FANTASTIC LAMB AT MARKET LANE

FANTASTIC LAMB AT MARKET LANE

Enjoyed some fantastic Blasket Lamb at Market Lane on Friday night. Our special: “Noisette of Blasket Lamb (on spinach) with feta and roast vegetable pie, chap potatoes and lamb jus.The lambs roam free, grazing on the diverse herbage of the sea soaked island. This diet of heather, herbs and grasses give the lamb its unique flavour.”

Free range is good but free range besides the sea is even better going by this experience. It was beautiful, tender and full of flavour.

It was probably the best lamb that I’ve tasted - ever. Much of credit here must go to the chefs at Market Lane. After all, you may have been give the best gem in the world but you unless you set it off well, the sparkle is wasted.

And what a setting on this plate. That feta and vegetable pie was gorgeous; the chap potatoes (which included some minced lamb) even more so. And the cost was a very reasonable €19.50.

I think you can be assured that whatever lamb this restaurant comes up with next – the Blasket is running out fast – will also be treated and served up well! And then there is so much more here on a very expansive menu. Something like 14 main courses, ranging from €12.96 to €24.49 (for fillet steak).

One that caught my eye for the lower amount was Slow cooked West Cork ham hock with creamy leeks, baked potato and broccoli. How about the Pan-fried hake fillet with broccoli, bok choi, bell peppers, sautéed potatoes and a walnut lime pesto for €16.28.

Enticing starters too. Sweet potato with Crozier blue cheese, spinach, dates and roasted pine nut oil for €7.63. I had started with a bowl of marinated olives and my dessert (all €6.00) was Layers of white and milk chocolate mousse with walnuts and Cointreau sponge. Wines range from €4.90 a glass to €29.50 a bottle and there is also a good selection of other drinks.

You could eat here for a month and not repeat yourself. And it is lovely lively place. The staff are all courteous and helpful and, on this occasion, all were very enthusiastic indeed about the lamb. And rightly so as it turned out. What a treat!

MARKET LANE

MARKET LANE


Market Lane is always a good bet when you’re in town and wondering where to go for lunch. I was in the area on Friday and called in and enjoyed it.


Quite a range of prices on the menu. For instance, the mains go from €10.95 to €16.95. I went for the Spaghetti with pan fried tiger prawns, marinated salmon, roast vine tomatoes, cream and parmesan (€16.95). A beautiful well balanced and colourful bowlful and I was very happy with it.


The other main dish ordered was Pan Fried Hake fillet with broccoli, bok choi, peppers, sautéed potatoes and a walnut and lime pesto (€16.95). Quite a plateful and, aside from the fact that the broccoli piece was pretty much on the hard side (house style here), a really gorgeous and very satisfying mid-day meal for the hungry person across from me!


Desserts all cost €6.25. I should perhaps have selected the mini-chocolate cup at two euro but greedily picked the Chocolate and Bailey’s Tart with hazelnut biscuit base with cream, of course. The whole thing, including the crispy base, was really gorgeous.


The other dessert, Orange and Vanilla bread and butter pudding, was huge, even looked big as it was carried across the floor. Probably too much for just one person but it was very very tasty. Two coffees (no wine!) brought the total to about €51.00.


Market Lane, by the way, have recently taken over the Cafe/Restaurant/Bar at Blackrock Castle. They do lunch seven days a week and evening meals on Friday and Saturday. That venue is now on my list!

MARKET LANE

MARKET LANE

What value at Market Lane this evening. 

By chance, I choose a starter and main course that were on the €20.00 early bird. Starter was Pork and Liver Paté with pickled red cabbage followed by Slow cooked Ham Hock with Savoy Cabbage, Sautéed potatoes and Cauliflower cheese. From three desserts, I choose the Chocolate Pot to go with my included coffee. Of course, it wouldn't have been value at all had the food not been up to scratch. But it was just scrumptious.

My non-financially challenged other half went a la carte and started with the Olives at €2.95. Most starters, by the way, cost about €7.50. It was a massive bowl of Olives and we shared both olives and pate. Her mains was a Tempura of Monk fish with lemon and herb potato cake with a tomato, olive and saffron ragout €18.95. She a very happy overall, even though she thought the ragout was a bit too strong for the fish.

The place was busy, busy. People were being turned away before seven bells struck, not a seat to be had. Busy or not, the standards were high. Service, with a smile and a chat, was top class all through.

Oh, nearly forgot the wine. We had a 50 cl carafe of the house white: St Marthe Sauvignon Blanc, with decent flavour, body and length and excellent value at €12.00.

http://www.marketlane.ie/

021 427 4710

O'KEEFFE'S ST LUKES

Must admit I was a happy camper after a recent visit to O’Keeffe’s (St Luke’s), a treasure trove of top class artisan foods. The produce is mainly local but one of my purchases was a pack of Hazer Baba Turkish Delight, all the way from Istanbul. Pistachio was embedded in the sweet sweet cubes and that made for a slightly more chewy version, more satisfying than the normal coated “jelly”.

