Beer of the week. Sullivan’s Maltings Irish Ale

 Sullivan’s Maltings Irish Ale, 5% ABV, 

500 ml bottle, O’Donovan’s

Beer of the week!

Check our updated Beer of the Week Index here

“Traditionally brewed with only Kilkenny-grown ale malt, including three special darker malts and three varieties of hop.”

And those darker malts give it a much darker colour than your normal red ale. In a certain light, the deep red looks much like black. Darkness notwithstanding, the Maltings has an attractive lightness about it on the palate.

. The brewers continue: Fermented and matured with cask ale yeast and coupled with our no-rush brewing produces a smooth balanced classic ale. .. the result is a classic ruby ale with deep malt combining rich biscuit and gentle caramel notes.”

The aroma hints of a balance between malt fruit and hop bitterness and that continues on the body before the excellent well-balanced ale finishes dry. Quite a satisfactory bottle indeed and the drinker can see why this easy-drinking smooth ale is an award winner.

And it gets a major thumbs up here, not for the first time. Very Highly Recommended. Beer of the Week!

Sullivan’s were originally established in 1792 but lost their independence in 1918, thanks to a reckless wager. The story played out in Deauville, then a long-time magnet for Europe’s rich and famous. The exclusive seaside resort was all abuzz for the horseracing in August 1918, even though the Great War was still being waged. 

One Irishman had set his sights on an aristocratic French "fillé". He had opposition from a Venetian count. Sullivan, a gambler rather than a brewer, bet the family brewery on a horse to impress the Frenchwoman. He lost and, not fancying a duel with the count, had to settle his debts.

In Kilkenny, as a result of the wager, the Sullivan brewery (established eight years before Smithwick’s) was taken over by their rivals (“in a kind of a white knight rescue”) and the Sullivan name vanished from the enterprise. Another hundred years on and, in 2014, Diageo moved the production of Smithwick's to Dublin.

But the Sullivan story has been revived over the past few years or so with the emergence of a new Sullivan brewery, backed by the two intertwined families, the Sullivans and, yes, the Smithwicks, both keen to keep Kilkenny’s brewing tradition going. 

RAQUEL WELCH. ONE IN A MILLION. Newbridge Exhibition Opens this Friday (23rd)

press release 

One Million Years B.C.

RAQUEL WELCH

ONE IN A MILLION

Newbridge Exhibition Opens this Friday (23rd)

The Museum of Style Icons at Newbridge Silverware, in Newbridge, Co. Kildare will open a brand-new exhibition which is dedicated to the style of Hollywood bombshell, actress, Raquel Welch.  Raquel Welch, One in A Million’ opens tomorrow, Friday, 23^rd of February and runs until the 1^st of April 2024. The exhibition features several garments, gowns, jewellery, and personal items which were once worn by the famous actress. It is the only European exhibition for the public to view this ‘never before seen’ collection of the Hollywood superstar’s most famous and iconic costumes, garments, and personal property prior to its auction presented by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles on April 12, 2024. 

Raquel Welch burst onto the movie scene in 1966 with her role as a scientist’s assistant in the Oscar-winning sci-fi film Fantastic Voyage and later that year with the release of One Million Years B.C. Her appearance as a scantily clad cavewoman in the pre-historic epic catapulted her to international stardom and made her one of the era’s biggest sex symbols, with the film’s publicity poster of a larger-than-life image of Welch wearing her iconic fur and hide bikini becoming a cultural phenomenon and one of the biggest pinup posters of all time. Although she only had three lines in the film, the scene, and the posters of her wearing the fur bikini, turned her into an international sex symbol. She went on to play many memorable characters in film, stage and television and broke the mold of the ‘Hollywood sex symbol’ while paving the way for today’s action film heroines in Hollywood. She won a Golden Globe for her role in the classic film ‘The Three Musketeers.’ At the height of her fame and box office success, Welch played the title character Myra Breckinridge in the 1970 film adaptation of Gore Vidal’s novel about a transgender woman who undergoes a sex-change operation. The film, which has since gone onto become a cult classic, was released in a storm of controversy, landing Welch on the cover of Time Magazine for her revolutionary role. On television, she produced her own variety specials, 1970’s Raquel! with guest stars Tom Jones, Bob Hope and John Wayne, 1974’s Really, Raquel, and 1980’s From Raquel With Love.

In "Myra Breckinridge"

Under her own production company, Welch produced and starred in the 1982 television film The Legend of Walks Far Woman and earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Television Film. In the 1990s, she made memorable guest appearances on Evening Shade, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Seinfeld, and many of the decade’s other iconic television series. On Broadway, she replaced Lauren Bacall in the starring role of Tess Harding in the hit musical Woman of the Year in the early ’80s and took over for Julie Andrews in 1997’s Victor/Victoria.

Welch’s other memorable roles in film and television included the 2002 PBS series American Family: Journey of Dreams, the first drama series on broadcast television featuring a Latino cast; the 1994 classic Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult where she played herself; the 2001 hit comedy Legally Blonde opposite Reese Witherspoon; the 2001 film Tortilla Soup opposite Hector Elizondo; and her final film 2017’s How To Be A Latin Lover opposite Eugenio Derbez, Rob Lowe and Kristen Bell. In 2010, Welch published her autobiography, Beyond the Cleavage, her personal account of her life in Hollywood that offered her beauty regimen and tips for women to live their best lives with dignity and self-respect. In 2018, Vogue ranked Raquel Welch as one of “the most sensational hourglass bodies of all time.” 

Julien’s will present an exclusive collection of over 500 of Welch’s most cherished objects from her life and career. Costumes, awards, and memorabilia from her iconic films and television specials, will dazzle the auction block.  Some of these items and Raquel Welch’s most famous garments and personal property will now go on display at the Museum of Style Icons at Newbridge Silverware, offering the public a once in a lifetime chance to see them before they are sold.

Some of the key exhibition items include a suede and faux fur bikini in the style of the legendary doe skin bikini Raquel Welch wore in the prehistoric epic film, One Million Years B. C. This was the film that shot her into stardom and made her the most prominent sex symbol of her time.  The image of Welch in the bikini became a poster that was on the bedroom wall of countless teenaged boys in the late 1960s. It also made her the sex symbol of the post-Marilyn generation. 

Also on display is a replica of the costume worn by Raquel Welch in the film, Myra Breckinridge, based on the 1968 satirical novel by Gore Vidal and written in the form of a diary. In the film Welch plays the part of a transgender woman.  The swimsuit, complete with gloves and still bearing evidence of Welch’s stage makeup, was worn by Welch during her 1970’s live stage show and on her 1974 television special Really, Raquel.

Raquel Welch’s 1974 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for her role in The Three Musketeers is also in the exhibition. In the film, Raquel is probably looser and more accessible than she’d ever been on screen and her acting is generally regarded as the highlight of her film career.  This award was validation for Raquel and her talent after spending so many years as a punchline due to her physical attributes. The award is displayed with her nomination certificate, a framed still from the movie that Raquel had in her house, and her own personal copy of the movie on DVD.

 

One of the elegant and delicate garments in the exhibition is the ‘Flapper Dress’ worn by Raquel Welch in the James Ivory directed comedy drama, The Wild Party 1975. This costume is very beautiful and was created by costume designer Ron Talsky, who Raquel was also dating at the time and who had made her costumes for The Three Musketeers. She probably never looked more beautiful than wearing the costumes in this movie, which was inspired by the Fatty Arbuckle scandal in the 1920s. The gown was designed by Ron Talsky, who created all of Welch's costumes for the film.

 

William Doyle, CEO of Newbridge Silverware said, “Raquel Welch was one of the biggest icons in movie history. The image of her on the poster for the film ‘One Million Years BC’ was legendary and even made an appearance in the movie ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ when the character in the film had a poster of the movie pin up in his prison cell.  We are delighted to have the chance to showcase this piece of Hollywood history and are grateful to Julien’s Auction’s for bringing the property to us here at Newbridge Silverware.”

The exhibition, Raquel Welch, One In A Million opens on Friday 23^rd of February and runs until the 1^st of April 2024. Entry is free and the exhibition is open 7 days a week. For more see www.newbridgesilverware.com

 

Julien’s Auctions in LA will auction the Raquel Welch property on the 12^th of April. For more information on the auction see www.juliensauctions.com

 

Glass Curtain Kitchen Team in Sparkling Form. "Cooked with grá" A little flame also!

Glass Curtain Kitchen Team in Sparkling Form At The Weekend

 "Cooked with grá".  And a little flame!

Red mullet, cuttlefish, broth.

"Both the name and the large photo on the back wall pay homage to this building’s former life as the iconic Thompson’s Bakery; now a compact brasserie. Monochrome décor, exposed pipework and a charming team set the scene. Modern dishes have a personal touch and are cooked with grá (Gaelic for ‘love’)." 

That is the verdict delivered by the Michelin Guide when they awarded Cork's Glass Curtain with a Michelin Bib.

It is indeed, as you'd expect, an accurate description of the busy venue where Chef Brian Murray has been setting a very high standard since he opened here in MacCurtain Street in the autumn of 2020. Brian's travels around the world have given him a finely tuned international experience yet in this lively spot, it is the flavour of local ingredients that star on the menus, both A La Carte and Tasting.

Beef is one hundred per cent Irish and local producers supported include the likes of Cais na Tire and Hegarty's cheese, Skeaghanmore Duck, and Ballymakenny potatoes. 

Snacks

No shortage of drink choices. There's a tempting Cocktail List that includes three non-alcoholic options. Quite a wine offering here.  You can taste your way through different styles, countries and grape varieties through white, red and the increasingly popular orange (check out that Ageno from the lovely Elena Pantaleoni of Italy's La Stoppa). 

Local producers like the Cotton Ball and 9 White Deer Breweries get a chance to shine in the drinks section as does the Stonewell Cidery from Novohal. As you'd expect, there are many Irish spirits available or why not enjoy the very special ice wine from Killarhora Orchards in Glounthaune, one of my favourite ways to finish a meal.

Lamb

The tasting menu costs €75.00 per person and a wine option will add another €45 to that. With an early 5.00pm* start, we decided against the wine option and instead picked the Dirk Niepoort, Vinho Verde, Portugal 2021 Alvarinho. This aromatic and well-balanced Alvarinho (Albarino in Spain) by the famous port company worked out well for us even if it had to be parked when the lamb came around!

 * That 5.00pm start was all that was available when we booked two weeks in advance. It is a busy place so make your reservations early!

Dessert

Tasting Menu

Crudo, Cashew, Blood Orange, Puffed Barley, Shiso, with Prawn heads. 

“Jambon”, Dill pickle, Lardo

 Aged rump of beef tartare, pear and endive

A bit unusual to see Prawn Heads in one of the three snacks but we were assured they were edible and got stuck in and enjoyed the "careful" crunch. Actually, that particular snack was very flavoursome in any case. We enjoyed it and the other two as well.

***

Glazed beets, House ricotta hazelnut brown butter 

Focaccia, Roast Onion Butter

On to this pair then, served together. An unexpected highlight here was the Roast Onion Butter and the Focaccia. In fairness, the other "starter" was also excellent.

***

Grilled Red Mullet, Cuttlefish, Turbot roe taramasalata, fish broth, 

The fish course starred the Red Mullet and the broth. Not overly keen on the cuttlefish (who belong to a class that includes squid and octopus) and hadn't expected too much from it in any case. But that Mullet was something else and such a pity we don't see it on that many menus in Ireland.

***

Rack of Lamb, crushed artichoke, pistachio, glazed lamb belly and celeriac.

This was the piece de resistance. Lamb came two ways, the fat and flavoursome rack was a delight to dispatch while the belly (it came in a separate dish with celeriac) was also quite a treat.

***

Time then to cleanse the palate and the Rhubarb Sorbet, Almond, and Rose Jelly did it well.  The dessert of Orange Polenta Cake, Ricotta ice cream, sheep yoghurt, rhubarb wasn't at all bad but I had been expecting a bit more from it. Still time for another sweet bit as the petit fours arrived to send two happy customers off into the night.

Lamb, two ways.

Glen River Park. 19.02.2024

Glen River Park

19.02.2024

Ducks. Pond. Arrowheads.

River

Duck

River. Footbridges.

Blarney Castle Gardens. 15.02.2024

Blarney Castle Gardens

15.02.2024

February colour

Recycling

Three trees (for reference)

Trees. Donkeys. Horse.

Beech corner (concealing car-parking)

Badgers Cave (escape route when Cromwell threatened).

Laurent Miquel “Kinsale” Faugères (AOP). "The Irish would say it was just lovely. And we'd have to agree."

Laurent Miquel “Kinsale” Faugères (AOP) 2021, 13.5% ABV 

€13.20 at Dunnes Stores.

"The Irish would say it was just lovely. And we'd have to agree."

The Laurent Miquel wines at Dunnes Stores are very good value at their regular prices. But offers, such as those available during last Autumn’s French Wine sale, give you the chance to get even more value for your Euro. I bought this vegan-friendly blend of Syrah and Grenache for €10.56. It wasn’t the only Miquel wine that I bought!

Neasa Corish Miquel tells us all about this wine. “Our Kinsale Faugères celebrates the rugged slate-dominated beauty of Faugères in the South of France, and Kinsale, the wine capital of Ireland. Ireland, my homeland, has been associated with the story of French wines over many centuries- as a French Irish couple, we are writing a new chapter. Slate terroir in Faugères stores the solar heat and imparts warm, luscious baked fruit character to this red. Serve with traditional wild boar stew or lightly grilled black pudding.  It will do well with red meats and with big-tasting fish eg tuna and salmon.

Kinsale, like quite a few South Coast ports, has a long history in wine for sure but did you know that wine is produced here? Since the 1980s, Thomas Walk has been making his unique sustainable wines, now all from the Rondo vine. Most of the wine is sold in Germany. See more, including an online ordering facility, on their bilingual website here.

Back to Miquel’s Kinsale with its aromas of ripe red fruits with herbs and spices

“The Irish would say it was just lovely. And we'd have to agree. It has lots of depth, almost like it could tell you a story or two. Plums, black cherry, black currents, with a kick. Just lovely.”

Very Highly Recommended.

You cannot miss the garrigue in this area. “The word 'garrigue' refers to the heady scent of the mix of herbs and shrubs found everywhere in the arid, wild scrublands of the Languedoc. …In our part of Southern France, the garrigue is mostly made up of wild herbs like lavender, thyme, sage and rosemary and the aromas scent the air, especially during the summer months. So can garrigue impart a taste into the red wines, and, if so, how?”The quote is from the vineyard blog (by Neasa) of Laurent Miquel. More here. 

.

Cazal Viel is where it all started. And long before the Miquels arrived. Right back to 1202 in fact. When the monks of Abbaye de Fontcaude made their wine here. The Miquel have been here for a while too. Since 1789. That's eight generations and counting. Cazal Viel is about a 30-minute drive from Bezier and within easy reach of the autoroutes in the Languedoc area.

 

KOTO is marching on in the Carey's Lane building that has long been in the family

KOTO goes marching on in the Carey's Lane building that has long been in the family

Hake Sambal

KOTO, a very good Asian restaurant, has clocked up over six years in Carey's Lane in the centre of Cork City. We confirmed its well-being last Friday over an excellent lunch in a building where the Hamidi family has a long tradition and is now led by Jeff, son of the owner of Gambieni's, the name when we visited many years ago before this area of narrow streets was collectively named the Huguenot Quarter. 

While sitting there last Friday, we remembered those occasions in the building,. We were regulars here for their Italian cuisine, counting Pollo ala Piccata (light tangy lemon sauce) and Pollo alla Romano (a tomato-based sauce) among our favourites.

Plenty of chicken here now also but under a different cuisine. Jeff opened Koto as an Asian restaurant in 2017 and now has a solid 6 years behind him.  Gambieni’s itself had been temporarily replaced by the popular Aroi, also Asian cuisine, but an unfortunate fire was one factor in halting Aroi’s Cork stay. Up to eight diners and 10 staff had to be evacuated from the building on a dramatic day in September 2015.

A huge range of choices here nowadays, also so much variety, and that includes catering for mainstream diners, vegetarians, vegans, allergen and gluten-free (just ask). 

You are probably familiar with the hot pepper rating that KOTO and others use as an indicator of heat in the dish, going up to as far as three. In fairness, if you order something really spicy, the staff here will advise you (just in case you haven't spotted the multiple peppers) and can have your dish adjusted to your preference.

They have curries, stir-fries, noodle dishes and more, all with choices of different meats or none and there is also a very attractive lunch deal.

Curries are popular here (KOTO pic).

Cocktails galore
KOTO pic

Last Friday looked like a very busy day for restaurants and cafes in the city centre and there were quite a few queues and Quinlan's Fish even had an early waiting list.

I had a call to make in Waterstones and so KOTO, just a few steps away, came to mind and we were glad to get a table here, just had to wait a minute for it to be set.

Brisket

   I was, at that point, looking for something big rather than small and so I picked the Eight Hour Brisket (21.40), a superb dish of 

Slow-cooked beef brisket, spicy chilli jam (this toned down on request) and oyster sauce, mixed veg, plus Jasmine Rice.  Other rice options include Healthy Brown or Egg Fried. An amazingly satisfactory dish, full of aromas, flavours and textures, moist and delicious, with the last bite as good as the first.

And there was no shortage of oohs and aahs from the other side of the table where CL was over the moon as she tucked into Sambal Hake (22.50). This beauty consisted of Roast wild hake marinated in chilli jam and turmeric, baby potatoes, vegetables, coriander, and lime. She may well order the same the next time we call and you can take it there will be a next time.

Very Highly Recommended.

Taste of the Week Glenilen Mango and Passionfruit Cheesecake

Taste of the Week

Glenilen Mango and Passionfruit Cheesecake

I've been enjoying the delicious products from Glenilen Farm in West Cork for quite a while now. Indeed, I had this cheesecake as Taste of the Week back in 2016 (though the Kingstons, Alan and Valerie, have been producing since long before that!).

Time to give it another airing as Taste of the Week. They add mango fruit and passion fruit pulp and its seeds for the ultimate tropical flavour! It is made on their farm in Drimoleague using fresh cream, Glenilen Farm's cream cheese and yoghurt. Not only is it delicious, it is also convenient! Forgot to get something for dessert? Well, this is your gorgeous creamy solution, well-priced too by the way and widely available.

 

The subtle flavour of the mango and the more intense passionfruit work so well together in the creamy topping. They had been using the fruits in their popular yogurts and just thought it would be a great idea to combine them in a cheesecake. They were spot on and “it's proved very popular”.

Using a few simple ingredients to bring simple, everyday goodness to those who value good food, thoughtfully prepared, has been their motto and mentality since the start and it has served them well.

Simple and good no doubt but also very convenient for the consumer. Take that pack for instance. It has a brilliant (simple) Push-up base for a clean first slice. No messing with the Kingstons. With it, you won't waste a crump of the 600 grammes. By the way, you are expected to share! Enjoy.

Beer of the Week. Western Herd Forge IPA

Beer of the Week 

Western Herd Forge IPA, 6.5%, ABV, 440 ml can

Check our updated Beer of the Week Index here

Inspired by five generations of storytelling blacksmiths from Kilkee and using some of the heavy-hitting hops that were then coming from the USA, Clare’s Western Herd Brewery came up with this cracking IPA.

With their own know-how, the skill of brewer Bridger Kelleher and the little-known hops (Kohatu, Rakau, Olicano and Harlequin), and in the quiet of the Covid lockdown they produced a beer with unique aromas and flavour palate. The current quartet of hops though are much better known.

 The beer itself pours a hazy orange colour. The combination of hops creates an appealing aroma of apricot, pineapple and lime zest, along with a creep of dankness. The fruit, especially the tropical pineapple, plus resinous notes, carries through to the flavour culminating in a satisfactory finish to this full-bodied beer.

Generally, the New England style is a hazy fruit bomb and totally different from the West Coast which is more bitter. Here in the Forge, the fruity profile of the hops is emphasised as opposed to the more bitter flavours of the West Coast varieties.

The danger, of course, is that you can get too much fruit and the palate can end up soaked in sweetness. But here the balance is pretty much perfect.

The forge was quite a social spot in the Irish countryside when I was growing up in the 50s and early 60s. I spent many a happy hour hanging around McNamara's in Caherlag, both outside and inside. One of my memories is not so happy though. In the dark interior, they had a black-rimmed photograph of the Manchester United team decimated by the 1960 Munich disaster.

Geek Bits

Style
NE IPA

Appearance
Pale Orange and hazy

Aroma
Passionfruit, Lime Zest, Apricot

Flavour
Passionfruit with an earth-y spicy backbone.

Hops
Columbus, El Dorado, Idaho and Mosaic

Malts
Pale, Malted Oats, Flaked Oats, White Wheat, CaraPils

Yeast

Kviek