Priory Coffee. Now in six locations. Coffee, Toasties and Much More.

 Priory Coffee. Now in six locations.

Coffee, Toasties and Much More.  

Americano & Portuguese Tart for a fiver!

Having enjoyed the walk (c. 7km in total) on the new boardwalk, we head into the heart of Youghal for lunch at the Priory Café on Main Street. It is our first time calling there but we can’t miss it as there’s a lively crowd enjoying themselves at the outdoor tables. As it happens, having been out in the sun for much of the morning, we are quite happy with an indoor seat. (Read post on new boardwalk here.)

After a warm welcome, we were soon seated and studying the menu. It included quite a few breakfast items but most of those aren’t available after 12.00pm; yet that Full Irish looked tempting.

Busy spot!

Plenty of choice aside from that though, including Lebanese flatbreads (one with chicken, one vegetarian), pancakes (the one with Nutella seem popular with the kids), the all-day Breakfast Blaa (very popular also we’re told), and a selection of sourdough toasties and more.

No less than five toasties on offer including Chicken and cheese etc; Special with natural ham, cheddar cheese etc; Chorizo (Chorizo and cheddar cheese etc); and one with Galway Goat Farm Cheese and more. I had been tipped off about the Reuben and that was my pick, a generous and delicious combination of Beef Pastrami, Cheddar cheese, sauerkraut, scallions, mayo and the all-important Ballymaloe Relish.

Super salad

Meanwhile CL was “working” her way through their massive Signature Salad consisting of Gold River Salad Mix, Semi sun-dried tomato pesto and Fresh Herbs Bulgar Salad, pickled beets, hummus, red onion & cucumber pickle, Maple syrup gazed & roasted almonds and cashews, with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Lots of pickle there but very tasty overall. You also had the option of adding chicken or falafel.

The counter is stacked with tempting pastries making it difficult to pick two! But we were more than happy with our Caramel Square and Portuguese Custard Tart. Indeed, that tart was one of the best local versions that we’ve come across.

Reuben

By the way, they have some very good combo deals. We didn’t really spot this on the way but the servers and the system worked a treat and we got the benefit. For instance, my toastie (7.80 on its own) and superb Badger & Dodo American came to a deal total of €10.00. The coffee and pastry deal costs just a fiver. Good food, good value and good friendly service as well.

Prior have been in the news recently, as they have just opened their second city branch in MacCuratin Street. Youghal is their original café and they also have outlets in Fermoy, Mallow, Roverstick and North Main Street (in the city), an impressive six in all.

Locations:

56 Main Street, Youghal (they are also known here for their burgers and Fish ’N Chips)

 

2 Riverside Grove, Riverstick (next to the Centra/petrol station)

 

1 Brian Boru Square, Fermoy

 

106 Main Street, Mallow

 

1 North Main Street, Cork City (next to the Gate cinema)

MacCurtain Street, Cork City (opposite Gallagher’s Gastro Pub); check out their Priory Hatch for quick service!

Stepping Out On Youghal's New Boardwalk

 Youghal's New Boardwalk

Heading towards Redbarn

These are great days to be striding out on Youghal's new boardwalk that runs from the town's Front Strand to Redbarn Beach. Of course, if you like the feeling of sand between your toes, you have the option of walking on the beaches or doing half and half. As far as I know the boardwalk (in two sections with a concrete path joining the two at Claycastle), officially opened in mid-summer, is 3.5km long for a single end to end walk. Well worth a visit. 

Before or after your walk, why not take a look around the town and enjoy the lovely floral displays and its other attractions. We called to the Priory on the main street for an excellent lunch, fairly priced too. More details here.

Front Strand and apartments

Redbarn

Redbarn

Moby Dick's

Priory, on the main street.

Firestation

Moby Dick's

Sage, on the main street

The Town Hall with small beach alongside

Man of Youghal

A Quart of Ale± #66. On the craft journey with Hope's "Classic Gose", White Hag, Tom Crean and Whiplash

A Quart of Ale± #66

On the craft journey with Hope's "Classic Gose", White Hag, Tom Crean and Whiplash 

Hope “Limited Edition No 25“ Classic Gose 5.00%, 440 can

This Gose is Number 25 in Hope’s ever-growing range of limited editions. Gose, as you probably know, is a German sour beer, traditionally brewed in Leipzig and named after a local river.

