EATING & DRINKING IN ITALY

Florentine steak
Bianco, with a little sparkle

Champagne arrival in Venice


Water stop at Spanish Steps, Rome


Dinner on banks of Arno, vantage point for fireworks later that evening

Olive Oil Press

Tuscan lunch venue

Ice cream champ

Burano Island (Venice)

Restaurant on the Venice Lagoon

Feeding time in another Venetian Square

Waiting for Lunch (St Mark's)

Musicians on St Mark's

Venice Hotel

Tastes better than it looks!

More photos from this Italian trip at http://swissroll07.blogspot.com/
or click on Corkman on Tour link on the right hand column

EATING AND DRINKING
While on
TOUR IN ITALY JUNE 2008

Arrived late from Milan to Baveno and went to the Hotel bar for a drink. A large and a small beer was the order. €14.00 was the price! Welcome to Italy. And it wasn't even a pint and a glass as we know them but 400ml and 200ml respectively.

Things got better. Another night in the small town, on the shores of Lago Maggiore, saw us follow the noise, as advised by a friendly waiter in a local restaurant, to a small piazza where a crowd of about a hundred had gathered to see Italy play against France in a vital game in Euro 2008. Great noisy atmosphere as we watched the big screen and the levels rose when Italy took the lead. There was bar service and here the large beer cost just €3.50.

But you don't really go to Italy just to drink beer. One dinner at the Hotel Dino was included in the tour price but we ate the other two nights at a local restaurant La Posta. The first evening, the night of the match, was a very lively one and we enjoyed a fine meal which included great starters, main course of grilled sea bass for me and rabbit, a bottle of water, a bottle of excellent wine. With the usual cover charge, the bill came to €49.00.

We went over the top at the same venue on the next night. Starters, mains (veal and rabbit), plus a plate of three desserts each, yes each, water, wine and cover came to €72.00.

Baveno also had a good selection of pizzerias. Lunch was no problem. The first day in Stresa was at the Pizzeria Central, a modest establishment. Two huge salads, one with tuna, the other with crab, plus a 50cl carafe of a local white came to €19.30.

We got good lunchtime value the following day in Lugano (Switzerland) where two well filled rolls of local bread and a big glass of the excellent local apple juice (invariably good here and in Austria) failed to wipe out the €10.00 note. We still had more than four Swiss francs left which we used to buy 2 bars of excellent Villars chocolate.

The Hotel Dino breakfasts are generous, taken in a beautiful lakeside setting and you really don't need much for lunch. On the Wednesday visit to Como we bought a bag of cherries in the market and enjoyed them at mid-day. On the following day, in a market in Verona, we demolished a carton of the local strawberries.

Dinner is included tonight at a local restaurant on the Lido of Venice where we are staying. There is a beautiful Risotto Cannelloni starter, a surprising main course of turkey and mushroom, a tiramisu dessert (it was apparently invented around here) and plenty of local Pinot Grigio at €15.00 a bottle. Later we enjoy a drink on St Mark’s Square, Prosecco or wine, and sit and watch the musicians play. This is usually very expensive but is included in the tour.

After a visit to the highlights round the square on the following day, our guide instructs us to get lost. We move well away from the square and end up in a restaurant situated on the Lagoon. Here we have a fine lunch. One has with a bountiful salad, one a plateful of Venetian sardines (served with currants and pine nuts). Two beers (€5.50 for the larger one), the cover charge (which includes a basket of bread), and water bring the total to €31.00.

Our Hotel, the Hungaria, has an unusually front (see photo). Just down the street is the Gran Viale restaurant, our venue for the dinner. Spaghetti alla carbonara is the starter. The mains are Scampi Busera (a local tomato based sauce). The sauce was absolutely beautiful but a lot of effort went into releasing the little bits of flesh. That led to messy hands.

The wine was a Ribollo Gialla, well worth the €18.00 charge. We were also charged for potatoes (which turned out to be chips) and water, and the bill was a stiff €84.50. Might have been worth it had the main course been more user friendly.

The next day we had quite a big lunch at the nearby Roxy Pizzxeria. Two Camparis, two pizzas, one water and one 50cl carafe of White wine (€6.00), plus a cover of €4.00 made up the €35.00 bill.

It is Saturday and the included dinner tonight is on the Fishermans Island of Burano. Not surprising, virtually all of the many course are fish but, surprisingly, most are done in batter. The restaurant is the Gato Nero (Black Cat) Trattoria. We get fish pate, the local St Peter fish, scampi, calamari etc and jugfuls of a decent local white wine before finishing off with Zambucco laced coffee.

Sunday we are on the road and heading for Florence. Included dinner is a multi course at a nearby restaurant. All the courses go down well, helped by a €20 bottle of the local Chianti.

Monday takes us on tour to nearby San Gimignano. We sample the World Champions ice-cream and relax with a cappuccino in a restaurant in the square. Both are excellent. Lunch back in Florence sees us stuffing ourselves at a sit down establishment with a €4.00 tramazzini (white bread sandwich, crustless), stuffed with salad, tomato and mozzarella.

The included evening meal is at a hillside restaurant outside of the city and is one of the highlights. We are greeted with generous glasses of a Campari and gin mixture. This is followed by a Risotto demo and a magnificent multi-course meal. One generous fellow at the table orders a slab of Florentine steak. The Chianti was flowing...singing...dancing.. but, what happens on the bus stays on the bus!

Tuesday, after a visit to Pisa, we are taken to a Tuscan vineyard (Montecarlo) for a tour and lunch. Lunch goes on for a while as we sample the six different types of wine (3 red, 3 white), a dessert wine into which we dunk our dessert biscuits, and then a grand finish with Grappa! The meal is good too!

It is St John’s Night and the banks and bridges of the Arno are packed for the fireworks, We stop at a deli for a mozzarella, salad and tomato sandwich and join the crowds to watch the spectacle.

The next dinner is in Rome on Wednesday, in a side street a block or two back off the Piazza Navona. Two courses, one bottle of wine €10.00, and 2 bottles of water, cost us €32.00.

Next day, we are off to Pompeii. Lunch here at the entrance gates comes with a rather stiff price tag of about €25.00 for a plate of pork and sautéed potato. It is a long trip and we look forward to dinner which is taken near the Hotel on the Via Cavour. It is a bit more upmarket than the previous night.

The mains are spaghetti with meat sauce and Lasagne al Forna. They are top class as is the fruit dessert that follows. The lot, including a bottle of win (€12.00), water, coffee, cover charge and a service charge of 10 per cent, comes to €55.00.

The next morning is spent visiting the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s and the Coliseum and we are well up for it by the time the farewell dinner comes around. It is held in a restaurant near the Vatican.

The meal, while a bit touristy, you get photographed with a Roman soldier as you enter (€6.00) and there a two opera singers entertaining (and selling their CD), is excellent and we enjoy the meal, the music and the farewell evening.

The following day, it is back to Ireland and we have to make do with a €5.00 Aer Lingus Panini (ham and cheese) and a little bottle of white wine (also €5.00) as we journey home. All good things come to an end. C’est la vie!

More photos from this Italian trip at http://swissroll07.blogspot.com/or click on Corkman on Tour link on the right hand column

COOKERY SCHOOL

Caroline@Bibliocook said... said...
I thought you might be interested in this cookery school call-out for the Cork area. Cactus TV are looking for people who are interested in learning how to bake and who would like to participate in a new cookery series.

