The Castle Cafe. An excellent and friendly neighbourhood restaurant in the bailey of Cork's iconic Blackrock Castle.

The Castle Cafe. An excellent and friendly neighbourhood restaurant in the bailey of Cork's iconic Blackrock Castle.

Cauliflower

You won't be dining in the castle's grand hall at Blackrock’s Castle Cafe – but that's not a bad thing. The cafe itself is a bright, airy separate building just metres from the castle steps, with glass walls letting the light pour in. You may not have your regal robes on but you will get food fit for royals, the only difference is that you pay for it!

The Cas­tle is a fam­ily friendly neigh­bour­hood restau­rant. Old and very young were enjoying lunch when we called there last week. The food, which features the best of local produce, was excellent as was the welcome and the service was friendly and efficient throughout.

You can combine your visit to the café with a stroll through the nearby village, maybe drop into the castle itself  and see the Observatory and there are kilometres of walks in the immediate area. The Cas­tle restaurant is a pop­u­lar venue, just out­side the city centre. It is open Tuesday to Sunday.

We had quite a choice of starters including Rosscarbery pork belly, miso maple glaze, spring onion, sesame seeds, Ballycotton smoked fish gratin with toasted sourdough ,  and Glenbeigh mussels in a white wine cream sauce, with toasted sourdough. Our pick- we shared - was the Cauliflower bravas with tahini ketchup, tumeric aioli and coriander. Absolutely enjoyed this slightly spiced dish, an ideal starter. Very Highly Recommended.

Chicken and cabbage......

Sandwiches and Platters also feature here at this time of day and the one that caught my eye was the Turkish platter of grilled Toonsbridge halloumi, white bean hummus, beetroot egg, sweet onion pickle, cous-cous, house flatbread and harissa aioli.

But we went straight to the Mains. Again, there were quite a few, including a Seared fillet steak on  flatbread, Seared Hake fillet, a Slow-cooked Crowe’s bacon collar with a honey and mustard glaze, Fish and Chips, and more. 

There a couple of chicken options including CL’s choice of Roast marinated chicken, maple and thyme root vegetable, white cabbage with caraway butter, mashed potato and gravy, pretty much a Castle classic and served here for quite a few years. We could taste why, even the cabbage was a star. You can bet on this one!

One of a selection
of local soft drinks.
Wines, beers,
cocktails too.

Mine wasn't as traditional, at least not in these parts.  I took a punt on the Balinese Nasi Goreng of shredded Skeaghanore confit duck, chilli, soy and ginger rice, pickled fennel, cucumber and scallions topped with a fried egg.  With the high quality Skeaghanore duck at its centre, this Indonesian Fried Rice dish was an intriguing melange of textures, flavours and well-judged spice. It was polished off, down to the last grain of rice! And not a scrap of that pickled veg was left.

No room for dessert, though. Hard to leave their famous Marmalade and Vanilla Bread & Butter Pudding behind. Next time! 

The Castle is one of the five restaurants in the Market Lane group, the others being Market Lane itself, ORSO, Elbow Lane (with its micro-brewery) and Goldie. The group is a huge supporter of local produce and suppliers and you may see the full list here. 

Balinese Nasi Goreng

Sustainability is very much on the agenda. All five restaurants are Food Waste Charter Members. Market Lane, in conjunction with others, are creating a native tree forest. Their honey comes from urban bee hives. Coffee grounds go their vegetable growers to be turned into compost. Their fleet consists of electric or pedal powered vehicles. Their takeaway containers are biodegradable. They have solar panels on the roof of the city centre restaurant, with more to follow. The list goes on. They practice what they preach.

More on the Castle Café here. Check out the menus and opening times and order gift vouchers.

Blackrock Castle

Stellar Flare. Festive Flourishes. Greene’s Current Set Menu. Based on outstanding local produce.

Stellar Flare. Festive Flourishes. Greene’s Current Set Menu

Based on outstanding local produce.

Cod

Greene's newly introduced Christmas set menu features several delicious festive options. For those who prefer to stick with their favourites, don’t worry—classic dishes like Steak on the Stone and Quigley Lamb Shank are still available.

We just happened to be at the menu’s unveiling last Tuesday, and we gave it a big thumbs-up. The food was outstanding, and while the portions were generous, we enjoyed the meal without feeling overly stuffed at the end.

Spiced beef

With a glass of Monte Cacada, an oak-aged Portuguese red blend, in hand and some delicious bread to nibble on, we examined the menu, which included three courses (plus a side) and coffee or tea for €59.00. They asked us to choose our dessert initially, and we paid special attention to that section!

