Eating Out: Ireland

The Bay

2008-01-06T03:33:00.000-08:00

Another post from guest blogger Stephen Boyce of It's a Big Shopping Centre - haigh and Rate This Toilet fame.

The Bay
Clontarf

Last night we decided to go out for dinner seeing as both my wife and myself were sick over the Xmas and New Year and didn't get out once. We went to a place just down the road from us in Clontarf called "The Bay" (http://www.bay.ie/) as we were enticed by the menu items displayed online. The place always looked busy and packed whenever we drove past which seemed to be another plus point for it. We were to be left very, very disappointed.

When we went in we were surprised by the, how shall I call I, compact and dijouness of the tables. Our table for two was separated by about 3 inches from the table beside. For me, I couldn't push by seat back at all due to the closeness of the table behind me. Putting this aside, we went looking at the menu. There was the full menu and a smaller dinner special menu both of which did not fill me full of the joys of life. See, I don't eat seafood of any type, shape or form and so the decision of what to have was sort of made for me (I have to point out at this stage I don't eat seafood, raw tomatoes or mushrooms).

The first thing we noticed that was wrong was that as we were seated and handed the menu's we were not told what the specials were. This we noticed as it said on the menu that there were specials on the blackboard of which we saw only one and it had 2 desserts and a soup on it. Not a good start.

For starters I ordered the barbary duck on a rocket salad with sundried tomatoes on a raspberry sauce. My wife had crabcakes with a salad. Nicole's starter came perfect but on mine, instead of the sun-dries tomatoes it had ordinary tomato cubes which I didn't like as you know. I had to wrap all the rocket in the raspberry sauce to get rid of the tomato juice. The duck, while lovely, was a bit overcooked. The crabcakes starter I was assured was lovely.

For mains, I went to order the organic sirloin steak but was advised that it was not on the menu tonight (may have been helpful to be told that when given the menu's initially). We both ordered the angus striploin steak, served with boiled baby potatoes and wild mushrooms. We also ordered a side each of seasonal vegetables. We both declined the wild mushrooms and asked for the sauce on the side.

When we got our main courses the steak was cooked to perfection. However, as we waited for our vegetables we enquired to them only to be told that they were forgotten and would be 5 minutes to get. We were offered some side salad but declined. The steak came with 4 baby boiled potatoes and some pepper sauce. That was it. For almost €27. Not worth it at all. Also there was no thought or presentation to the dish. Nicole didn't finish her dinner as she stated it was simply "meat and spuds" and there was nothing to complement these. I ate my steak to line the stomach for the beer yet to come. And we come to the 2nd very disappointing service part. When it was discovered that the vegetables were not made the manageress made no effort to come over and apologise. Also, as Nicole sat there unable to eat the rest of the steak the mangeress walked past twice and made not effort to check if everything was alright. Nothing.

We thought dessert might make up for it and ordered the banoffi pie with fresh cream and the warm chocolate brownie and fresh cream. Again the presentation was shocking in that there was none. The banoffi (a small slice) came in the middle of the plate with the cream on top. Even a small squirt of a sauce would be better than the nothing it came with. While nice, again it was nothing special. The brownie was lovely with a slight bit more presentation as I had 4 berries on the side.

When we went to pay for the dinner, we were expecting the usual "how was your dinner?" question. However, the manageress (she assumed she was as she dressed different from the rest of the staff) asked nothing. No apolgies for the main course. Nothing.

The whole experience has left me very unwilling to return there, even for breakfast, as I don't want to be disappointed again and I also have an issue going somewhere that makes little effort to the customers.

Overall (from 5)
Service - 2
Starters - 3
Main - 2
Dessert - 3
Value for money - 2

Liberty Grill

2008-01-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

The Liberty Grill
Washington Street
Cork.

It's been said before, what Ireland is really lacking is a good place for breakfast. While it's been sorted out in other countries, Ireland has never copped on to breakfast as a proper meal. Sure, we do have the brilliant breakfast roll, but if you want somewhere other than your local Spar, then there are not so many options. You can often find a full Irish, but these vary a lot in quality and not much else.
Then I got introduced to the Liberty Grill. A perfect place for breakfast and even better for brunch for a lazy morning. Eggs, scrambled, Benedict or Florentine. Pancakes with maple syrup (tested by our local Canadian food taster and passed with flying colours).
They also do burgers, fries, Californian breakfasts, vegetarian options, the lot. The coffee's not bad either, better than the week old tar I've got served along with the full Irish elsewhere. Prices are reasonable, 2 plates of eggs, a side of pancakes, a side of fries and a coffee come to around 20 quid. Give it a go.