Got a nice white head when I poured this but it didn’t last long. Colour is a cloudy lemon, with quite a few micro-bubbles racing up through the haze. Aromas are lemony, with a hint of sourdough starter. And that strong citrus element is also found on the palate, a  tangy and very refreshing palate indeed. And very enjoyable too!

They say: Gose is a sour beer, traditionally soured with lactic bacteria, but we actually used a special yeast strain that produces lactic acid as well as alcohol. While many modern Goses have fruit additions, we opted to keep it classic and let the simple mixture of acidic and mildly salty flavours shine on their own. …It goes really well with strong soft cheeses such as goats cheese as well as seafood.

Now where’s my St Tola?

By the way, the first Gosé I came across (at the 2014 LitFest), was made by the Brown Paper Bag Project, Irish brewers without a brewery but who travelled at home and abroad and hiring out or collaborating with existing brewers.

That beer, Fano Bryghus, was made in partnership with the local brewery on the Danish island of Fanoe. Sea salts and coriander were added to the wheat and barley. It had cider like characteristics and the acidity and salinity were prominent. That one was very good with oysters!

Geek Bits

Colour: 6 EBC

IBU (bitterness): 6

Serve at: 6 to 8 C.

Who are Hope? Hope Beer started out in 2015 when the brewery was founded by four friends with a passion for beer and business. What began as a series of late-night kitchen table discussions is now a state-of-the-art brewery, producing an extensive range of award-winning premium craft beers.

Hope produces a core range of five distinct beer styles which are available all year round as well as two seasonals and a wide range of limited-edition beers.

All Hope beers are brewed, bottled, canned and kegged at Howth Junction on Dublin’s Northside and are crafted to be the perfect accompaniment to food. Each beer has its own distinct name, story and taste experience.

White Hag “Magic Mist” Juicy Pale Ale 5.0%, 440 can CraftDirect

Always a bit of magic attached to the White Hag. Here it’s of the misty variety, hazy under a white foamy hat. And aromas enough to wake the spellbound, citrus in there with the mango and passionfruit and a basket of other lovelies. And all the exotic flavours burst onto the palate in a stream of oozy bitterness, soft and juicy. Play misty for me. Again. And again. 

The Label explains:  The tribe of the water goddess Danu, the Tuatha De Dannan enshrouded themselves in a mystical fog rendering their presence invisible to human eyesight.

Tom Crean Druids Wheat Beer 4.2%, 440 can Brewery Sales

The unmistakeable aroma of smoked bacon rises from the lemon coloured body, the head already vanished. You’ll notice quite a crowd of bubbles rising through the slight haze. The aroma continues but not a trace of the clove or banana usually associated with wheat beer as the liquid spreads cool across the palate. Brewer Bill is his own man; he has eased up on the hops and allowed the grain and the yeast the leading roles here. The route may not be the usual one but the result, refreshment, is certainly there. And the smoky aspect diminishes as you sip.

They say: A beer that gives acknowledgement to our rich local ancient history, we used delicately smoked oak malted barley, the reduced hop bill allows the full wheat and yeast flavours to dominate…We use just a tiny amount of hops here in this refreshing beer… let the grain and the yeast do all the work.”

Everyone at the tasting was surprised by the “smoky” ambush but all seemed to enjoy the refreshing element of this Kerry wheat beer.

By the way, if you’re heading towards Kenmare you could do worse than make Tom Crean’s your base camp as you’ll score highly on three fronts: B&B, restaurant with bar/brewery. And even higher on the hospitality front as the brewer Bill and chef Aileen are terrific hosts.

Whiplash Rollover Session IPA 3.8%, 330 can Bradleys

This was session beer of the year last time and this most recent tasting confirmed it’s as likeable as ever.

Pale yellow colour with a  short-lived white head over a hazy body. Citrus fronts the aromatics. And the quartet of hops dominate the palate. Amazing that this has so much hops and still weighs in at less than 4.00% abv. Quite a concentration of hops then, before a lip-smacking finalé.

