The Quays in Cobh

THE QUAYS

You may arrive at the Quays Bar and Restaurant in Cobh by car, on foot, by train or by boat. The establishment has its own pontoon.

It also has a decking area, part of it under cover, so you can take in the harbour views as you dine.

Called in there at the weekend, by car, and enjoyed a decent afternoon cup of coffee, a large one (with wrapped biscuit), that cost €2.50.

The inside bar area looks clean and comfortable and service was efficient and helpful and smiles all round. We took the coffee on the decked area, took our time and watched as one of the cruise liners left the nearby Deepwater Quay.

You won't get views like this at too many restaurants, though one in Venice, where I enjoyed the local “green” sardines, springs to mind. I haven't sampled the fine cuisine in The Quays yet but Saturday’s experience suggests that it should be up to scratch.

You can see the menu and prices on the website and they also have specials. Saturday's Specials included Soup at €4.50 and main courses ranging from Pan Fried Sea Bass with White Wine Sauce at €20.95 to Black Sole on the bone with a caper/butter sauce at €27.95.

Check out my review of The Quays - I am cork - on Qype
Picture, taken from the Sirius Art Gallery, shows outside area of The Quays

THE WEEKEND CATCH

THE WEEKEND CATCH

Restaurant & Bar Scene in Cork

via Twitter & Facebook

LIBERTY GRILL and FENNS QUAY UP GRADE, REVAMP

Liberty Grill We will be closed Monday the 2nd to Thursday the 5th of August for a little TLC. We reopen 8am Friday the 6th.

We will be upgrading our disabled toilet facilities, reupholstering our banquette seating and chairs, re-varnish the floor, painting plus numerous repairs and fire safety maintenance jobs.

No. 5 Fenns Quay Restaurant People may remember last November Fenns was badly hit by the flooding so our building needs a little tlc which requires Fenns quay to take a little vacation from the 1^st August whilst Mike Hanrahan & his team perform surgery! So we look forward to a few weeks time when the doors open to a revitalised Fenns Quay Restaurant!

Nash 19 Another Bank Holiday, another Bank Holiday madness at Nash 19. Buy three frozen meals from the freezer this Friday and get the cheapest FREE.......

Nash 19 This Bank Holiday make it The Real Irish Breakfast.

Crowes Farm Bacon and Sausage, Jack and Tim McCarthy's (Gold Medal Winning) Black Pudding, and Glenilen Farm Country Butter. All available in the chilled unit for you to take home for the weekend.

The Seaview Cafe & Market This Sunday, August 1st, Live music from 5pm to 7pm with Colin McLean.

Dine in Cork Hi Everybody. The dates are in for the winter Dine in Cork week it's from November 5th - November 14th. We will keep you up to date on offers, competitions & menus as they come in.

Kinsale’s Jola loves strawberry and here she shares one of her recipes with you:

http://jolasrestaurant.blogspot.com/2010/07/strawberries.html

Wagamama Ireland show your valid Irish Rail ticket every Tuesday before you order and you can buy one main course get one free!

Nautilus restaurant We will be open all day this bank holiday Sunday.

Milano Listen up budding pizzaiolos! We want to add another fantastic new pizza to the menu and we need your help!  Do you have a recipe from dear old Grandma that deserves the praise of the nation?? Got an unusual combo of toppings that makes your mouth water? If the answer’s yes then send them our way and you could be in with a chance to win a trip for 2 to Rome PLUS having your creation put on the Milano menu across the country. 

FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY: Advice on the safe use of duck eggs - http://www.fsai.ie/advice-on-the-safe-usage-of-duck-eggs.html

richysbistro New specials this week are Thai chicken Satay, breaded Bantry bay mussels, caramelised goats cheese and Seafood chowder, that’s your starters; main course - are Penne arrabbiata, pan roast salmon, tempura of hake with skinny chips and seared Beara Scallops

blackrockcastle  uploaded a YouTube video -- The Castle Bar & Trattoria http://youtu.be/mlxmLqYpGlA?a

grapes_of_sloth tweeted: Bollinger Announce Sponsorship of 34th Kinsale Gourmet Festival http://ow.ly/2iGEz

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

THE GREAT TASTE OF ROBERT ROBERTS

ROBERT ROBERTS

Cheers up and down the Broomhill Road in Dublin recently as Robert Roberts celebrated their unprecedented success at the 2010 Great Taste Awards in London.


Master Roaster and Blender Garath Scully: “These awards are a great boost to us. ...nice to see that an Irish company can hold its own with international competition. All of us here in the factory are thrilled.”


To celebrate the incredible success, Robert Roberts have given us a hamper of their award winning teas and coffees for you.


To be in with a chance of winning just answer the following question. How many Gold Stars were Robert Roberts awarded in the 2010 Great Taste Awards:


A – 6


B – 12


C – 20


Send answer with name and address to cork.billy@gmail.com before 8.00am on August 16^th next.


For more info (not to mention a huge hint) check out these links.

Great Taste Awards

Robert Roberts

Shelbourne Bar in Cork

THE SHELBOURNE BAR

The Shelbourne Bar in McCurtain Street is one popular venue, the crowd usually spilling out onto the footpath.
But it was relatively unpopulated on Saturday afternoon when I called for refreshment after watching the Lee Swim. Quite an amount of bottled beer from abroad available but went for a pint of Carlsberg. It was cold and beautiful, the most welcome drink ever, after the heat of the streets.

The pint and a half cost €6.80, a full fifty cent dearer than my suburban local. But that extra didn’t take from the pleasure. Service is fine and the seating is comfortable. The stone and tile floor was also quite cool and the Gaelic football game on the telly did nothing to raise the temperature either.

Things began to look up with the arrival of what looked like a Scottish stag party. I had been looking at a couple of old photos on the wall and the lady in black and white bore quite a resemblance to Gordon Strachan. Could have been his grandmother.

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

FENNS QUAY and LIBERTY WINES

FENN’S QUAY  

Enjoyed a superb wine dinner in Fenns Quay last evening, the Sicilian wines coming from Villa Tonino via Liberty Wines  

First wine up was an Inzolia 2009, bright and light and very cool, very appropriate on such a heavy evening and an agreeable accompaniment to the Bruschetta starter.

Next wine was a Grillo 2009. Didn't make friends with this instantly but by the end, thought it had a bit more to it than the Inzolia. In any event, it went down very well with a magnificent Mackerel pate with pickled vegetables.

And then came the principal plate, the Osso Bucco with spiced rustic potatoes, now almost a signature dish at Fenn’s Quay. Just magnificent. And we had three reds to choose from here.

Number One, the Nero D’Avola 2008, was the lighter, “a modern version of this classic southern Italian grape variety”. It was probably too light for the meat and indeed Victoria Curatolo, who was guiding us through the family wines, hinted that it could well be drunk on its own and even chilled down a  bit on a hot day.

I had no doubt that the second red, Baglio Curatolo Nero D’Avola 2007, was the one to go with the Osso Bucco. This was much stronger all round with plum being the dominant feature according to the notes. A really smashing wine to go with red meat.

The third red, the Baglio Curatolo Syrah 2007, was also deep in colour  with just a hint of the normal expected spice. Victoria was rating it highly, against both its New World and even French rivals. Not convinced about that but I do have a few bottles now (won the raffle) to try it further.

And I’ll also be trying the Marsala Superiore Riserva NV. This is made by fortifying the local grapes with white grape spirit in the traditional way and you end up with an ABV of 18%. This accounts for no less than half the production at Tonino and Victoria recommended it be eaten with aged cheese.

At home, they keep it in the fridge and always drink it chilled but “it is up to yourself”. The Sicilians also like to drink it with the “Queen’s Biscuits”. Victoria thoughtfully brought some with her and they proved quite a match, especially if dunked in the wine.

The meals are always terrific in Fenns Quay and we finished off with a superb dessert: an Almond tart, lemon cream and fresh strawberries. Well done to the Fenns Quay crew (excellent hosts), to Villla Tonino and Liberty Wines for bringing it all together.

Delias Kitchen Shop in Cork

DELIA’S KITCHEN

Delia’s Kitchen is a small cluttered kitchen shop but very central and very well stocked. Called there the other day, looking for a tea strainer (for my loose leaf tea from Little Buddha in McCurtain Street).

