The Chef Sessions. Bone marrow, lambs hearts, cauliflower stalks, tripe, pigs tail, pig skin pasta, and more.

The Chef Sessions At ORSO

Bone marrow, lambs hearts, cauliflower stalks, tripe, pigs tail, pig skin pasta, and more.

Bone marrow

In a remote restaurant in Sweden, Chef Magnus Nilsson saws a bone lengthways as his customers look on. The marrow is scooped out and mixed with other ingredients, a bowl for each guest. Fäviken* is the name of the restaurant and it is in the world’s top 50. No such theatre at ORSO on Monday evening when the Market Lane young chefs presented their latest Chef Sessions, the first one open to the public, but we did have bone marrow, lambs hearts, cauliflower stalks, tripe, pigs tail, spent grain brioche, pig skin pasta, even a stout wort fudge.

The focus here in these sessions is very much on using the previously unused, rarer cuts of meat, little known fish, and on avoiding food waste. But the focus, and the challenge, is sharpened by the imperative to cook and present the unusual to a very high standard. The confident crew did very well indeed and their nine course meal took us beyond the familiar comfort zone and was a delicious delight of taste and imagination.

Heart

Served with some excellent beer (their own) and organic wines, this turned out to be a thought provoking nine courses of excellent dining. Keep an eye on the Market Lane and Chef Sessions social media accounts for future events (which may have a different theme but with the same talent behind this “evolving, exciting eating”).

Last Monday's theme was underlined by the welcome drink, Blood Orange Fizz, a delicious cocktail of Beara Gin infused with waste from segmenting blood oranges and topped with Prosecco. Bread and butter was served, the brioche made from spent grain, a by-product of their brewing process. The delicious cultured butter is a fermented butter. Then smoked Cods Roe “criminally underused in our opinion” was served as a mousse on a squid ink cracker. At this stage we were enjoying a bottle of their Jawbone cloudy beer, a superb drink with the food.

Smoked cods roe on squid ink cracker

Then a combination of classic Cork and classic France: Tripe and gribiche. The tripe was slowly braised, pressed, cooled and cut unto rings before dusting with flour and deep-frying. Looking at it, you’d have thought you had calamari on the plate. Then came the bone marrow, served and roasted in the bone and topped with an oil based sauce, flavoured with parsley capers and lemon. Another excellent pairing.

Their own beer

Next up was the Coffee Grounds Baked Beetroot, Hive Mind Honey, ricotta, and malt cracker. Hadn't heard of Hive Mind before but they are a County Cork company, a kind of co-op really, that for a fee will look after hives for you at their location and give you the honey at the end of the season; more info here.  Market Lane have invested in hives and the honey here came from a fennel meadow. The ricotta was made using leftover buttermilk from making the cultured butter and the malt cracker was made from malt from the Elbow Lane micro brewery. And, by the way, all these ingredients came together very well indeed.

The following dish, Pigs Tail and Garlic broth, was also full of flavour. The tails, with the inner bone removed, had been slowly braised, pressed and pan-fried while the broth was made from the skins of roasted garlic which is often wasted. I thoroughly enjoyed that one. 

Tripe..

Welcome

Another interesting combination followed: Cauliflower stalks, parmesan rind custard, and smoked ham. The stalks had been "confited" in duck fat and the cheese sauce garnished with ham crumb. Time for a palate refresher then and that was a Cucumber sorbet, pickled watermelon rind. Apparently, there is a fair bit of waste with cucumbers and here the outer skin and inner seeds were used to good effect.

Pig skin “pasta” with clams got us going again. Had really been looking forward to the next one and the Lambs heart, potato fondant, kale and lamb demi glace didn’t disappoint. Far from it.

Baked beets

Burnt toast and “barmalade” parfait Barry’s Tea ganache was the tasty dessert. Citrus fruit waste from the bar was used to make the “barmalade” and the white chocolate ganache came from used Barry’s Tea bags. “Using used tea bags you get a more caramel flavour and lose the harsh tannin flavour from the tea”. All a bit complicated to the outsider but no bother at all in cleaning that plate!

Cauliflower stalks..

We had, a long time back, started on the wines, both by Le Caveau. The white was a Judith Beck Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) from Austria while the red was Inspiration by Domaine de la Ville Rouge in Croze-Hermitage and both were excellent.