For starters, one of the options was Turkey and Ham Hock Terrine along with Chicken Liver Pâté. CL was particularly keen on the traditional Cork Spiced Beet dish, a Christmas favourite in the area. Greene’s take on it elevated the dish with the beautifully presented beef, accompanied by pickles, celeriac remoulade, and Coolea cheese fondue—a fantastic combination!

Duck

Beetroot and Goat Cheese is a popular pairing in Cork City and beyond, especially with cheese from the local Ardsallagh farm. As always, Greene’s Head Chef, Nicolas Javier Alegre, added his own twist, resulting in the delightful Waterfall Farm Beetroot Risotto with Crispy Beetroot and Ardsallagh Goat Cheese. This dish definitely earns five out of five!

For my main course, I chose the Confit Duck Leg from the fabulous Skeaghanore Farm in West Cork. It came with Caramelised Red Cabbage, Colcannon Mash, and Cranberry Sauce, making for a beautifully dressed, festive meal packed with flavour.

Baked Alaska

Across the table was a beautifully cooked piece of cod, served with spinach and a creamy sauce. From a selection of seven sides, CL chose Colcannon while I opted for Fries.

Now, onto the sweet ending! They offer four tempting desserts along with an Irish Farmhouse Cheese Selection. My colleague chose the Orange Crepes Suzette, which featured orange sauce and mascarpone—a true gem worth trying.

Crèpe

Some restaurants may compromise on dessert quality, but not Greene’s. I highly recommend their Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Brandy Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream—a delightful treat. 

I skipped that this time and went for the Baked Alaska (Christmas Pudding and Brandy Custard Ice Cream), which brought a festive feeling in November. The ambience was enhanced by the waterfall flowing over the red sandstone outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the cosy interior with its calm, warm lighting, and the friendly and efficient service throughout our meal.

Pre Service Calm in Greene's

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!

Glass Curtain reveals its Cork on a Fork Fest Menu. Tried and tested last evening.

 Glass Curtain Reveals Its Cork on a Fork Fest Menu

The Glass Curtain was packed last evening as the popular Cork restaurant revealed its menu for the Cork on a Fork Fest that continues from today until Sunday with over 100 events scheduled. The good news is for the lucky punters who have booked as they will sample the Glass Curtain menu every evening with a booking between 5.00 and 6.00pm while the bad news for others is that the event has been booked out for every day.

The menu costs €38.00 for three courses (starter, main and dessert) but you can also treat yourself to a snack and also a special cocktail (both extra). And of course they have quite a wine list here also and I noted the Cotton Ball beers were going down well last evening. The restaurant supports local and that can also be seen in the menus.

Our starters last night were Skeaghanore duck terrine, house pickles, rhubarb relish (top) and Sticky beets, pistachio cream, Sobhriste cheese. The beets and cheese were probably my dish of the night. The cheese is a crumbly, younger, milled-curd style, like a Caerphilly/Lancashire. Sobhriste, meaning fragile or delicate, is aged for roughly 6 weeks. It has a subtle, slightly lactic flavour, with a crumbly texture and biscuity rind. Delicious. And the terrine was excellent also!

 

The Grilled mackerel, spicy padron broth, nasturtium was the third starter choice.

I was on a dry night, but that was no bother as I was able
 to enjoy a couple of bottles of Stonewell Non-Alcoholic
Cider. I reckon this is one of the best non-alcoholic drinks,
if not the best, in Ireland.

On to the mains now and CL was impressed with the BBQ cod, San Marzano tomato, courgette, and bouillabaisse sauce while I enjoyed my Lost Valley Dairy rare breed pork, grilled beans, rowan berry jus, cauliflower (especially the pork belly). Sides (optional) included Potato Terrine (pictured with pork), Summer Salad, and Greens.

The third choice in this section was the Grilled Peri Peri courgette, tempura courgette flower, pumpkin seeds, courgette.

Delighted to see the fabulous fruit of West Cork Bushbys featuring not once but twice in the desserts and that made the choosing easy. CL picked the Bushby's strawberry, ricotta ice cream, oat biscuit while my choice was the Milk chocolate crémeux, chocolate sablé, Bushby's raspberries, and yoghurt sorbet. No regrets there! Though I'm sure the Carraignamuc farmhouse cheese, honeycomb, and cheese biscuits would have been delicious as well.

A sweet end to a lovely buzzy evening of terrific food and service. 

  

Excellent Elbow Lane Continues Leading Smoking and Brewing Role as 10th Anniversary Approaches

Excellent Elbow Lane Continues Leading Smoking and Brewing Role as 10th Anniversary Approaches

Duck breast

The Sharpe brothers, Ronan (manager) and Harrison (chef), have recently been appointed to the two top roles at Elbow Lane, Cork’s iconic Smokehouse and Brewery as it moves to celebrate its upcoming 10th anniversary. 