Met some very satisfied diners this weekend. One couple had been at Market Lane, another in Kudos and a larger group at Tracy’s in Ballincollig.

Not so satisfied was a customer of BB’s in Ballincollig who thought €2.80 was very expensive for a cup of Coffee-to-go; in addition “they were very slow”. By way of comparison, Quiznos in Merchant's Quay, sells coffee for €1. Reference: grapes_of_sloth on Twitter.

see reviews of O'Keeffe's at http://www.qype.co.uk/place/1067148-OKeeffes-Groceries-Cork

MARKET LANE LUNCH

At the Market Lane, I have been meaning to try the Jack McCarthy sausages with potato mash, gravy onions, steamed vegetables and Yorkshire pudding, for some time. Got my chance at lunch today and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have had some soggy sorry Yorkshire puddings over the years but this was superb and the entire dish came in under €13.00


A slice of quiche tart with a generous helping of potato salad and baby leaves was another of the main dishes at our table and that too got the thumbs up.

I had started with one of my favourites, the French Onion Soup with gruyere and croutons, and finished with a mini chocolate pot (€2.00) and coffee. Very enjoyable as was my companion’s Banoffi.



Enjoyable also was my excellent glass of wine, a Domaine de St Marthe Syrah 2004 (FR), and that came in about €6.50.

MARKET LANE

Cork - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - Irish

MARKET LANE

Downtown Friday night and time on your hands before mealtime? Call in to Counihan’s. Enjoy a glass of wine and live jazz (starts at 6.00pm).
Did just that last night and then headed for Market Lane. It is a no booking establishment so we had to wait a few minutes for a table.
With a glass of excellent Chenin Blanc (5.90) at hand, I tucked into the Pan-fried Sea bass with sweet potato mash and a chunky salad (the spring onion pieces were quite robust, perhaps too much so for anyone whose teeth aren’t what they were), wilted greens and tarragon butter sauce €18.95. I had no problem on that score and enjoyed the good quality dish.
I wasn’t as impressed with my dessert: Orange and vanilla bread and butter pudding. It was well presented but quite ordinary and I could not give more than five out of ten. However, the other dessert at the table, a Mango and passion fruit sorbet with fresh fruit, was very highly rated.

All in all, it was another good meal at a reasonable price in the deservedly busy establishment. A good way to sample the cooking here is the Early Evening Offer: soup, main course (big choice), mini chololate pot and tea or coffee for €20.00, Mon - Thurs.

Market Lane, 5 Oliver Plunket Street, Cork. 021 4274710, http://www.marketlane.ie/
Check out my review of market lane - I am cork - on Qype

MARKET LANE SCORES HIGH AGAIN

View of Gruyere

TOP LUNCH VENUE

Enjoyed my lunchtime visit to a very busy Market Lane last week.

Started with the French Onion soup, with Gruyere, and it was a very good start indeed. Then on to the haddock dish, served with potato and chorizo. A magnificent plateful and very very tasty.

I had been on the lookout for a white fish dish as I strolled town and looked at a few menus (Isaac’s, Boqueria, Star Anise, Continental) before I settled on the market lane and they sure didn't let me down.

That meal confirmed the Oliver Plunkett Street venue as my top lunch venue. There is extra value there these days: a lunch special at €10.00 and an early bird at €20.00. Well worth a try!

I can also confirm that my favourite Chinese is still Ying’s Palace in Mayfield. Checked out the local opposition, the Orchid in Ballyvolane, recently but my opinion is that there is better, in terms of both food and value, available at Ying’s Place.

Market Lane

JANUARY UPDATE

Tried to beat this gloomy weather with lunch at The Continental today but it was closed for a holiday break. Followed the Advisor and her brolly, what a lethal weapon, across to Market Lane and what a lunch we enjoyed.

Naturally smoked Haddock with sautéed potatoes, broccoli, Chorizo and an onion cream sauce, absolutely gorgeous, plates cleaned.

Desserts: a White and Dark Chocolate Mousse for me and a Pineapple capriccio with a Blackcurrant sorbet for herself. We could have ended up licking the plates.

Two coffees and two glasses of house wine brought the bill to €57.00.

FOOD SOURCES: go to North Main Street and get your Italian bits and pieces at Casanova’s delicatessen La Botteghina. I got some Almond Cookies (€2.90) there recently. Dunk them in your dessert wine and enjoy!

O’Herlihy's at St Luke’s is a good place to go to get artisan breads and cakes along with other fine foods. Parking is terrible but it is worth it!

Anyone got any info on Bromley Lodge (to your left by Slatty Bridge) before you cross the bridge to Fota. Car park was packed there last Saturday but I couldn't call.

My Favourites in Cork

YEAR END RECOMMENDATIONS

ENJOY

Favourite high end restaurant: Jacques

Favourite Bistro: Isaacs

Favourite medium priced restaurant: Market Lane

Favourite Italian: Casanova

Favourite Chinese: Ying’s Palace

Favourite Hotel restaurant: Pembroke Grill in the Imperial.