Eddie Rockets

2008-01-02T07:31:00.000-08:00

In the last week we visited 2 Eddie Rockets and had hugely different experiences there. The first was in Blackpool and it was well worth the visit. A 50s style American burger joint, with booths and jukeboxes, it's a nice place to go.
In Blackpool the food was great. I had a chilli cheese dog (very very messy) and Urs a veggie burger which she raved about. We also had the cheese fries, onion rings and I had the vanilla shake. Now none of this is exactly health food, but it was all really good. At around 30 euro for the lot it was reasonable enough too. The only issue we had here was the service, our waitress was from Eastern Europe and didn't have very good English. I know the "I'm not racist but..." is a cliché but I really feel if you work in a burger joint you should understand words like "cheese". If I want to order cheese on a burger I should be able to. Still, not enough to deter me, and other than healthy new years resolutions, I'd be back.
We then went to the other Eddie Rockets at the Kinsale Road Roundabout. This was terrible. Our waitress understood our order, but they were out of cheese, vanillia milkshakes and whatever else we tried to order. This time I had a burger, which arrived overcooked and slightly warm instead of hot. It was ok, but if I'm paying for a burger I don't want something that was cooked three hours ago and left under a heat lamp. I was hungover, otherwise I wouldn't have eaten it. The fries weren't very good either. At 20 euro here for what we ordered, it was way overpriced.
So, Eddie Rockets, it seems to depend on which one you go to. Some are a great place to go, a nice diner for a burger, and some, well I'd rather MacDonalds.

O'Briens Irish Sandwich Bar

2007-09-18T03:28:00.000-07:00

Another guest blogger here, this time Stephen Boyce of It's a Big Shopping Centre - haigh and Rate This Toilet.

O'Briens Sandwich Bar,
Wilton Shopping Centre,
Wilton,
Cork.

I can honestly say that having had various experiences of O'Briens this is one that I would make an effort *not* to go to again.

When they changed the Triple Decker I forgave them and found a new sandwich, but I can say that over the last few years I have found staff getting less friendlier and the food disimproving. There are less fillings and higher prices and this particular sandwich bar really hit a new low.

I had asked for something simple: ham and cheese on white bread with mayo. Mayo was put onto only one slice of bread, then one slice of ham and a squeeze of cheese to the centre (imagine closing your fingers together and what you fit in the middle was it). I asked for a cappuccino which was roasting hot and undrinkable, hardly any froth and what was there was burnt. I tried adding milk in but I still couldn't drink the coffee.

I had intended in sitting there for 40mins or so, eating a nice sandwich, drinking the coffee and reading my book but instead I lasted about 15 mins (including queuing time) and left quite disgusted at my eight wasted Euros.

nosh + coffee

2007-09-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

Ballincollig Town Centre
Main St., Ballincollig

I will actually be making an effort to *not* go to this cafe again. It is conveniently close to work. Has a great selection of items: smoothies, sandwiches, bagels, cookies, coffee, juices, and so forth but the service was terrible and the food wasn't that great either.

I went with Matilda, and we both decided to get the cranberry and brie baguette. The girl at the counter had no idea what we were talking about, and behaved as if she didn't believe this item existed on the menu. Undeterred, we explained where it was and continued on.

When our sandwiches came they only had brie and cranberry on them... no sign of rocket (despite there only being 3 ingredients for this sandwich on the menu, it appeared that they had forgotten 1/3 of them). I brought the sandwiches back up and told the person that I thought there was supposed to be rocket on the sandwiches. She paused for a second from cleaning the grill and turned around to say, 'We're out of rocket,' and turned back around again. The sandwich would have been pretty extra crap as it was, so I said, 'Could we get some salad or something on them then?'.

As we were eating, our juice and smoothie came. My smoothie had the same consistency as Matilda's juice. And 3 separate times while we were eating our brie with a tad of bread sandwiches we were asked if other orders belonged to us.

I give it a 1.5: the food was edible and the atmosphere/location great.
Would i go back? Not willingly.