But it was an old favourite that I first turned to on last week’s visit.

I’ve often said here, and elsewhere, that their Angel Stout is one of the very best, a superb combination of hops and malt, made with the restaurant's food in mind. My very first sip confirmed previous impressions as the roasted malt showed well in the flavour. The hops  - Hercules Germany, Pilgrim UK and Williamette USA - go in early in the process and their bittering qualities make for a lovely balance, a delicious pint and even better with the dishes that follow.

Duck in blankets

The menu is written daily and is divided into Snacks, Small Plates and Mains. Of course, there are sides too and you could well have an enjoyable meal from that list which includes the likes of Blue Cheese Creamed Greens with almonds; King Oyster Mushrooms in panko crumb with Chorizo and aioli; and Baby Potatoes, crème fraiche, malt syrup and fine herbs.

To get up and running, we picked one from the Snacks: the Duck in Blankets, Berbere, herb yoghurt and one from the Starters, the Confit Octopus, roasted salsa, pickled red onion and ancho mayo. Berbere, a spicy mix, is a key ingredient in the cuisines of Ethiopia and Eritrea. And it is their use of spices, seasonings and sauces from around the world that really set Elbow Lane apart. Both the duck and octopus benefitted from their judicious application the other night.

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On Friday, 19th August, as part of Cork on a Fork Fest, Elbow Lane Brewery will showcase its limited-edition range of award-winning beers. Join head brewer Russell Garet for an informal, informative and FUN tasting in the restaurant. More details here.

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Outstanding Deep fried pork belly

Pork Belly

I was pleasantly surprised to be offered a taste of the deep-fried pork belly with fish sauce caramel, chilli and peanut. This starter is a testament to the skill of Chef Sharpe (at work less than 2 metres away) who is able to create such a delicious and flavourful dish with just a few simple ingredients. 

The pork belly is perfectly cooked, with crispy skin and tender meat. The fish sauce caramel adds a sweet and salty flavour, while the chilli and peanut provide a bit of heat and crunch. If it is on whenever you call, it is well worth considering. I’ll certainly be ordering it next time as it is probably the best expression of pork belly that I've ever come across.

For our main courses, we chose the lavender honey duck breast and the wood-grilled ribeye steak. Both dishes were outstanding. The duck breast was tender and juicy, and the lavender honey sauce gave it a unique and delicious flavour. The ribeye steak was cooked to perfection, and the smoked cascade butter added a touch of richness. A serving of the excellent Elbow Chips (another of the sides) also embellished the meats as did a sip or two of that excellent stout.

Dessert

Aside from Skeaghanore Duck, Elbow Lane also supports local producers such as the Allshire Family, Tom Durcan, K. O’Connell, Rossmore Oysters, Churchfield Community Gardens, Singing Frog Gardens, The Olive Stall and On the Pig's Back (both for cheese), Irish Gourmet Butter, Glen Farm (for goat), Mr Bells (spices and seasonings), Minch Malt, Killahora Orchards, Stonewell Cider, local gins, and also 9 White Deer (gluten-free Kolsch).

Ice wine by Killahora

Speaking of drinks, another that we enjoyed over the evening was their own Elbow Lager. They don’t over-process, and use old German brewing methods. The lager has a slight haze, is unfiltered and takes 6 weeks overall. This continental-style lager is particularly refreshing and owes its flavour to Pilsner and Munich malts and "Noble" hop varieties imported from Germany and Czechia. It weighs in at 4.4% ABV (same as the stout) and the hops used are Saaz, Hersbrucker (for its subtle aromas) and Hercules (for its bittering qualities) and is recommended for lighter dishes.

Dessert? Yes, please. Our choice was the Elderflower and mascarpone sorbet, pistachio crumble, white chocolate rice pudding, strawberries, and long pepper syrup. Lovely sweet amalgam, easily eaten at a relaxed pace. Of course, that pleasant sensation was infinitely enhanced by a glass of the Killahora Rare Apple Ice Wine. Just the job after an excellent meal.

By the way, it is not all meat here. There are vegetarian options and also a fish option (it was John Dory on the bone the night we were in). Add in the excellent friendly and helpful staff (they know the menu), always the case here, and you are on a winner. 

Check the menu here. 

Elbow Lane is part of the Market Lane group that also includes Market Lane, Goldie, ORSO and the Castle Café.

On Friday, 19th August, as part of Cork on a Fork Fest, Elbow Lane Brewery will showcase its limited-edition range of award-winning beers. Join head brewer Russell Garet for an informal, informative and FUN tasting in the restaurant. More details here.