Dessert

The coffee then appeared along with a selection of “petit fours”. More invention here. The coffee and walnut was filled with a coffee grounds infused custard. The Beetroot aqua fava Macaron saw the egg white in the recipe replaced by water from Chick pea tins. My favourite was perhaps the Angel Stout wort Fudge. Wort is a by-product of the brewing process, a sweet and malty one.

Just another surprise on the night. At the start, Conrad Howard of the Market Lane group had promised us “a treat” even if many of the ingredients were by-products, discards, or waste. He was spot-on. So well done to all involved, to Lorenzo Luzzani, Chef de Partie in Market Lane, Janos Schmidt, Chef de Partie in the Castle Cafe and Liam Flynn, grill chef in Market Lane and to young Aishling Moore sous chef at Elbow Lane, who once again headed up the team. They also benefited from the regular input of the Group's executive chef and Elbow Lane owner, Stephen Kehoe.

*  The 'Chef Sessions’ are the result of an intense collaboration among the young chefs working in the Market Lane Group’s four restaurants (Market Lane, Elbow Lane, Castle Cafe Cork & ORSO Kitchen & Bar) who, over a six week period, create a menu to present on the night. CorkBilly was a guest at ORSO.

* For more on the story of this remarkable restaurant and indeed for behind the scenes accounts of restaurants past and present from around the world, do try and get your hands on In The Restaurant (Society in Four Courses) by Christoph Ribbat (2017). I got mine in the local library.

THE WEEKEND CATCH

A bumper Weekend Catch, fresh from the Net.

THE WEEKEND CATCH

Restaurant & Bar Scene in Cork

via Twitter & Facebook

French Food and Wine fest coming up – see blake Creedon’s blog http://blakecreedon.wordpress.com/

Cafe Gusto The evening menu which we serve late on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Washington Street has become very popular. This month we introduced Cicchetti, Venetian tapas which have gone down a storm. On a recent visit to London we were amazed to see that this type of informal cafe food is all the rage. So call in, no booking needed, as we..

Irish Foodies Cookalongs 

Montenotte Hotel's Afternoon Tea with a View

Montenotte Hotel's Afternoon Tea with a View

The Montenotte Hotel have been offering an Afternoon Tea treat for the past two years. They had a rather special February offering, both an acknowledgement of the food bounty of the county and a tribute to the local Cork Chamber who are celebrating 200 years. The menu included local delicacies from Milleens cheese and Gubbeen chorizo bites to Tanora paté de fruit and Toonsbridge Ricotta cake. 

The offering followed traditional lines, moving from the savoury to the sweet. There were sandwich style bites with Ardsallagh and Milleens cheeses, followed by Cork Gin Trifle, Murphy’s Stout (the cream!) Chocolate Tart, Barry’s Tea Crême Brulée and the sweetest of finishes featuring Tanora Paté de Fruit and Midleton Rare Whiskey Fudge.

You’ll take your Afternoon Tea in the Panorama Bistro and Terrace which overlooks the river and the city. Of course, the mix of bites will change from time to time and in line with the seasons but it is always quite an occasion. So do take it easy, enjoy the food, the company and the view. Maybe treat yourself to an upgrade with a glass or two of Prosecco or Champagne.

We didn't have the bests of days when we took up the invitation to try it out last Friday - it lashed outside. But we were warm and comfortable inside as we started on the lower tier with those very tasty Finger Sandwiches. Tier 2 had the Selection of Mini Pastries including their macaron and delicious scone with jam and cream.

The highlight was, of course, the top level, with all kinds of sweet things, even strawberries slices and cream and also those outstanding Handmade Truffles (with a drop or two of whiskey in the mix!). No shortage of tea, of course, or coffee if you prefer.

And if you have too much - it’s entirely possible - the Montenotte are well prepared for that too. They have a lovely carry-box so that you can take any of the goodies home with you. This is an occasion where you can truly have your cake and eat it (later, if you like!).

By the way, I had an evening meal in the restaurant here a few months back. It's well worth checking out. Details here.

Evening starter: Roast Jerusalem Artichoke and Shallot Jam Tart with walnut ricotta

Tea in Vintage Bone China. And Much More in The Workshop.

Tea in Vintage Bone China.

And Much More in The Workshop.

Soups and Arbutus bread

On the way to The Workshop from the roundabout outside Cork Airport, you’ll see Tea Rooms emphasied on the direction signs to the Ballygarvan venue. You’ll also see pink bicycles. But tea is the thing here. Loads of different varieties and, yes, it is all served in beautiful vintage bone china.