Cactus TV (home of Saturday Kitchen and Richard and Judy) are looking for people who are interested in learning how to bake and who would like to participate in a new cookery series. It all kicks off in June so they need volunteers in the Cork area ASAP. More info below.
- Do you love cooking but find the art of baking a bit of a mystery?
- Does your bread fail to rise?
- Do your cakes go soggy?
- Maybe you loved baking as a child but have since lost the skill?
Cactus TV are looking for people to learn to bake as part of a new cookery series – so if you’d like to pick up some top tips from a TV chef, are aged between 20-40, are available at weekends in June, and live in or around Cork, then email us with a photo ASAP at bake@cactustv.co.uk telling us your name, address, age, and why you’d love to be part of our baking school.

More on http://www.bibliocook.com/

VALUE FOR MONEY

SCOOZI’S

Scoozi’s is a Cork tradition, which seems to have been in existence a lot longer than 1993. They say their ethos is good food, inexpensive prices and happy staff with a determination to please. I was there at the weekend and have no argument with that. Food was good, staff friendly.

They don't take bookings so we had to queue for a few minutes. We had heard portions were big so skipped the starters. My main course was Flaming Chicken: Chicken breast skewered with sweet bell pepper mushrooms, red onions, aubergines and courgettes. Baked in the oven and served with spicy sauce. Three man size skewers, well done and a smashing dish for under €17.00.

The other main dish was also chicken, called Pollo Alla Scoozi: Succulent breast of chicken, breadcrumbed and stuffed with garlic cream cheese and chives. Again the price was under €17.00. It was well cooked, though a much “heavier” dish that the Flaming Chicken.

Both, like many Scoozi dishes, were served with a side dish of chips and a side dish of salad. Well worth it. The house wine, a Bougrier Touraine Sauvignon, at €18.75, was also good value. It was refreshing and dry and went well with the chicken and the spicy tastes.

Tiramisiu was the dessert chosen and it too was up to standard.

Enjoyable overall, worth the little wait and worth going again. To find out more, go to http://www.scoozis.ie


About Scoozi’s (by Scoozi’s themselves)
Scoozi's first opened its doors on the 16th of June 1993. From its very beginning Scoozi's has been a very successful restaurant. It originally began in No 3-4 Wintrop Avenue but it is now 2-5 Wintrop Avenue. So we have expanded quite a bit.
We are a group of people who have been together for over 14 years. All our staff are trained and educated about the ethos of the restaurant which is good food, inexpensive prices and happy staff with a determination to please.
Work begins in Scoozi's at 6.00 in the morning when our team of pastry chefs begin baking preparations for the day. We open our doors at 9.00am and begin with coffee, scones, pastries, bagels and our delicious waffles. Around 10.00 breakfast gets into full swing - eggs, bacon, and toast any which way - all cooked to order. At 12 noon we change to our lunch menu plus our specials of the day. Lunch runs until 5.30 p.m. when we change to our evening menu and last orders are at 11.00 p.m.
Ours is a very busy day with chicken, pasta, salad, pizza and chargrilled burgers being our main fare. Our homemade desserts are hugely popular in Cork for all those with a sweet tooth. We have a modest but excellent wine list and also serve Cusquena Cerveza Premium (Peruvian) beer - the gold of the Incas!
We are a friendly family restaurant where kids are made very welcome. We have a Kiddies Menu and also hold a weekly colouring competition where kids have a chance to win a free lunch for themselves and two friends.
We look forward to seeing you....

BACK TO THE PALACE

HAPPY RETURN

Like Chinese? Like good value?

Then Ying’s Palace (in the Mayfield Shopping centre, 021 4559238) is the place for you.
Called last Thursday night and choose the Buffet Menu. Don’t worry – you won't have to leave your seat to get your grub – everything is served at the cloth covered candlelit table. The Buffet refers to the amount of choice on this four course set menu: nine starters, four soups, a dozen or more main courses and two desserts. All for €13.99 (Weekdays); there is a €2.00 surcharge at weekends.

I had the Shredded Japanese Chicken starter, the Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup, and the Aromatic Lamb. Desserts are not a strong point, either ice cream or jelly, I think. But all in all very good value at a comfortable venue with friendly service.

Possible extras: Coffee €1.80 a cup, House wine, very good too at €16.80 a bottle.

CLASSY CRAB TOASTIES

EASY TOASTIES

They don't call it a Deli but the Food Hall in Marks and Spencer (in Merchant’s Quay, Cork) is one, a place of delicacies and fine food.

I was in there the other day getting ingredients for tasty Crab Toasties. I picked up Orkney White Crab meat, ciabatta, along with some St Azur soft cheese and got to work.

Preheat Oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3. Check meat for tiny pieces of shell and remove. Soften the cream cheese in a bowl, and then mix in crab meat and mayonnaise. Add the breadcrumbs and soy sauce, then the cayenne pepper and seasoning to taste.

Spread the mix evenly on the bread slices and place on a baking sheet. Bake for ten minutes and then serve with a baby leaf and herb salad, dressed with vinaigrette.

Ingredients for Crab Toasties
(Serves 3 to 4 as a snack or light lunch)

100g white crab meat (you may use frozen)
100g cream cheese at room temperature
2 tbsp mayonnaise
15g dried breadcrumbs
1 tsp soy sauce
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Sea salt and black pepper
1 small ciabatta or baguette, thinly sliced on the diagonal.
Recipe from the Sunday Times, who in turn took it from the Jason Atherton book called Maze: The Cookbook.

B€ AWAR€

JACOBS ON THE MALL

Jacobs on the Mall is in the Cork “financial district” (a street, really). The area is well served with ATMs. Just as well, as the prices charged at this South Mall establishment are high.

But if you have no problem with that, you’ll have no problem with the food. It is, in my experience, always well cooked, well presented and served with a chat and a smile.
We called last Friday evening and the place was quite busy with about 80 customers in. While waiting, we were served some very nice breads indeed.

The main course was Baked Cod, with some anchovies and mashed olives alongside, served with a warm potato salad (a lovely cylindrical pile of potato and roasted peppers and little bits of ham). The smell on arrival at the table promised much and I wasn't let down. It was lovely dish even though the price was a hefty €28.00.

Desserts are usually good here. This time, I picked the apple brandy and hazelnut tart, served with a scoop of caramel ice-cream. Good, but not as good as my favourite here which is the date and butterscotch pudding. Cost €7.50.

From the extensive wine list, we choose the Paul Beaudet Macon-Lugny (€30.00). Not bad at all, though I must say I preferred the Macon-Lugny (“Les Genievres” Louis Latour) that I got in the Imperial across the road a few weeks back.

While the big aerial space has been broken up with greenery and the walls are hung with paintings, there is still a kind of hollow feeling to the restaurant. The lower level has two unbroken rows, one with tables for couples, the other with seating for four or more. A few screens here and a plant or a statue there might break it up and improve it and certainly lessen the class-roomy feel of the place.

One other thing, why not get rid of those awful “Formica” tables. I get classier tables in my local.

ALL FINE AT THE IMPERIAL

TOP FISH DISH AT THE PEMBROKE

Had a very enjoyable main course of Sea Bass on a very recent visit to the Imperial Hotel (Pembroke Grill). The fish was the main ingredient and was allowed to shine, not suffocated by the accompaniment as happened in Ballincollig (see previous post). It was served on a bed (appropriately small) of colcannon, a little Mediterranean style vegetable mix, small potatoes and a shared dish of sautéed potato rings. It was cooked to perfection and a lovely meal for €19.50.

The wine too was superb. It was a Macon Lugny “Les Genievres” Louis Latour. Apparently, Lugny is one of the best areas in Burgundy and is certainly well represented by this particular product.

Finished off with a perfectly done Crème brûlée. The friendly and efficient service at the comfortable venue was with a foreign smile but a smile is always welcome, no matter where it comes from.

