Monday, October 3, 2022

Paladar, A New Latin American Cocktail Bar and Restaurant, Opens Today in Cork City

Paladar, A New Latin American Cocktail Bar and Restaurant, Opens Today in Cork City

 

Bridge Street in Cork City is set to welcome Paladar, a Latin American-inspired cocktail bar and restaurant, opening today, Monday 3rd October.  

 


Paladar is the second premises from the team behind Cask, the multi-award-winning cocktail bar and restaurant on Cork’s MacCurtain Street that's known for its seasonal-led cocktail and food menus.  

 

Latin American spirits like Rum, Cachaça, Tequila, Mezcal and Pisco will form the backbone of the cocktail menu at Paladar which will include classics like the Margarita, Pisco Sour and Caipirinha. The team also plans to revisit some lesser-known Latin American classics such as the Night Cap, a mix of Bolivian gin, Cognac, house-made Creme de Cacao and lime.

 


Paladar’s co-owner Andy Ferreira (above) is excited to bring something new to Cork, saying, “Paladar is an homage to Latin American culture. The vibrance and energy found there is so infectious and it’s epitomised in their food and drinks culture. In Cuba, a Paladar is a small, family-run restaurant which offers a unique insight into Cuban hospitality; the name comes from the Spanish word for palate. Our goal is to present an ever-evolving cocktail and food menu, letting seasonality and availability guide us along that path.” 

 

The food menu consists of small plates from the Caribbean Islands, Central and South America, with sample dishes including: Cured mackerel with raspberry aguachile and green apple; deep-fried beef empanadas; Picanha anticucho, salsa Creola and grilled sweet corn; and  monkfish with moqueca sauce, seasonal vegetables, coriander and biquinho chilli.   

 

As with Latin American culture, music will play an integral part at Paladar with DJs taking to the decks at weekends, offering great music and laid-back vibes.  And in good news for Cork coffee lovers, Paladar is collaborating with SOMA Coffee Company to serve unique Latin American coffee blends, kicking off with a delicious Guatemalan roast, expertly roasted in Cork. 

Plantation Cafe Swizzle
 

Located at 6 Bridge Street, Cork City, Paladar has undergone a dramatic refurbishment, resulting in a vibrant yet eclectic interior seating up to 65 people. It also features art and sculpture from renowned Latin American and Irish artists, including a spectacular glass installation by Glanmire-based Eoin Turner Studio, with plants from Cork Rooftop Farm. 

 

Paladar is open from Monday - Friday from 12 noon til late and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am (brunch served at weekends). 

 

Paladar, 6 Bridge Street, Cork. Walk-ins are welcome or book online at www.paladar.ie

Press release./ Pics by Miki Barlok

 

Celebrating 1 year of Sketch in the City as New Executive Head Chef Ali Honour joins the Imperial Team

 Celebrating 1 year of Sketch in the City! 

New Executive Head Chef Ali Honour joins the Imperial Team just in time to

launch an exciting new brunch menu as part of Sketch’s first birthday celebrations
Welcome from GM Bastien Peyraud and new
Executive Head Chef Ali Honour.

Events planned for the birthday weekend include a live music brunch on Saturday 8th October and a yoga brunch on Sunday 9th October!

Cork’s Grande Dame, the Imperial Hotel, is celebrating this October as they mark one year since the launch of their vibrant cocktail hot spot Sketch, which was recently voted as one of the top cocktail bars in the city. The venue faces onto the newly pedestrianised Pembroke Street, off the South Mall.



The award-winning luxury boutique hotel has also announced the appointment of their new Executive Head Chef, Ali Honour, who is well known in Cork foodie circles, and an exciting new brunch menu.

In the first 12 months since opening, Sketch has become a place to be seen in the city, with its elegant interiors, Instagram walls, sumptuous food sharing platters and
bespoke cocktails, made with fresh ingredients by inhouse mixologists. Sketch offers
both style and substance with its strong focus on local ingredients, delicious food and
sustainability which informs everything that goes on the menus.



