Mo Chuisle Bar

Mo Chuisle Bar

Dropped into Mo Chuisle Bar in Blarney Street on a recent Saturday evening (early) . It was quiet enough at first but soon a fair crowd gathered, mainly to see Utd and Arsenal on the telly. No bother to the lady behind the bar. She gave great service to one and all with a smile.
The bar is comfortable and spacious, plenty of large screens around to satisfy most sports fans and the drink is good and keenly priced. Add in that excellent service and what more would you want!

Check out my review of Mo Chuisle Bar - I am cork - on Qype

Elm Tree (Glounthaune)

Cork - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants


THE ELM TREE

This was a disappointing visit to the newly refurbished Elm Tree. It was busy but understaffed, leading to long delays in table service. Customer service, how are ye. Delays at every course and even a long wait for the bill as the harried staff had too much on their hands.

It is something of a food conveyor, a popular one by the looks of it. You get chips and salad or potatoes and vegetables with every dish, no thought given to matching with the meat or fish or whatever.

The food factory feeling continued with the dessert. The apple pie was a disaster as the apple inside was the kind you of goo you can get in large tubs in wholesalers and the concrete like meringues (along with the summer berries) must have come from a similar source.

It started badly. I choose the Ballycotton bay chowder. Ballycotton is equally famous for its potatoes and there more than a few chunks of spud along with an admittedly decent amount of fish. But why spoil the fish with a heavy handed application of cream? The main ingredients must be respected.

That was more the case with the main course, cod, with a ham wrap and ratatouille. The cod was quite good but the square of ham was like a rock. It would all have been a reasonable dish had the ratatouille been up to scratch. It wasn't. Some of the usual ingredients (peppers, red onions, courgettes) were present but they were barely cooked and there was no sign of the key ingredients, namely tomatoes and aubergines. I know there is some debate about how to cook this dish but the Elm Tree version was so far off what they serve in French restaurants and traiteurs, it was unreal and unworthy of the name.

Quite a good spread of prices for meals and wines, though €30.00 for fillet steak is well over the top. But good prices mean little unless you are getting value for money and we certainly didn’t.

Check out my review of Elm Tree - I am cork - on Qype

Brittany Ferries Pont Aven

Roscoff

Made the close on 600 km to Roscof, so had to make a few stops on the motorway.
One of the best is Aire de Vendee. I got a triple chicken sandwich here (3 slice of ordinary bread), a bottle of Coca Cola and a dessert yoghurt (with spoon and serviette) for 5.90.
Bits and pieces of fruit, travel sweets, more coke, kept us going.
We didn't need much by the time we boarded the Pont Aven which was a pity as le Flora was open!
But we tried the self service. They had a range of hot dishes for around the 8 euro mark, also loads of salads, desserts, drinks etc.

Two Canneloni, two desserts, plus two small bottles (25 cl) of wine cost €27.65. The food was adequate (nothing special) but overall the value was decent.

Check out my review of Pont Aven - I am cork - on Qype

LA FORET

Meschers sur Gironde

Change of month but no change in the weather, temperatures still in the high 30s, pool temperature at 28 in morning.
Mainly the same course of “action”: read, pool, beach, pool. Tough going.

Still enough action to work up an appetite and the best place to satisfy that in these parts is La Foret. Have myself a Pineau Rose aperitif while studying the huge menu. We settle for the Medallions de Merlu (hake), cooked in a court bouillon, and served with various vegetables, including tomatoes, the plate further enhanced with four or five split (large) prawns. This dish cost €24.00 and was worth every penny.

Desserts were described on the bill as Tarte Au Citron and Tiramisu but, believe me, were much more than that. Both were gorgeous though I think the Advisor’s Tarte was the better choice. Finished off with an espresso (1.80, much cheaper than the 3.50 Jacques outrageously charge).
Presentation was again fantastic and it was a good end to a good day.