· Earlier in the day, we had called to the Griffin Garden Centre (pictured) between Dripsey and Coachford. We were there at lunchtime so couldn't resist the temptation to call to the Spinning Wheel Restaurant in the centre. Quite a selection on offer here. Cod (at €9.90) was one of the main courses of the day but we went for the Lamb at €11.90. Again, the meat was superb and so too was the vegetable accompaniment. If you are in the area, remember you don't have to have greenfingers to enjoy the fine fare at the Spinning Wheel!

A TOUCH TOO MUCH

TREACY’S of Ballincollig

First impressions on a recent visit to Treacy's Bar/Restaurant in Ballincollig were good: busy and lively and it definitely has a buzz. It is well laid out and spacious, though you would want to watch out that you don't end up sitting on a stool at your table (they will get you a chair, but if you are sitting down for a reserved meal you would expect to have a chair there in the first place).

They do a decent range of dishes with a matching range of prices. As regards prices, the only quibble I would have is with their main courses, particularly the fish courses which cost in the mid twenties and could be a lot less – tell you why later.

The starter I chose was a Tapas selection. Cost was about €9.90 and was well worth it. The platter contained fish pieces, chicken pieces, bread with tomato and mozzarella, along with little bowls of piquant olives, sundried tomatoes etc. Quite tasty and enough for two on the one platter.

The main course I chose was the fish of the day, Red Snapper, which weighed in about the €22.00 mark. The fish was good quality but it was overwhelmed by what came with it. It was served on a massive mound of rice which looked like Ayers Rock on the plate. The side dishes were a bowl of roasted Mediterranean vegetables (slight smell of burn here) and a version of potato grattan which didn't add anything other than bulk to what was already an overcrowded plate.

It was just too much in quantity, too little in quality, and a suggestion for Treacy’s would be to take a look at what Market Lane in Oliver Plunkett Street can achieve with such a fish dish. Less can often be more! Quite a lot, certainly of the rice, went back. Now, I reckon, if less was served in the first place, that would bring down the costs and lead to a keener price for your main dish.

The Advisor took Chicken Snitzel at a very reasonable €14.40. Again there was nothing wrong with the meat (in fact, it was of a very good standard) which was served on a bed of fried mashed potato. The tasty enough sauce came in its own bowl but then came the overkill: a plate full of salad and a dish of undercooked chips. Another case of where quantity rather than quality won out.

Finished off with two mugs of coffee, good quality and reasonably priced at €1.90 each. The wine was also excellent. It was a Ca’vive Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie, cost €19.90, four euro less than the same bottle cost in Treyvaud’s of Killarney a few weeks back.

TASTE OF THE KINGDOM

KERRY TIPS

For your evening meal try Treyvaud's on the High Street, Killarney (064 33062), a popular if slightly expensive restaurant run by two Swiss brothers.

The efficient service and attention to detail starts the moment you walk in the door. The service is not at all intrusive, just sufficient. Obviously the attention to detail includes the food selection and preparation.

Most of our party had fish – I had the Hake special at €24.95, which I thought was a little over priced. The fish was perfect and had been cooked to perfection and the same applied to the seasonal vegetables that accompanied it. Everything was perfect. No complaints.

But for that price, one might have had expected some little innovation or variation, that the chef, with such perfect ingredients, would challenge himself. By comparison with the sea bass dish in the Market Lane (see separate post), the hake, while not at all a letdown, far from it, suffered.

Desserts, all reasonably priced at €6.50, were very good value and I enjoyed my Passionfruit Cheesecake. Other desserts that came to our table included Bread and Butter puddings and Panna Cotta.

A bottle of well balanced Pinot Grigio cost €23.95, at the lower end of the wine list, though the house wine, red and white, cost less than €20.00, if I remember rightly.

If you are in Killarney at lunchtime, Mac’s, near the Tourist Office is good bet, with a huge menu and service with a smile.

If you find yourself on the Ring of Kerry at lunchtime, particularly in Caherciveen, try the Times Square cafe in the Eurospar complex at the southern end of the town. There they do a great soup in the house; it is gluten free and served in a generous bowl, though they term it a cup, and they also sell it in combination with Paninis (6.95) and toasted sandwiches (5.95). They also have tempting pastries and free-trade coffee. Again service is with a smile and there is a relaxed atmosphere in the cafe.

(picture: Carroll's Cove , near Derrynane, 12.03.08)

SMALL IS BEST

CASTELLI’S IN PRINCE’S STREET

First impression was that this place was so small but as they say the best is to be found in small parcels and certainly the first visit to Castelli's Italian Restaurant in Prince’s Street was well worthwhile. The room is cosy, comfortable and seats about 30. Service is friendly and efficient.

From the nine or starts on offer, we both choose the Mussels (With tomato, onion & basil). The soup-like accompaniment certainly lifts the mussels to another tasty level. Top marks for this one.

My main course was a medium size pizza: Primavera (Aubergine, olives, tomato, pesto, peppers & red onions). It was done to a T, well endowed with the vegetables and a pleasure to polish off. The Advisor plumped for their version of Pollo alla Cacciatora (Chicken, onions, tomatoes chilli in tomato sauce, with fries or potatoes). The difference is made by the chilli and, while this dish too went down well, the extra spice may not be to everyone’s taste, so watch out for that.

A 50 cl carafe of house wine (Soave), medium dry with quite a robust flavour cost just €11.00.

The full bill came to a few cent under €55.00. Great value and it seems their early bird is even better value. So now you know!

Castelli’s own words:
Offering an excellent selection of Italian and Mediterranean dishes, Castelli's is the perfect place to enjoy casual lunches and sophisticated evening meals. The "early-bird" specials are particularly popular: a three-course lunch. The restaurant has daily specials as well as offering a regular selection of pasta, salad, and pizza dishes. Its small, warm surroundings allow for good and fast service. Perfect espressos and cappuccinos are available to round off a good inexpensive meal.
Contact Details: Princes Street, Cork - 021 427 3888

BARN STORMER

EXCELLENT RESPONSE

MEAL GOOD ALSO!!!

The Adviser recently made a booking at the Barn and there was an error, on the Barn side. But the response was brilliant. Their hands went up straight away and there was a generous gesture on the next visit.

The Barn, on the Mayfield-Glanmire Road, in case you didn't know, is a reliable fixture at the top end of the Cork restaurant scene. The welcome is friendly, service is good and the seating arrangements are generous in regard to space and comfort. The fixed evening menu costs €50 a head and the wine begins in the mid twenties.

Had a drink at the bar before going in, made our choices from the menu and chose a tarty long tasting Pinot Grigio (which turned out to be a lovely lively wine) for the meal.

Started off with a tasty duck salad, and that was followed by a top drawer bisque. Main course was red snapper with a smoked haddock spring roll, an excellent plate. Desserts comes from a three tray trolley. You are certain to find something sinful to suit you (I took the Mille Feuille) and tea or coffee is available to finish off, unless you want to go to the bar, where you can enjoy a glass of port for €6.00.

The Adviser was well pleased with the evening and we promised to go again, a promise that will be kept.

ROYAL RECEPTION

AT THE YING PALACE

What a welcome we got at the comfortable Ying Palace Restaurant in Mayfield the other night and, more to the point, what a meal! And what value!

We took Selection C on a huge menu. By the way, in addition to the main a la carte menu, there was an even better value introductory menu where you could get four courses for about €15.00. Our selection cost €19.00 per person.

Starter was Shredded Aromatic Duck, served with a fresh green salad and a hoi-shin sauce and thin pancakes to wrap it in. It was beautiful, a very promising start to the evening.