You may have the Workshop Cream (contains coffee and has a “pleasant Bailey’s taste”). Some of us might rush for the Ginkgo anti-aging tea or maybe the Elixir of Life. There is the Green Tea China Gunpowder (refers to the shape!) and the aromatic Blood Orange. A dozen or so of intriguing mixes and then, of course, there’s always Barry’s.

Not a tea-drinker? They’ve got top class coffee for you as their supplier is Badger & Dodo and the friendly efficient staff here will let you have anything from an Americano to a Mocha.

It is not tea and coffee and cakes here all the time, though they have huge range of tempting cakes and pastries too.

It gets a bit more serious as lunch-time looms. We started recently with two massive bowls of soup - they had two specials on that day. I enjoyed the Carrot and Cumin while CL had the Roast Red Pepper and Sweet Potato combination. Actually there is a very good deal here: cup of soup and any sandwich for just €7.50.

A Pair of Pies, again with Arbutus bread

They offer a good selection of sandwiches and if you are looking for something even more substantial why not try one of their pies. These vary from day to day but they had two on during our visit, one beef, one chicken, and we were well pleased with them.

Indeed we were pretty full but no way were we going to leave without trying some of the sweet stuff even if we had to share their gorgeous Rhubarb Meringue Cake.

The china is not the only vintage stuff here in the Workshop. There is much more for people to browse through and even buy. Don't think they'll be selling the old looking phone by the desk. It is a replica and in use as their land-line! But you’ll also see stand-on weighing scales, binoculars, books, and more. You’ll hear the music from the old record player.

Oh, on your way out, be sure and say hello to their hens. They, the hens, will be insulted if you don’t as, after all, they are prize-winners, their rosettes on display on the restaurant.

And where did the Workshop get its name? Well, the father of the current owners originally used the building as a carpentry workshop. Much more to see and eat out there, so do pay a visit

Cake!

BARRY'S TEA QUIZ

BARRY’S TEA COMPETITION

I’m afraid our Barry’s Team quiz turned out to be something of a trick question which was not at all the intention. Many of your parents will have known and been familiar with the company’s shop in Princes Street and that figured in the vast majority of the answers. But the correct answer and you may see it on their website http://www.barrystea.ie/ was Bridge Street.

The Bridge Street shop opened in 1901 and closed in the 1920s with the Prince’s Street shop opening in 1911. Despite the many “wrong” answers, there was a tie and the name drawn from the hat was: Derek Schaper.

Bake, Knit and Sew

Bake, Knit and Sew
A Book by Evin O'Keeffe

In the middle of the last century, I associated knitting with tea. Regularly, the woman of the house was slipping stitches while sipping Barry’s, the cuppa as integral to the operation as a sturdy pair of needles.

Not overly surprised then to see instructions to make a tea-cosy included in the new Bake, Knit and Sew book by local blogger Evin O’Keeffe. The book, a collection of recipes and knitting and sewing projects, has just been published after 12 months hard work by Evin.

The Honeycomb Tea Cosy, a colourful piece of work, has its own little story. Evin recalls that,  as a child, she discovered her dresser had become home to a colony of bees. “I hated to disrupt them so I just didn’t open that drawer. Eventually, my parents learned of my winged roommates and insisted we move the occupied drawer outside so the bees could find a new home. My love of bees remained -- because not one stung me, I thought we were friends.”

The Tea Cosy is your September project and is matched with her tempting Orange and Honey Loaf Cake. “This cake recipe is adapted from my great-grandmother’s pound cake recipe. It is a perennial favorite with my family and a quick bake to make if you’re having friends over for tea or hosting a casual tea-themed party. It is a cake that impresses in spite of being sublimely simple to make.”

With a project for each month of the year, Evin will keep you busy throughout 2015. And if your have a friend who sews or bakes or both, then the book is an ideal present. And if not the book, why not one of the knit and sew projects as a gift? Knitters have always been givers, to friends and family, big and small.

It seems too as if knitters still like their cuppa, though maybe nowadays that cuppa could just as well be a local coffee (from Maher's, Badger & Dodo or the Golden Bean), maybe a green tea though it seems that Barry’s traditional is still quite a favourite. Then again, I think I'd fancy a wee drop of Beaumes de Venise with a slice of that Orange and Honey. Now where are my #9s?

Bake, Knit and Sew is available here.