Bennigans

2007-08-30T04:43:00.000-07:00

Bennigans
Mahon Point SC.
021-4515682

Bennigans styles itself on an American diner or pub, serving up the wings, burgers and sandwiches you'd expect here. Walls are plastered with posters and tvs showing music videos. Sunday to Thursday they run a Movie meal deal, main course and a ticket for the cinema upstairs for €20 a head.
Somehow it just fails. The burger I had there last night, their BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger was pretty flat and lifeless. Ursula's chicken strips were somewhat better, but I just don't think either was worth the €13.95 price tag. They fail to capture what makes an American diner. The ability to do fast food really really well. There's a lack of effort to the food here, a lack of thought or care.
What I did like here before was the heart attack inspiring Monte Cristo; "ham, turkey and Swiss and American cheeses on white bread, then battered and fried ‘til golden. Dusted with powdered sugar and, served with red raspberry preserve". They no longer do this though it was nice to try, even if it did knock six years off my life.
The only reason to eat here is convenience to the cinema and the movie meal deal. Really though, you should be checking out the food court upstairs.

2 stars. Will I go again? Probably, but not anytime soon.

Boqueria

2007-08-28T08:23:00.001-07:00

Boqueria
6 Bridge St
Cork

This is a tapas bar on Bridge Street I've been meaning to try out for ages. Especially since Ursula thought I called it a topless bar. Even after I repeated myself. Damn Monaghan accents. Even without the toplessness it's still worth a visit.
It's usually packed at the weekends and you have a long wait to get a seat, but on the Tuesday night we went it was quiet enough.
We ordered five mains and two desserts and they were all good. Very good. Although they do mostly wine, they have a grand beer selection to wash it all down.
At just over fifty euro for the lot, it's very reasonable. The portions were larger than you'd expect for tapas, and with all this we were stuffed, even though we were late going in and having missed dinner. We had tortilla, cheese, potatoes, salad and tarts. All very good. I would say the mains are better than desserts, so don't waste time leaving a bit of room for the sweet trolley. Your taste buds would be put to much better use trying something else off the main menu.
I'd recommend going with a group of friends, ordering half the menu and then sharing everything. We were a bit rushed when we went, but it's definitely a place I'll be back to. There's still so much on the menu I want to try.

cheap camera phone images just don't do it justice

Lennox' on Barrack Street

2007-08-04T03:07:00.000-07:00

Lennox Chipper
Barrack Street
Cork

Not the usual restaurant for this blog, but one of those you just have to try. Arguably the best chips in Ireland. Chips, not fries. Proper spuds cut into long strips and deep fried. This chipper on Barrack Street in Cork is the one to try. Don't try the other Lennox', it just doesn't cut it. Forget all the takes of Burdocks in Dublin, this is the place. Perfect for on the way home from the pub.

The veggie burger also gets two thumbs up from the vegetarians, but a large chips is all you need to order.

gulfstream restaurant

2007-06-08T03:04:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-04T00:30:00.000-07:00

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.

ruen thai

2007-04-28T06:32:00.000-07:00

ruen thai

Patrick's St. (across the lane from the Bank of Ireland)
Cork

Tel +353 21 427 6127

this was a 50% restaurant. the chicken with cashew, onion, peppers and spring onion was great. the pad thai was weak. the spring rolls were just okay.

wouldn't go back, despite the service being friendly.

the crêpes guy

2007-04-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

at the book fair, south mall, cork
apparently also at the coal quay on normal saturdays

i thought the price was a bit steep but then i saw the size of them!

there was a great variety of savoury and sweet crêpes. carol had a banana and buttescotch, matilda had the fruit one, and i had the hawaiian, without the ham.

three out of three say, 'yummy!'.

i can't wait 'til next saturday so i can try the sweet ones.

tasty tasty.

the horse and jockey

2007-04-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

the horse and jockey
horse and jockey
on the road between cork and dublin

i think the 'town' is named after the pub. but that's a bit beside the point. the food is a bit more expensive than you'd expect for a pub, but it's actually quite good.

it's really a place you go when traveling, and mostly as a between cork and dublin kind of thing. it's in a super-convenient location and it's no trouble pulling over, cause it's right on the road. i'm stressing the convenience of the location, because time-wise it wouldn't be worth the trip to it, if you had to go out of your way. it usually takes between 1 and 1.5 hours to sit down, order, get your food and eat. so be prepared to wait for it. i don't really get it, because it's a travel-stop kind of place so you'd think time would be something that they would keep an eye on.

food wise? i would recommend the stuffed peppers, shown below.

the salad that comes with it is nicer than the salads with the other dishes, but you might want to ask for dressing on the side.

sandwiches are nice, and better priced.

so: service: rough. food? nice. location: great... and it's really the best food on the road between cork and dublin.

the ivory tower

2007-04-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

corner of oliver plunkett and princes st.
The Exchange Building
Cork City
Tel: +353 (0)21 4274665

i was concerned about going here because i'd heard they serve hedgehog which totally didn't sound vegetarian friendly. turns out they do serve hedgehog, but they also have a couple of vegetarian starters and mains.

i thought the food was fantastic. the set menu is 65€ each, you'll begin with hors d'oeuvres (vegetarian or non, but be careful, if you don't like fish, you might want to mention that as the meat-eating option was fish for gerry), then your appetiser, palette cleanser (mine was a very light and fresh watermelon and tequila sorbet) main course and then dessert and tea/coffee.

the setting is pretty casual funky with a hint of eccentricity. it's basically in one room about the size of a large living room, so i'd suggest reservations. the service was a bit weak, but that could be because one of the two waitrons was in training.

the feeling is that the chef is the manager and he's always in the back cooking, so it can feel a bit disorganised. but it's made up for with the yummy food.

i would definitely go back, because there are dishes yet to be tried!!

my food:
artichoke heart
watermelon and tequila sorbet
frittata
aubergine and couscous bake
creme broulee
peppermint tea

gerry's:
fish (since neither of us eat fish, we don't know much about it, but it was little)
duck and orange soup
wood pigeon
chocolate cake
coffee

3.5 stars

Paris

2006-11-20T06:22:00.000-08:00

No, not the restaurant, the city. Should this be listed under Eating Out: Ireland? Well yes, given that you can now fly to Paris for the cost of a bus out to Douglas, and if you throw in the cost of the hotel, well that's still less than a train fare to Dublin.
I'll not mention any restaurants by name, partly because I can't remember the names, and partly because there is no need.
Paris is a city to stroll round and try the bakeries and the boulangeries, the cafes and the bistros, the bars and the pubs.
Try the coffee (double espressos is the closest to a black coffee). Try to not get hyper on all that caffiene.
Try the croissants. They are nothing like you can get in Cork. So light and fluffy and yet so so much butter.
Try the escargots (snails to me and you), a bit rubbery and tasting more of a very hot garlic oil than of anything slug-like.
Try the horse burger, I didn't get a chance. Let me know what it's like.
Try the undercooked meat. Resist the urge to call a vet to check your dinner for a pulse and close your eyes and try it. It's good.

Try the breakfast. Fifteen plates of bread and eggs and meat and who knows what. Just dig in and try it all.
Try Paris, walk round and try the zillions of places to eat and drink. The wine is good, when you're not eating there are loads of things to see to see. Walk round, work up an appetite.

Annie's

2006-08-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Guest Writer: Danielle Barnes
Edited by: Ursula

Ballydehob,
West Cork

While in Ireland I had the pleasure of dining at Annie's restaurant in West Cork. Being used to places such as the Olive Garden and White Spot, I would definitely declare Annie's as being "fancy" with her warm, inviting ambiance and elegant 5 course meal: so put some effort into your outfit before you even think of leaving the house! When we arrived, Annie's wasn't quite open yet so she offered us the pub across the street (Levi's) to wet our whistles and salivate over the menus. Adorned with quaintness and a friendly elderly lady who seemed to be quite popular, the pub was very amusing with letters from numerous famous people, such as the Queen of England. You be the judge if they're real or not.

While you are enjoying the pub, Annie then comes over and takes your order. The selection is surprising. There is something for everyone and you have many scrumptious dishes to choose from. There is even a separate vegetarian menu as well. When you order, you choose your starter, a sorbet or soup to cleanse your palette, and then your entree. Dessert is also included in the reasonable cost but you don't order that until after you've finished your many meals.

I chose the cheese souffle for my starter and it was divine. It was light and not very heavy. I was very pleased. Next I was able to sample the passionfruit sorbet, which made my tastebuds tingle. There were tiny bits of passionfruit in the sorbet, which added so much more to the not overly sweet flavour. It was the perfect way to prepare myself for the main course. Four different entrees were ordered that evening and I had decided to try the steak with garlic butter, well done. One misconception of having a well done steak is that it tends to be dry. This is simply not true, if it is done with a sauce. This helps to seal in the flavour and keep the meat juicy. I had thought that the garlic butter was a sauce, but it was on my plate, on the side. I did find the steak to be quite dry and lacking of flavour due to the absence of seasoning, but it still did not ruin my so far lovely evening.