Next course was the soup; this had a most delicate taste but was so beautiful. It was a crab and sweet corn soup, a little gem.

The main course was a combination of turf and surf. On one hot plate, we helped ourselves to very tender, beautifully cooked fillet beef with a black bean sauce; from the other plate, we picked our tasty king prawns, served with a Szechuan sauce. Fried rice and chips were also served.

And we finished off with a cup of coffee each.

Finished off? No way. Our hostess for the evening had been pleasant, talkative and attentive and as we finished our wine (a Chenin Blanc at €18.30), we were offered a little vase of Saki. So we filled our little bowls (twice) with the warmed liquid which she said was about the same strength as the wine.

But she mentioned she had something stronger and soon she produced that. It was a Chinese Rice Wine. It was about four times stronger than the wine and packed quite a punch! Again, there were two little bowlfuls for each of us in the warmed container and it certainly was strong. What a finish to a delightful evening!

Total cost? About €56.00, plus tip of course.

BACK TO SOURCE

SILVER SPRINGS ENCORE

An almost accidental return (my first booked restaurant, nearby, was closed unexpectedly) to Silversprings gave me the chance to try out the Watermarq restaurant again. Aside from some over-cooked vegetables, there was nothing to complain about and we paid about €93.00 for two starters, two mains, two desserts and a bottle of wine.

My starter was a Tomato and Mozzarella cheese salad. Nothing spectacular but certainly up to scratch. The other choice, probably the better one, was smoked (lightly) duck breast with salad.

For mains, I chose the rack of lamb. The quality was good and at €22.50 it was reasonably good value. Medallions of venison were also on the table and again it was tender and tasty. The aforementioned veg, though close to soggy, did taste surprisingly well.

Still room for dessert and both choose the Passionfruit mousse. Nether was disappointed with this light tangy ending to a very decent meal indeed.

By the way, the wine list includes six house wines (three white, three red), all in the low twenties.

TAKE A WALK DOWN THE LANE

MARKET LANE

The Market Lane restaurant, on the lower end, close to Parnell Place, of Oliver Plunkett Street is a welcome addition to the scene in the city.

We called in last night (Friday). The place was very busy but we were soon seated and each of us started with a bowl of delightful marinated olives.

Main course was Grilled Sea Bass (bream normally) with a Mediterranean vegetables and bean cassoulet. It was a happy combination. The fish was the star of the show but the accompaniment was delightful also. This dish needed nothing else, well aside from a 50cl carafe of the house white (11.50). In this case, there was no need for chips or mash or any other bulky stuff to disguise the poverty of the main ingredient. Brilliant.

And the superlatives didn't stop there. There was room for dessert and I chose the Banoffee, a real banoffee this time as the three main ingredients were all present, the banana, toffee and biscuit base all combining to make a very sinful whole. The Advisor had an equally tempting Warm Berry Crumble and spoonfuls were swapped across the table.

The total cost, two portions of olives, two bass, two desserts and wine came to about €65.00. Service was efficient and friendly. So we paid up with a smile and a promise to return.

The Restaurant’s own info:
Market Lane is a new restaurant and bar over two floors that offers great food and amazing value. We use ingredients from The English Market and local artisan producers to make up our menu which has a wide range of fish, salads, meat, game and sandwiches, in addition to coeliac and vegetarian dishes and a healthy kids menu.

We take bookings for parties of six and over. For parties of fewer than six we operate a walk-in policy. Should there be no table available immediately, our large bar is fully licensed. Our upstairs section can accommodate up to 65 people. Reservation queries can be made by telephone to 021 427 4710 or by email info@marketlane.ie . The website is http://www.marketlane.ie/

HOT LUNCH IN THE WOODS

VIENNA WOODS

Quite a while since I was last in the Vienna Woods (where I once slaved in the kitchens).

Lunch was the object of the exercise today and I didn't leave disappointed.

Started with a decent Chowder. For just under 6 euro, I got nothing extraordinary but plenty of fish, plenty of veg. No complaints at all.

Then to the Cajun Chicken Panini with sun dried tomatoes and a nice salad. It was very tasty indeed. The Panini was done to a tee and the Cajun was reasonably spicy. Quite a substantial dish for just under a tenner.

So if you find yourself on the eastern side of the city, you may safely add the Vienna Woods to your list of places for lunch. The menu is packed with choice. Nice staff there too!

MERCIER PRESS SEEKS GRANNY'S RECIPES

Early this week, at 5.00pm today to be precise, Mercier Press will launch www.ourgranniesrecipes.com , a site that aims to collect 101 of Ireland’s favourite traditional recipes.

These recipes will be collected into a book for publication in October 2008 and the royalties from the book will be donated to Age Action Ireland. The book will be called Our Grannies’ Recipes, will be priced @ €14.99. It will be a hardback and will have 192 pages.

Although the site is not replete with amazing design features or fancy software, it is hoped to provide some exciting additions as the project advances:

Polling to uncover Ireland’s ultimate favourite sweet and savoury dishes
Voting on the final cover design
Direct submission of recipes from day one from here:
http://ourgranniesrecipes.com/?page_id=6

A Couple of Notes
Just a few things you might want to know:

Our first post goes live on Monday 4th February @ 5pm so if you do link to the site please be sure that it happens after that.

IMPERIAL DUCK

Downtown on Friday night

DUCK DELIGHT

THE PEMBROKE AT THE IMPERIAL

The waiter at the Pembroke in the Imperial suggested that we get the Roast Farmyard Duckling well done; otherwise we would miss out on the “smell”. He may not have had the words spot on but he knew what he was talking about. We took his advice and enjoyed the aroma of the well done duckling, not to mind the crispy fat.

It was simply gorgeous, very enjoyable, as were the accompanying vegetables and sautéed potatoes. Cost €23.50.

Dessert was a sinfully sweet Sticky Toffee Pudding while the Advisor has the Pear which had been poached in white wine. Happy campers both.

We had a quarter bottle of wine each, a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc which was excellent and a warm and generous tasting Rioja with good body, good flavour. Each cost €5.95. With one coffee ordinaire, the total came to €76.40. And of course, the smiling waiter got his tip!

SUPER SIZED STARTER

The Killumney Utd football team, pride and joy of mine host Michael Sheahan

SUPER STARTER, SUPER MEAL

at the KILLUMNEY INN

You won't be hungry leaving the Killumney Inn. Trouble is you could be full before the finish.

Take the potato wedge starter for instance. It is a huge dish. Better shared. It is quite nice too, the potato served with bacon and topped with cheese.

Main course was baked rack of lamb in a red wine sauce, served with a selection of vegetables, mashed potato and chips. All very nice, all very filling.

Still, there was room for dessert. I had a very enjoyable, very sinkable crepe with a butterscotch sauce and ice cream while the Advisor had the top class lemon meringue pie.

I finished off with a large cup of pretty ordinary coffee.

I must mention the wine which was a velvety Chilean Merlot (de Gras). Absolutely smashing and great value at €17.50 a bottle. It is one of the house wines, three red and three white, all at this good price.

CASANOVA COOLING

NOT SO HOT SECOND TIME AROUND

BUT THERE WERE HIGH POINTS!

A second visit to North Main Street’s Casanova wasn’t quite up to the enjoyable first occasion a few months back.

Firstly, the little on the house teaser that we got on visit one didn't materialise on visit two. And then, the wine, a Gavi D.O.C.G. S'Orsola €23.70, was much too cold on arrival at the table and we had to wait quite a while to get the full flavour and other qualities of what turned out to be a very pleasant dry white wine indeed. It is produced with cortese grapes in the Gavi.

