Showing posts with label Farmgate Cork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Farmgate Cork. Show all posts

Friday, November 3, 2023

Cork's Farmgate Café. Where time doesn't stand still and tradition thrives.

Cork's Farmgate Café. Where time doesn't stand still and tradition thrives



As we queued for lunch behind a small group of French speakers and others on the stairs up to the Farmgate Café in Cork's English Market, we began to get a little worried. You have to reach the top to see how many are in and if there are vacant tables. 


We could have had booked and would have had if it had been a Friday or a Saturday. But this was a Wednesday (after the Jazz Weekend) and we thought we’d be okay. As it turned out we did find a table, just for an hour we were told. There was no rush in the end but I’ll be more persistent on the phone the next time!



The delay was slight, to be honest, and we didn't really have time to study the menu (that had been handed to us as reached the top of the stairs) until we were seated and enjoying two of their breads, including the marvellous white soda that we occasionally buy at their stall downstairs - it is one of our favourite breads in the city.


The menu doesn't change all that much but we were here for the traditional plates - I had already pencilled in the Irish Lamb Stew. CL went for their Chicken Supreme and our dessert was Bread and Butter Pudding. All three are not so much traditional as timeless. As long as local producers maintain their high standards and as long as the Café, now with Rebecca Harte at the helm (having taken over from her mother Kate (the café’s founder), then these treasures of the ages will await you.



But don't worry, there is plenty of variety in the short menu. They are open to outside influences. How could they not be with so much of the market below also enhanced by flavours and spices from many countries and cultures and so you will see Atlas Green Olives, Pork Rillettes, Moroccan spices, and  Scarmorza, sitting on the menu along with longstanding staples such as Loin of Bacon, Ladysbridge Potatoes, Tripe and Onions and Barry’s Tea.


While you are waiting for your food to arrive and or between courses, take a look over your shoulder and see which poet is looking down on you - Seán Ó Tuama's work was at my shoulder. 


In the area, where you can book a table, there is, since 2005, the Poetry Wall. 

An ini­tia­tive of poet Gerry Mur­phy and Kay Harte, it is a unique col­lec­tion of poems, by Cork, Irish and inter­na­tional poets, com­mis­sioned by the Far­m­gate Café to cel­e­brate Cork’s year as Euro­pean Cap­i­tal of Cul­ture.  In 2018 Pres­i­dent Michael D Hig­gins vis­ited and added his own hand­writ­ten com­po­si­tion Star­dust. Where else would you get that with your spuds?


And speaking of spuds, those Ladybridge potatoes are superb, the traditional balls of flour. Quite a few years back, Kay Harte and I were entertaining a couple of high-ranking US bloggers here and they too were bowled over by the potatoes and the phrase. Back in those days, the spuds from the same supplier were stored on the stairs. I don't think that’s the case now but they are as good as ever.


They came, large and floury, to be shared between us. The stew, with a selection of seasonal root vegetables, was superb, just what I expected. CL was more than happy with a beautifully cooked (large) piece of chicken, that too enhanced by the same veg and potatoes. 


Both dishes are very highly recommended by the way. Other choices on the day included regulars such as Tripe and Onions with Drisheen (and those potatoes!);

 Ardsallagh Goats Cheese Ciabatta, Balsamic Roasted Onions, Rocket & Walnut Pesto; Sourdough Sandwich with Moroccan spiced Chicken and Coriander Mayonaise; and a Toasted Sandwich (Loin of Bacon, Scarmorza Cheese, Onion Marmalade). 

A favourite bread!


There were a couple of tempting specials as well: a Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Pie; and Pan-roasted Hake.  Oh, I almost forgot that Bread and Butter pudding was very enjoyable. As simple as could be, just the basic bread and butter and sultanas in a generous pool of "creamy" custard. Another thumbs up from us for tradition!


Lunch is served from 12.30pm to 15.30pm  (Tuesday to Friday) and the phone number is 00 353 21 427 8134. On Saturday, hours are as above but breakfast from 08:30 and lunch until 16:00. Be sure and check their socials for updates.


Instagram: farmgatecafe

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarmgateCafeCork

Web: https://www.farmgatecork.ie/ 

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Lunch at The Farmgate Cafe. Seal beag gairid. Sásamh mór.

Lunch at The Farmgate Cafe. Seal beag gairid. Sásamh mór.



Hadn’t been to the Farmgate Café inCork’s English Market with a while. After a warm welcome, I was studying the Menu and was struck straightaway by the fact that their commitment to supporting local has never wavered.


