from start to finish and a bottle of their own (ORSO are part of the Market Lane group) Elbow Lane Jawbone Pale Ale. The drinks - wines, beers and cocktails available - are not of course included in the fixed price!

They have four starters on offer including a Chicken Manti with Tomato Ragu and Toasted Seeds and also a Courgette Carpaccio with Parmesan, and sumac and saffron oil.

But it was the Seared Watermelon that caught CL’s eye. It was a great choice, a lovely tasty and warm dish, the slices of warm melon served with Goats Cheese, Gremolata and pomegranate. Gremolata? It is a chopped herb condiment usually made of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley.

Meanwhile, I was just as enthusiastic with my Sardine Bruschetta. The little silver sardine was delicious and indeed the warmed bread itself, soaked with oil and covered with tomato and onion, would have made a fine starter on its own. We were up and running and looking for more.

Hake
And that didn’t take long. Service is excellent here, friendly, helpful. Again you’ll have a choice of four mains. On the night, our quartet included a Lemon and Oregano Lamb shoulder, Feta and fennel and also a tempting Red Rice Black Bean falafel, harissa and pickled veg.

I picked the Crumbed Hake, served on spiced lentils with a poached egg on top. What a bowlful! No shortage of quantity here. And certainly no shortage of quality either. A magnificent palate-pleasing mix of textures and flavours, great for a winter’s evening.
Baklava

Chocolate Pot
And it was much the same result at the other side of the table where the Chicken Harissa Tagine went down a treat. Tasty stuff all round. And we also had a side plate with red cabbage, couscous and a cooling raita. 

Just two desserts but again two gems. I’ve never had Baklava like the fabulous ORSO version, a proper and very appropriate dessert considering the orientation of the cuisine here. And the other dessert, the Chilli Chocolate Pot, was also rich and delicious. 

Nothing but good things to say about this Prix Fixe. So, happy out, as we say around here! 

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Catalan Take-over at the Castle Cafe. Chef Sessions Number Four!


Catalan Take-over at the Castle Cafe
Chef Sessions Number Four!
Dessert

Every now and then the young chefs of the Market Lane group get a chance to shine. The latest came on Monday evening at the Castle Café at Blackrock Castle where, under guidance from Executive Chef Stephen Kehoe, Sara Movilla Cobo, Jose Emilio Escobar Garcia Prieto, Marc Montserrat Vila and Marc Oliveras Duran, cooked a Catalan meal for a full house.
The four have become a core part of the team at the group (which also includes a micro brewery and city restaurants Elbow Lane, ORSO and Market Lane itself) as a result of the excellent recruitment programme that the group has had with CETT (Campus de Turisme, Hoteleria i Gastronomia) University in Barcelona since 2017.

That full house included Market Lane’s Conrad Howard. He was excited as any of the guests as he welcomed us and looked forward to the evening, the fourth in what has become known as the Chef Sessions. Neither he nor we would be disappointed.
We got off to a good start with a glass of Kir. Soon the breads were on that table and soon we were trying them. The selection of Spanish and Irish breads were accompanied by some lovely butters, one featuring beetroot, another garlic and kale, the third mushrooms. And they went down well with a glass of the Elbow Lane red ale.
Black pudding, scallop
Next up was the Salmorejo, a cold tomato soup with olive oil. It was served with cured Spanish ham (on top) and a boiled egg (at bottom). Enjoyed that and also the Black pudding, scallop and pickled carrot tapa.
Eel and apple
There were no less than five “units” in the next serving session. The highlight for me was perhaps the Courgette cannelloni with Cashel Blue cheese, a beautiful combination. The most unusual was the Kokotxas al Pil Pil. Kokotxas is goats neck in garlic oil, with an emulsion of olive oil and garlic and basil.
Also included was a cube of Foie Eel Apple, layers of eel and thinly cut apple with a caramelised top; a Croqueta de L’avia (traditional); and a Seafood Paella.
Cannelloni

All the while, we were sipping our wine, two organic gems imported by Le Caveau. The red Almate has been described as “as outstanding within its type and style” and it certainly lived up to the Spanish Wine Lover description. The white, Château Beauregard Mirouze Campana blanc from Corbieres, was aromatic, elegant and with a long finish.
We were getting to the serious end of the evening now and our fish course was Hake with five sauces. I particularly liked it with the fennel. The meat was a well cooked piece of pigeon, served with pack choi and pear. 
Getting full now! But dessert was on the way and a nice one it was as you can see by the top photo. And then there was a selection of petit fours to sample: a Hazelnut Financier, Bailey’s Bombon, and a Panellet. The latter is  the traditional dessert of Catalunya. I think with all the delicious food displayed by the chefs at the Castle, a move to the north east of Spain would be no hardship at all. Meanwhile, we can all look out for the Spanish influence on the menus of the Market Lane group.




Monday, August 20, 2018

The Meadows of Hive Mind. Bees’ Paradise in Myrtleville.

Bees’ Paradise in Myrtleville.
The Meadows of Hive Mind.

The honey, in its tallish jar, is of a light colour though a bit cloudier than usual. But there is a natural explanation. It is produced by the bees at Hive Mind in Myrtleville and is unfiltered. The aromas are attractive, mainly light and floral I think. No wonder, these bees are spoiled, meadows of flowers and herbs set out for them. I am enjoying this sample with its smooth consistency, pleasantly coating the palate, the flavours and aromas persistent.