The appointment of Ali Honour (formerly of popular Cork eatery Ali’s Kitchen) to the position of Executive Head Chef at Sketch and The Imperial Hotel is exciting news on the Cork food scene and represents a strategic new direction for the hotel. Hotel GM Bastien Peyraud, who took over the role two years ago, has put a strong focus on the hotel as a stand-alone dining and social destination that serves quality local, sustainable food.

“We want to become known for heartfelt food in the heart of the city and this is exactly what Ali creates, so we are very excited to announce her appointment. Our new food direction will include more homemade comfort foods packed with flavour, which modern diners crave when eating out, while still maintaining the style and
sophistication you would expect from a luxury boutique hotel.”



A new brunch menu will launch in time for the one-year celebrations at Sketch.
Jampacked with flavoursome treats the menu will include Sweet French Toast with
seasonal compote, vanilla mascarpone and hazelnut crumble or a Savoury French toast topped with creamy mushrooms, spinach, and gruyere cheese. 

If poached eggs are your idea of peak brunch yumminess, then try the Corn Fritters which come with avocado, poached egg, chilli and coriander dressing. Or opt for the Brunch Bowl which has poached egg, hummus, tenderstem broccoli, quinoa, roast peppers, onions, sweet potato, salad and a herb dressing. 


Putting a local twist on a classic the Cork Monsieur Toastie has O’Connells baked ham, bechamel and gruyere. Another toastie option is the Kimchi and Cheese Vegan Toastie. For meat lovers the steak sandwich with fries is sure to appeal, the sandwich features a 6oz sirloin, onions garlic butter, focaccia, lettuce, and tomato. The final menu item is a delicious, spiced lamb flatbread with Ardsallagh feta, mint, yoghurt, mango chutney, salad, tomato and onion. 

The Imperial has also organised two fabulous, brunch events on the weekend of 8th/9th October to showcase the new menu. On the 8 th October from 12-4pm, Sketch will. add live music to their Saturday brunch featuring Cork pop singer Aine Carroll who was contestant on season 5 of The Voice UK.



A ‘Stretch at Sketch’ yoga brunch will take place on Sunday 9th at 11am. Tickets cost €59 an it includes an energising morning with a health shot from the Imperial's head chef Ali, a 45-minute yoga class with yogi Val from Soul Retreats Cork and After the workout guests will enjoy 3-courses of gorgeous fresh local produce from the new Brunch menu at Sketch (vegan and vegetarian catered for), and attendees will be given an energy ball to take home. This event is suitable for all levels of experience. Must bring your own mat.

Brunch with live music on Saturday or the Stretch at Sketch event can be booked
http://imperial-hotel.tablepath.com/ Bastien continued; “We are thrilled to celebrate a hugely successful first year and are excited to continue to elevate and innovate both our food and cocktail offering. I think the appointment of Ali to the Executive Head Chef role will bring a lot of passion, creativity, and flavour to the table. 


Our commitment to sustainability informs everything we do, and she genuinely shares that ethos, making it a great fit. As a leader Ali prides herself on bringing the whole culinary team along on the journey, whether it’s encouraging creativity in terms of designing new dishes or offering ongoing training to upskill everyone in the kitchen to help them progress in their career and allow individual talents to blossom.”

Find Sketch @ The Imperial Hotel on instagram.com/sketchcorkcity. For bookings
use the Table Path booking feature http://imperial-hotel.tablepath.com/ . The events must be pre-booked.

Press release

A Quart of Ale± #126. On the craft journey with Wide Street, Bradleys, White Hag, Post Card

 A Quart of Ale± #126

On the craft journey with Wide Street, Bradleys, White Hag, Post Card


Wide Street Coolship Spontaneously Fermented Ale, 5.5% ABV,  330 ml bottle Bradleys.



Light gold colour with a short-lived shallow head. Aromas are sharp, tangy (grapefruit), almost funky. And then that “tangy” liquid crosses your lips and it’s wake-up time. You think: this is approachable and could be something else other than a sour. And so it proves to be. An amazing concentration of citrus-y fruit and refreshment is at hand, just take it sip by sip all the way to that dry lip-smacking, lip-licking finalé. Different class.