Back in January 2010, Kay Harte helped me entertain two Americans (one a blogger, the other a photographer, each then working for foodspotting.com) and one of the highlights of the conversation was when Kay described her potatoes as balls of flour! These potatoes were from Ladysbridge in East Cork and so too are the potatoes they use today.


You’ll see lots of local names on the menu such as Toonsbridge, Ardsallagh, Longueville, Shine’s Fish, Garryhinch Mushrooms, Barry’s Tea, Cockagee Cider, Stonewell Cider, Stag Bán beer and more. You’ll also see the English Market downstairs mentioned quite often because that vibrant pantry is where they source many of their ingredients.



At first glance, you may well think that the menu doesn’t change. Tripe and Drisheen is always on and I was thinking of the Lamb Stew (with those Ladysbridge potatoes) before I changed my mind and went for something else entirely.


And, as it turned out, my Risotto with those fabulous Garryhinch Mushrooms (organic), Ardsallagh Goats Cheese, and Toasted Hazelnuts was a very satisfactory plate indeed, beautifully balanced and nowhere near as heavy as some risottos, just perfect for lunch. Great flavour from the stock, the mushrooms and the cheese, along with a nice crunch via the nuts.


They usually have a couple of specials on the board and CL picked the Chicken and Mushroom Pie with Mashed Potato and Roast Vegetable, one of those ageless dishes that, once well cooked (as it was here), is the ultimate comfort food for these dreary November days (although this particular one was better than most!).





Dessert? Coffee? Yes please. Quite a list of sweet stuff including Tiramisu, Apple Tart, and smaller items such as Coffee Cake and Caramel Squares. Our pick was the Orange Cake with Yoghurt and Fruit Compote. This too was one of the best of its type, the cake beautifully moist with the yogurt and compote a delicious enhancement!


We skipped the starters but again you’ll have a good selection, small such as Smoked Almonds, warming such as Market Fish Chowder and a fine selection of sandwich like the Toastie with Loin of Bacon, Scamorza Cheese, and Onion Marmalade


Service is excellent here, you’ll enjoy the quite chat and the info (on the specials, for example) and the food is well presented. And you can wave your thanks to the chefs as you exit! And indeed, if you feel like taking home something for supper, they’ve got a lovely well-stocked stall downstairs where we usually stop for for their fresh baked soda bread (the white one sells out quickly!).



It was quite enough there last week. A November Tuesday is not a very busy day in restaurants. Still, with Christmas coming, you are advised to book the restaurant towards the weekends. The gallery side is walk-ins only. More info at https://www.farmgatecork.ie/


Farmgate Opening Hours

Tuesday - Saturday 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Sunday and Monday - closed.

From the Farmgate Facebook page.


Monday, March 29, 2021

Dining NOW Guide. This Week's Choices In Cork. Update #2

 Dining NOW Guide. This Week's Choices In Cork

(Contact me before 1.00pm Wed with a sentence or two, a pic and a link to menu, plan to update regularly) w/e 4/4/2021 Update #2

Click and Collect. At Home. Takeout. Takeaway.



The Metropole Hotel, Cork
has launched an Easter Afternoon Tea at home menu. 

 

The Afternoon Tea is available this Easter Weekend – from Friday 2nd April to Monday 5th April. 

 

On the menu is: 
Sweets: Mini chocolate mousse & berries, Easter cupcakes, Chocolate meringue nest with mini Cadburys cream eggs, Selection of macarons, Mini Chocolate brownie
Sandwich: Free range egg and cress, Chicken & cucumber with sun-dried tomato pesto,  Pastrami and rocket in a floury wrap, Open smoked salmon on soda bread with chive cream cheese & pickled red onion
Sweet scones: Freshly baked scones with whipped cream and a selection of fruit jam

The Afternoon Tea for two people is €50 and the hotel will require 24 hours’ notice to book. Delivery within 15km is also available for an additional €10. To order you can call (021) 4643700

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Check out Da Mirco's Easter Weekend Menu Here

That Homemade Cannelloni filled with slow cooked O'Mahonys lamb ragu, ricotta and pecorino cheese looks tempting!



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O'Mahony's Fly Stars & Stripes


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Check out Dockland menu here

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Vienna Woods Special

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Tom Durcan Will Bring It Home to You


Durcan’s Burger and wings artisan - Taste of #cork at home kit The finest local produce using Hasset’s bakery and Finders Inn dressing. Hand prepared on morning of collection by my son Harry. Order online and have it delivered to your door #nationwide #shoplocal @EnglishMarket More details at https://twitter.com/TomDurcanMeats

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Greenes Restaurant

Easter Menu's are now online, lots of seafood options, Macroom Lamb & our 6 course tasting menu. We have also added an Easter Picnic Box available Saturday & Sunday with everything you need included.
Visit www.greenesrestaurant.com/menus to order online.