I had one look at the shelves and decided to ask rather than poke around. No bother. The helpful friendly assistant found not quite the strainer with handle but a globe type with chain than you hang over side of cup.

Could see it would do the job just as well, paid my €3.50 and left a happy customer. Lucky really that we've got two such shops in town, Delia’s and Brennans (in Oliver Plunkett Street).

3 Careys Lane Cork Co. Cork
(021)4271982

Check out my review of Delias Kitchen Shop - I am cork - on Qype

Brackens Cafe in Cork

BRACKENS CAFE


Found myself in Paul Street the other morning around coffee time and went in, through the half-door, to Bracken’s Cafe. Up to the counter where I was greeted with a smile and served efficiently but with time for some small talk.
The two rooms have a floor in black stone slabs. Rather unusual. The rest is relatively basic with some pictures on the walls and a large mirror also. Windows and doors were open and it was nice and comfortable on quite a warm morning.
Tables and chairs were solid and comfortable. The coffee was nothing more nothing less than regular and the scone was quite good and I enjoyed the little break. Cost €3.60. Passed Luigi Malone’s a few minutes later and saw that their coffee and scone costs €3.90.

Check out my review of Brackens Cafe - I am cork - on Qype

O'Mahony Family Butchers in English Market

O’MAHONY BUTCHERS

O’Mahony Butchers can be found at the Grand Parade end of the English Market. Had been alerted that they had good vale in bavette, the type of steak you might come across in French bistros.

The helpful courteous assistant cut five of them for me and they cost eight euro. The equivalent in fish would cost between €12 and €15. They went down very well that evening with four out of five giving them the thumbs up.

"It loves a good raw heat, where you cook it nice and fast, where the flames hit it," says Shannon Gregory, a butcher at Cafe Rouge in Berkeley, which sells Niman Ranch's flap meat in both its meat market and in the restaurant as a plate of bistro-style grilled steak with red wine shallot butter. "Make sure you cut across the grain. Otherwise it's like eating a lot of rubber bands."

Read more, including a good explanation of the bavette, at: http://bit.ly/6R4ayu 

Check out my review of O'Mahony Family Butchers - I am cork - on Qype

Molly Darcys Killarney

MOLLY DARCYS

Molly Darcys, on the Muckross Road, was the Black and White Pub of the year in the dim and distant past. Many tourists have been back and forth that road since then but the pub, attached to a hotel, is not doing at all badly, though you’d have thought the maintenance work, which put the outside benches out of commission, going on this week would have been done at the start of the season.
Killarney was very busy and there were quite a few in Mollys in mid-afternoon, some snacking, some drinking and some doing both. We were met by a smiling waiter on the way in and ordered coffees which were brought to our table. The coffee was better than average and top-ups were available.
We enjoyed our interlude there.

Check out my review of Molly Darcys Traditional Irish Pub & Rstrnt - I am cork - on Qype

Picture: Muckross House gardens

Aldi's in Cork

ALDI’S

Aldi’s and Lidl have changed shopping habits in Ireland over the last decade. Aldi’s are the nearest to me and are used in conjunction with Dunnes Stores.
The foreign discount supermarkets have often been accused of importing much of their food but a glance around the shelves in Aldi will tell that much has changed in that regard. The Irish symbol is very prominent indeed.
Bought some Irish Organic yoghurts there the other day but it is their sausages I’d like to highlight. I always thought that O’Flynn’s Gourmet Sausages were well priced at six for a fiver but you can get six Brannan Irish Jumbo Sausages, with garlic and herb, for just €1.99 in Aldi. The Aldi ones are somewhat smaller but this is good value.
They wouldn’t be good value of course if the quality wasn't there but my experience suggested that it is. Cooked them up and had them with the Country Baguette from Tom’s Bakery, one of my favourite breads. Have you tried them? What did you think?

Check out my review of Aldis - I am cork - on Qype

BRENNANS COOK SHOP

BRENNANS COOK SHOP

Want something for the kitchen? Then you head for Brennans Cook Shop in Lower Oliver Plunkett Street, the one stop shop for cooking utensils, baking tools and much more. They even have a Kids Summer Camp Cooking School.

Called there the other morning and met two smiling ladies. Stated my requirements and they moved off confidently to get it. But, believe it or not, they didn't have it. I was told it was on order and would be there in a few days.

I think they were more disappointed that I was. Still, I enjoyed my friendly visit. I have been there in the past and will be there in the future. They usually have what you want and provide their service with a smile and a chat.

THE WEEKEND CATCH

WEEKEND CATCH

Restaurant & Bar Scene in Cork

via Twitter & Facebook

No.5 Fenns Quay Restaurant Come join us this Monday night for a Sicilian wine dinner and be in with a chance of winning a case of wine. We have a four course dinner paired with six different wines. The price is €50 which includes the food and wine (Plenty of it!!). There will be a draw at the end of the night when one lucky attendee will win a 6 bottle mixed case of wine. We hope it will be a fun and relaxed evening.  Welcome to all. No 5 Fenns Quay

Nautilus restaurant will be open the evening of the Bank Holiday Sunday (2nd of August).
We will also have an early bird menu (6 to 6.45pm) from next week on.
And don't forget, we are now open on Tuesday nights.

Making jam: try juicy jams, cherries, beetroot and more http://allrecipes.co.uk/

All day, every Tuesday, in both Cafe Gusto’s, on Washington St. and Lapps Quay, we would love to be the venue for your tweetmeet, big or small. By way of encouragement, fill us in on your meet and we offer you TWO teas or coffees for the price of ONE. Free Wi-Fi available at Lapps Quay plus iPhone chargers are available for use in both cafes. We are currently trialling #TweetMeetTues, so any feedback would be gratefully received. http://twitter.com/cafegusto

Why do potatoes go green? The health implications... http://www.fsai.ie/faq/green_potatoes.html

See the Curious Wines interview with NZ wine-maker Andrew Greenhough: Curious: The Curious Wines Wine Blog » Blog Archive » The Andrew Greenhough interview (part one)

Pat_Whelan: Check out this article and recipe for Chicken Terrine from my blog. http://bit.ly/b2fD4S

McCarthy’s prize winning Boudin Noir (black pudding) is available at Nash 19 (taster plate and takeaway counter); also at On the Pigs Back in Douglas.

The Riverside Café, Skibbereen, has a Mystery Celebrity Chef Night fundraiser in aid of 2010 Food Festival on Tues 3 Aug. Details: www.riversideskibbereen.ie

Tom Doorley has been putting out strange tweets about YR sauce and Bobby Bars and other ancient stuff. He explains:   The reason for these strange tweets about food products is because I'm writing a book called Eating for Ireland (working title). 

The Bord Bia Quality Mark – read all about at http://www.bordbia.ie/aboutfood/quality/Pages/default.aspx

Blair’s Inn have put up their recipe for their Chocolate Gâteau. “It's one of our most popular desserts. What's more, it's gluten free!” http://bit.ly/b3oFFM

Know someone between 8 and 12 who loves cooking? RTE is running a kids cooking competition early next month. For more info, email pansonfire@rte.ie 
or simply call 01 208 3171 and ask for Ciara. 

Anglers Rest in Leemount (Cork)

ANGLERS REST
(Leemount Cross, Carrigrohane)

Arrived in the Anglers Rest the other day after a long walk from town. Told my welcoming host that I deserved a pint. “You walked out?” he asked. I told him the story. “That’s a good ten kilometres,” he said. He was probably right. Enjoyed my pint of Becks (€4.30) in the spacious sunny riverside beer-garden.

Enjoying myself so much, I rang for company and got a wife and dog together (and a spin home, of course!). Even the dog got a big welcome from the jolly proprietor who served up a dish of cool water.

Lunch was being served so we joined in, each going for the salmon. It was quite a plateful from the carvery: the salmon, the creamy mash and the vegetables (cabbage and carrot), were all cooked to perfection.

This was an excellent example of pub grub, nothing historic of course, but done to a good standard. Indeed, the visit left one with the feeling that we’d be back to enjoy more of this pub, its food, its drink and its riverbank location.

Bill by the way, for the main course, plus a pint and a half of Becks, came to €30.55. And unusually, that fifty five cent was knocked off the bill by our host!

Check out my review of Anglers Rest - I am cork - on Qype