***EDITOR'S NOTE***

Liz had the scallops and said they were delicious and the largest she'd ever seen. I, Ursula, had the mixed vegetable pastry and it was gorgeous. I can't remember what Gerry had, that much pleasure makes you lose your memory, but maybe he can fill that in.

***

For dessert I chose the sinningly sweet chocolate cake with strawberries and chocolate sauce. To die for!

A side note about Annie's, they had the best bathrooms that I could find in all of Ireland. Instead of a narrow tiny stall, it was a large room and the best part - paper towels!!!!

Annie's was not only an amazing restaurant, she is also an amazing person, hostessing, taking orders, cooking and ensuring her customers are satisfied. And this one certainly was!

Annies II
I had to add to this post to put in some pictures. To start I had the twice baked cheese souffle. It looked a lot like this.

It tasted much better than my camera phone photography skills can show. The words oh, my and god just flow together to describe this.
I had a lemon sorbet after this, no pictures I'm afraid, but moved swiftly on to the pork.

This was really really really good. (Yes there is a pattern here in describing this food). It also came with the spuds, very important in Ireland that we have the spuds.

Needless to say the spuds turned out to be a very tasty selection of veggies.

Of course there are more important things than the main course, and yes dessert did Annies proud. Chocolate fudge cake. Mmmmm fudge cake...

Overall Annies is a top restaurant. All 5 courses come in at about 45 euro a head, which is pretty good. The food is fantastic, and the trip across the road for a pint to peruse the menu is an experience in itself. Try it out, if you can get a booking that is. Annies tends to be booked out early for the summer months.

cafe gertrude

2006-08-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

downtown, dublin

we asked for cheap and cheerful. we got it.

the place was pretty busy but we managed to stuff the five of us around a table. i had a potato mash with goat's cheese and roasted red peppers. how'd it taste? YUMMY!!

it was a cute little place, not a huge menu, but diverse enough with sandwiches, the potato mash stuff, and salads.

this is a quaint cafe with inexpensive food.

4 stars. if i'm ever in dublin again i will try to go back.

cafe mexicano part deux

2006-07-31T02:12:00.000-07:00

submitted by guest blogger Jaimie

As a first time guest to Ireland, I quite obviously had to go out for some traditional Irish fare; and where better than a mexican restaurant?

The atmosphere was warm and upbeat in the tiny restaurant, definitely trying for a Mexican flavour. The menu accuratel reflected the theme, and I was sad to see there were no Irish ale choices to accompany my tacos. Instead I took a Dos Equis, which I was quite happy to see was on the menu.

I ordered the Dos plate, which allowed me a taste of both the taco and the enchillada, both beef. I was pleasantly surprised to see the beef was not ground up, but came in large, filling pieces. The cheese and salsa melted on the enchillada tasted great and fresh, and small salad on the side was appealing.

Typical Mexican food overall; something I certainly had not expected to find in Cork. Recommended; three solid stars.

cafe mexicano

2006-07-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

careys street

cork, ireland

this little restaurant is located just south of french church street, between patrick street and paul street.

luckily one of the girls i was meeting got there before the throngs that i had to pass when i got there, so we got a table.

the food was great. but our waitress was a bit bitchy, possibly just a long HOT day (it was really hot upstairs) but still, not that fun. the next one we got was much nicer.

i had yummy bean tacos, i think everyone else had burritos which were a big hit. dessert was okay, not a must-have at all.

good atmosphere, you take your chances with the waitresses. food has consistently been good.

3 stars. i would go back, partly because there's not much choice for mexican food in cork and because the food is good there. for the price, the service should be better.

SoHo

2006-07-14T05:16:00.000-07:00

Washington Street at Grand Parade
Cork, Ireland

this is a trendy bar restaurant. the food was great (real parmasan on the caesar salad) and the service was friendly and prompt as well. kevin was attentive and funny, and possibly thought that i was hitting on him, but whatever.

i wish i hadn't been driving because the martinis looked awesome. sharon had fajitas, which i was very very tempted to order, the price was a bit high, but the amount of food you get is clearly in relation to that. i had caesar salad and nachos, both were great... but i am still looking for great salsa in ireland. and we shared some garlic bread. not so garlicy but still quite nice.

presentation was great, and that restaurant itself, possibly because it's so new was also nice.