Barnabrow House: Splendid Sunday Lunch

Barnabrow House 

Splendid Sunday Lunch

I was glad to hear that Sunday Lunch had resumed in Barnabrow and great too to find out recently (24.04.22) that the standard is as high as ever. It is all quite the occasion, the well coordinated confluence of excellent staff, top notch produce and a skilful kitchen, all combining to serve up a leisurely lunch of three courses plus tea or coffee (with petit fours).

Barnabrow means "Top of the Fairy Fort” and reigned over by the Fairy of Cloyne. Now, thanks to the magic, not to mention the hard work, of owner Geraldine Kidd who has been restoring and developing the ancient house and its surrounding acres over the past 26 years, Barnabrow stands strong and ready to serve again following the Covid 19 onslaught.

After working in London, Geraldine came to visit Ballymaloe (next door to Barnabrow), saw the melons growing in the greenhouse, "an epiphany moment",  and signed up for a three months course. 

She added to her cooking experience with a stint in the Arbutus and also worked with Denis Cotter of Café Paradiso and also in Midleton’s Farmgate. She bought Barnabrow in the mid 90s. It has proved very popular as a wedding venue.

Sunday lunch is not the only sign that the big house is finding its place in the East Cork food diary again. Back in September, Geraldine welcomed a group to the opening of her Tea Rooms in the main house. Here, customers now enjoy Afternoon Tea and there’s also the option of a light lunch. Check out the details here. 

The Sunday Lunch venue is in the main restaurant. This church-like building stands alone and is also used for the wedding receptions for which the house is quite well-known. 

After a warm welcome, we started to study the menu as we nibbled on some of their lovely breads. I got off to a terrific start with my Oak Smoked Salmon with roast beetroot, wasabi cream and a poppy seed Dorito. A really superb opener, the salmon excellent, even the beetroot, from their own garden, was magnificent.

CL meanwhile was happily engaged with her Clonakilty Black Pudding Salad with green apple, Feta, crispy potatoes and spiced tomato dressing. Quite a lot going on there but all in delicious harmony. Also available were Ardsallagh Goats Cheese (with confit red onion and Kalamata Olive tapenade, hazelnuts) and a Tomato and Roast Red Pepper Soup with Toasted Almonds. 

As you see, local producers are well supported and that continued into the mains. Mine was magnificent: Roast Striploin of O’Connell’s Beef, truffle potato, ragout of Ballyhoura Mushrooms and shallots, and a red wine jus. The beef was perfect, tender and so well cooked, and enhanced no end by a notable jus. A compelling combination.

Pan roast supreme of chicken was CL’s choice and that came with Chive mash, Cannellini Beans, Chorizo cassoulet and Port reduction. Quite a chicken dish, well executed and, like mine, accompanied by a packed dish of roasties and root vegetables (all nicely cooked, not too soft, not too hard). There was also a fish option and a veggie option of a Wild Mushroom Ragout.

The finalé wasn’t half bad. We enjoyed a Lemon Tart with Raspberry Coulis and also Chocolate Marquise, spiced oranges and crystallised nuts before finishing off with Bewley's coffee (Barry’s tea was also an option) and Petit Fours.

Kids are often at Sunday lunches and here they may have half portions of the adult dishes plus a few other options. For the big boys and girls, there is a short list of red and white wines.

Geraldine likes nothing better than to see her guests stroll around the grounds and meet the other inhabitants. The donkeys have long been popular here but it seems the friendly pygmy goats (relatively recently introduced) are now getting a lot of attention. Enjoy your food and the visit.

Barnabrow is on the Shanagarry Road out of Cloyne, about ten minutes from the Lakeview roundabout on the N25 at Midleton. More here. 

BARRY'S TEA WINNERS

Congrats to the winners of the special Barry's Tea Santa packs.

Emma Lynch (Cork)
Ger Ring (Cork);
Mary Horgan (Cork);
Sean Hegarty (Cork);
Belinda Daly (Dublin);
Ivan Bevan (Cork);
Isabel Ann Jones (Cork);
Josephine Battye (Waterford);
Lorraine Ni Bhealatuin (Laois);
Donal Riordan (Cork).

BARRY'S TEA WINNER

Congratulations to Belinda Daly of Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, the winner of our recent Barry's Tea Competition. We asked

NEW TEA TASTES

NEW TEA TEST

My tea drinking experience has been more or less confined to the traditional way, always with milk.

Threw off the old habit when two samples of Barry’s new products, Pu-erh and Rooibos, arrived. Enjoyed them both, without the milk.