They say: Same hop rate as our DIPA’s, less than half the alcohol. A very heavily hopped Session IPA: this comes at you with buckets of Simcoe, Ekuanot, Citra and Mosaic hops with a light touch of malts and an easy crushable body. Unfiltered, hazy, hoppy and juicy – Rollover is a New England inspired IPA without the heavy alcohol in tow.

Seisiún, Sunburnt take Best in Ireland at 2021 World Beer Awards

Seisiún, Sunburnt take Best in Ireland

 at 2021 World Beer Awards

Country Wins for Eight Degrees Brewing’s Seisiún IPA and Sunburnt Irish Red Ale, silver for Devil’s Ladder Belgian-Style Tripel and Full Irish IPA at the 2021 World Beer Awards.

Eight Degrees Brewing's Seisiún IPA and Sunburnt Irish Red Ale have been named Best in Ireland at this year’s World Beer Awards. eisiún IPA took the win in the session category while Sunburnt Irish Red Ale was the winner in the amber category.

Seisiún IPA and Sunburnt Irish Red Ale now go forward with all other Country Winners and compete to become the World’s Best in their categories, the results of which will be announced on 9 September.

Devil’s Ladder Belgian-Style Tripel, the final beer in the Eight Degrees 2020 Irish Munros series, took Silver in the Wood Aged category and the multi-award winning Full Irish IPA was the Silver winner in the English-style IPA category.

“We are extremely proud of the hard work and consistency displayed by all the team to earn these awards, said head brewer Daniel O’Shea. “To be recognised for the core beer range is extremely satisfying and demonstrates the incredibly hard work all the team put towards making quality beers on a daily basis.”

Head Cellerman Derek Neville added: “These awards are a real testament to the hard work and attention to detail that we hold ourselves to every day. We are also particularly delighted to receive silver for the Devil's Ladder. This one-off special was the culmination of our Munro series and a beer which weaved many different threads together to become the quality product it is today.”

The World Beer Awards are global awards selecting the very best in all the international recognised styles. Each year the World Beer Awards award and promote the world’s best beers to consumers and trade across the globe. Drawing on the expertise of over 200 international judges, the WBA ensures that each beer is judged both rigorously and fairly to give it its best chance in the competition. All Country Winners go forward and compete to become the World’s Best in their Style and Category. The winners will be announced on the 9 September.

Press release

 

BALLYMALOE FOODS EXCITED TO BE PART OF CORK ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL

BALLYMALOE FOODS EXCITED TO BE PART

OF CORK ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL

Three generations of the Hyde Family as Ballymaloe Foods prepares to meet customers for the first time since 2019 as part of Design POP Cork. Pictured are Yasmin Hyde and her daughters, Rose Callaghan and Maxine Hyde and her granddaughter baby Cara Callaghan. Picture: Clare Keogh

Design POP will be the first opportunity to meet customers face-to-face since 2019

Ballymaloe Foods has joined with Cook Architects as part of Design POP Cork, an architecture, design and food festival that runs from August 27th to 29th. The event celebrates creativity, collaboration and Cork city and will see Ballymaloe Foods located in Elizabeth Fort for three days. 

Architects Dermot Harrington and Paul Carpenter have designed and created a special pavilion for Ballymaloe Foods that will be located within the grounds of the 17th century star-shaped fort. The pavilion is a bespoke structure that captures and represents the ethos of the food brand.

The festival is Ballymaloe Foods’ first opportunity to meet customers face-to-face since 2019. There will be product sampling giveaways from midday until 2pm each day. 

Maxine Hyde, the General Manager of Ballymaloe Foods is delighted to be meeting customers in person again, “We really missed travelling to festivals and shows over the last 18 months. It’s wonderful to be able to do that again. We’ve really enjoyed partnering with Cook Architects on this project. Their design brings the story of Ballymaloe Foods and our Great Taste Award Winning products - Ballymaloe Original Relish, Ballymaloe Pickled Irish Beetroot and Ballymaloe Irish Mayonnaise to life. I hope that members of the public will get as much enjoyment out of it as we have.”

Ballymaloe is a family-run business and Maxine Hyde says architecture is as important to them as food is: “Ballymaloe Foods began with a single recipe created by my grandmother, Myrtle Allen. Her family were prominent architects in Cork for generations and designed many well-known churches, homes and buildings throughout the 19th century. We are delighted to be able to honour that tradition in some way by partnering with Cook Architects to celebrate and support the arts in Cork.”

