Meals with a Difference 2017

Meals with a Difference 2017

Night of the Long Table
400 dine out on Cork's South Mall

Bayview Fish Special

Holy Smoke

Café Paradiso

Market Lane (Blasket Island lamb)

SpitJack (Cheese & Fortifieds)

Barnabrow's Gourmet Evening

JP McMahon at Greene's

Sage

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 Café 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 catégorie 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!

Blasket Island Lamb Arrives at Market Lane Restaurants

press release

The Market Lane Group Celebrates Blasket Island Lamb 

Across all their Restaurants in October

Jerry and Donnacha

Cork’s Market Lane Group of restaurants will celebrate the unique, award-winning lamb from the Blasket Islands on all their food menus from Wednesday 11 October 2017.  This highly anticipated event is now in its 8th year, and given the popularity of this delicious, rare meat, the chance to experience it usually only lasts until the end of the month.  This celebration of Blasket Island Lamb is exclusive to the Group. 

Chefs in each restaurant (Market Lane, Orso, Elbow Lane and Castle Cafe) create special lamb dishes that reflect their own in-house style of cooking and the full range of cuts will be used.  These will be carefully partnered with drinks recommendations from the group’s wine and beer experts.

The habitat on the islands is what makes this product so special and gives it such a great reputation. The animals graze in a marshy meadow full of heather, natural grassland and wild herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme.  The grass is salty from sea spray which gives the lamb its highly valued pre-sale flavour. The animals are free to roam so the lamb is leaner creating a perfect fat to meat ratio.

Pamela Kelly Gough, head chef of Market Lane, who has been working with Blasket Island lamb for many years now says “We are delighted as a group to shine a light on this very special organic Autumn lamb, which is different in many ways from the more usual Spring lamb” she says. “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.”

 

Lamb Shank at ORSO

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.  There, they are rested for up to a week on Donnacha’s farm in Dun Chaoin, to recuperate from their choppy journey across the Dingle Sound.  Award-winning Dingle Butcher, Jerry Kennedy, then picks out the premium lambs which are sent for slaughter. When the annual Market Lane order is delivered, the remaining lamb is sold to the public directly from Kennedy’s Butcher Shop on Orchard Lane, Dingle or via www.dinglebutcher.com

Diners at The Market Group can look forward to dishes such as;

‘Elbow Lager lamb pie, pommes anna and glazed heritage carrots’, “Blasket lamb leg in fish sauce with seaweed gratin’,  ORSO ‘Moroccan braised lamb shank with ras-el-hanout cous cous, preserved lemon, pomegranate and red onion pickle’ and ‘Anchovy and rosemary leg of lamb steak, creamed polenta, with caponata and crispy shallots.’

 

At Market Lane

Check out the new menus, drinks, specials, menu changes and availability of lamb dishes on the social media channels for the restaurants within the group including www.marketlane.ie and facebook; Market Lane.

Herbs? Salads? Natur-Ellie. Watch this Green Space

Herbs? Salads? Natur-Ellie

Watch this Green Space

Ellie, with a few of her herbs.

In the unlikely setting of a unit in a commercial estate, we are talking micro-herbs, herbs and salads in general. They are growing all around us. 

Urban gardener Ellie Donovan has just moved from another similar location and tells me she never thought there’d be such a demand for her organic micro greens. ‘“The chefs love them,” she says. She started with lots of varieties but is now down to six, the ones the chefs really like!

The urban garden!

She has been boosted by the signing of a new contract with the Market Lane group of restaurants. Market Lane’s original venture in Oliver Plunket Street will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year and no doubt their other restaurants Elbow Lane (and its micro brewery), ORSO Bar and Kitchen, and the spectacularly situated Castle Cafe will join in.

And it was at the cafe in Blackrock Castle that Ellie first began to work with the group. Here she set up a small kitchen garden and now the cafe is self sufficient and look after it themselves. She has also grown some hops in a confined location at the top of Elbow Lane. “All the Market Lane places are excellent. I love them and we have a great relationship.”

Recycled fish boxes

It is a confidence building relationship too and that will help Green Space expand. But it's hard going on your own! 