Started with the Rooibos from South Africa. Naturally rich in antioxidants, caffeine free and low in tannin, said the blurb. This can be drunk with or without milk. I tried it without and thought I mightn’t like it after the first mouthful but I persevered and was glad I did. Really liked it and also like the fact that “antioxidant rich foods contribute to general health and well-being.”

The well-being theme continued to the Pu-erh tea from China, Not quite a sharp a taste as the Rooibos, more rounded and, for me, easier to drink from the first mouthful, without the milk of course. This is also rich in anti-oxidants and is “reported to aid digestion and reduce blood cholesterol”.

Watch out for these, sample them if you can. I know all of us don't have the same tastes but I’ll certainly be included these on my tea lists from now on. 

Irish Foodie Coffee Shop. And more!

Irish Foodie Coffee Shop. And more!

Called into the Irish Foodie Coffee Shop in Blackpool the other day. It is very convenient, so close to the shopping centre and just next door to South Doc on the Commons Road side. You get a warm welcome here from Theresa and her daughter Caroline. You also get great value. For instance, a regular tea or coffee and a scone (with butter, jam and cream) costs just three euro!

They have had their problems. Only last June, their original café, just around the corner, was the victim of those awful floods and knocked them out for a while. But they bounced back and, since November, have been operating out of this building, bright on the outside and bright and spacious inside.

And it is really colourful inside as one part of the premises is where they operate their long standing flower business. They have flowers for all occasions. And even a selection of chocolates to go with the flowers if that occasion is romantic.

After a chat with Theresa, we were taken care by Caroline who prepared my toasted Panini and CL’s Wrap. We had lots of choices as to what was to go into them, all nicely laid out and easy to see. Lots of sweet stuff too in another glass cabinet alongside. We enjoyed our lunch along with a terrific pot of Barry’s Tea.

 And while you are there, why not take a look at Theresa’s collection of Tea pots and accessories from the good old days, or at least the part of it that is on display here. If you don't like the old stuff, then there is free Wi-Fi!

Location: Millfield Business Park (Sunbeam), Blackpool, Cork

Hours: Mon - Fri: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sat: 9:30 am - 2:00 pm

Phone:            (021) 439 7870

Email: info@irishfoodie.ie

Website:         http://www.irishfoodie.ie

Cork's Coqbull On An Early Charge

Coqbull On An Early Charge

No cock and bull story here

Coqbull, Cork's latest city centre dining option, is just six weeks up and has hit the road running. Spanning a speakeasy kind of space, booths and all, not to mention galvanised iron and milking parlour lights, between Academy Street and French Church Street, the French quarter venue is already a hit.

They were so busy on Friday night I couldn't get in to taste that sweet tea chicken, but no bother this Tuesday at lunch-time, not that it was slack, far from it as a steady flow of punters streamed through the door, doors I should say, as it has entrances on both streets.

Chris is the manager here and he has an excellent staff. Great courtesy and efficiency out front and no lack of talent in the kitchen. Did you hear me say sweet tea chicken? You sure did. Like in your great grandmother’s day, the chicken here is marinated in sweet Barry's tea and is all the better for it as we found out when we sampled, delighted with its superb texture and flavour, not to mention the spot-on cooking.

But we were here for the bull!  Oh and the beer, of course. I’m quite a fan of Black’s Brewery (Kinsale) and of their ales in particular and so was immediately interested when I saw their Session on the list. Noted it was just 3.5% ABV. It might be a little shy on the alcohol but no lack of flavour and it is blessed with a well judged balancing bitterness. Quite a beer. One to note for a session for sure!

Burgers are made in house from prime cuts and 100% traceable from local Irish beef.There is quite a selection (most at €10.00) from Bacon Bull, Chilli Bull, Forest Bull, even Bunless Bull. My choice was the Supreme Bull (12.50). I had spotted my favourite Cashel Blue cheese in the mix here and the other ingredients were bone marrow and crisp onion. And fries of course!

CL picked the Bacon Bull (10.00), the bull here reinforced by bacon, cheddar, onion and Coqbull sauce and she had no bother in dispatching that tasty combination. Mine too was superb and, after the beer, I was beginning to feel full.

But we weren't leaving without dessert! They have a short but tempting list. And the sweet things that we finished with were the Coqbull Strawberry Crush (for me) and the Banana Split. Very enjoyable indeed.

It is not all coq and bull here. You may have various salads and also Slow Roasted Pork Ribs at lunch-time (12.00 to 2.30) and later, when the main menu kicks in, the choices increase.

