Ichigo Ichie goes again! And I’ll be going again. Friendly informal feast with Michelin flare!

 Ichigi Ichie once again. 

And I’ll be going again!

Duck with Nori potesala

Ichigo Ichie's 2024 version isn't just good, it's captivating

Ichigi Ichie goes again! It was good (good enough for a Michelin Star) in 2023 and previously. The 2024 edition is a diner's delight as the Fenns Quay restaurant now has more choices, credit-card friendly prices and still amazing quality (and almost immediately a Michelin Bib). It's the kind of place I certainly want to go to again. Encore!!

It is the last Tuesday of a far-from-dry January. Quite early in the evening and the two sections of Takashi Miyazaki’s reimagined Ichigo Ichie Noodle and Natural Wine Bar are more or less full by six o’clock and the delighted staff tell us the weekends are even busier, so do be sure and book ahead.

Beef

The same staff are also welcoming, friendly and helpful. And we certainly needed a few pointers when it came to the choices on offer. That offer is in two parts, the A La Carte which has a handful of starters and then three sections of main dishes. One is headed Rice Dishes (Doburi). Two come under the Handmade Buckwheat Noodles title, one section cold  (Hiya), the other hot (On). 

These noodles are the stars here and you’ll have plenty of choices. Oroshi bukkake soba - grated mooli daikon, ginger, sobatsuyu in the Hot for instance, nanbun soba- Skeaghanore duck, hay leek, scallion in the Cold.

Cantina Rallo's rosso and Original 7 Pale Ale

I have to admit though that we were captivated by the Specials Board, almost as expansive as the A La Carte, full of tempting dishes, even more enticing because there is a mix of small and larger plates, mostly designed for sharing. This second edition of Ichigo is much less formal and more fun. As it happened, everything we had came from the blackboard, leaving Takashi’s noodles for the next visit.

Local Ingredients, Unexpected Delights

Mushrooms

Local suppliers are supported here. Indeed, the likes of Garryhinch Mushrooms and Skeaghanore Duck, both feature more than once over the two menus. Hongos (€15.50) al la plancha Kamo Yaki, mushrooms with egg yolk, turned out to be a terrific “starter” for us though I’m sure the other mushroom dish would also be fine.

Expect the unexpected. Tripe, an old Cork favourite, features and was given a flavoursome and palate-pleasing twist by Miyazaki. The “Tonchan” came with cabbage, bean sprouts, Fukuoka-style tripe stew, ginger and garlic (€13.50).  

Tripe

A beer by Original 7, the brewery based in the Franciscan Well in the North Mall, is available on draught here. Had to try that pale ale and it just so happened to be a perfect pairing for the tripe!

O’Mahony Butchers of the English Market supplied the beef for our next dish. The fillet came with egg yolk, Cucumber, Moyahsi, and Namul (€16.50). We were tipped off in advance that this was something like a carpaccio and so it proved. But the marinated beef, super tasty with all its accompaniments, was cut, not into thin rounds but instead into finger-sized strips, the better to take up the marinade! Delicious.

Panna Cotta

Our largest dish of the evening featured Skeaghanore Duck (€22.00). It arrived charcoal grilled with Hay Leek, grilled scallion, leaves, Sansho salt and an unexpected garnish of potato with Nori that went down very well indeed.

Sweet Endings

The delicious delights didn’t stop there. I’d say you’d find it hard to get a better apple dessert than his Matcha Panna Cotta with caramelised apple, lycee ice cream and hazelnut praline, our favourite, and we got the impression it is a staff favourite as well. Just two desserts were available and the Gubbeen Smoked Cheese Cake with Wasabi ice cream was impressive also, even if the apple stole the sweet show.

Gubbeen Cheese Cake

Drinks Galore

This 2024 Ichigo Ichie doesn't lack drink options. A craft beer exclusive from Original 7, Beamish on draft, and an amazing, all-natural wine list curated by Le Caveau await. While the three Jura wines sit at the higher end, don't miss the house red and white from Sicily's Cantina Rallo at a budget-friendly €7.50 a glass. And there's much much more in between!

Obama put this Spanish Wine on the map! Peza do Rei Ríbera Sacra (DO)

Adega Cachi Cachín Peza do Rei Ríbera Sacra (DO) 2021, 13.0%, €20.95

How Obama put this Spanish Wine on the map!