I went for the Calamari Fritti € 8.70 as starter. Not bad though I felt they were a touch on the heavy tasting side and the spicy tomato sauce on the side wasn’t spicy at all. I’ll be taking a different starter next time but must emphasise that this is a question of taste, not necessarily of quality.

The main reason I’d go back was because the Secondi Piatti was absolute brilliant. It was Pollo alla Cacciatora €18.70: Chicken breast, cooked with peppers, onions, olives and tomato sauce. The meat was spot-on and the sauce was full of taste, yet so light. This was a five star course and probably quite a healthy one.

I enjoyed my Tiramisu (apparently it means pick me up) and the Advisor was welcome to her Panna Cotta. Both cost €6.50. Finished off with an Expresso @ €2.50.
By the way, this is the second Italian establishment in a row that spelt the coffee with an X; Gambieni’s also use the X. I tend to go for espresso and I have regularly seen esspresso. Can anyone enlighten?

RESTAURANTS AND THE CALORIE COUNT?

IRISH RESTAURANTS COULD IN FUTURE GIVE YOU THE CALORIES FOR THAT STEAK.
NOT THE NEAR FUTURE..
according to foodie Ollie Moore..

I wrote an article recently on compulsory calorie labelling in the US, and asked some chefs and others in the food area in Ireland if the same should happen here. I have to say I wasn't expecting the chefs to be overly supportive of the idea, but I was suprised at the sheer range of disagreement. Compulsory calorie labelling in Ireland might take some time...


Imagine walking into a restaurant and seeing the calorie count of the meal you are about to have on an overhead display or on the menu? Would you think twice about that big juicy option? This is currently the situation in New York, where there has been an inordinate amount of twoing and frowing between representatives of the restaurant industry and fast food chains on the one hand, and food advocacy groups, pubic health officials and Major Bloomberg’s administration on the other.

Want to read more - then go to http://olivermoore.blogspot.com

HAPPY GROUP

GAMBIENI’S SERVE UP A TREAT

If ever confirmation were needed that a restaurant rather than a hotel is the place to go for group dining at Christmas, then I got it at Gambieni’s last Saturday night.

I had arranged for a group of 14 to dine at the Carey’s Lane venue and neither I nor my 13 companions (they all turned up) were disappointed. Both the service and the food were top class. The plates were polished off and everyone left with a smile.

Gambieni’s has been and is one of my favourite restaurants in the city. They do a good range of food from pastas to pizzas to steaks but the chicken dishes are a delight.

And pride of place here goes to the Pollo alla Picatta. I plumped for that again the other night (after a goat’s cheese starter) and it was top class. I wasn’t exactly watching everyone else at the table but the Adviser had a Pollo alla Romano (a tomato based sauce) and that too was superb. The chicken dishes by the way are all about the €18.00 mark.


We did have a bottle of white wine, a Pinot Bianco that I hadn’t come across before. It was a refreshing light drink and great value at €18.50.

Just one charming waitress looked after our table and she did it superbly, the service not too slow and not too rushed and it all added to the family occasion.

I’ll certainly be back and I’m quite sure that the restaurant picked up a few new admirers on the night. Well done, again, Gambieni’s. Not that I ever had any doubts.

KILLUMNEY INN - WE'LL CALL AGAIN

KILLUMNEY INN

A LOVELY LUNCH

Just to underline my point in the previous post, that is better to visit a restaurant this time of year rather than a hotel, I was part of a group, close to fifty strong, that visited Mick Sheahan's Killumney Inn (a bar cum restaurant in the Ovens area) for a Christmas lunch.

No problem. The food was good and so too was the friendly service from Tess and her staff. There were quite a few for lunch in the bar as well, so the place was very very busy. But we got our starters, mains, desserts, teas and coffees at an enjoyable pace, not too fast, not too slow and no hint at all that the place was under pressure.

I enjoyed my soup and my Chicken Supreme (accompanied by a spot on mushroom sauce and nicely done vegetable, not too soft, not too hard and by an almost fluffy mashed potato). There was quite a choice for all courses and I ended with a decent sherry trifle. I didn’t hear a complaint from anyone in the immediate vicinity.

Well done to the Killumney Inn. We’ll call again.

STRETCHED TO THE LIMIT

THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL

Group dining continues to stretch the local hotels as the pace of the Christmas season increases. Last weekend, we put the spotlight on the Ambassador Hotel where a group (about 25) stretched it beyond its limits.

Signs were bad in the bar where just two people (including one linguistically challenged foreign national, who would have done well enough in a less demanding situation) couldn't really cope. Pints were poorly pulled and wrong mixers were being delivered as the rush got too much for them. Both lads behind the bar were doing their best but they could have done with one more.

And it was much the same story when the group eventually sat down to eat, the delay here caused more by the group than the hotel. But the Ambassador knew in advance how many they’d have to cater for in the room; they had two on duty and again could have done with one more. Indeed, had they had one more in the bar (where the rush was now off), he or she could have been transferred to the tables. Then maybe the duty manager had scheduled someone and had been left down.

The food? Not too bad. Adequate would be the word.

Why do some restaurants use fancy titles for their dishes when they can’t live up to them. For instance, the Ambassador Pate had a long winded title and the starter was supposed to include Brioche. The Pate was quite good as was the red onion accompaniment but the miserly piece of toast certainly wasn't Brioche and the dish (the amount of Pate was generous) could have done with two slices rather than the small one provided.

The main courses and desserts were average enough and most went down well. The company was good and occasion was quite enjoyable but the CorkFood verdict on the hotel was “could have done better”.

Overall, the message here is if you are going out on your own in Cork at this time of year, you’d be much better off going to a stand alone restaurant, which is used to coping with a full house on a regular basis.

PAVLOVA AT THE PARK

THE ROCHESTOWN PARK

A WINNER

Just when it seemed as if the local hotels were letting us down for Christmas, we find a winner at the Rochestown Park.

Group dining has been something of a problem in recent weeks but there was no problem at all in the Park this weekend when a group of 30 or so of us visited.

We were accommodated in “an old room” that wasn't in regular use but it was comfortable and quite suitable. The food was top class and certainly everyone at our table (there were two tables) cleared the plate.

If they offer you the Chicken Consommé there, take it, as it is excellent. They do a very good steak and all the vegetables and sauces were top class.

And then they came up with a pleasant surprise in the desserts. At long last, we got real "marshmallowy" Pavlova. That really topped it all.

Why can't other venues function as well when the Christmas rush comes on?

The Rochestown Park was extremely busy that evening and this was typified by the crowded bar where the centre of attraction was the Munster rugby game on the screens.

Just like Munster, the Hotel staff and management rose to the occasion and one has to say well done!

Like the curate's egg...

Christmas at The Commons

Wish you weren't here!

A party of eight at The Commons on the Mallow Road were made to feel surplus to requirements at a recent night out in the hotel restaurant.

One of the party dared to ask for proper wines glasses and was told that it could mean a long wait as the busy man who brought the wine, and he wasn’t a general operative, said he had over a hundred to look after for on the night. The room apparently can take 180 but our man obviously would prefer less than half that.

He was so busy that he didn't confirm that the table had received the correct wines and didn't offer the usual tasting. The white wine, a Pinot Grigio, was fine. The red, a Merlot, was fine too except that the party had ordered Shiraz.

By the way, the next waitress at the table had no problem in quickly locating and bringing the proper wines glasses.

The food from a limited menu wasn't great. Vegetables consisted of a florette of cauliflower (one for each person) and a big mound of overly sweet red cabbage (I thought we’d seen the end of that locally).

