Dining "Now" Guide. This Week's Choices In Cork

 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)

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An amazing wine-maker in the shadow of the Dolomites!

 Contact:  info@latitude51.ie

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Glass Curtain menu below
contact: 
http://Theglasscurtain.ie/

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Tapas for Two

Menu here

Greene's marvellous Click and Collect continues as usual.

Get all the details here

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O'Mahony's Watergrasshill are travelling to India for this Weekend's 'Saturday night takeout' - menu goes live tomorrow. Also our farmshop O'Mahony's stores reopens Thursday morning. We can't wait to serve great coffee, soup n sambo combo's and yummy sweet things to you.

Order at 086 831 6879

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Liberty Grill

Liberty Grill are holding the final trials of our Brunch to Go over the next 3 day up to 2pm

Join the virtual queue for our Brunch menu of the freshest ingredients, locally-sourced with seasonal highlights

Our New England influenced all-day brunch menu features classics like Eggs Benedict and French Toast and from 12 midday we will add a selection of our fine burgers.

How to join the queue

- Via the @WalkUpLdn APP

- Phone us on 0214271049

- Call inside the restaurant

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Cornstore Mother's Day

MOTHERS DAY

ROAST BOX with DESSERTS

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(Includes 3 Meats & feeds 4)

• Rib of Beef

• Pork Porchetta

• Rolled breast of Turkey.

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Al meats are roasted to finish off at home, simply carve and serve with our “finish off at home” trimmings - Cornstore creamy mash, duck fat roast potatoes, bread stuffing filled yorkshire puddings, seasonal roast veg, buttered cabbage & pan jus roast gravy.

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DESSERTS: 3 Desserts to choose from...

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All this for €55 and You will be able to PREORDER these boxes and choose your collection time on Friday 12th, Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th but don’t delay because when they’re gone, they’re gone!!.

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CORK www.cornstorecork.ie for CLICK & COLLECT

or

CALL & COLLECT 021-4274777 opening times Thursday 4-8pm, Friday 2-8pm, Saturday 11-8pm and Sunday 1-7pm.

Or

ORDER at the DOOR

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CELEBRATE
MOTHER’S DAY &
ST. PATRICK’S WEEK
with HEAT AT HOME from MARKET LANE

Comes with FREE ‘Always Cork’ tote bag (while stocks last).

Children's Menu also. Contact here

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This is a trial run!! (For future inclusions, please contact me before 1.00pm Wed with a sentence or two, a pic and a link to menu)

MARKET LANE SERVES UP A CULINARY TREAT TO CELEBRATE MOTHER’S DAY & ST PATRICK’S DAY

MARKET LANE SERVES UP A CULINARY TREAT

 TO CELEBRATE MOTHER’S DAY & ST PATRICK’S DAY

Bacon & Cabbage

There has never been a more important time to celebrate our loved ones and to say thanks for being there.  With this in mind, and two very important dates coming up in March, Cork’s beloved Market Lane Restaurant on Oliver Plunket Street has created a very affordable and simple to use ‘heat at home’ food box menu for Mother’s Day on the 14^th March and St Patrick’s Day on the 17th.   So, while you may not be able to go out for dinner, you can still treat loved-ones to a culinary feast at home without having to break the bank.

Choose from ‘Ballinwillin Venison Pie with Wisdom Ale’, ‘Slow cooked Rosscarbery Bacon and Mustard Glaze’ (picture attached) or Spiced Veggie Moussaka with Toonsbridge Feta. Puddings include an Orange and Vanilla Bread & Butter Pudding with Custard and Chocolate Cheesecake with Hazelnut Praline’. A 2-course meal, including a range of sides, is €25 per person and there is a children’s menu for €9.50. Elbow Lane beers, signature cocktails and wine can be added to the order and diners will also get a gift of a trendy ‘Always Cork’ tote designed by the restaurant group. Orders can be placed via marketlane.ie for collection at the restaurant.

The Market Lane group of restaurants includes ORSO, Elbow Lane Smokehouse & Brewery, Castle Restaurant Blackrock, Goldie and Market Lane.

press release
 

Keep Going Cork. Competition! CLOSED!!!!

Keep Going Cork 

Competition! CLOSED!!!!

Correct Answer: Goldie's

And the winner is: 

crazy_chemist_coffee via Instagram

Back in the early stages of Covid, back when we thought it would last a couple of months rather than a couple of years, the Market Lane group commissioned the Keep Going Cork logo. They displayed it on the windows of their restaurants around the city and it became very popular and the group allowed other businesses use it as well.

Covid hasn't gone away and neither has Market Lane. Conrad Howard has just been in touch: "We are going to sell tote bags in January and February with the #keepgoingcork message on them. €6 per pop from the front door with all profits going to SVP." A lovely thought from Conrad and his team, all for a great cause.