64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

From a tiny vineyard in Spain’s Ribeira Sacra, its wines admired by the Castillian kings in medieval times and by a recent American president, comes this Very Highly Recommended red.

The colour is mid-ruby. Aromas of medium intensity (lighter red berried fruits). Fresh and fruity with good acidity, not unlike a young Cabernet Franc from Chinon or Bourgueil. Cherry and raspberry in the flavour mix. This is a balanced, soft easy-drinking wine with a long refreshing finish.

Barack Obama, no less, was the US president who gave this very wine a major boost a few years back when the Cachin Peza do Rei was chosen for the toast at a gala in Washington, D.C., to honour the contribution of the Hispanic community in US. The demand for Peza do Rei bottles skyrocketed.

Quality, reliability and authenticity, as always, from Cantine Rallo.

Quality, reliability and authenticity,

 as always, from Cantine Rallo

Baglio Bianco Catarratto Terre Siciliane (IGP) 2021, 13% ABV 

RRP: €21.95 Greenman Wines, Le Caveau, Bradleys, 64 Wine.

The clue is in the colour - it is orange.

Orange and organic. Fermentation is natural, without adding yeast. Catarratto wines are fragrant and crisp and so is this one. 

The aromas speak of apples. It is amazingly flavourful, apple there again but also hints of marmalade and ginger. And apples, of the cider variety, make an appearance as it finishes dry and lip-smacking. This is a deliciously drinkable Sicilian Orange wine.

And that colour, a mix of amber and orange, comes from the fact that it receives a 3-day skin maceration. Le Caveau: "This is a fantastic introduction to ‘orange’ wines both from a flavour and a pricing point-of-view. …This would be brilliant with free-range pork rib with apple sauce, with a herby roasted chicken or with cheeses such as Durrus….It is unfined and unfiltered and has zero added sulphur. “

It is very adaptable and food-friendly; it'll go well with all sorts of pasta dishes and spicy foods

Very Highly Recommended.

The history of the Cantine Rallo wine estate started in 1860 and Rallo was synonymous with quality, reliability and authenticity… Since 2010 Rallo wines are “produced and bottled at their origin by the grower”. Fine wines, organically grown in a certified organic agriculture, they represent the best and most typical of the cultivars of Western Sicily. The results are evident in the fragrant, crisp Catarratto and the perfumed, fresh Nero d'Avola.

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Bianco is certainly a bit of a misnomer here as this is most definitely an orange wine, a cloudy deep amber in colour, unfined and unfiltered. Orange wines also have a higher level of tannins, more like red wines, and indeed can match foods where previously red would have been the only choice. Catarratto, by the way, is Sicily’s, and Italy’s, most popular white wine grape.

* Our next Le Caveau wine will be the Nero D’Avola from the same producer! Looking forward to that.

Seductive and spicy, this Nero D’Avola will put a spell on you.

Seductive and spicy, this Nero D’Avola will put a spell on you.

Baglio Antico Nero D’Avola Sicilia (DOP) 2020, 13% ABV.

RRP €21.95. Stockists: Le Caveau, 64 Wine, Greenman Wines, Bradleys Cork

This full-bodied, ripe and juicy red from the sun-drenched Italian island of Sicily is produced from the island’s most important and most loved red wine grape Nero D’Avola. Our unoaked and organic wine is a terrific example of the variety.

The colour is a deep red. Dark berries and a little spice on the nose follow on to the palate. Packed with ripe black cherry fruit and hints of pepper, the supple wine has an immediately noticeable and deliciously refreshing acidity. A bright, fresh, modern wine, with a dry finish, it is an easy drinker for sure.

Highly Recommended.

The Baglio Rosso is 100% Nero d’Avola from certified organic vineyards. Short maceration of a week of whole bunch (40%) and destemmed (60%) grapes. Wild yeast, no sulphur, no fining, no filtration. It has been praised for its excellent balance. Serve at 14-16 °C with Red meat, game, and mature cheeses.

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A baglio is a courtyard at the centre of a walled, fortified estate, typical of rural Sicily. The history of the Cantine Rallo wine estate started in 1860 and Rallo was synonymous with quality, reliability and authenticity. At the end of the 90s, the Vesco family turned Cantine Rallo into a modern estate, producing wines organically. Andrea Vesco runs the winery, with expert commitment, personally and meticulously attending to all the stages of production from the cultivation of the grapes to the final bottling,.