Hive Mind themselves have persisted since 2014 and the bees are enjoying their meadows by the sea, meadows planted with herbs and flowers (the seed has been organically sourced) that include: Berseem Clover, Borage, Buckwheat, Calendula, Caraway, Chinese Mallow, Cork Cockle, Cornflower, Dill, Fennel, Phacelia, and the beautiful Sainfoin.
Aishling and Mark

The variety of flowers and blossoms from the meadows and the hedgerows help balance the flavours of the honey. Buckwheat on its own yields a dark brown honey which is pungent, the flavour a distinctively malty. Clover, on the other hand, gives a sweet and delicate result, closer to a “normal” honey. The bees love clover but there are quite a few varieties of the plant, so not all clover based honey is the same.

“It’s not too surprising to find that the magical, cliff-edged village of Myrtleville, with its stunning views of the sea, is producing some of best wild honey in the country today,” says Aishling Moore, head chef of award-winning Elbow Lane restaurant, who rates Hive Mind amongst the best honey she has ever tasted. And the good news is that you too can help Hive Mind continue to stretch out a helping hand to the Irish honey bee.

Mark Riordan's apiaries and bee meadow are located at his family farm in Myrtleville House.  To create a sustainable business Riordan has started 'renting' his hives to organisations and individuals in exchange for his honey.   And the Market Lane restaurant group has committed to financially supporting three colonies of honey bees at Riordan's farm.
A meadow at six weeks

His collaboration with Moore, the first with a restaurant, will not only provide for the restaurant’s honey needs throughout the year but it also means that Riordan gets solid financial support to build up his bee stocks and increase the number of hives.  It will also help to maintain a vibrant, healthy habitat for these bee colonies and help Riordan to engage other beekeepers to spread the word.  

Hive Mind is now making an appearance as a hero product on the menus at Elbow Lane, which is part of the progressive Cork-based Market Lane Group of restaurants.  The talented, young Moore has woven this wonderful honey into dressings, sauces and spun it into ice-cream and cocktails. 

Factors such as weather, parasites and pesticides have meant that local bee stocks are diminishing every year so Riordan sees that initiatives like Hive Mind will be vital for the survival of the honey bee into the future. These black and yellow-striped flying friends are key to the country's biodiversity and economy. It is estimated that they contribute some €53m* to the Irish economy every year. 

Riordan, who has a Masters in horticulture and years of experience as a beekeeper, set up Hive Mind in 2014.  “I am delighted to be working with Aishling and the Market Lane Group.  This company is so well established and respected for its ethical and sustainable approach to sourcing.  It is a perfect partner for Hive Mind. It is also a vital link into the city for me.”

The Hive Mind goals are:
  • Promote the growth and development of a national passion for beekeeping.
  • Set up provincial apiaries to carry out a nationwide service.
  • Arrest the decline of the honey bee on a local level.
  • Aid in educating and inspiring as many people as possible.

To buy by the jar, shoppers can go online and fill in an ‘expression of interest’ form.  They will be contacted when the next harvest is completed at the beginning of Autumn.  See the website here.  


Sunday, October 15, 2017

Blasket Lamb Buzz at Market Lane. Also at ORSO, Castle Cafe and Elbow Lane

Blasket Lamb Buzz at Market Lane. 
Also at ORSO, Castle Cafe and Elbow Lane



There’s always a buzz when Market Lane announces that its annual allocation of tasty Blasket Lamb has arrived! Well in case you haven’t heard, now is the time for 2017. Just a short window during which you may get it at Market Lane and its associated restaurants: ORSO, Castle CafĂ© and Elbow Lane.


Grabbed an opportunity to taste it last week, had it in both starter and mains, and enjoyed every little bit. The Oliver Plunkett Street venue was indeed buzzing as we arrived to a warm welcome and lots of info on the lamb. We had no other interest on the night, well dessert maybe, so that made it easy for our enthusiastic and well-informed server.
Starter

Time perhaps for a bit of background.
This story begins with small holder, Donnacha O Ceileachair, who raises a small flock of sheep on the Great Blasket Island. When the April-born lambs are ready, he brings them by ferry from the Island onto the mainland. Award-winning Dingle Butcher, Jerry Kennedy, selects out the premium meat for the Market Lane Group.

“The impeccable provenance of this product is reflected in its quality and flavour; we are proud to be the only restaurants in Ireland to serve it to our customers. This truly is a farm to fork experience with everybody in the supply chain really respectful and excited about the product.” – Pamela Kelly, Head Chef, Market Lane. And we met Pam on the night and delighted to be able to congratulate her  and her team on a job well done!

The starter was Spiced Blasket Lamb croquette with Velvet Cloud sheep’s yogurt, crispy mint and pomegranate. All the ingredients, including the mild spice, the chickpeas in the croquette, the smooth cooling yogurt from Mayo, each played a role in a lovely plateful.

Server Yuliyan was coming up with some excellent drink matches but we were keen to renew  acquaintance with their own Elbow Lane beers and so he recommended the Wisdom Amber Ale with the starter. He was spot-on with that as he was when suggesting the sharper Elbow lager would do well with the mains.
Dessert!

And, if the starter was five star, then the mains was all of that but even more outstanding, hors catĂ©gorie as they say in the cycling world. I’ll give you the full description: Blasket Lamb Rack and pressed lamb belly with fondant root veggies, Elbow beer vinaigrette, and buttermilk mash. This was a duo of lamb to remember, tender and tasty, perfectly cooked and served.

Would we like dessert? Well, we’ll look. Yuliyan recommended the Marmalade and vanilla bread and butter pudding. “The massive one?”, I asked (having had previous). He confirmed with a smile. We decided to share and loved it.


It is just one of about a dozen desserts here. Lots of starters too and the same applies to the mains; here you’ll see the names of local suppliers such as Coolea, Goatsbridge, St Tola, Ballinwillin, Tom Durcan, and Toonsbridge. But, at present, the Blasket Lamb is the star of the show. You’ll need to get in soon as the limited supply won't last for very long!