Many craft beers and ciders are available by the bottle and some mainstream (Heineken and Tiger) available on draught. House wines start at a fiver a glass and they also carry a range of Fentimans soft drinks along with a  couple of Moqtails!

The Cornstore and Executive Chef Mike Ryan seem to be on a winner with this offshoot and I’ll be back soon to check out the evening menu and the atmosphere behind the galvanised iron and under the milking parlour lights, all rather appropriate considering the restaurant’s title!

Santa's Tea Winners

Barry's Tea Winners
The winners in our recent Santa's Tea competition are:


1 Donal Riordan  Ballyvolane Cork City.
2 Sean Browne, Mallow,Co. Cork
3 Ian Healy, Ballincollig Co Cork
4 James Casey,  Rylane, Co.Cork
5 Seamus Ring, Blarney  Cork
6  Sean Hegarty Blackrock, Cork.
7 Martin Conlon,  Blarney Street, Cork
8 Ann Bevan,  Commons Road, Cork.
9 Adrian O’Flynn Bandon Co Cork
10 Kathleen O'Driscoll, Knocknaheeny , Cork City
11 Cian o Mahony , Millstreet, Co Cork
12 Brian Murphy,Valentia Island Co. Kerry
13 Carol Harpur  Glounthaune Co Cork
14 Timmy Kelleher The Glen, Cork City
15 Will Knott Dublin 8
16 James O’Donoghue Cobh County Cork
17 Neil O Sullivan Rathcooney Road Co Cork
19 Stephen Barr Ovens Co Cork
20 Denise Purcell   Newbridge Co Kildare
21 Robert o Sullivan  Donoughmore  Co Cork
22 Gwen Hollingsworth St Stephens Green Dublin 2
23 Dermot O' Sullivan Ballygarvan, Co. Cork
24 Michael Crowley  Douglas, Co. Cork
25 Jonathan Tighe South Douglas Road, Cork

THE WEEKEND CATCH

THE WEEKEND CATCH

Restaurant & Bar Scene in Cork

via Twitter & Facebook

Been inundated with entries for the Robert Roberts Tea/Coffee hamper. Not in? Still time as entries close on August 16^th at http://corkfood.blogspot.com/search?q=Roberts

Caroline has an interesting Barry’s Tea competition going and you can check that out at http://www.bibliocook.com/

Have you got a bumper crop of courgettes? Then check put the recipes at

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/tag-334/courgette-recipes.aspx

Jameson Irish Whiskey Many of you have made complimentary comments about Jameson 18 year old Limited Reserve and Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve. We're delighted to say that both whiskeys have just won prestigious gold medals at the respected International Spirits Challenge awards. A tremendous honour for us. And a reflection of your fine taste and knowledge of course! If you've ever savoured either of these two winners, please feel free to tell us your thoughts.

Food Safety Authority of Ireland Latest food alert: Irish Spring water multi pack recall. For info on this alert, click here: http://www.fsai.ie/comeraghwaterrecall.html

‎| Food Alerts | News | Food Safety Authority of Ireland

www.fsai.ie

SoHo Bar & Restaurant Our new COCKTAIL, WINE & DESSERT menu launched yesterday (Thurs) so pop in and try a few tonight. if you’re nice we will give u a few free samples !!!

cafegusto  If you are in Cafe Gusto any evening over the weekend, make sure you try a complimentary Moroccan mint tea! http://twitpic.com/2bufte 

libertygrill  You’ll be glad to know the repairs are finished and the Liberty has been serving breakfast since 8.00 today Friday. http://twitpic.com/2buv2p 

SAVEURMAG  Spotted some tempting recipes here: “9 of our favourite Greek mezedes, from feta-stuffed peppers to herb-filled grape leaves” http://bit.ly/cYZWHQ 

grapes_of_sloth Paul Kieran tells us about a mini-string of coastal wine bars at http://pauljkiernan.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/casa_diegos_aperitif 

Billy Lyons Paul went west while I headed east and a found a Cobh Bar/Restaurant in a great location, even has its own pontoon for sailors

Ireland.com - Blogs - The Food & Drink Blog – The Quays in Cobh

We search the net, via Twitter and Facebook, each Thursday evening and early Friday morning, for the latest from the Cork restaurant and bar scene. If you don't have either of the above, reach us at cork.billy@gmail.com. Deadline 10.00am Friday.