“A single barrel one-year aged beer using traditional turbid mash method and aged hops in the boil followed overnight in the coolship to finally unleash an amazing wild beer with a true sense of terroir. Oak, grape skin and citrus aroma and flavour contribute to this delicate wild ale.”


Spontaneous fermentation? Back before Louis Pasteur, this happened in beer but it was something of a mystery. After Pasteur’s 1857 discovery, brewers knew there was a reason, that indeed there were many of them, yeasts and bacterias arriving in the large pan-shaped vessels (coolships) overnight. The mystery was gone but the risk remains as it can go bad quickly. When it works though, the results are amazing. See much more about the process in The Beer Bible (2nd edition) by Jeff Alworth.



The Bible will also enlighten you more on the Turbid Mash Method which is a labour-intensive process and involves taking the mash through multiple temperature rests through infusions of hot water and the removal of 'turbid' starchy wort that is not fully converted. It is a technique associated with brewing lambic style beers.


Wide Street are naturally happy with this one: “We’re so excited to finally showcase what our terroir has to offer with this wild fermented unblended beer. It's brewed in the cold winter night in an open vessel, a coolship and left to cool down overnight. It has no added yeast and takes on the unique characteristics of the air and microflora of where it was brewed. …Oak, grape skin and citrus aroma and flavour contribute to this delicate wild ale…It has spent the past year in barrels and here is the result, enjoy!”


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Oktoberfest Celebration Festbier Box  <<<<<Click here

Bradleys put together a special selection of German beers to celebrate Oktoberfest ... Prost!

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White Hag Little Fawn Session IPA 4.2% ABV, 4x330ml Can pack



I’ve come across Little Fawn quite a bit the last year or so on draught across the country and I’m always glad to see it, always glad to see any White Hag beer in a pub or restaurant. I was pretty certain I had included it in this long-running Quart of Ale± series but, when I checked, I found that I hadn’t. So I managed to sneak one from a 4-pack that someone in the house had bought and this is it.


“We are a modern independent craft brewery from Sligo, on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. We brew innovative and groundbreaking beers, inspired by ancient and classic styles.”

 

They use ancient tales in selling their many and varied beers including this Little Fawn yarn. He was discovered “as a child on the slopes of Ben Bulben by Bran & Sceolan, this young and sprightly warrior spent his summers foraging and hunting the mountains and woodlands. These local flavours are reflected in the taste experience – an easy-to-drink American-style session IPA.”


Colour is a light gold with a slight haze. No shortage of bubbles rising to a soft white head. Citrus-y in the aromas with a hint of something softer as well. And it is also fruity on the palate, refreshingly so as befits its touting as a session beer, and a decent slightly bitter finish to boot.


White Hag say it is an easy-to-drink American-style session IPA. “Brewed with 100% Irish malt for a pale, very clean base; layered with Mosaic hops, famous for their ever-changing fruity aroma.”

 



White Hag West Coast to West Coast IPA, 6.8% ABV, 330ml Can Bradleys. 


This collaboration with Bagby of California has quite a posse of all-American hops onboard: Mosaic (Tropical, Berry, Stone Fruit), Cascade (Grapefruit, Floral, Pine), Chinook (Grapefruit, Pine, Spice), Columbus (Dank, Pepper, Pungent), Simcoe (Pine, Grapefruit, Berry), Citra Citrus, Mango, Melon), Centennial (blossom, Orange, Resinous). 


Seven hops, seven per cent ABV! Bagby, like White Hag, have quite a varied portfolio, including an Irish-style dry stout called Asphalt Jungle!


It’s a hazy mid-orange colour with a soft white head that soon starts to flop. Aromas, with those all-American hops are, as you might expect, rather intense with a united dank front. And that dankness continues on the palate though you’ll find hints of pine and citrus, some tropical stuff too, seeping through.


The White Hag take: “This West Coast IPA is a truly global one. Created by two giants of craft IPA – Joe Kearns of The White Hag on the West Coast of Ireland, and Jeff Bagby of Bagby Beer, Oceanside, California. Jeff took the long-haul hop, and a massive haul of hops from one West Coast to another.” 