The dark-skinned grape has a long history in Sicily and takes its name from the town of Avola. Much of that history though saw the grape used in blends in the island and on the mainland. Over the last few decades, there has been, thanks to producers such as the Vesco family, an upward turn for Nero D’Avola and it is now common to find it produced as a varietal wine. 

Delightful Occhipinti from lands caressed by the Mediterranean.

Delightful Occhipinti from lands caressed by the Mediterranean.

Occhipinti SP68 Rosso Terre Siciliane (IGT) 2022, 11% ABV

RRP: €29.95.  Stockists: Le Caveau, 64 Wine, Greenman Wines, Bradleys Cork

This still, dry red wine (a blend of Frappato 70% Nero D'Avola 30%) is made by Arianna Occhipinti in the south-east corner of the Italian Island of Sicily

It has a bright and inviting ruby colour (reminiscent of Pinot Noir or Gamay). Aromas are gentle, with red fruits like wild cherries and raspberries, also floral notes, and herbal too.  Plum and cherry and berry again in the strikingly delightful and stimulating progress on the palate. There is fine acidity and soft tannins in a beautiful easy-drinking wine.  

Very Highly Recommended.

A delightful wine to sip and matches well with grilled meats, fish, roasted veg, and caramelised onions. Serve at 16-18° C.

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The SP68 is the name of the main road that passes near to Arianna’s home town of Vittoria….it lies in the far south of Sicily just to the west of Ragusa. It is here that she has been making wine for the past ten years under the tutelage of her uncle, Giusto Occhipinti, who owns and runs the famous COS estate.

There is no rush either in the vineyard or the winery, ample time is allowed. “Biodiversity is the central theme of our farm. Contributing to maintaining this balance between plants, animals, small organisms and nature as a whole is our goal. We feel like custodians of this place in the south of Sicily, among its red sands, limestone and dry stone walls. Lands that look and listen to the Mediterranean. We believe in the dialogue between different crops as has always been done in our agricultural tradition.”  

So, not just wine when you visit: here you may buy fruit, jam, juices, flour, olive oil, vegetables, even Grappa!

Interestingly, that southeast corner of the island is more southerly than the northern tip of Africa’s Tunisia. Indeed, Arianna’s town of Vittoria is more or less level with the city of Tunis, with Vittoria at 36.95 degrees, Tunis at 36.80. Vittoria though is certainly more southerly than the Tunisian seaside city of Bizerte, the northernmost city in Africa, with a latitude of 37.27. Cork, as you know, is at 51.89.

Didier’s Dedication Pays Off With Quality Wines Like This Delicious Fleurie

Didier’s Dedication Pays Off With Quality Wines Like This Delicious Fleurie

Domaine Didier Desvignes Fleurie (AC) 2021, 13.5%.

RRP: €23.95. Stockists: Le Caveau, 64 Wine, Greenman Wines, Bradleys Cork

“Everything I do both in vinegrowing and winemaking, aims at allowing nature and terroir to express themselves to the full. I choose traditional methods, including tilling between the rows, to guarantee the flavours in this wine.” 

Desvignes believes that great wines are produced from healthy and mature grapes. The Gamay thrives on pink granite soils and that is exactly what you find in Desvignes' Fleurie vineyards

The wine itself has more or less the usual light ruby colour. Aromas, floral and fruity, are also pretty much as expected. On the palate, the purity of the ripe red berry flavours is striking and it continues silky and elegant through a long finish. It is perfect with leg of lamb, poultry and grilled meat. Serve at 13°C (55°F).

This light and enjoyable wine is Very Highly Recommended

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The Desvignes family has been dedicated to the vines for six generations. Manual harvest and selection allied with respect for the equilibrium of the vines and the soil by treatment with organic manures creates wines, which express a balance between the aromatic richness of the grape variety and natural sugars and acidity. Traditional vinification techniques reflect the quality and character of each parcel of grapes.

Vinegrower-winemaker to the core, today it is Didier Desvignes’ turn to manage the family estate that has been active for over a century. They produce a wide range of Beaujolais appellations: Morgon, Brouilly, Moulin-à-Vent, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Beaujolais-Villages, and white and rosé Beaujolais-Villages. 