More hops for the brewery are in the pipeline. She will be using an enclosed outside patch of concrete close to the unit and will be growing lots of plants, probably including hops, in pallets that she has been collecting. And the garden at her country home will also help her ambitions to grow more outdoors.

One of the advantages in being in a commercial centre is that it is something of a community and people tend to help one another out. For instance, a nearby unit gives her used fish boxes and they are ideal for her business.

Micro!

Ellie uses coco fibre (also known as coir) as a growing medium. It is a natural product and hers includes rooting hormones. And then she also uses liquid fertilisers. At present, she is using tap water but plans are in hand - indeed some of the gear is in place - to replace it with rain-water. And another plan is to get a solar panel on the roof.

She is getting used to the particular environment of her Ballyvolane unit, learning day by day. She lost some lettuce overnight during the recent spell of very hot weather. She is pretty happy with the natural light but also uses some hanging fixtures that give close to a natural light. And she has heat mats in place for propagation.

Hydroponics in action

And what does she grow? Well lots of little herbs (some larger ones too: Rosemary, Sage, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Parsley...). The micros include Basil (four or five varieties), Coriander, Chinese and other chives, Rambo purple radish, and more. Also salads such as Mizuna, Wild Rocket, Mustards, Pea shoots etc. 

And she’s always experimenting, trying something new. So be sure and watch this Green Space!

* Read more about Ellie’s career here. 

Stellar Food and Crew at the Castle Cafe

Stellar Food and Crew at the Castle Cafe

Some go to Blackrock Castle to learn about the Universe, extreme life forms on Planet Earth and to explore life in outer space! Some go to explore the local food on their plate in the Castle Cafe. And it is very good food indeed as we discovered on last week’s visit where we enjoyed a delicious meal in a delightful venue.

The  iconic Cork landmark dates back to the 16th century but the Caste Cafe is much younger than that. Indeed, the Market Lane group (which includes the cafe, Market Lane itself, Elbow Lane and ORSO) is celebrating ten years in business. And congratulations are in order!

It may be in a castle but the café is an easy-going informal place catering to locals and visitors alike. Service is friendly but very much on the ball. You have quite a selection of menus to choose from including  A La Carte, Early Evening Offer, Set Lunch, Set Dinner, Children's Menu.

We were on the A La Carte, with quite a lot of choices. For the mains, I skipped the normal courses and the selection of salads and, for a change, went for a pizza.

From five, I picked the Goats Cheese, charred aubergine, soft egg, pecorino, spinach and truffle oil. Each and every element, even the baby spinach that had been added at the last minute, looked well and tasted well. And it was excellent overall.

CL’s choice was the Lamb tagine, sweet potato, pearl couscous, tzatziki and homemade flat bread. It was another excellent combination and she loved it but the portion was very large indeed.

 One good thing about the cafe is that they have their own Elbow Lane beers and I enjoyed a pint of the Wisdom Lane Pale Ale. No shortage of wine either and plenty of soft drinks too, including home-made lemonades.

We enjoyed two excellent starterss. CL especially loved the broth that came with her mussels, full description: Local Mussels, Rosscarberry Black Pudding, shallot, cider and cream broth.

Mine was the Bresaola, olive and anise tapenade, Gorgonzola and pickled kohlrabi. Delightful mix of textures and flavours, especially the kohlrabi.

Just room for a shared dessert: Mango and passionfruit sorbet with fresh fruits. It was a lovely finalé, not least because of the excellent mix of fruit. So it was two happy diners who took a lingering look at the castle as we strolled down to the nearby public car-park.

Opening times:

Monday: 9:30am—4:00pm

Tuesday: 9:30am—9:00pm

Wednesday: 9:30am—9:00pm

Thursday: 9:30am—9:00pm

Friday: 9:30am—9:30pm

Saturday: 9:30am—9:30pm

Sunday: 9:30am—8:00pm

More info on the Castle Cafe website here.  

Elbow Lane Brew & Smoke House. Best of goods in small parcels.

Elbow Lane Brew & Smoke House

Best of goods in small parcels

Best of goods in small parcels. An old Irish saying beloved of mothers.

And like many old sayings, there is some truth in it. Take the Elbow Lane Brew and Smoke House in Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork. The brewery here is so small, they call it nano rather than micro and the restaurant area, which can accommodate 25, is one of the smallest if not the smallest in the city. But you certainly get good stuff here.