Check out my reviews - I am cork - on Qype

La Kaz in Talmont

Talmount Sur Gironde

Surprised to find La Foret closed on this Tuesday evening; headed down to Talmont to La Promontoire but that too was closed.
Lesson: check before you go, as many restaurants close for both Monday and Tuesday, others for just one of those days.
La Kaz, another establishment in Talmont, was open; we got a table there and soon the place was packed, putting pressure on the two serving, though our flamboyant fellow didn’t show it. They did their best but service was slow. Nothing great on the menu here so settled for a lovely pizza (11.50). Also enjoyed my dessert of Poire Belle Helene and the wine which cost €5 for a 50cl carafe.

People were expecting a thunderstorm and there was a little nervousness when one or two of the sheltering sunshades began to rattle in the wind. But nothing, only a few heavy drops, followed and there was a beautiful sunset on sea and cornfields as we drove inland to the gite.

Check out my review of La Kaz - I am cork - on Qype

Chez Mémé in Royan

Royan - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - Italian & Pizza

Five in the afternoon, we hit the road to Royan and walked across the main sea front to take a look at a couple of smaller beaches on the western side.

Having eaten well at lunch time, we didn’t need a big meal again.

No problem in Royan which has some three hundred eateries, quite a few of them along by the marina and Front de Mer.

We settled for a pizza in in Chez Meme, one of a string restuarants in the sea front arcades. A couple of pizzas (9+9.5), 50cl of wine (5.50), two desserts (5.50 & 6.50) filled the belly.

Service was excellent and friendly and the food wasn’t bad either! Sun still belting down strongly on the beach as head for the gite.

Check out my review of Chez Mémé - I am cork - on Qype

La Forêt

Meschers sur Gironde - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants

Back to the gite but the cupboard was bare so headed out to the generous plates of La Foret.

Take this meal for value. A pave de Saumon au four (oven cooked darne of salmon), well garnished, and served with some tagiatelle (15.00), followed by Tarte Normande, apple and rhubarb (5.50), a half bottle of wine (3.00), and a coffee (1/80), total an incredible 25.80.

Another worthwhile visit to a restaurant that is very popular with the French –didn’t see any other foreigners there!

Check out my review of Restaurant La Forêt - I am cork - on Qype

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

L'Ilot, harbourside cafe in Boyardville (Oleron)

On a clear day....you can see La Rochelle from Chassiron

ISLAND LUNCHBREAK

Weather uncertain as we headed for the island – Ile d’Oleron – this morning. But we need not have worried. As we reached the Viaduc, the sky was clearing. We headed for Le Chateau d’Oleron to watch the oyster farmers at work. Best viewed form the heights of the citadel – there you have a terrific view of the harbour and the estuary and the fleet of flat bottomed boats coming and going to the oyster beds.

Then up the coast to Boyardville and a little lunch – moules a la Italienne + frites, cost nine euro - at a little place near the main parking for the beach called L’ilot. On then to the tip of the island to see and climb the lighthouse, the 150 year old Chassiron.

Climbed the 224 steps no bother to enjoy great views, large over the sea in all directions and small to the foot of the building where a very nice garden (a new feature) has been laid out. Great value for just €2.50.
Back down the other side of the island to make a call to La Cotiniere where the fishermen land their catches and where the fish auctions take place. Saw some very big “meagre” delivered to the auction rooms.
Then back to the gite, the pool and the barbecue. It is now gone 8.30pm and the sun is still shining strongly on the back of the gite. C’est la vie!.

Check out my review of Phare De Chassiron - I am cork - on Qype

Café Brasserie Les Arènes in Saintes

Saintes - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Bars

If you find yourself in Saintes, either shopping or on a tour of the historic sites of the town, and need a bite to eat at lunchtime then you could do worse than call to the Cafe Brasserie Les Arenes.
There is ample free parking across the street that you may use for shopping or sightseeing. We had been down at the Roman arena (see http://swissroll07.blogspot.com/) and took the path back to the town and came across this bar.
On the boards outside, it advertised a three course lunch for €10.50, four course for €13.00.
We took the smaller menu. My main course was a beef brochette with salad and chips; dessert was a fine slice of lemon tart and we finished off with a decent cup of coffee, all for €10.50!
Service was efficient and friendly and there are toilets in the back. It was the first of a few calls.

