Blarney Castle Grounds
07.11.2021
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Goldie Wins Best Casual Dining Restaurant in Munster at Restaurant of the Year Awards 2021
Goldie Wins Best Casual Dining Restaurant in Munster
at Restaurant of the Year Awards 2021
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| Aishling in Ballycotton. Never know what you'll find in the rock pools. |
Aishling Moore, head chef and co-owner of Goldie restaurant, Cork city centre, which won the Best Casual Dining Restaurant in Munster at the prestigious Restaurant of the Year Awards 2021, which were announced at an Awards ceremony in Dublin on the 7th November.
Moore is pictured at Ballycotton where much of the seafood for Goldie restaurant is landed. The restaurant is famous for its ‘whole catch’ approach, which guarantees an exciting, ever-changing menu, and the delicious inventiveness of its dishes for which Moore uses as much of the fish as possible.
Speaking about the win Moore says “I am so proud and delighted to share this award with the best team ever, who are so committed to serving great food in relaxed and fun environment.”
Moore was also shortlisted for Best Young Chef of the Year at the Awards.
Goldie opened in September 2019, and had barely started trading before the pandemic caused the widespread lockdown of the restaurant industry. Despite these hugely challenging trading conditions, in 2020 Goldie was awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide and Moore was named Best Irish Chef by the McKenna's Guide.
Goldie is located on Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork city and is part of the Market Lane group of iconic restaurants which also include Market Lane, ORSO, Elbow Lane Smokehouse & Brewery and Blackrock Castle Restaurant.
press release
Monday, November 8, 2021
Lunch in Ardmore's Cliff House Hotel a celebration of Irish producers
Lunch in Ardmore's Cliff House Hotel
a celebration of Irish producers
It was a dull Saturday when we arrived in Ardmore for our lunch reservation at the spectacularly situated Cliff House Hotel, just 50 minutes from the eastern side of Cork City. We took a walk around the town and the beach, just to stretch the legs and work up an appetite (doesn’t take much!).
A warm welcome awaited us at the Michelin starred Cliff and we walked down a level from reception to the bar - the main restaurant does dinner while the bar does all the meals (including their own dinner menu in the evening from 6.00pm).
Lunch time by the way is12:30-15:00. Quite a few people were sitting on the outside tables as the temperature was up around 16 or 17 degrees Celsius but we were happy with our indoor perch, very comfortable chairs in a very comfortable room with a fine view over the bay.
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| Cliff House (above) and Café Lavinal (Bages, Medoc). |
We had determined to try out the main courses here. Our server obviously anticipated that we’d be waiting a while so soon we had a few slices of their excellent brown bread at hand. Enjoyed that very much indeed.
We could have had a starter of course. The list included Soup of the Day and Seafood Chowder and also Harty’s Oysters (Gin Mignonette). Also on the list were rather substantial plates such as the Cliff Toastie, Chicken Goujon Wrap, a Roast Squash & Halloumi Wrap, along with a Garden Beetroot salad featuring Ardsallagh goats cheese. All sandwiches are served with organic salad leaves and coleslaw.
The mains are more like a dinner plate. Sample dishes - the menu varies - include steak, hake, fish and chips and a very tempting Stuffed Courgette (with Ratatouille, crispy kale, sautéed mushrooms and spinach).
After that anticipated wait, we enjoyed two of the best main courses around, not very Instagrammable perhaps but very appetising indeed. They were the Chicken Supreme, mash potato, ratatouille, tarragon jus (25) and the Confit Duck Leg, roast cabbage, celeriac, gratin potato, port sauce (23).
The Chicken may have lacked colours but the flavours were amazing and the interplay between the well-constructed ratatouille and the top notch poultry was a match made in paradise. And that creamy mash potato was another heavenly enhancement.
Reminded me of the lunch-time Traditional Chicken Fricassee and Dauphinoise Potatoes that we enjoyed in the village of Bages in the Medoc a few years back. Neither dish was earth-shattering but each was excellent and the produce was top notch and was really properly cooked and presented, with the nod going to the Cliff House.
Cabbage and confit duck leg is another of those pairings that bring a meal to a higher level. The only problem with the Port sauce was that there wasn’t enough of it while the gratin, with its middle layer of bacon and cabbage, was another well-executed, well judged, component for a super dish. No shortage of sides and we shared a pot of their excellent Twice Cooked Chips.