Got the tour from Gerry O’Sullivan (you'll know him from the Castle Cafe) yesterday morning and you can see he enjoys his work here (he is also a home-brewer!). But then you realise that all the crew you meet here are on the same level of enthusiasm. Take a look at the top right of the menu and you’ll read: We’re really round of the beers that we make here. This is not marketing speak. It is true!

Perhaps, that enthusiasm has rubbed off from their beer guru Cuilan of White Gypsy. Elbow Lane folk are loud in their praise of the help and advice give by the pioneering Templemore brewery, especially Cuilán and Jamie.

The new Cork brewery is divided into two floors. The brewing and fermentation takes place downstairs while the conditioning takes place above. To save space, Gerry explained that they have an initial multi-purpose tank replacing the mash tun and lauter tun that you see in bigger breweries. Everything starts here and then the spent grain is neatly removed in its perforated container by a small hoist and no need for anyone to pop into the vessel with a shovel!

Gerry explained that hops can be added at different stages to the wort but with different effects. In general, hops added early in the boil will contribute more bitterness, but at the expense of flavor and aroma. Hops added at the end will have a more pronounced flavor and aroma, but will not contribute significantly to the bitterness of the beer.

Gerry, Conrad and brewer Russell

Hygiene is all important and is given the highest priority here. And Elbow Lane have also invested in temperature control, a key element in helping the brewer. Patience is also required, especially with lager. A German style lager can take up to six weeks while an Ale or Stout will be ready in 12 to 14 days.

There is a set of conditioning tanks upstairs - again you’ll see much bigger ones in other craft breweries. They are also known as Bright Beer Tanks. But the beer goes in cloudy. “All our beers here are unfiltered,” Gerry tells me. “They are naturally cloudy.”

The Cascade hop is one of the most popular and indeed, Gerry tells me there could well be a shortage of this particular type in the near future. They use it sparingly here, in pellet form. All the Elbow Lane beers are relatively lightly hopped, mainly because of food matching considerations. You don't want an over-hopped beer destroying the food flavours.

Indeed, the new brewery owes it existence to the food produced in the restaurants, Elbow Lane itself and big brother Market Lane next door, nearby ORSO and the Castle Cafe in Blackrock Castle. Owner Conrad Howard says they wouldn't have started a standalone “retail brewery”. But this one fits really well with the company's four food outlets, each with its own style. The Brewery has kegging and bottling facilities but that is to distribute the beers to ORSO and Blackrock. Market Lane is piped into the system!

And what kind of food do they do downstairs in the Elbow Lane Smokehouse? Well, very popular stuff by the looks of it. You'll find it difficult to get a seat after 7.00pm. Head chef Stephen Keogh is the man in charge and his pride and joy is the wood grill imported from the US.

Virtually everything you get on your plate here has been through the in-house smoker, the smoke coming from apple wood. Oak is used under the grill and here the T-Bones, the duck and fish (last Thursday night it was Sea Bream), is finished off.

And it really is going down very well. “There is a great feedback from all age groups”, says a delighted Gerry. “What’s your favourite?”, I asked. “Oh give me a T-Bone with that smoked Béarnaise butter and I’ll be a happy puppy!”

Sounds very good indeed. Pity it was early in the morning when we met! Must go back and try the cooking, the ribs are also highly rated. And it is a very different menu.  Even the desserts! Where else would you get Passion Curd, eucalyptus and tamarind jelly?

At present, there are some five beers in the Elbow Lane range: Elbow Lager, Wisdom Ale, Liberty Porter, Angel Stout and Jawbone Pale Ale. Check them out here. Oh yes, you may also drink wine here, even tea and coffee!

Elbow Lane
4 Oliver Plunkett Street
Cork
021 239 0479.
info@elbowlane.ie

Know Their Onions in Market Lane

Know Their Onions in Market Lane

Just after 12.30pm on Friday, I joined the queue going into Market Lane. We were seated in no time and the place was buzzing, customers chatting, staff welcoming, smiles and a happy buzz all round. And the food wasn't bad either! Excellent actually.

Hadn't been in for  a while but was glad to see that French Onion Soup (€5.95) still on the menu. It is still gorgeous, full of standout flavours and I just love the added Gruyere and Croutons. Reckon I’ll always be looking out for that one.

Our other starter was also a beauty: Baked Ardsallagh goat’s cheese, caramelised pear and spinach on a quinoa and walnut tart with a beetroot, orange and rocket salad (7.95). I know quinoa doesn't always get a good press but this was a delicious good looking combination, full of attractive flavours and textures.

The high standard was maintained throughout. My main course, a vegetarian one, was the Moussaka with aubergine, fennel, beans, cinnamon, lentils and cheddar cheese with a feta, orange and rocket salad. Loved this, full of juicy flavours and some good chunky bites there too, all for €13.95.

The big spender choose the Spiced Lamb Shoulder with Bombay aloo potatoes, organic leaves, pickled cauliflower, shallots and mint and cucumber raita (11.95). She would have preferred a few more potatoes but made short work of yet another delicious dish from the Market Lane kitchen.

No time unfortunately for their tempting desserts. Indeed, with an evening visit to a local brewery on the cards, I didn't even have a glass of wine. And here you get a generous glass, 187 mls no less; besides, the price is in proportion to the full bottle price. And they have some lovely craft beer on offer as well, including their own Angel Lane Stout. Watch out for more of their own beers in the very near future as their very own Elbow Lane Brewery nears completion.

Market Lane, open seven days a week, caters for all sizes of wallet, all sizes of stomach! That goat’s cheese salad, for instance is available in two sizes. If you are in a hurry, you may avail of their Special €10.00 Lunch Offer of Soup, Half-sandwich, mini-chocolate pot and tea or coffee. Quite a bargain.

And watch out as well for their 3-course Early Evening Meal which has some great choices and indeed includes many of the regular main courses. A great way to get to know a really good quality good value restaurant. And, by the way, you won't be on your own. Always a buzz here.

Dining at the Castle

Dining at the Castle Café

The sky cleared as we arrived at Cork’s Blackrock Castle this week for lunch in the Castle Café. and, from the bright front room - there is also an inner room - we had a close-up view of the 16th century castle under a beautiful blue sky.

Blackrock Castle is located on the banks of the River Lee, about 2 kilometres from the heart of Cork city. Nowadays, it houses the CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory and, in the small grounds, the Castle Café.

It is  a very popular spot for lunch. We had arrived rather early, about 12.30pm, last Wednesday, but had to wait in line for a table. After a short spell, during which we studied the menu, we were led to our table. The menus are already there as they use them as table mats, just as they do in Market Lane, a busy city centre restaurant run by the same firm (ORSO is also under the same umbrella).

The Elbow Lane Brewery, soon to come onstream if reports are correct, is also part of the group. For the moment, at least in the Castle, you can sample the craft brews of Dungarvan Brewing and Eight Degrees Brewing in bottle. On draught, they have a White Gypsy red ale and I sampled, and very much enjoyed, a glass of that (€2.30) with the meal.

Service was pretty good here, even if all tables were full. Presentation and delivery of the food was fine and what was supposed to be warm was warm and water was refilled without having to make a request.

We had two good salads as our mains. One was the Slow cooked ham with honey glaze, roast sweet potato, watercress, sundried tomatoes and grapefruit dressing (€10.95) and the other a Caesar Salad with Romaine Lettuce, classic Caesar dressing, parmesan shavings and croutons (€8.50) enhanced by the addition chicken and Bacon (€2.50).

But it was the starters that had us talking, as both were superb. Mine was the Seared Escalope of venison with leek and thyme risotto (€8.50). The strongly flavoured meat was well matched with the soft and gorgeous risotto.

Homemade crab fish fingers with lemon cucumber pickle and quince jelly (€7.95) was another gem, a well cooked main ingredient enhanced by the pickle and jelly. Big marks for each of these. Curried prawn dauphine with a seafood sauce and watercress salad was another starter I'd have liked to have tried. Next time!

++++++++++++++++++++++
Castle Café, Blackock Castle, Cork.

Phone	(021) 435 7911
Email	info@castlecafe.ie
Website	http://www.castlecafe.ie Hours Mon: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Tue - Thu: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm Fri - Sat: 10:00 am - 9:30 pm Sun: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

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