I reckon Jeff wasn’t going to bring any of those hops back again and everything got used. Sometimes less is more. Still, a pretty good drink.




Post Card Irish Summer 1 Pale Ale, 4.8% ABV, 440ml can Bradleys



“..perfect on a hot Irish summer’s day,” they say. That kind of limits its potential a bit. But there is no great need to confine a beer or a wine to limits that are more often suggested by marketeers and critics. Anyhow, the summer has lingered on well this year.


Actually, talking about marketing reminds me that the label of the can has a bit of info about the illustration and then just weather talk, as if we haven’t enough of it, nothing much about the beer. The can art by the way is based on Portmarnock Bay Summer Light by Sarah Magee.


The beer itself is a light gold in colour with just a hint of haze. Citrus notes in a bright palate, with a good streak of bitterness from the undisclosed hops, all well balanced by the malts. Easy drinking and certainly refreshing and one you can produce on a warm Autumn day,  though I think I’d prefer to have the their regular Ha'Penny Bridge Pale Ale as my standby, summer or autumn.


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loughgillbrewery

 Gose Again: Gose IPA
This tropical sour IPA blends together Idaho 7 and El Dorado, Kettle soured with Lactobacillus plantarum.
Expect very tropical notes of pineapple and stone fruits.
Hitting all good retailers this week 

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2022

Beer of the Year 

Confirmed to date

September: ???????

August: 12 Acres Pale Ale

July: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Summer 2022 Foraged Elderflower Saison

June: Wicklow Wolf Mescan Wit or Without You Belgian Wit

May: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Spring 2022 Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale

April: Whiplash True Love Waits Dry Hopped Pils

March: Lineman Schadenfreude Schwarzbier

February: Wicklow Wolf  “Apex Cherry” Black Cherry Oatmeal Stout.

January: Whiplash Dry the Rain Double Decoction Dunkel

December: Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut

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Sunday, October 2, 2022

Two Very Highly Recommended French Whites. One from Bordeaux and one from Alsace.

Two Very Highly Recommended French Whites. 

One from Bordeaux and one from Alsace.



Château Turcaud Entre-Deux-Mers sec 2020, 12.5% ABV

€17.50 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny


This Turcaud Blanc is a blend of Sauvignon (50%) with Sémillon (45%) and a touch of Muscadelle. The Entre-Deux-Mers (between two seas) is a famous wine growing region from the Bordeaux Appellation. The domain is situated in a very pleasant rural area, 30 km from Bordeaux and 20 km from Saint Emilion.  I know one producer who bought a vineyard here instead of the "boring" landscape of the Medoc.


Colour is a light straw with green highlights. Citrus, plus more exotic fruit, and floral notes in the very pleasant aromas. On the palate, it has a lot of that exotic fruit, liveliness and a very nice length. Very Highly Recommended.


Importers Le Caveau have a plea for you: So often overlooked here in Ireland , white Bordeaux is a joy to drink, this is really worth a try, we urge you not to make the same mistake as most.


Must say that I have long been an admirer of white Bordeaux blends, particularly where Sémillon plays a big role in the blend as is the case here. 


Ironically, it was an SSB wine from Xanadu in Western Australia that really alerted me to the blend. And that at a wine show in Cork; a few days later, I was down in Centre Park Road and collecting a case from Bubble Brothers.


I got a good grounding in the blend a few years later during a couple of visits to Podensac in Bordeaux. In a beautiful century-old residence nestled in the heart of the vineyards, in the Maison des Vins de Graves, I had the opportunity to taste many examples of white Bordeaux. 


Individuals, tourists, amateurs come here to buy the best vintages of the region. Guides are at your disposal for an enriching discovery of the vineyard and its castles. I got a good few into the car that summer but they soon ran out and then it was time to turn to le Caveau and this superb example of a Bordeaux blanc.


By the way, the amounts of Sauvignon and Sémillon in the blend can vary from vintage to vintage. In 2018, the split was Sauvignon Blanc (65%) and Sémillon (35).