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| Stripes in the Ardmore Beach car-park. |
The short dessert list included Irish Farm House Cheese (12.00). Also on, each at 10.50, were Apple Crumble, and Pannacotta plus our shared Tiramisu which was a bit of a letdown following the main courses, too much mascarpone in the jar perhaps, leaving me sorry I hadn’t picked those Harty oysters at the start.
But it is the Chicken and Duck Leg Confit that will linger long in the taste memory. It confirms that new Executive Head Chef Ian Doyle (appointed last year) is living up to his promise to serve meals that are “very local, seasonal and simple, with no more than three or four ingredients on the plate — a celebration of Irish producers.” Harty's Oyster, Glenilen, Highbank Orchards and Goatsbridge are among Irish producers listed on the website here.
And Irish drink producers are also being supported here. We weren’t drinking of course but good to note that the local Dungarvan Brewing Company had quite a few bottles on the list. Their Helvick Gold Blonde Ale is on draught as is the Wicklow Wolf Elevation Pale Ale and Arcadia. No draught cider but the local Legacy is available in bottle, either medium or dry.
No bar to unwinding with these chocolate treats
No bar to unwinding with these chocolate treats
Back in the day, nature laid it on the line: the sky darkened and it was time to slow down, to stop, to gather round the fire together and tell stories, then off to sleep. Now we’ve got I-Pads and Smart Phones and more TV channels than we know what to do with and sleep has become more elusive for some of us.
Dee from Unwind, a real life night owl, has spent a lifetime curious about the best natural ways to achieve that zen feeling of total rest and relaxation.Her answer? Pretty straightforward really; a well balanced diet and lifestyle, and prioritising Time To Unwind every day.
And part of that diet could be these chocolate bars.They sent me a sample of each recently: Unwind Malted Milk and Chocolate; Unwind Dark Chocolate and orange; and Unwind Roasted Nut and Chocolate.
For me, the main question was, what do they taste like? On a recent Monday evening, we did the trial run with three of the Evening Snack Bars, each 40 grams..
First up was the Malted milk and chocolate. Must say, I was quite at home with the malty aromas and enjoyed it, or at least my share! The Unwind description is: a malty, light, crispy, chewy mix of grains and seeds, all tucked up together and drizzled with Belgian Milk chocolate.
Then we were on to the Dark Chocolate and orange bar, again very tasty and a favourite of my partner in crime. Unwind says this is a light, crispy, chewy mix of grain and seeds, with an exotic burst of Brazilian chocolate, again all tucked up together and drizzled this time with Belgian dark chocolate. Quite a lovely bar, especially if you like the chocolate and orange combination as many people do. More crunchy texture (granola like), with the orange more in the background than upfront.
We finished with my favourite. Of course, the Roasted Nut and Chocolate was always in pole position with me. And all those sweet roasted nuts confirmed that. Again the crunchy mix is much the same as the others with the exception that instead of orange you get lots of roasted hazelnut and almond chunks drizzled with Belgian Milk chocolate.
What I haven’t mentioned so far here are the ingredients that could help you relax and sleep. They are common to all three bars and are Montmorency Cherries, Chamomile and L-Theanine. Below is some rewritten info from the Unwind website.
These Montmorency Cherries have, in recent studies of this specific tart cherry, been associated with naturally increased levels of melatonin. Melatonin is often called, ‘the sleepy hormone’. Chamomile has been associated with enhanced sleepiness for centuries.
The L-Theanine is the strange one, isn’t it? But not as strange as you might think. This naturally occurring amino acid is actually most commonly found in green tea, and is often associated with enhanced feelings of relaxation and focus.
So did we sleep better? One of us slept very well, the other not far behind. But obviously it would take a longer trial to come to a conclusion there! Enjoyed those bars though.
Friday, November 5, 2021
Taste of the Week. Ballinrostig Cheese with Nettle
Taste of the Week
Ballinrostig Cheese with Nettle
Ballinrostig Cheese is owned and run, in the tiny East Cork village, by husband and wife team, Stephen Bender and Michele Cashman.
Their basic cheese is a semi hard, Gouda style cheese made with Jersey cow milk and aged for 4 months. They a few variations and this Nettle, with a little parsley and chive also in the mix, is one and is our Taste of the Week.
It is a delicious (and delicate) herby cheese with their signature background creaminess, very nice melted on a toastie or in a quiche. And they say it is a "favourite of our young customers".
Local food ace Lilly Higgins recommends spreading it on a baked potato and says it "would be a great alternative to cream cheese in a bagel with smoked rainbow trout".
The tempting creaminess is down to the fact that it is made from organic Jersey cow milk. The milk is sourced from Ahern's Organic Farm near Dungourney, also in East Cork. Early on, the basic cheese is mild and creamy, slowly acquiring a stronger and more complex flavour as it ages.
It is widely available, including at local farmers markets. I got mine from Bradley's of North Main Street, Cork. Check below for more stockists and more information on their products.
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Autumn Dining in the Crawford Gallery Café's Tents
Autumn Dining in the Crawford Gallery Café's Tents
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| Pancake supreme! |
There are leaves under my feet as I approach the gallery. We are heading for lunch, dining outside in the two cone-topped tents. Leaves on the path. Leaves gather in little clumps on the roof of the tents. Leaves on the carpet which a staff-member brushes away. But, as one long side of the structure is open, replacements rapidly rustle in.
The other long side - the two tents are joined together - has colourful panels of summer plants, some fauna too, and a row of heaters. They offer to turn one of those in our direction but, warm enough, we decline and enjoy our meal in comfort.
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| Ventilation! |
We are here, in the Crawford Gallery Cafe in Cork city centre, for a slightly late lunch (table reserved) and the autumn sun and light wind, plus the walk downtown, has put a little edge on the appetite. We have the menu immediately and there is a quick decision. Not that the menu is short, far from it, there is quite a choice here.
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| Toastie |
It is an interesting menu, always is, closely reflects the seasons, from breakfast through lunch there’s never a dud dish here. There’s an excellent little wine list too and many appealing pastries but we would have to leave those, leave the Devilled Kidneys, the Roast Marrow Bone, the Leek (autumn!) and Cheddar Cheese Tart. Leave too the Tagliatelle with all’s it tempting flavours, the Hake and Chips, the Shepherd’s Pie.
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| Colourful panels |
We settled on these two below, after a little spat, a full scale war averted with a decision to share and the fact that our mouths were stuffed with some of excellent brown bread they gave us to fill the gap between order and delivery. Indeed it was hardly a gap at all, certainly not a noticeable one.
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| The exterior where the points of the tents echo that of the gallery itself. |
CL had first go at the Crawford Spinach and Mushroom Pancake (with cucumber pickle, Horizon Farm leaves and hollandaise sauce). This was seasonal and rather special and terrific value at 14 euro, the price of a cocktail in many places. She said it was one of the best pancakes around and I agreed that it was half of one of the best. Joking aside, this is Highly Recommended!
And we’d say much the same about the Crawford Toastie, sixteen euro worth of Gubbeen salami, buffalo mozzarella, cheddar, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, with leaves. Actually the leaves, from Horizon Farm, were especially good as was the dressing. And the toastie itself was the star on the plate of course with that robustly delicious salami from West Cork and well judged quantities of cheese and pesto, really well assembled and presented.
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| Mrs and Mr Rembrandt (from 1636, when he was 30) |
Our servers were very pleasant and efficient and we paid indoors where the café itself was very busy as well, even if lunch hour (last Tuesday) was well over for many by now. Under pressure, as our parking disc was close to expiry, we left our visit to the Rembrandt prints in the gallery to tomorrow and made a beeline for Bradleys in North Main Street where I made a dent in the recently received supply of beers from the Brehon Brewery in County Monaghan. Their Ulster Stout was my personal beer of the year last year.
So on the morrow, there’s a trip back to the gallery - where I’ll give my contact details to the young person at the door again - to see the prints of the 17th century Dutch artist. Later, a short stroll will take me to the 19th century English Market, particularly to the second stall that my friend Margo Ann has opened up under the Roughty Fruity banner. By the way, here’s a Cork (or Kerry) lesson for you: the correction pronunciation is Ruthy not Ruff-ty; the name comes from a river and valley near Kilgarvan, Co.Kerry!
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| Tools of the trade. One section of the exhibition shows how the various types of prints (engraving, etching, etc) are made. |
And we did all that on the following day (day before yesterday) plus a stroll around the ramparts at Elizabeth Fort and a little shopping at Roughty Fruity’s additional stall in the English Market and also at the new Cameron Bakery shop in Parnell Place (an addition to their Washington Street store).
Oh, by the way. I like leaves, both when they are on the trees and on the ground as they are these autumn days. Love to hear the rustle as the wind shifts them about. But, while they can block drains and make places slippy and must be moved from such locations, I find it hard to understand when even tiny congregations are immediately met with brush and blower and rapidly shifted out of sight!
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Beer of The Year 2021. The candidates, so far!
Beer of The Year 2021
The candidates, so far!
October: Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop DIPA
September: Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner
August: Hope “Limited Edition No 25“ Classic Gose
July: Yellow Belly “Red Noir” Dark Red Ale
June: O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro
May: Dungarvan “Mahon Falls” Rye Pale Ale
April: Heaney New England IPA
March: Whiplash “Melodie Noir” Baltic Porter
February: Eight Degrees “The Pilgrim’s Path” Lager
January: Lineman “Vesper" Pale Ale
Favourite beers in brew pubs:
IPA: Crew “Polly” IPA
Stout: Cotton Ball Lynch’s Stout
Cider: Johnny Fall Down Rare Apple Cider 2019 (from October)
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October final selection
IPA: 9 White Deer Stag;
Wheat Beer: Clonakilty Inchydoney Blond;
Black IPA: 9 White Deer Black Lightning;
Cider: Johnny Fall Down Rare Apple Cider 2019
DIPA: Western Herd Flora and Fauna 10 Hop DIPA
Session: Lineman Sundrops Table Beer, 3.3%;
Pale Ale: Eight Degrees Kveik Pale Ale.
September Final Selection
Stout: Ballykilcavan Blackwell Stout
Session: Trouble Brewing Love Below Micro IPA 3.2%
Lager: Galway Bay NZ Pils Motueka Dry Hopped Pilsner 4.9%.
Wheatbeer/Witbier: Whiplash Il Veliero DDZ Witbier 4.8%
Rye IPA: Kinnegar Bucket & Spade Session Rye IPA 4.2%
IPA: Hope Handsome Jack IPA 6.6%
Pale Ale: White Hag Duo Series Idaho 7 & Citra Pale Ale 5.5%
Gary Barlow’s Vinous Duet (and how to win two tickets to his concert in Dublin this month)
Gary Barlow’s Vinous Duet
(and how to win two tickets to this month's concert in Dublin)
Gary Barlow promised his fans a duet. But it was a different kind of duet than was expected.
Barlow was having a little tease. And there was quite a surprise when he announced a couple of wines under his name, one a white, one a red, both organic and both from Spain.
There was the usual slagging from online media but Barlow had the last laugh when the wines, exclusively available in the UK through Morrisson’s, sold out on the first weekend. Gary still has lots and lots of fans!
He is one of Britain’s most successful songwriters and record producers. As part of the group Take That, he has won eight BRIT Awards and sold over 45 million records.
Aside from his achievements with Take That, he has also co-written and produced music for other renowned artists including Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Elton John and Robbie Williams. He also acted as a head judge on the X Factor (2011-14).
The wines are produced in Spain by Península whose management team includes not one but two Masters of Wine. They have a number of wineries and the Barlow duo come from central Castille. One of their brands is Mesta and previously I have enjoyed a few glasses with the eye-catching flock-of-sheep label in the likes of Nash19 and Out of the Blue in Dingle.
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Did you know to celebrate the Launch of Gary Barlow Organic Wines in Ireland, Wines of the World are doing a customer reward giveaway for one lucky Gary Barlow shopper!
2 tickets to Gary Barlow's Concert
3Arena November 28th 2021 ️
Order your Gary Barlow wines until November 18th to be in with a chance
The lucky shopper will be contacted directly via the information provided upon purchase.
Click here to order yours now!
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Gary Barlow Organic White Wine, 2020, 12%,
€11.99 www.WinesOfTheWorld.ie and @winesireland
Light straw is the colour and there are tints of green in there. The aromas are fresh and citrus-y. Fresh too on the palate, again with citrus to the fore with a refreshing mouth-watering acidity to keep it all in balance. The finish, not the longest, is lip-smacking.
Try with crisp salads, shellfish, mozzarella or Poached Langoustine with aioli or pour into an ice cold glass and enjoy as an aperitif. A party wine for sure and I think you can work out the play-list for yourself.
Gary Barlow Organic Red Wine, 2020, 13.5% abv,
€11.99 www.WinesOfTheWorld.ie and @winesireland
Like the white, Barlow’s organic red blend of fifty fifty Tempranillo and Shiraz is also from central Castille, made by the same producers.
The vineyards vary between 30-40 years old and dry grown for maximum concentration and flavour, the grapes are machine harvested at night to preserve their fresh characteristics. This is an unoaked blend that is suitable for vegans.
It is unoaked and juicy, and easy drinking. Suggested pairings are tapas, paella and savoury meat or vegetarian dishes plus more substantial dishes such as Garlic & Oregano Roast Lamb with Griddled seasonal vegetables or Chorizo and chickpea stew with spinach and new season extra virgin olive oil.
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Brewery Nooze 🍺🍻 with Cotton Ball, Wicklow Wolf, Whiplash, Hope, Rebel Distillery, Western Herd, Whitefield, Brú,
Brewery Nooze🍺🍻
Cidery, Meadery too.. with Cotton Ball, Wicklow Wolf, Whiplash, Hope, Rebel Distillery, Western Herd, Whitefield, Brú, Kinnegar, Rising Sons, Hilden, Brewmaster,
#211105
(if you'd like your brewery to be included in this weekly round-up, it is easy: DM a line or two with photo and link).
Our Spice Box is back by popular demand ..We've decided to introduce our snack menu , each evening from 5pm .So why not pop in grab a a great craft beer from our range of beers , brewed here onsite.
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After 18 months in barrel, this Bourbon Barrel Aged Four Bean Imperial Stout has developed into a rich, complex stout, full of flavour and aroma. Expect rich savoury notes with hints of cinnamon, clove, mixed spice, roast coffee, velvety smooth chocolate, Vanilla and a touch of oak.
Available now in all good independent off licences and at the @wicklowwolftaproom
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SLOW LIFE
Our straight up nitro stout is back! This beauty is keg only so you'll need to go hunting for it in your favourite pub. And when you do find it, pull up a seat, settle in and enjoy this adjunct free, proper stout. Bonus points if there's a roaring fire. We don't make the rules.
Limited release.
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Make beer and water ring stains a thing of the past with our new branded beer coasters!
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Western Herd Brewing Company
Congratulations!
Our brewing team are currently working on some exciting new projects, keeping them very busy!
That includes a new collaboration with Lieviteria, an Italian brewery. Head brewer Angelo visited us in Dublin to brew with our team.
Called Cave 'n' Castle, this is a a foreign export stout that will be available on keg in Ireland soon and will also be gracing shelves in Italy!
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Kinnegar Brewing
Now for our anniversary beers: Rick has kept it simple with a Pilsner and interesting with a Rauchbier – two classic styles that played a special role in his personal development as a brewer. If you’ve read his Beer Country article you’ll know exactly what to expect. If you haven’t, begin with the Pilsner before venturing on to the Rauchbier. Know that ‘rauch’ is the German word for ‘smoke’ and open your mind as you open the can. *********
Now for our anniversary beers: Rick has kept it simple with a Pilsner and interesting with a Rauchbier – two classic styles that played a special role in his personal development as a brewer.
If you’ve read his Beer Country article you’ll know exactly what to expect. If you haven’t, begin with the Pilsner before venturing on to the Rauchbier. Know that ‘rauch’ is the German word for ‘smoke’ and open your mind as you open the can.
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Rising SONS brewery is with ALEX BRUCE and Alex Bruce.
SOMA COFFEE STOUT ON THE WAY!!!!!!!!Yesterday our brewers , and Alex from Soma Coffee met to decide on this years choice of coffee beans to make our Soma Stout. After much coffee tasting the decision was to use Jabiru, a Guatemalan bean with notes of Chocolate, Apple, Cherry and Toffee. We actually cannot wait for this brew. Thank you to Alex and his team for this great partnership between local business As always it will be available from all Cork Heritage Pubs and select venues across the city *********
SOMA COFFEE STOUT ON THE WAY!!!!!!!!
Yesterday our brewers , and Alex from Soma Coffee met to decide on this years choice of coffee beans to make our Soma Stout. After much coffee tasting the decision was to use Jabiru, a Guatemalan bean with notes of Chocolate, Apple, Cherry and Toffee. We actually cannot wait for this brew. Thank you to Alex and his team for this great partnership between local business
As always it will be available from all Cork Heritage Pubs and select venues across the city
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Hilden Brewery
Anyone checked out our Postcard Series with Flavourly?
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Greetings from Suffolk, a light, easy-drinking pale ale with balanced earthy and citrus flavours. Brewed with oats from Suffolk for a full mouthful
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Check it out here https://www.flavourly.com/.../hilden-suffolk-oat-pale-ale...
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Meet Dave, our Head Brewer here at #Brewmasterbeer.
His love for the craft and precision, not to mention discovering new ingredients and flavours, borders on obsession. But with each carefully crafted brew comes something new, tasty and exciting.Here's to you, Dave.
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