3.5 stars. i'd definitely go back, especially to try the fajitas, and to test some drinks.

casanova

2006-07-04T12:59:00.001-07:00

north main street
cork city

rumours of freshly made pasta seduced elaine and me to this restaurant. we decided to give it a go on saturday, and were so impressed with lunch that we splurged on dessert too!

the lunch menu is great "value for money" as they say in ireland. it was 7.90€ for a large portion of pasta. you get a stamp for each main you eat there, and after collecting 5 or 6 stamps you get a free main.

we did our duty as panelists and asked about the fresh pasta; the news is, dinner (which is more expensive) offers homemade gnocci and ravioli. the lunch pastas did taste fresh, but they were not made there.

funny coincidence: our work lunch on monday was at casanovas (i had nothing to do with it) but everyone was saying the same thing: great value for money, and great food. we asked for bread with our pasta, and they baked a couple loaves fresh for us. obviously that was great.

i would definitely go again, and can't wait to try a tomato based sauce.

the decor is kinda italian cafe not crazy, not trying to be too posh. service was friendly and prompt.

for what it is, a cheap (lunch) place to get good food, it gets 4.5. depending on how much the price goes up for dinner, and how tasty that gnocci is, that's where my rating will stay.

Donatello's, Maynooth

2006-06-29T01:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I was expecting cheap and cheerful and that's exactly what I got, with a healthy mix of yummy food thrown in.
The restaurant was full, the atmosphere relaxed and cosy and the service was friendly and helpful.
Three women on a night off stuffed themselves silly with starters (stuffed peppers and 2 x garlic mushrooms), main courses (pork something, chicken something and chicken something else) and desserts (banoffi pie, chocolate fudge cake and 3 flavours of home-made icecream). There was only one glass of wine ordered and several soft drinks and bottles of sparkling water.
All in, the bill came to €120, which isn't bad at all...

I'll see you guys again soon!

restaurante rossini

2006-06-19T03:11:00.000-07:00

Princes St. Cork City

wow. the saving grace of this place, is that the food is great. unfortunately it's also so understaffed it's a trial in patience to even sit there.

our first tip-off should have been how long it took to be noticed and get seated. it was painful waiting for any kind of service, to be asked our order, for our plates to be cleared, for the bill to arrive.

would i go back? ummm... if i wanted really good pesto, and i knew that there was a better ratio of customers to servers. 2 stars because when there was service, it wasn't bad, and the food was great. but i might be being a bit generous.

il padrino

2006-06-19T02:08:00.000-07:00

21 Cook Street, Cork, Ireland
Tel.: +353 - (0)21 - 4271 544

thursday night we were a larger group, and there to celebrate a friend's birthday. reservations were made that day, and they were able to accomodate us.

the service was great, our waiter, Dan (who we had nicknamed Don) was attentive enough and handled the large group of loud and mostly drunk girls with humour.

the white house wine was inexpensive and tasty. the food was nice, and there was a good variety of options, pastas, pizzas, meat and veg.

we brought a cake with us, and they happily put the candles on and brought it to the table. we had a good time, and that's partly because the restaurant was so accomodating. because of that, the restaurant gets a 4.

i'd go back, as long as my friend doesn't break the heart (or vice versa) of the waiter we picked up for her.

Il Padrino
On to the food for those who don't want to hit on the waiter. Il Padrino is very good. I was along for the night and since Damien never showed, thanks alot Damien, I was the only guy on an otherwise girls night out. And sober, since I was driving.
The food though made up for it. The Penne Italiana, penne with artichokes, italian sausage, pesto and a white wine cream sauce was delicous. I sampled a few other dishes and they all came up to the same standard. At about €15 a main it's very reasonable.
On the waiter side, yes, service was excellent.
Would I go back? Yes, just not on a girls night out.

The Brehon

2006-06-12T04:36:00.000-07:00

The Brehon Hotel
Muckross Rd
Killarney

I was here for two days and got to try out the restaurant. It was all you would expect from a 4 star hotel and more. The service was excellent and the food followed suit.
Lunch day 1 was corn fed chicken which was cooked perfectly. Full of flavour and really melt in the mouth. Dessert was a toffee cheesecake, which was also up to the same standard.
Lunch day 2 was more interesting. Pork with chirozo stuffing and a mushroom and spring onion cafe au lait. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's coffee. With milk? Anyway, I ordered it, and wasn't to be disappointed. The pork was perfect, the stuffing up there with Ma Gainford's famous christmas stuffing and the coffee with milk was really suited to the whole dish. No taste of coffee, a really good sauce for the pork though. I'd recommend it if you're ever there.
The veg that accompanied the main courses were also well though out. Not just the usual few potatoes, carrots etc, they varied on both days, included was squash, aubergine and a few I didn't recognise, but none the less enjoyed.
For the price was it good value? No idea, work picked up the tab.
Would I go back again. Yes, I am planning to.