One or two got the Roast Rack of Lamb and it was so disappointing. It was so full of fat that you had to work hard to find the meat. They must be using the same supplier as the Kingsley.

All in all, the feeling was mutual. He was sorry they came and so were they. Maybe he’ll get his wish next Christmas.

That Time Of Year

The Christmas season has started and group dining is in vogue for the next few weeks.

Reports have come from two small reunion parties, one at The Captain’s Table, the other at The Briar Rose.

The Captain’s table was commended for its decor, service and quality (particularly the rack of lamb, priced in the mid €20s). This (lower) Barrack Street venue is a bit on the pricey side but the main problem is trying to find parking in the immediate area.

The Briar Rose doesn’t have a great deal of onsite parking. A few acquaintances tried this out the other night and went for the early bird menu (€25.00).

The starters, desserts and coffee were described as quite good but the mains didn’t impress. In the first place, the choice is very limited on the early bird and one dish in particular, the so called traditional fish and chips, came in for heavy criticism, mainly because one had to go fishing in the batter to find the miserable bit of fish inside.

So now you know. If you are in the Briar Rose, it might be better to choose from the main evening menu rather than the cut price cut down early bird.

ENGLISH MARKET

HOLIDAY BUZZ DOESN’T ALWAYS TRAVEL WELL

Once upon a time, in the last century, I read a novel in the garden of a gíte near the Breton town of Priziac. I was on holidays, relaxed. It was a terrific read.

Some months later, in the dreary deep of an Irish winter, I re-read the novel. And when I came to a particular scene, I must say I was disappointed. It wasn't quite what I had remembered. I reckon, that in my super relaxed holiday state, a glass or two sipped, I rewrote that particular scene myself.

But, of course, the book remained the same. By the way, I still have it. It is called Voss, written by the Australian Patrick White. And I can say that it is still a good read, even without my embellishments!

Books of course are not the only things changed by the holiday experience. Does the Tomme de Savoie you bought in the south of France taste the same as a similar cheese from the English market? How many times have you brought home a bottle of spirit or liquor, say Pineau de Charente or Pastis for example, and how many times have you been disappointed on opening it up and trying to enjoy it here, the two thirds full bottle often thrown out a year or two later. The experience is never quite the same.

And so it was with some trepidation that we decided some time back to try and repeat a simple but delightful dish that we had one evening in the sunny courtyard of a gite near the town of Bayeux in Normandy. This area is famous for its black pudding and we had been warned not to leave without trying the boudin noir.

The Marché in Bayeux was in full swing on a hot sunny day and we had no bother getting the pudding and we also got some free-range eggs. Amazingly you can get a massive range of fresh local produce at these markets but try the supermarkets for fresh milk and you’ll be lucky to find a few cartons, as the French seem to go for the vile tasting UHT.

We tried the dish it here, using the (supposedly) best of local black pudding but it wasn’t quite the same. The local product is usually quite salty, harder also than the imported variety.

The next best thing is to go into the Pig’s Back stall in the English Market and pick up some French Boudin Noir there (€3.00 for about a third of a ring). But you may have to try a few times as they don’t always have it. They had it recently and we tried it, again with the free range eggs, and it was splendid, though I must say we missed that sunny courtyard in Normandy.

If you are in the Market and want to make a full meal of it, you could do worse than pick up the Feta Cheese, Olive and Pepper salad they make up at the Olive stall. For dessert, I dare you to pass Heavens Cake, another nearby stall, without buying!

A BERTH FOR LUNCH

THE RISING TIDE

TIME & TIDE WAIT FOR NO MAN

You got to get to the Rising Tide in Glounthaune early to find a berth for lunch. At least that was the case on a recent Friday afternoon. The place was very busy and latecomers had to wait for a table. Book before you go would seem to be the lesson.



Another lesson. The main courses, most between €10.50 and €12.50, are quite substantial. So, unless you know you have the room and good luck to you, don't take a starter. The Soup of the Day was mushroom and both it and a well made chowder were filling.



Lamb was the roast of the day but I went for Kenmare fish cakes, served with a salad, chips and a tomato sauce . Quite substantial as already indicated but also very tasty.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Mind you, the Advisor wasn't over impressed by the menu as she had seen better choices there previously. There was a little difference about the tomato sauce dip: I thought it was quite a decent one but it didn’t have enough kick for her.



Overall though the food was good, as was the service.



Prices: Soup €4.50, Chowder €6.95, Mains as above, Desserts €6.50.

WINNING AT THE BOOTHOUSE

FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD

THE BOOTHOUSE

If you ever find yourself on the North Eastern outskirts of Cork city and wondering whether to brave the traffic and venture to the centre for lunch, consider this instead: a visit to the Award winning Boothouse in Whitescross.

After a long absence, I called recently and found the menu hadn't changed much at all at the thatched pub, opposite the national school in Upper Glanmire. It never really did. But then why fix it if it ain’t broke, especially their specialty, the roast breast of stuffed farmyard chicken with gravy (€11.00). It is served with vegetables (carrots and cauliflower), Grattan potato and some boiled potatoes also.

Despite the low quality of the boiled spuds, the meal was as good as previously and every piece, except for a few bones (and most of the boiled spuds on the side dish), was eaten with relish and a mouthful of a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc (€4.70 for a 1/4 bottle). Well worth the detour.

Don't take me literally when I say a mouthful with every piece. I got educated on a trip to Austria (the southern part) a few years back. The waiters there would come around to the table with a carafe of water and ask: "Vater with the vine"? So now I alternate the liquids!

We had started with a vegetable soup, another staple of the limited blackboard menu. It cost €4.00 and on a cold day it was tasty and warming. There is a choice of four starters, a few mains course (including plaice and herbs), some open sandwiches and some toasted.

The desert menu (this was a long lunch) doesn’t change much either. It must be like cooking by the number at this stage but they do get their sums right. The Rice and Jam pudding (€4.50), with a dash of cream, was delightful and the Advisor demolished (delicately, I hastily add) the Pavlova with fresh Fruit even though she reckoned that this wasn’t the true Pavlova, though it was a decent try.

Does anyone in Cork do the real thing when it comes to Pavlova? The search goes on!
Another thing about the Boothouse is the service. It is always friendly and efficient and that was even more the case on this occasion. It is a “nice” place to go and a pleasant change from the hustle and bustle of the busy city centre lunch venues.

CHEZ ALDI

Chicken, Apple and Cider...

CHEZ ALDI

THE ALTERNATIVE VENUE

When the Irish pubs started to push up their prices on a regular basis, more and more people started to drink in the house. Could the same thing happen with eating out? Of course, it could. The alternatives are many. I tried one recently.

Could have been one of those evenings where a booking wasn’t available or where I just didn’t feel like driving into town, parking and so on. Instead, I popped over to the local Aldi. And Aldi is becoming local everywhere.

Starter was Breaded Camembert with Cranberry sauce (€1.99). Add in some leaves from a mixed pack (€0.70) and a little dressing and the cost of a very tasty starter works out at a max of €3.00 for two.

Main course was Chicken with Apple and Cider, taken from the Readers Digest 30 Minute Cookbook. Can't reproduce it here for copyright reasons but maybe it is available on their website (http://www.readersdigest.co.uk/ )

The main ingredients, all from Aldi (except the Creme fraiche) are: Chicken (2.00), Apples (0.32), Crème fraîche (2.00), Cider (a can costs 1.36, with some left over for the chef!). Allow 0.30 for bits and pieces and that brings the total for one of our favourite dishes to an incredible €6.00 for the two.