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Metropole Hotel


DINE AT HOME 🥂
Our Dine At Home menus are available to order every evening from 5pm-9pm.
Enjoy a range of delectable dishes, cooked to perfection by our Head Chef, available for collection from The Metropole Hotel Cork.


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L'Atitude. On the road again






We’re heading south this week to the foothills of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. It might come as a surprise to some that wine is produced in Morocco, but wine has been made in North Africa for at least 2,500 year...
..Our Volubia red is a perfect ally for food. To say we are excited about this week’s destination would be a slight understatement. There are so many colourful ingredients and flavours to choose from, we’ll find it hard to narrow it down. As usual we will choose a selection that we think will marry best with the wine. 
Email info@latitude51.ie by noon Thurs if you’d like to join our adventure. €50 box for 2 people. Collection Friday 2 April from 5 -6.30


Celtic Ross Hotel



A Happy Easter - at Home

Be it Easter Sunday lunch or dinner for two over the long weekend, allow Chef Shane and his team to take care of the meal prep this Easter.

Our Easter meal kit adds a sense of occasion to the weekend, showcasing delicious seasonal produce and the finest ingredients that West Cork has to offer.

Treat yourself to a three-course dining experience in the comfort of home with all of the hard work and preparation  completed by the Celtic Ross kitchen team.  
Menus and other details here
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LIBERTY GRILL

We have posted our Home Dining menu for delivery over the Easter weekend
We are also delivering a new “Slow Roast for 4”
Details from our website LibertyGrill.ie @libertygrillcork











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On the Pig's Back

Order online or by phone @ 021-4617832

Saturday Night Takeaway - Now Online! 💛
3 Course Menu €30.00 pp
☆B.B.Q Prawns with Creamed Corn and Kale
☆Spiced Chicken Salad with Crisp Leaves, Cherry tomato, Red Onion, Ranch Dressing and Croutons
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☆Herb Crusted Pan-fried Hake, Corn Succotash, Baked Sweet Potato Wedges and Caper Brown Butter
☆Broiled Marinated Pork Chop, Buttered Savoy Cabbage, Fondant Potatoes with Mild Mustard Sauce
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☆Baked Raspberry Cheese Cake
☆Mississippi Mud Pie

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The Cork International Hotel Have An Afternoon Tea Off With A Twist!
The Cork International Hotel has launched a gourmet Seafood Afternoon Tea just in time for Easter.
The Afternoon Tea will be available for a limited period over the Easter Weekend – available from Thursday 1st April to to Monday 5th April. 
On the menu is: 
Sweets: Dark Chocolate mousse with raspberries, Carrot Cake topped in white chocolate, Coffee slice, Chocolate brownie.
Savoury: Crab and crayfish cocktail Chai Bao, Smoked Mackerel Pate on pressed puff pastry, Beetroot salmon gravlax and grape skewer.
Sandwich: Flaked salmon and pickled cucumber on white bread, open tiger prawn sandwich with garlic and lemon aioli, tuna, lettuce and chilli chutney pinwheels.

 

The Afternoon Tea for two people is €50 and the hotel will require 24 hours’ notice to book. To order you can call (021) 4549800

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Farmgate Ready to Feed the Family this Easter



We have spent the last few weeks thinking about the Easter break, so we can have it all organised for you with just one click of a button.

How about the perfect family roast? Delicious slow-cooked lamb (and more!) for a stress-free day and the opportunity to really enjoy quality time your loved ones. Let’s face it, who amongst us cannot claim to be sick of constantly cooking for hungry hounds?

Easter Sunday Feast - €70 for 2 / €120 for 4

Bottle or Red or White wine

Market Fish Plate, Farmgate Brown Soda Bread

Slow Braised Shoulder of Lamb, Ardrahan Cheese & Lamb Croquettes, Lyonnaise Potatoes, Buttered Spring Greens

Strawberry & Framboise Trifle

There's also an Easter Family Feast.  See all the menus and details here

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~~Easter menu is now live here~~
Phone lines are now open 0214277387. Get your orders in now for collection this Friday & Saturday

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Market Lane





There’s still time to order our heat at home set menu for Easter Weekend. Stock is limited and we've sold out in the past, so our top tip for today is do it now to avoid any disappointment.. Order from marketlane.ie by Thursday . #keepgoingcork

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The Glass Curtain


With Easter upon us, we have more yummy treats planned for the weekend. The following menu is available from Friday to Sunday:

Image

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You may order from 12pm tomorrow (Monday) via the following link: The Glass Curtain At Home


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This weekend'smenu now live, get your orders in for Easter Sunday   https://ferrit-lee.clickandcollection.com

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Monday, March 8, 2021

Dining NOW Guide. Final Update! This Week's Choices In Cork. Includes Mother's Day Offers.