The first five names are cru wines in Beaujolais; the other five crus are St-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Régnié, and Côte de Brouilly. Even though all crus are produced from the Gamay grape (a black grape with white juice), each one has its own personality, its own attractions. If you enjoy this Fleurie, why not try one from another cru, then another….

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‘Natural and unpretentious’. This beautiful Beaujolais is just like winemaker Karim Vionnet!

‘Natural and unpretentious’. This beautiful Beaujolais is just like winemaker Karim Vionnet!

Vionnet “Du Beur Dans Les Pinards” Beaujolais Villages (AC) 2020, 14% ABV, 

RRP €24.95. Stockists: Le Caveau, 64 Wine, Greenman Wines, Bradleys Cork

The fruit for Du Beur dans les Pinards comes from a parcel which belonged to the late Jules Chauvet and the cheeky label is a Michel Tolmer /  Philippe Quesnot creation. 

“Who is Jules Chauvet?”

Chauvet was a Beaujolais wine dealer, winemaker, and wine scientist, who throughout the 1980s mentored the Morgon vigneron Marcel Lapierre and his collaborator Jacques Néauport, prefiguring many of today’s ideas about natural wine. 

From the 1980s, other natural wine heroes such as Breton, Lapierre, Foillard and Thevenet emerged. Our winemaker here Karim Vionnet learned from them and especially from Breton with whom he worked. And he learned well. 

Very Highly Recommended.

I didn’t have to get it into the glass to get the amazing aromatics. They can't wait to meet you and make a merry dancing impression immediately the cork is removed. The colour is a little darker than normal though not around the rim. The juicy red berry character continues on its merry light-footed delicious way across the palate before a long and refreshing Beaujolais finish.

Karim Vionnet started his own production in 2000. He farms his parcels without chemicals and makes his wines without additives and jokes that he makes wines that look like him: ‘Natural and unpretentious’

He certainly learned well from Breton and company and fully deserves a bit of butter on his spinach (Du beur means a North African and there is a bit of wordplay going on with beurre the French for butter and Vionnet’s first name). Must get Pascal at le Caveau to explain it better when next we meet.

Karim’s parcels are located in the villages of Quincié, Beaujeu and Lantignié, on very varied types of soil, ranging from marls, schists, granite and sand. Since 2020, his daughter Noemie has joined the estate, and proud dad Karim hasn’t stopped smiling since. Thanks to Le Caveau for much of this info!

This Gru-Vee will get even the weariest of spirits moving again!

This Gru-Vee will get even the weariest of spirits moving again!

Stagård Urban.GV Grüner Veltliner 2022, 12% ABV

RRP: €21.80. Stockists: Le Caveau, 64 Wine, Greenman Wines, Bradleys Cork

Urban, a fresh and lively Gruner Veltliner, is made from fruit of vineyards that are in some of the steepest locations of the western Kremstal in Niederösterreich (Austria).

This Gru-Vee (as it is sometimes called, not to universal approval!) has a strong citrus colour. Many micro-bubbles cling to the bowl of the glass. The nose gives apple and lime. It is indeed fresh and lively on the palate with almost a spritzy lime and grapefruit flavour with pepper traces and a crisp refreshing finish.

I like the way the Stagård website puts it: ““And he's so alive, he'll get even the wearyest of spirits moving again”.  Highly Recommended. 

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The current owners, Dominique & Urban, made their early reputation with exciting interpretations of Riesling.  Looks like they are doing the same with Grüner Veltliner if this beautifully made wine is anything to go by. They also produce a rosé in the Urban series, all organic and vegan. They have pursued an organic approach to the vineyards and cellar since 2006.

Their philosophy is to combine the characteristics of the grape variety with the natural conditions of the region and the vineyards. The wines are vibrant and distinguish themselves mainly by two factors: spontaneous and slow fermentation and extended time on the lees. “Above all,” says Urban, “we trust in time.” This allows each wine to find its own individual rhythm and equilibrium. These are true wines of terroir …. delightful to drink.

Stagård is an unusual name in these parts and came from Urban's father, who originally hailed from Sweden. But the history of Lesehof Stagård is as old as the town of Krems where it is situated: The "Lesehof der Tegernseer" was an old German abbey, first mentioned in official documents in 1424; its cellar dates back even further, to the year 1000. The estate passed into private hands in 1786.