You could have a bottle of white wine. Aldi has a range from 4.99 upwards. But a pint bottle of Old Moor’s Cider from Devon (at 1.99 each) is recommended.

Dessert is no problem. Aldi has an ice-cream yoghurt with a raspberry ripple. Four pots cost €2.00. I used two along with some raspberries. Estimated cost for the two is €2.00 max.

Leaving out the wine and/or bottles of cider, the cost of dinner came to just €11.00. Of course that doesn’t include the costs of preparation and the time but overall it was very enjoyable and could well become a trend!

BUCKNUTI

FISHING IN RIVERSTOWN

Once upon a time, in the streams and rivers in the general area of Riverstown, I was one of a group of boys who would while away the hours trying to catch darting brown trout.

Nowadays, I just visit the Bucknuti restaurant and pick from the selection there. Most recently, I enjoyed a Roasted Fillet of Sea Bream, on a bed of sautéed potato, with vegetable, dill and a Pinot Grigio Beurre Blanc. The veg was a bit on the shy side but the fish was well done and pretty reasonable value for €19.50.

Two of those with me went for the Pan Seared Salmon (€16.95), accompanied by a (very) few sautéed potato slices. Both agreed that the salmon was delicious but that the onion dominated sauce didn’t enhance the fish at all.

Chenin Blanc from South Africa is one of my regular choices and the Riverstown establishment has reasonably good one on their list: Virgin Earth (€19.95).

Dessert for me was quite a good Sticky Toffee Pudding. The Pavlova with fresh Fruit was also served at the table but again, as so often happens locally, it was really plain crispy meringue rather than your true Pavlova. It was overly crispy and didn't have the required soft marshmallow centre.

We did have very good service. Our waiter was top class, pleasant and quite knowledgeable about the menu.

See previous review on this restaurant below.

EATING IN THE (TURKISH) BATHS

JACOBS ON THE MALL
Pas Mal!

One is struck by the spaciousness of the place on entering Jacobs on the Mall. Glass, paintings and greenery are used to break up the huge walls and high arched ceiling – this was once the local Turkish baths. The floor space is well used. There is a generous amount of room between the various sets of tables and comfortable seating. First impressions are good. More importantly, they last!

We include some sample courses below but my main plate was pork with bacon, black-pudding, spinach, caramelised onions, and a potato parsnip galette. Absolutely gorgeous, the combination of flavours and smells a treat.

The Advisor went for the duck leg and breast with a beetroot compote and spinach. Again this went down a treat.

There were a couple of slight reservations. The baby spinach tasted as if it hadn’t even seen the steam not to mind the pot. We both love spinach in meals and have it regularly but this was needlessly stringy and chewy.

As a matter of taste, the beetroot was on the sweet side, perhaps too much brown sugar with the balsamic vinegar, something like the red cabbage that was once a frequent component of meals in the area. Thought I’d let you know. By the way, does any local restaurant serve sauerkraut?

We had skipped the starters but did have a few slices from their brilliant bread basket. Starters by the way are all around €9.50, mains in the high 20’s, desserts about €7.50. And then there is ten per cent service charge. It is quite expensive, but you do get what you pay for.

The desserts, as we say hereabouts, are to die for. Rarely have I had anything as exceptional as the date and butterscotch (with ice-cream) pudding. But I would have been just as happy with the Sicilian orange cake that the Advisor choose.

The wine list is huge. You can buy by the glass, the half bottle and full bottle. Penfolds 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz was our pick (about €26, I think) and it too was a delight

MAIN COURSES
Crispy salmon with couscous, marinated grilled vegetables & harissa
Sirloin steak with sauté potatoes, grilled flat mushrooms, herb & garlic butter, spinach, caramelised onions, red wine jus
Fried polenta with grilled flat mushrooms, walnut & parsley pesto (V)
Breast of free range duck with roast butternut squash, buttered leeks, basil-pea puree, ginger jus

PUDDINGS
Chocolate and hazelnut tart with baileys ice-cream
Date & butterscotch pudding with vanilla ice-cream
Ginger & white chocolate parfait with caramelised banana, fudge sauce
Farmhouse cheese with fruit and home made biscuits
Tel: 021 4251530 Fax: 021 4251531
E-mail: info@jacobsonthemall.com

Our picture by the way is of the Turkish Baths on the Titanic. See http://www.titanic-titanic.com/

ROSSINI'S

RISTORANTE ROSSINI



HUNTING IN PRINCES STREET






Rossini’s is one of the longest established Italian restaurants in Cork City. Proprietors Patricia and Salvatore Toscano have got to be doing something right to survive the intense centre city competition.

One thing the restaurant does right is its Chicken Cacciatore (hunter style). I’m not a regular there but picked that particular dish (€21.90) on a recent visit. It was magnificent. The chicken was served in a “massive” tomato sauce, olives and mushrooms also included. The big plate was quite packed – just as well I didn’t have a starter (most of which are close to €10.00). Vegetables galore, including onion, asparagus, celery and broccoli and a helping of sautéed potato.

We did order a carafe of house wine and got a surprise here. I have been ordering carafes regularly enough in local restaurants, less regularly in establishments in France and Switzerland and was under the impression that a carafe was 50cl. But the serving in Rossini’s was a surprise litre size! Still, it was quite good value for €24.00 and we managed to put it away without too much difficulty.

Another surprise came at the end when we got the bill. It was about double the expected amount – it was for a different table! We got that sorted no problem. I suppose it could happen anywhere –although it was a first for me.

A colleague who had been to the popular Princes Street venue recently didn’t enjoy the experience saying the service was pretty poor (it seemed as if the place was understaffed on the night) and the pizza arrived late, so late that the cheese has lost its “elasticity” and had dried up. But I have to say that our service was perfect and friendly. The place was packed and the atmosphere good, enhanced by some live music.

The live music is on the menu from Tuesday to Saturday. The restaurant itself, which is probably in the mid-price range in the city, is open 7 nights a week, with dinner served from 6.00pm. Telephone is 021-4275818.

ORIEL COURT

SECOND BITE...............
...........................COSTS MORE


How can the Oriel Court Hotel justify the massive price increase it has imposed on its lunchtime diners? Especially when it is accompanied by a drop in standards?

Just last August, I was loud in praise of the food there and the prices. Everything on the lunchtime menu was under a tenner.

Not anymore. The Cajun salmon salad that I enjoyed for less than €10.00 last August (August 2007, I must stress), now costs €11.50 and everything else has gone up has well, including prices at the carvery (where the beef plate now costs a whopping €14.00).

The food wasn't quite as good either. The hot salmon was slightly overdone and the garlic bread (one piece now as against two in August) that accompanied the salad wasn't up to the standard of the previous visit (see August review below).

At least, the multi-national service was efficient and friendly. But the totally unjustified price increase left a sour taste, leading perhaps to a detour next time I'm in the area.

SING OUT LOUD

GO TO THE CABARET
BUT NOT WITH GEORGE!


Food and music can be a good mix. Not always. I was a guest at a recent club dinner where the former You’re A Star contender George Murphy was the main attraction of the post meal entertainment.

The meal over, we were looking forward to George. He made his entrance and started off with a string of ballads. All were delivered with a shouting style. The words flew at you, just loud words, no emotion, no feeling. Where’s the soul man? James Brown might have had asked. Where’s the duende, might have come from the Spanish poet Garcia Lorca.

But George kept on roaring it out, even Blowing in the Wind came in for the sand-blasting treatment, in between refreshing gargles of course. Then he took a bar break and left the two guitarists on stage and they changed the atmosphere and entertained with some rock numbers such as Roll it on the River.