Elizabeth Fort will be open on Friday and Saturday from 10am - 4:30pm and on Sunday from 12pm - 4pm. There will be activities between midday and 2pm each day. 

CorkBilly Latest Food & Drink. Updated 27th August 2021

CorkBilly Latest Food & Drink

Week 210827. Update #1 27th August 2021

Plan to issue this mid-week with updates towards weekend. If you have any food or drink news, DM me a line or two, plus a link and a photo if available. Of course, if you have "big" news, let me know also and we can do a full standalone post.

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Sage

Well the weather looks top notch for the week - We will remain just with the outside area for the moment - Enjoy the last few weeks of the summer - few tables remaining over the week if you’d like to visit -

Few new dishes again this week -

All bookings via the Website Sagerestaurant.ie

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Here comes the Sun!

Oh Happy Days! Great to see the Sunshine back. Why not kick back give the chef a night off and order some Blairs Out! Here is Friday's Take Out Menu..... We are also open from 1pm for dining either in our garden or inside providing you have the relevant vaccine cert, menu available on our website https://www.blairsinn.ie/food When collecting your take out this weekend be sure to check out our new range of take home craft beers and fair trade minerals. For Take Out you can email in your order as per usual to blairsinn@gmail.com for all orders.  We are available for collection from 1pm to 8pm. The phone line will be open from 12 noon on 021-4381470 for anyone looking to order by phone. *********

Liberty Grill

HOME DINING - Friday & Saturday 27th and 28th August

3 courses just €30 PP including home delivery in the greater Cork City area

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L'Atitude 51

New arrivals from the Jura!! Savagnin Les Chassagnes, Le Vin de Ploussard Ouvre L'Esprit, Vivre d'Amour et de PlouPliou, Le Pinotctambule - from one of our favourite estates: Bormard

Exciting pours ahead!

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 Seasalt Cobh.

Back by popular demand…. The fish cake Bahn mi. Yis missed those pillows of flavour wrapped in a crisp baguette. And a new hash for you to try, Caherbeg slow roast ham hocks. We cook them in lager & spices for extra pizazz! Kitchen open from 9-3.30 all weekend. Defo picnic in the prom weather #hamhock #picnicdate #lastdaysofsummer #cobh

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On The Pig's Back

An absolutely perfect weekend for a garden Cheese & Charcuterie Board

Add your favourite wine or summer spritzer and you have the ideal summer get together!

Choose from our huge range of speciality Irish & French Farmhouse cheeses and exquisite Charcuterie, and all the extras such as Pate, Hummus, Breads, Quince and so much more!

All available from our stall at @theenglishmarketcork and Douglas Deli

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Kinsale Mead Co.

"..it's honey season, which means beekeepers are out collecting honey from their beehives. The best time to harvest honey is towards the end of summer, after the end of the honey flow when the nectar availability is at its peak. It's also the best time of year to visit Kinsale, which is great news since a certain meadery is open again for tours One of the top places to visit in Kinsale whether it's sunny or raining! More visit details and booking here. ********* Eoin O'Mahony, the English Market butcher, announces that their first delivery of @irishpigsociety pork is arriving this week. "Rare breed pigs reared by smallholders.The first pigs are Oxford Sandy & Black crossed with a Duroc." ********* Tom Durcan has something NUA for you! Something NUA is coming… Ingredient - Wood - Fire Local and Fresh ingredients played by @chefvictorfranca in partnership with @tom_durcan_meats. ********* Café Paradiso We're looking for a chef to join the Paradiso kitchen team, starting 7th September. Apply to paradisocorkwork@gmail.com ********* Perry Street Market have news! . Our opening hours for our Ringaskiddy location have changed! We will now be open until 6pm Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. . So from Monday - Sunday, you can enjoy hot food until 5pm daily with our delicious beverages, sandwiches and desserts available right up until 6pm 7days a week! ********* The Montenotte Hotel ********* New restaurant at Cobh Golf Club Thanks to Mags O'Connor for tip off! "Open to the public" ********* The Old Blarney Post Office Cafe  Dog wash opening soon. Will advise the date in September. €30 for a wash and dry, includes a free tea or coffee and pastry in the cafe while you wait. Small and medium sized dogs only! *********