The Stone Haven, Maynooth

2006-06-12T00:43:00.000-07:00

"Award winning restaurant", we were promised.
The question we were asking by the end of the night was "What award and when?"

With an evening of unexpected (and free) babysitting thrust upon us, Con and I were only too delighted to head out for a drink and dinner. We'd been meaning to sample the delights of the Stone Haven since we'd moved to the area. Anyone who ventured an opinion was highly complimentary. We got off to a promising start: the service was friendly; the atmosphere, relaxed and informal. The first downer of the evening was an early trip to the loo. Grim does not begin to cover it. Ugh. Say no more.

Con decided to go with the evening's specials and ordered a salmon and crab thingie for his starter. It tasted a little off, apparently. Not rotten-fish-off, just over-oily-not-nice-off. I was a little less adventurous and had the duck spring rolls, which to be fair were fairly tasty.

Con's dinner stepped up a gear with his ostrich (thumbs up), while mine ratcheted down a notch with overcooked monkfish. Both were served with fries and a side salad. And an incredibly elaborate garnish of knotted chives.

To finish, Con took a chance and ordered the cheeseboard - this was alright. There was a decent selection of cheese and quantity of crackers and grapes and even a glass of port. I had spotted the profiteroles going to someone else's table earlier and decided to grab me a bit of that action. Good job too. Delicious.

All in all, the grotty toilets had soured the experience for us. Poor standards of hygiene in an eatery are not acceptable. Con's fishy starter was blamed for a feeling of general malaise the following day and while I didn't feel ill, I don't think there's much excuse for serving up overcooked fish at an "award winning" restaurant.

We won't be heading back in a hurry. Or at all.

the quay co-op

2006-06-10T15:48:00.001-07:00

cork city... i don't know the address, but it's just across from the walking bridge and upstairs from the store of the same name.

wholesome vegetarian food with gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, etc. options. i've been meaning to try this place for quite some time now (i've had it checked off in my guide to ireland since before i got here.

i met up with elaine and gerry and we each had different food. it is a serve yourself-hippy kind of place, but the atmosphere is good and casual. oh!!! and the service is quite friendly. there was a big jug of water waiting on the table for us, and because none of us picked up any of the bottled organic, sugar free drinks they automatically gave us glasses so we could help ourselves! yay to jugs of water!

i tried everyone's food... the mains and the sides (you pick a main and get two sides of veg/salad to go with it) and they all tasted yummy!

portions? huge. if you want less they will charge you less... i had one burger instead of two and i got a discount. there was no rushing us out, and plenty of seating. i paid less than €8 for my meal. i think elaine and gerry were around €10.

4 high stars

i can't wait to go back.

i'm so good

2006-06-09T00:56:00.000-07:00

i managed to get reservations at Annie's for when danielle and her mom come in August.

YAY!

i'm excited to see if it maintains its previously high level of service and food.

the review will follow.

ruby jones

2006-06-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

it's a regular kind of restaurant... it offers a variety of pizzas, pastas, hamburgers, and other middle-of-the-road foods.

we've been there a few times, and except for once, it's been good. it's not amazing, it's generally consistent and tasty... and sometimes that's what i want. also, you can usually get good parking. before the last two times we went there, we were usually alone at the restaurant. recently, things have really picked up there... even at lunch it was busy.

the decor is modern and open. the drinks are fun, and you can get pitchers at a decent price. in fact, the food's decently priced as well.

i like the pizza and the pavlova.

3.5 stars... middle-of-the-road, for middle-of-the-road. i'll go back, and i'll probably still like it. when we go, it's cause we want middle-of-the-road. ruby jones does that well, better than most.

ruby jones
douglas village
cork

wild ways

2006-06-02T02:04:00.000-07:00

a french-style cafe that's perfect for lunch.

i had a focaccia with goat's cheese, red peppers, and pesto with a baked potato on the side with this lovely garlic butter and chili jelly. surprisingly they also had the french pink lemonade that i fell in love with at orchard. yay!

the price is right, about €10 for lunch.

what made the focaccia so perfect was that there wasn't an overload of cheese on it, (a common problem with focaccia and goat's cheese).

wild ways is not trying to be a fancy place with over-priced food; it is a clean-lined cafe with a busy atmosphere, rows of tables, and great food.