Favourite pizzeria: The Brick Oven in Bantry.

Favourite Dessert: While the desserts in Jacques are excellent, my vote goes to Jacobs on the Mall for its Date and Butterscotch Pudding.

LUNCH
Hard to go wrong here as you will get a decent lunch in most places in town, especially Market Lane. The outskirts are also well served: try Killumney Inn on the west, The Boot House on the north and the Elm Tree on the east. You will get a good roast of the day in any these.

For something different why not try Boqueria, the Tapas Bar in Bridge Street. On a recent visit I enjoyed a bowl of paella (loads of chicken and shellfish and served with a tarty side salad, for a €10.00). Just to add a note of caution, a glass of wine here (starting at €7.00 and mostly from Catalonia) is a full 25cl, a third of a bottle, and substantially more than your usual glass.

LUNCH IN THE LANE

A TALE OF TWO SOUPS

The Lunch menu in the Market Lane is not that much different from the Evening Menu.

And the Seafood soup (€6.95) is not that much different from the ordinary soup (€4.95). At lunch today, the advisor got the regular soup, a nice tomato one. I got the Seafood variety which was the same tomato soup with cheese shreds, croutons and a few fishy bits added. Both were quite good – no complaints on that score. But I felt they took the lazy way to an extra two euro with the seafood soup.

The Quiche, well made and studded with pieces of tomato, pepper and even nut, was very very tasty and was served with an herby potato salad and leaves (which were beautifully dressed). It was excellent, a lovely main course for lunch.

We opted for the our usual desserts here and, with a half litre of house white, the bill came to €56.90.

Market Lane is highly recommended. The phone number is 021 4274710 (note that they don't take bookings for less than six people).

NOT LIKE MOTHER'S!!

Not like mother used to make it!

That was my first thought as my Orange and Vanilla Bread and Butter Pudding arrived on table during a recent visit to Market Lane, a quite competitive restaurant at the lower end of Oliver Plunket Street.

This was a superb sweet, moist with a very negotiable crust on top and so so tasty. I had to fend off attacks from the other side of the table. I must admit a counterattack or two as well as the Raspberry Sorbet with Fresh Fruit was also a smashing dessert.

Main course was Hake with a Dill crust and Lime sauce, the most expensive on the keenly priced menu at €17.95. The fish, served with scallions and salsify which provided a welcome crunch element, was top class and the meal, which followed an introductory bowl of olives (€2.50), was excellent overall.

From my own point of view, my own taste, I thought the Dill crust was a little on the heavy handed side. Dill, as those of you who poured gripe water into the kids in the good old days will know, has quite a perfume and a heavy application of the curst tended to overshadow the fresh fish. Sundried tomatoes were also part of the dish and again I thought they were bit too much for the hake. On the other hand, the cherry tomatoes were absolutely spot on and very juicy and tasty.

These are small personal points and tie in with my own philosophy on food which is simply: keep it simple - good ingredients and not too many of them.

Wine was a medium dry Chenin Blanc, Cape Storm – South Africa. Pure fruit driven, zingy with a slight apple flavour.


http://www.marketlane.ie

TAKE A WALK DOWN THE LANE

MARKET LANE

The Market Lane restaurant, on the lower end, close to Parnell Place, of Oliver Plunkett Street is a welcome addition to the scene in the city.

We called in last night (Friday). The place was very busy but we were soon seated and each of us started with a bowl of delightful marinated olives.

Main course was Grilled Sea Bass (bream normally) with a Mediterranean vegetables and bean cassoulet. It was a happy combination. The fish was the star of the show but the accompaniment was delightful also. This dish needed nothing else, well aside from a 50cl carafe of the house white (11.50). In this case, there was no need for chips or mash or any other bulky stuff to disguise the poverty of the main ingredient. Brilliant.

And the superlatives didn't stop there. There was room for dessert and I chose the Banoffee, a real banoffee this time as the three main ingredients were all present, the banana, toffee and biscuit base all combining to make a very sinful whole. The Advisor had an equally tempting Warm Berry Crumble and spoonfuls were swapped across the table.

The total cost, two portions of olives, two bass, two desserts and wine came to about €65.00. Service was efficient and friendly. So we paid up with a smile and a promise to return.

The Restaurant’s own info:
Market Lane is a new restaurant and bar over two floors that offers great food and amazing value. We use ingredients from The English Market and local artisan producers to make up our menu which has a wide range of fish, salads, meat, game and sandwiches, in addition to coeliac and vegetarian dishes and a healthy kids menu.

We take bookings for parties of six and over. For parties of fewer than six we operate a walk-in policy. Should there be no table available immediately, our large bar is fully licensed. Our upstairs section can accommodate up to 65 people. Reservation queries can be made by telephone to 021 427 4710 or by email info@marketlane.ie . The website is http://www.marketlane.ie/