George was soon back again and we got more of his almost deafening delivery, no attempt at a rapport with the audience. The crowd were willing and tried a few choruses but I have never seen such relief, even from us greybirds, when the trembling tones of the Bee Gees announced the start of the disco.

Pity really, as the five course meal was top class at the Convention Centre in Silversprings. Manager Eoin Daly was on hand to supervise the clockwork operation as the food was distributed with precision and no little attention to the 250 diners. The main course was beef and it was spot on and everyone was absolutely satisfied on this count. So well done once again to the Moran Silversprings.

If you’d still like to try food and cabaret, there is one venue that you should seriously consider. It has been highly recommended. At the Quality Hotel in Shandon, there is a cabaret featuring Neasa de Baroid every Thursday night. It was regularly sold out last year and the trend continues this year. But, if you book the dinner, you are guaranteed a seat at the entertainment. Sounds like a good deal!

CURRAN'S

CURRAN’S CHEF SCORES
CUSTOMER WINS

I have never been let down in Curran’s in Adelaide Street. I have been in there with parties big and small and never a complaint.

The latest visit produced the same result. Good friendly service and top class food, well prepared and at a decent price.

Guidebooks regularly recommend that you check out the Plat du Jour when you are on holiday. I wasn't on holiday but I did take the Chef's Special on my most recent visit to Curran’s. I’m glad I did.

It was pan-fired monkfish, accompanied by vegetables (spinach, carrot, onion – cooked to a perfect point, not too hard and, the spinach excepted, not at all soft), and laid on a bed of potatoes with mozzarella and served with a rich lemon sauce. It was a tasty and substantial treat for €24.95, a bit more that I would like to pay for a main course but well worth it on this occasion.

The wine, which cost €17.95 for the bottle, was a Pinot Grigio Chardonnay from Italy (Pasqua). It was dry and crisp, a hint of green apples in the taste, and went extremely well with the monkfish and the rich sauce.

Dessert was a Pavlova with fresh fruit. They do a good Pavlova here, the real thing, but the fruit, while nice, could have been a bit more exotic. There was just too much apple in it.

All in all, another enjoyable visit to Curran’s. The restaurant has an upstairs room for large parties. I had one there last year and I was glad to see it fully engaged the other night with sounds of joy and laughter coming down the stairs.

Verdict? 9.75 out of 10. Now if there had been more variety in the fruit that accompanied the Pavlova….

AMICUS

AMICUS IS HOT
But avoid the draught!

The lively Amicus restaurant, in its relatively new location in Paul Street, is about as central as you can get in the city. It has an extensive reasonably priced menu and produces good food. It doesn’t do reservations and sometimes you have to wait for a table.

Our latest visit started for me with a bowl of Moules Mariniere (dear enough at €10.00), with the traditional white wine, garlic and onion sauce. The cooking time was obviously spot-on and they were very tasty, though I could have done with a piece of bread. The Advisor began with a small bowl of Olives (€3.00). These too can be recommended.

On to the main course, where I took a chance and went for the Roasted Vegetable Salad. It consisted of Courgettes, Aubergines, Peppers and Onions, laid on a bed of couscous and baby spinach and served with a few splashes of organic yogurt and pesto. There was quite a plateful. The spinach and couscous bed worked very well and I enjoyed the peppers and the onions but I must admit I found the Aubergine and Courgette fairly soggy and therefore heavy going.

The Advisor went for the Sicilian curry, the chicken version. That was served in its own bowl and accompanied, on the main plate, by rice, relish, etc. All nicely presented and a treat to eat.

We felt we had room for dessert but none of the seven on the list was very tempting so we gave it a skip and finished off the wine. The total bill came to €59.00, plus tip.

That wine was probably the highlight of the night. For €19.00, we got an organic Montgras Soleus Sauvignon Blanc from Chile. This is a top class wine that belies its price tag. It is refreshing with a strong herby flavour that lingers. It also comes with a 14% kick.

Maybe our Irish waitress was new to the job. She certainly didn't have any great knowledge of the menu. For instance, she was asked what vegetables accompanied a certain dish and her reply: “Peppers and things”. Could do better!

While Amicus is certainly a place to go to, there is one section within the place that you should try and avoid. That is around the entrance area. We have been there once or twice and felt the draughts. The entrance is screened off by big glass panels and there are tables right alongside. The trouble is that there is a small gap, running the full height of the panels, and the draughts get through there and make life uncomfortable (the big glass window onto Paul Street doesn’t help either). So if your waitress is taking you to a seat in that area, ask for a different table.

Ironically, having said all that, right outside is the smoking area and there, in a chilly September evening, the dedicated puffers, some in lightweight sleeveless tops, are enjoying themselves with no worries about draughts. It takes all kinds!
Amicus now have a Tapas bar in full operation upstairs and I look forward to paying a visit there and see how it compares with Boqueria in Bridge Street.

BUCKNUTI

GO EAST YOUNG MAN
BUT NOT TOO FAR
















Just east of the city, in Riverstown, you will find the Bucknuti Restaurant, adjoining the BK2 Bar in the Hazelwood Shopping Centre. The name is Thai and many of the dishes, but by no means all, are Thai influenced.

From the extensive menu, I choose the pan roasted Cod fillet with Provencal vegetables, mushy green peas and home cut chips (€17.95). It was a smashing combination, the roasted veg (mainly pepper and aubergine) and peas mixing well with the fish to provide a light delight and the chips too were a cut above the normal.

Most of the desserts are €7.00 and I was very happy with mine: Peach and Orange crumble, with sauce anglaise and ice cream. It wasn't quite the crumble I was expecting but rather a tart with a crumble topping. The filling was mainly peach with possibly rind of orange. The custard was used sparingly and all together the result was a tasty light sweet that satisfied without leaving you with that filled up feeling.

The house wine was a Grenache Sauvignon blend. It was light and refreshing but maybe not great value for the €19.00.

Other family members were out eating as well on this particular night and good reports came back from The Barn (reliable, if expensive, set menu) and Amicus (cheerful and cheaper). Chicken dishes were recommended at each location: chicken breast (stuffed with a cream cheese and wrapped in bacon at The Barn) and a chargrilled chicken breast (her “usual” at Amicus).

WONDERFALL

EARLY BIRD SCORES AGAIN

(but sting in the tail...)

Greene’s, the restaurant by the waterfall in McCurtain Street, is a little bit pricier. But it is also a little bit better. I sampled their early bird (€28.00) recently and felt I had struck a culinary jackpot.

Starter was the Prawns Scampi (see menu illustration). They and the wedges looked scarce enough on the plate but were quite sufficient as a starter. Not just sufficient. They were excellent.

Main course was the Salmon. Oh, so tasty. And the vegetable accompaniment was also brilliant. The Advisor opted for the Toulouse Sausage. She doesn’t go far wrong. Indeed, she wasn't wrong at all. It was absolutely splendid and the Red Wind jus was one of the best sauces of its kind that we’ve ever come across.

After all that, we said we’d settle for a simple dessert and the Crème Caramel seemed to fit the bill. Again there was surprise. The citron just made this plate. Again so tasty. Demolishable!!! But at a leisurely pace.

Service was the usual league of nations that we’ve come to expect in Ireland. But that is only half the story. The young people smiled. They were friendly and above all they were efficient.

By the way, my wine was yet another Pinot Grigio. Again this one (€22.5) was from the Venice region but was tarty and bright and came quite close to matching the bottle from the Trentino region that I found so appealing in Switzerland (see Swissroll07.blogspot.com).

Oh Oh! After that so positive review, sad to report that during that night and into the following day, each of us suffered from an upset stomach! Arret