He has sent on a couple of the bags and you can win them through this competition (Closing Date 9.00am 12th Jan 2021 and open to Republic of Ireland addresses only ). Just answer the following question:

Q. Name the Market Lane group restaurant that specialises in fish.

Send you answer, name and contact details, to cork.billy@gmail.com 

Morale boosting window messaging by Cork's Market Lane

MARKET LANE GROUP CREATES WINDOW MESSAGES TO BOOST MORALE 

Picture Shows: Morale boosting window messaging created by Cork's Market Lane Group of Restaurants for their establishments in the Oliver Plunkett Street area of the city center including Market Lane, Elbow Lane Smokehouse & Brewery, Goldie and ORSO.

As a gesture of solidarity, this window display is now being used by several other businesses on the street which have also been forced to close. The initiative has also been getting lots of traction on social media from those who are still using the city centre. 

Any other establishments who would like to display these messages can download the artwork freely and find out more information from bitedesign.com/love-cork

Stay safe!    

press release

Time to go fishing folks! Head to Goldie

Time to go fishing folks! Head to Goldie

Monkfish

The much loved salmon, popularly known as Goldie, swims forever on top of the tower of St Anne’s in Shandon, in one of the most elevated positions in Cork City. The fish and ale restaurant named Goldie, in the flat of the city, is already in an elevated position when its comes to matters fish on the plate. Our first meal there a few months back was impressive, this latest even more so.They appear to be getting into their stride. Who knows what heights this creative kitchen will hit in the seasons ahead.

Aishling

Lots of hard work here too. After all, they get the whole fish in here every morning. But Head Chef Aishling Moore is relishing it, the head to tail ethos, the challenge that each delivery poses, plus the freedom to create that it also makes possible. “I’m living the dream,” she said on our latest call.

Cork's Goldie Fish (Shandon) and Goldie Angel (Saint Fin Barre's)

The Goldie Menu has three main sections: Snacks, Small Plates, and Mains. You also have sides and desserts of course. And then there’s the beers, all from their own brewery across the road in Elbow Lane, ales formulated by brewer Russell to “specifically suit the foods that we offer”, three on draught, two in bottle. They do have a matching wine list of course and, on the night, had some interesting special offers on.

Snacks

You can expect to see quite a range of fish on the menu. On our visit last week, squid, prawn, ling, oyster, mussel, salt fish brandade, plaice, ray, and monkfish were all in the mix to some degree or other. No meat here but vegetarians are catered for at all stages including a mains of Piccalilli Panisse, Coolea Cheese sauce, and kale.

We started with beers (Elbow Lager and Jawbone Ale - all their beers are named after Cork lanes) and a couple of snacks. The Chickpea Wafer, fennel and Coolea Cheese, was a delicious wee bite but my favourite was the Salted Ling fish finger, with gherkin ketchup.

Oysters

CL continued on the vegetarian path with a small plate of Beetroot, gherkin ketchup, yogurt and horseradish. Absolutely superb, so good I persuaded her to share. She did well too though as she was full of praise for my Tempura of Oysterhaven Oysters, with ponzu sauce. 

That sauce was magic and indeed I thought the combination well capable of converting oyster haters and when I mentioned that to our server, she said she’d seen it happen here. So if you are a bit doubtful about oysters and you find yourself in Goldie, do go for it. Other small plates on the night included Steamed mussels, creamed watercress and cider and also Salt Fish Brandade, seaweed cracker, pickles.

Beetroot

Now, for the main event. We were both tempted by the Whole Roast Plaice, bok choi, café de Paris but that will have to wait for another night! Instead we went for the Ray and Monkfish dishes and a delicious side (shared) of Sea Salt shoestring chips.

Sauces and relishes here are key - like the ponzu earlier. Now it was turn of a well-judged red wine sauce to work its magic with the Pan Fried Ray and the parsnip. And superlatives too for the oyster velouté  and fennel that enhanced the Pan Fried Monkfish. Umami on the double.

Ray

And those thin little chips were also top notch. Other tempting sides available included Chinese cabbage squid, peanut and tahini dressing and also Roast cauliflower and hazelnut brown butter.

Just a short dessert list. We had tried, and enjoyed, the Killahora Orchard apple port Panna cotta on the previous visit and this time picked the equally enjoyable Blood orange posset, brown butter Madeleine, white chocolate and tarragon ganache. Quite a delightful plateful that we shared.

Then time to say goodbye to the very friendly and efficient crew here. But we did have a peek at the upstairs room that has just been opened for service. Downstairs, it is very bright and modern. Upstairs, there is more by way of decor, lots of foliage. Will definitely take the pressure off downstairs at weekends and would also be a lovely room for a midweek party (up to 15 people or thereabouts). 

Party or no party, go fishing folks! Head to Goldie.