The summer that I visited Podensac, I had Abbey Le Sauve Majeure on my visit list. I found it and climbed to the top of the impressive ruin. From the 159th and final step, I had a great view over the surrounding countryside. I didn’t know then the view included the immaculate vineyards of Caveau Turcaud, nowadays run by Stéphane and Isabelle Le May. Isabelle is the daughter of  Maurice Robert who bought the chateau in 1973. 


Their Tasting Advice: This wine is best enjoyed within two years of the vintage, well-chilled as an aperitif, with all sorts of seafood, or with goat's milk, ewe's milk, and hard cheeses. This wine is a pure delight.


Meyer-Fonné Pinot Blanc Vieilles Vignes Alsace (AC) 2019, 12.5%

€20.65 64 Wine DublinBradley’s of CorkGreenman DublinLe Caveau Kilkenny


Straw is the colour here; thought I saw a tint of green, and I did, but it was from a football pitch reflected from the TV! The aromas are seductive, of pear, peach and almond. A touch of sweetness on the nose, is found too on the palate, where white fruit, rich and fresh, some lemon zest now as well, is accompanied by a refreshing minerality. Precision, depth, purity all combine here. Delicious and moreish, with a very clean finish, this is Very Highly Recommended. Very good value too by the way.


Pinot Blanc, a variant of Pinot Noir, is grown mostly in Europe for its dry and refreshing wines, particularly in Germany, Italy (where it is key in Franciacorta production), Austria and France. Suggested pairings include Quiche Lorraine (not a surprise!), soft cheeses, flaky fish, and crab salads. I find it quite the match for Goatsbridge trout.


Le Caveau: Pinot Blanc Vieilles Vignes comes from a plot of old vines, it acts like Pinot Gris on the nose — rich, oily apricot and pear fruit— but the touch of white pepper and taste of freshly squeezed oranges is classic Pinot Blanc. A house pour at a number of Ireland's Michelin starred restaurants over the past 15 years. A sure fire hit each and every bottle opened.


Félix Meyer himself has come in for high praise.

"Félix Meyer is one of the more ambitious and successful young vignerons of Alsace.” Wine Advocate.

“ ... Félix Meyer still has humility, still has a sense of wonder, and is still capable of self-criticism. He is a seeker and a perfectionist. He is a terroirist, and when he speaks of a granitic soil, the wine in your glass tastes of it.”
Kermit Lynch, US importer.


No chemical fertiliser is used in the running of the vineyard, “only compost we make ourselves using raw materials derived from organic farming. Calcium and magnesian limestone is spread each year on the granitic soil terroirs to prevent acidification.”


Saturday, October 1, 2022

Beer of the Year 2022. The September Long List

My Favourite Beers of the Year 2022

Best of September Long List


Helles/Pils/Lager:

Hope Limited Edition No. 27 Munich Helles;  Third Barrel Counter Culture Modern Style Pils; Wicklow Wolf Toto Sorachi Italian Pils.

 

IPA:

Hope Limited Edition No. 28 Double Rye; Rye River Miami J;  Rascals X Yeastie Boys Krush Groove; Bradleys with Dot Nice One; Blacks Mango & Mosaic.


Session: 

Third Barrel Day Drinking Part Deux Citra Strata; Larkin’s Tiny Sesh IPA 4.0%,  Stone Barrel Boom Session IPA 4.5% ABV; Post Card Ha’penny Bridge Pale Ale, 4.2 ABV.


Belgian Style Pale Ale: 

Wide Street Sound by Design 


Pale Ale:

Lough Gill Sligo Bay American; Hope American.

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Contenders to end of August

September?????

August:12 Acres Pale Ale

July: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Summer 2022 Foraged Elderflower Saison

June: Wicklow Wolf Mescan Wit or Without You Belgian Wit

May: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Spring 2022 Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale

April: Whiplash True Love Waits Dry Hopped Pils

March: Lineman Schadenfreude Schwarzbier

February: Wicklow Wolf  “Apex Cherry” Black Cherry Oatmeal Stout.

January: Whiplash Dry the Rain Double Decoction Dunkel

December: Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut