gulfstream restaurant

Gulfstream Restaurant

Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa,
Clonakilty, West Cork
T:+353(0)23 33143 F:+353(0)23 35229
E:reservations@inchydoneyisland.com

usually at hotel restaurants, the food tends to be a bit mediocre. and the vegetarian options uninspired and full of mushrooms. allow me to present an exception.

we had agreed that we would check out the restaurant. the entire hotel and spa has a view of the ocean, and because the restaurant is on the third floor of the hotel, you can see the waves hitting the shore from most tables.

i'd like to point out that, not just at the restaurant, but also throughout the hotel and spa, everyone was incredibly polite and gracious. it was the best continuous service i've received since being in ireland. everyone was very well trained, and friendly.

we started with freshly made bread, and then a small dish 'compliments of the chef', i don't remember what gerry's was, but mine was some version of a roasted pepper pie. in any case: yum! and then a mango sorbet and our starters. my main course was called gnocchi, but i'm not sure that it actually was, but to be honest, it was gorgeous, so who cares what it was called! i had a creme brulee with bananas for dessert and finished with peppermint tea with petits fours.

the price? dear. the service and food justifies it. i'd love to go back, but wouldn't recommend eating that much food two nights in a row. but i guess that's how we got into trouble with the restaurant the next day.

nutmeg

nutmeg
14a french church street
cork
ph. + 353 21 427 6457

i've been meaning to go here for ages, and today since wild ways was closed, we thought we'd try something new.

they have a lunch menu until about 6, so that suited us fine, as the prices were significantly lower than for dinner (about 12€ for a main at lunch and around 22€ for dinner).

the restaurant boasts organic and local produce and i think you can tell. elaine and nicola had the fish and chips and i had the falafel. the wedges were yummy, the skin was still on them, and they weren't hard at all. also, they weren't seasoned, which was nice, because you get to control how much salt and pepper you put on them. the falafel was nice and yummy. the portion wasn't huge, so i still had room for dessert! the fish and chips got great reviews and the presentation was great, with the chips wrapped in paper on the plate.

for dessert there was chocolate torte was YUMMY!! and the pavlova was a nice big portion with lots of fruit and just the right amount of cream. delish!

the service was great and they even let us chat away while eating dessert and afterwards.

i really liked this place and would love to check it out for dinner. i say yes to this restaurant and definitely want to go back.

Added Jan 2nd;
We've since gone back to Nutmeg and discovered they do a great breakfast too. The only place open on a Sunday that seems to give a good option for brunch, I had the eggs Benedict and Urs the eggs Florentine. If you've hit the town the night before and fancy a late breakfast that doesn't come in a roll, give this place a try.

Scribes

Scribes, Listowel, Co Kerry.
This is a nice little coffee shop / restaurant, a minutes walk from the square in Listowel. It only opened a few weeks ago, just in time for the summer trade, and for the writers festival.
I went in quite a few times, the wraps were all good, they're not just thrown together as in other places, but some one seems to have put a little effort in to making them
I also tried the burger another day, which was very good. The waitress did warn me that it would take at least fifteen minutes, that burgers were cooked fresh here.
The service was good, the foods good, the seats are comfortable, it's cheap, the decor is nice and there are newspapers to entertain the "party of one". All I have bad to say about the place is about the coffee. While they do a number of iced coffees, smoothies and things, I'm a fan of a mug of black coffee, and whatever brand they use just doesn't cut it. I am told, by a friend of mine from the county, that there is no good coffee in the whole of Kerry. My suggestion, import it, it was the one point that let you down.
Would I go back, why yes, I did, frequently, it's a great little place.