Check out my review of Café Brasserie Les Arènes - I am cork - on Qype - see also: http://swissroll07.blogspot.com/

NEW NI FOOD SHOW

Tesco Taste Northern Ireland will take place on 11th & 12th September in Belfast’s Custom House Square.
It will be FREE entrance to the public and is the brainchild of Tesco’s Northern Ireland Office, the show aims to showcase and celebrate the fantastic breadth and quality of Northern Ireland’s produce to a wider audience.
The event will host some fantastic local exhibitors, and visitors can literally take a culinary tour around the region, sampling and meeting the people who grow and produce much of Northern Ireland’s food and drink.
A Celebrity Cookery Theatre will be one of the highlights of the show and will host demonstrations from the region’s leading chefs.

PR is Rachael Gasiorowski (Rachael@denvirmarketing.com) and she'll let us have updates in the run-up to the event.

Marche Rue Gambetta in Saintes

Saintes

We’re in Saintes for the market, walking up Rue Gambetta with small groups of locals and tourists. And then we’re in the thick of it. Two facing rows of stalls turn into another street and the space is crowded.

Like Royan, this is mainly a food market. We’re already well stocked but pick up a few bits and pieces, like some very tasty Saigon rolls (some with shellfish and veg, others with poultry and veg), some cod (not the salted morue) but the fresh cabillaud and a chunk of Munster cheese, the Munster a valley in Alsace.
We are parked near the Arc Germanicus Take a few pics there and head back to the gite for lunch.
If you have a choice, the market in Royan is better, just as the Le Clerc in Royan is much better than the one in Saintes

Check out my review of Marche Rue Gambetta - I am cork - on Qype

Domaine de la Mothe in Thézac

Thezac, Charente Maritime, France

One of the highlights of a trip to the French countryside is a visit to the local vineyard.

There are a few in the Thezac area, each with its own coloured signs. We followed the yellow of Domaine de la Mothe.

There we met Madame Masse who was born in the farm where we are staying! We also met a couple of very courteous locals in the middle of their purchases.

Madame gave us a generous tasting of Pineau, both white and rose. We bought some and also some of her lovely whites (columbard) and reds (merlot), each at 2.60 a bottle.

At the end of the friendly transaction – where we managed to have a long rambling conversation, even though she didn’t use a word of English – she threw in a bottle of rose for free!

It was the first of three visits to the Domaine and each was very enjoyable. We met her hard working daughter on the final visit and our purchase was rewarded with a smashing bottle of very old Pineau!

Check out my review of Domaine de la Mothe - I am cork - on Qype

Guy Laurent Traiteur

Restaurants line edge of Royan Marina

Royan

Our favourite traiteur in the Royan area is Guy Laurent. Here we bought a prepared meal €7.73 for two and two sets of tartes (Clafoutis and Apple) for €6.30. Then, with two bags full and a loaf under the arm, back to the car and then to the gite.

The Greek style tomato (bought in large indoor market there) fits the bill for lunch and after that we head to St Georges de Didonne, paddle in the sea, walk along beach and enter the town where we stroll to the centre and the pleasant square, noting the restaurants (the search for food never stops) and so on.

For dinner at the Gite, we have the traiteur’s Turkey in Tomato sauce, having started with some smoked salmon. Dessert is the gorgeous apple tart and all that, along with bottle of Rose from local producer Madame Masse (Domaine de la Mothe), makes for a cheap but lovely meal.

Check out my review of Guy Laurent Traiteur - I am cork - on Qype

see also: http://picasaweb.google.com/cork.billy/BestOfFrance09?authkey=Gv1sRgCN_or4_tuMicQA&feat=directlink

Hennessy Distillery in Cognac

€6,400 a bottle!!!

Cognac

COGNAC 09/06/09
On the brandy trail today, following the footsteps of Richard Hennessy from Killavullen. First though we needed lunch on arrival in Cognac. Called to a small cafe near the Martell distillery. For €16.00, we got one plate each, one packed with shredded kebab meat plus chips and salad, one packed with Merguez sausages plus chips and salad, along with 2 waters. Quite a feed.

Then walked down to the banks of the Charente to pick up our reserved tickets for the Hennessey tour. Crossed the river by Hennessy boat to a storage area to begin tour and then back again to the main admin. area, all the time accompanied by an English speaking guide.

Finished up in the shop (Boutique) of course for a tasting. The amount of tastes you had depended on how much you paid for your tour. The plebs got just the ordinary Hennessey available in Ireland but we paid €12 instead of €9 and got two tastings, the second a Fine de Cognac. The Fine was really much better and we ended up buying a bottle for about €38.00 – the ordinaire cost €30.00.

Interesting tour, though we felt that the one we made a few years back to Henri Martin was the better of the two. Being a Corkman, I’m letting the side down but at the Martin distillery, you get a tour on a little train and you also see the barrels being made on site.

Check out my review of Les Quais Hennessy - I am cork - on Qype

L'ESCAPADE

St Georges de Didonne - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants

In Royan (or more accurately its joined on neighbour St Georges de Didonne) on Sunday night, we struck it lucky. Many establishments were closed, having done great business earlier for Mother’s Day lunches.
L’Escapade though was open and we were among their first evening customers. Having eaten various bits and pieces on the 600km journey down, we didn’t need a whole pile so when we spied Moules Frites on the menu, we went for it.
We didn’t spot the word gross, the one they really meant. We got at least kilo of mussels each, all in a beautiful cream and onion sauce and a basket full of chips each.
We got stuck in and the shells piled up. Kept going until the very end and then used a spoon to sample further the wonderful cream and onion sauce and, despite the highish €16 tag for a half bottle of Entre Deux Mer Sauvignon blanc, promised to come back soon.

Check out my review of Restaurant L'Escapade - I am cork - on Qype

LA FORET

Meschers

Royan is popular with the Irish, among others, and the Michelin recommended La Foret is not too far out on the east, on the road to Talmont. It is easy to find.
Started, aside from a few small appetisers, with a massive Goats Cheese and Tomato plateful, containing several slices of a tart that had the cheese and tomato, several rings of another cheese at the four corners of the plate, various bits of fruit and crudités and topped with a “sail”, made up of two rashers on two skewers.
The other starter was also huge, a Carpaccio of various fruits: several slices each of melon, grapefruit, watermelon, pineapple, and grapes, along with a plentiful supply of sorbet. The centre point here was a glass of the local Pineau which you couldn’t really free until you ate most of the fruit.
Main course was Bauvette, a top class beef dish with parsley butter and caramelised onion, served with a few chips. Quite an amount of beat filled the long dish but there was bowl of salad on the side and also more chips. Massive and it went down well.

Then came the cheese course. I forget the first one on offer as we each went for the second which was a white cheese with cream and cognac. Beat that!
Then on to the desserts, all this remember in the €26.00 euro menu. Picked the classic Ile Flottante – melt in the mouth decadence. The other dessert at the table was a Terraro: a sorbet type combination of very fruity boules of frozen fruit (including blackcurrant, strawberry etc) all surrounded by sliced strawberries.
It was an unbelievable meal at quite a busy restaurant and the price was of house wine (red, white or rose) was, believe it or not, €6.00 for a 70 cl carafe.
There are a couple of set menus but the a la carte is huge, opens out like a broadsheet. There is no English version so you could struggle to get though it unless you have very good French. But take a chance. It is worth it!
The cooking, the presentation, the service, the location of La Foret and its ambiance is excellent. But be warned about those huge portions!