Dining NOW Guide. This Week's Choices In Cork

(Contact me before 1.00pm Wed with a sentence or two, a pic and a link to menu, plan to update regularly)

Click and Collect. At Home. Takeout. Takeaway. 

Greenes Have Mother's Day and Patrick's Day Sorted


Pic v Pixabay

Mothers Day - 14th March:

The perfect Mothers Day gift available to order now! Our Mothers Day weekend menus are now available to view and order for collection & delivery. Beautifully selected menus, produced from the finest local ingredients. Burger boxes also available, perfect for the kids! Choose your menu, desserts, wines, cocktails and make it perfect for Mothers Day! Order soon to avoid disappointment! Vouchers are also available to purchase through our website to treat her in Greenes once we reopen.

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Mother's Day at Da Mirco

This weekend we are taking a break from travelling to a new destination in Italy and we will be running a special menu for Mothers day.

Three courses for two people for 50€ (add organic Giol Prosecco 20€)

Menu Includes the following:

ANTIPASTO - SELECTION OF CANÁPES

  • Involtini di Salmone con zucchine, limone e aneto (O'connell's Smoked Salmon Rolls with grilled courgette, lemon zest and dill)
  • Cannollo di bresaola e ricotta e mandorle (Cured beef bresaola IGP stuffed with ricotta and crushed almonds)
  • Crostini di olive taggiasche (crostini with Olives Taggiasche DOP tapenade)
  • Insalata caprese invernale (sun-dried tomatoes, capers and buffalo cherry mozzarella caprese salad)
  • Frittata ai funghi e tartufo ( frittata with truffle and porcini mushrooms)

PRIMO PIATTO - LASAGNETTE DI MARE Handmade Lasagna filled with fresh seafood (mussels, prawns, crabmeat and cod), and a light béchamel

DOLCE - CREMA MASCARPONE E LIMONCELLO Limoncello and mascarpone cream with sponge cake.

This menu is limited, so preorder fast at this link Da Mirco Click & Collect

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Celtic Ross have lots of Mother's Day Options.  


Gift Vouchers here. Foodie Treats here


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L'Atitude Heads to Alsace
We have chosen Pinot Blanc by Domaine Achillée as the star of this week's box. An incredible white wine made by one of the wineries where the younger generation is causing a stir. Jean and Pierre Dietrich took over the winery from their father Yves in 2016, and have been working biodynamically since. They make exceptional wines that are true to their terroir and this Pinot Blanc has been causing quite a stir since we introduced it in the shop. This week's tastes will include some of our Alsatian favourites. Email info@latitude51.ie by midday Thursday if you'd like to join our adventure. €50 box for 2 people. Collection Friday 12 Mar from 5 -6.30pm.


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The White Rabbit

Something different this weekend
Winking face
Mother's Day Special Slow-smoked Lamb, Kansas City style Wings and Pork Belly Cubes served with spicy Carolina green beans, potato salad, corn on the cob and red slaw. Inc Key Lime Pie for 2 and a bottle of wine. Strictly limited. Pre-order now.
@whiterabbitcork

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Mother's Day Menu from the fabulous Farmgate Café

Click here for details 


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New at The Met


Dinner is served...

Enjoy a dining experience at home with our new call & collect menus! Available to order from 5pm-9pm daily, featuring some of our menu favourites Call & Collect: 021 464 3700 #corkcity #corkrestaurant See menus online: themetropolehotel.ie/dining/menus/

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The Glass Curtain

We will be running a special menu for Mothers day over Friday, Saturday & Sunday night. There will be a choice of mains, along with starter, dessert and petit fours. As always, we urge you to set your alarms for 12pm on Monday to avoid disappointment when ordering. Check out the tempting menus here


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Just off the Marina roundabout, Sonny's sells coffee, salt beef reuben, salads & sweet things. Tuesday - Friday 10:00 -2:30. Order by 3pm for next day collection.
Check the menus here


This is a trial run!! (For future inclusions, please contact me before with a sentence or two, a pic and a link to menu)