Goldie 

128 Oliver Plunkett Street (opposite Market Lane)

Cork

Open 5pm, Tue - Sat.

info@goldie.ie

+353 21 239 8720

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 finalé 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. 

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

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 Café 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.”

MARKET LANE GROUP TO CELEBRATE ARRIVAL OF BLASKET ISLAND LAMB ON MENUS

MARKET LANE GROUP TO CELEBRATE 

ARRIVAL OF BLASKET ISLAND LAMB ON MENUS

As the tiny flock of lambs arrived safely on shore at Dun Chaoin harbour late September, following a choppy boat ride from Beaginish island, across the Dingle Sound, there was an audible sigh of relief. In 2018 the weather was so bad in Dingle that it was too dangerous even to attempt to get the lambs off the islands, so their safe arrival this year is seen as a blessing.

In the meantime, Cork’s Market Lane Group of restaurants, which includes Market Lane, Elbow Lane, ORSO, Goldie and Castle Café, have been preparing for weeks to celebrate this unique, award-winning Autumn lamb.  Dishes, which have been created to use every part of the animal, will be on menus from mid/end of October until their exclusive supply of this wonderful product has run out. 

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 pre-sale flavour.

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.”

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’.

The story begins with smallholder, Donnacha O Ceileachair, who shepherds his small flock of sheep on the Islands.  When the April-born lambs are ready in September, he brings them from the island onto his farm on the mainland.  After a couple of weeks, Kennedy then picks out the premium lambs which are sent for slaughter.  “Timing is very important,” says Kennedy.  “The lambs have been used to the peaceful surrounds of the islands and they can lose weight very quickly when they are distressed.  After selecting out the lamb for the Market Lane Group, the remainder will be sold through his shop in Dingle town to a waiting list of customers.

It is a very dangerous job to get the animals off the islands.  “You have to be pretty fit and healthy,” says O’Ceileachair.  “We will be looking very soon to get the younger generation involved to make sure that this tradition is kept alive and well - so the public can continue to enjoy the unique and delicious taste of this special lamb.”

Updates for the Blasket Island Lamb Celebration at the Market Lane Group of restaurants will be available on its social media channels.

press release

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 Café 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

ORSO Breakfast Brightens Dull Morning

ORSO Breakfast Brightens Dull Morning

Poached Eggs on Sweet Potato and Courgette Cakes with Roast Pepper Relish

It’s a duller than dishwater June morning as we turn into Pembroke Street in a wet Cork City centre. But light is at hand. The bright breakfast menu in ORSO will cheer us up. 

The happy feeling begins with a warm greeting and generous mugs of hot tea, and spreads as we study the new breakfast line-up, packed full of colour, texture and flavour. It promises much and that promise is more than delivered over the next thirty minutes or so.

Shakshuka

There are eleven choices (no sign of a Full Irish) on the new menu, under three headings: Hot Stuff, Healthy Kick and On Toast. Healthy includes Poached Eggs on Brown Soda Bread with mixed leaves and also Egg White, Spinach and Spring onion Omelette with Jalapeno, Tomato and Coriander. On Toast offers Baked Halloumi, Beetroot Spread and Zhoug though you may prefer the Scrambled Egg, Spinach, Pesto, Crumbled Feta, both are served on Toasted home-baked Focaccia. And you may order extra sides like crispy bacon, hummus, avocado and more.

CL spotted her pick in the Healthy Kick selection, though I always thought her kick was healthy enough! That could earn me another one. In any event, she was delighted with her Poached Eggs on Sweet Potato and Courgette Cakes with Roast Pepper Relish (7.80). It looks good in the photo and was superb, really perfect.

Since I first saw the menu published a week or two back, I had my mind set on a particular dish (and never quite made it as far as the Healthy Kick). Must say that I was tempted by the Manoushi of freshly baked flatbread, black pudding, caramelised onion, egg, harissa and cheese. But the Shakshuka with baked eggs, harissa, beans, spicy chorizo and crisp bread (9.00), was my target and it hit the bullseye with that delicious moderately spicy combination, warming and filling and very highly recommended.

The small restaurant, part of the Market Lane group in the city, fully caters for vegans and vegetarians and many dishes are gluten-free.  Menus are created with the season in mind in the kitchen, where all of the spices are blended, and where fresh bread is baked daily and the food prepared.

ORSO and the Market Lane group in general support local producers and you can see a full list of their suppliers here. While you’re on the site, you can also browse the various menus. And, if you are busy at work and can’t get in to eat, you are welcome to phone in your take-out order to 021 243 8000.

ORSO 

8 Pembroke Street

Cork

021 243 8000

Hours

Mon­day 8:30am – 5pm; Tues­day to Thurs­day
8:30am – 10pm; Fri­day & Sat­ur­day 8:30am – 10:30pm; Sun­days in Decem­ber 4:00pm – 10:00pm; All other Sun­days: Closed.