Check out my review of La Foret - I am cork - on Qype

LA TABLE

Meursac

We are staying in Thezac. Meursac is a nearby village and the place where La Table is to be found. It is behind the church (see picture), close to the community centre (hall, swimming pool, tennis courts).
It is a gem, run by Julie and Julien Massonaud. Service is courteous and with a smile and a little English and the food is top-notch and you can eat indoors or out. After a couple of small free appetisers and a campari (not free), I made a spectacular start with nests (and they looked the real thing) filled with goats cheese and tomato along with a green salad. The advisor had a Mushroom Terrine, with toasted walnut bread, olives and gherkins.
We each had the same main course, Volaille (in rough puff pastry case) with thinly sliced mushrooms in a prawn (yes, believe it or not) sauce. Absolutely gorgeous, the fish and poultry and mushrooms also coming together for a fabulous main dish.
Desserts too were excellent. One was an apple pastry combination served with ice cream while I had the chef’s surprise: chocolate and caramel layers on a biscuit base with a lemon ice cream and a mango coulis. Lovely stuff.
The three course meal came with a price tag of €19.00 a head. The wine, a Bordeaux blanc, cost €18.00 and we finished off with two good coffees at 1.30 each, every bit as good but a lot less expensive than you’d pay in Jacques.

• By the way, when you see chevre on a French menu, it invariably means goats cheese not goat meat.
Check out my review of la table - I am cork - on Qype

Le Cottage

(picture of vanilla pods)

Settled on the nearby Le Cottage in Les Arces (pronounced to rhyme with a collection of bottoms) for dinner. The restaurant is run by an Irishman Doug and his French wife Axelle. We made the reservation and arrived at seven.

First course was a maigret du canard (smoked) salad for the advisor while I had an asparagus salad (spears, hardboiled egg, little cubes of grapefruit, toasted almonds slivers and leaves). Both were brilliant.

My main was duck with gratin dauphinois, puréed pea and other seasonal vegetables. The adviser had lamb with much the same veg but no gratin. Didn’t think that pureed pea could taste so well but it was gorgeous as were both dishes.

Dessert was also on a very high level. We both went for the oven baked lemon cheesecake, recommended by Axelle who has a terrific command of the English language. The cheesecake, served with a few strawberries, rounded off a fantastic meal.

We took the house wine and that worked out at just €7.00 for a couple of jugs that totalled 70cl. Total cost of the meal, including a cup of coffee, was exactly €63.00. Back then though the back roads, passing the cornfields and vineyards as dusk came down all around.

*By the way, Le Cottage also serves draught Guinness and jus de Guinness is mentioned in some of the dishes.
Check out my review of Le Cottage - I am cork - on Qype

Le Flora (Ringaksiddy-Roscof)

Le Flora (6/6/09)
Storm forecasts notwithstanding, the Advisor booked a window table at Le Flora restaurant. That, by the way, is the top restaurant on the Brittany Ferries ship Pont Aven.
The gales never came on the Ringaskiddy – Roscof trip (14 hours) but the promise of a top notch meal was delivered on the high seas.
Starter was Shredded Crab, wrapped in Avocado puree and accompanied by a green bean mix and salad. Terrific!
Main course was pork – Pluma Pata Negra: pork steak, probably underdone by Irish standards but, accompanied by a potato cake (understated description) and a simple crispy lettuce, it was absolutely gorgeous.
Dessert for me was a Crumble Pommes, beautifully done with a few big black berries and a little swallow of fiery Calvados to swallow it down. Loved it and also loved the other dessert at our table which was a Soufflé Grand Mariner with a little glass of the famous liquid to accompany it.
By the way, between the mains and desserts, we had the pleasure of picking three cheeses each from the cheese board. Can’t remember them all but the Tombe and the Livarot were the highlights for me.
After the sweets, the coffees were accompanied by a mini Cornetto.
There is a big range of wines available at low to high prices. Felt good so settled or a special offer, a Chateau Haut Surget from the Bordeaux region that cost about 24 euro. No regrets as it was a top notch wine.
Annoyingly, considering that most of the countries are now in the Euro, Brittany Ferries still favour the use of the UK pound on board, though in many cases both currencies are noted.
The total bill for this high quality meal, including a litre bottle of awful Vittal water, came to £76.90 or €90.45.
Check out my review of Le Flora - I am cork - on Qype