4.5 stars- it's a good place for lunch

Cafe Paradiso

2006-06-02T01:41:00.000-07:00

a vegetarian paradise, indeed!

this is one of my favourite restaurants in cork. i have never had a disappointing meal there... the wine has always been one that we've said: mmm, this is nice, let's remember this one!

last night i started with beetroot mousse and my main was risotto. both were fantastic. the wine was a new zealand sauvignon blanc, and delicious, kind of sharp, but not bitter... very fresh. the mousse was light and sweet and savoury in only the way veggies can. having tried everyone else's dishes, hearing the satisfied yum's, and my canadian guests buying a cookbook, cafe paradiso was a hit.

my only issue, and the only thing preventing me from giving this place a full five stars is the cost. lunch is less expensive, so it's a good idea to keep that in mind if you're being budget-conscious.

basically, the food is gorgeous, and being someone who hates mushrooms there are thankfully lots of choices that are free of the fungus. the decor is hippy-funk, definitely not frou-frou, and the casual atmosphere doesn't have you worrying about which fork to use, or dressing up.

it's a fun place. great food. great wines.

solid four.

Orchard, Celbridge

2006-05-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

i was slightly sceptical of going to a garden centre for lunch, but this was a pleasant surprise.

we were there on a saturday so it was a bit busy, but we still got a nice sunny spot with an outdoor feeling thanks to the sky-lights and the flora.

the french pink lemonade was a spur of the moment decision and encouragement to "trust your gut". not too sweet, and not bitter; bubbly and fresh-perfect for the location.

i had the leek, roasted red peppers and brie bake, with a choice of three salads: chick-pea, a garlic potato bake and fruit salad. the fruit salad was a bit heavy on the watermelon, but it was juicy. the leek bake was yummy.

for €12.80 it was great, i'd go again. i'd give it 3.5 stars because i wasn't expecting it to be fancy schmancy, and i was really happy with my food, and the price was good.

Orchard, Celbridge
While Ursula liked this place, I wasn't so impressed. The bacon and brie roll was a bit dry and the food would only merit an ok. The worst thing about the Orchard was the queues. Not that it was large, about six or so people in front of me. With only six people though it shouldn't take about fifteen minutes. It's one of those queue up with a tray and move along to pick up your food. Skipping by the hot food ,counter cut some minutes off my time, others took another five or ten minutes. For some unfathomable reason, the queue crawled along. The fact that the people behind the counter wandered off at random only accounts for about half the queue. The other half of the time disappears into some black hole.
I'm told that the whole layout has been changed and that it used to be much worse, and it is only a small thing. It's just a bad way to start, let's have a really slow queue.
The location in a garden centre works very well, and it is a very nice place to sit down and eat. Just do something about the queues, and the bacon and brie. Please?
Gerry

Wagamama

2006-05-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

If this is not my favourite restaurant in Cork, it is definitely my most visited. The Japanese style noodle bar is at the top of my list of restaurant chains.
No more McDonald's or Burger King, for slightly more than a Big Mac meal you can get the lunchtime special, a main course and a drink for EUR9.95. Seating is provided with communal benches, though people are spaced out enough so that even at the busiest times you're not crowded in with strangers.
Placemats are paper, which also double as ordering pad. Servers take your order on a wireless palm PC and write numbers on your place mat. If you get bored there's crayons for the asking and you can create a work of at while waiting on your food.
The menu is varied, from Ramen (noodle soup), Gyoza (grilled dumplings), Katsu Curry and my absolute favourite the Yaki Soba. There are also some Asian beers and sake available, or for the more health conscious there are a selection of juices. For the more health conscious it's worth noting that a lot of the menu is also very low in fat.
The food is delicious, the service is good, the decor is minimal and there is nothing I can say against this place.
This restaurant rocks, and would I go back, yes, I tend to two or three times a week. Stars. A very high four.

Thorntons

2006-05-30T00:39:00.000-07:00

Thorntons, Fitzwilliam Hotel, St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2

Where to begin? The food - fabulous; the service - perfect; the décor - hits the right note; the price - just what you'd expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant, I'm afraid!

From the moment you walk in, you know that you're not just in any old eaterie. The staff are immediately on hand to take your coats and seat you at your table. There's a bit of chair holding for the ladies but thankfully they draw the line at putting your napkin in your lap for you. Somehow, these guys manage to hit the right level: they know their food and wine and they know how to add a bit of pomp to the occasion, without being obsequious.

The atmosphere tends to be a little subdued early in the evening but by around 9, most of the tables are occupied and there is a pleasant hum of conversation. It never seems to get too loud either, which is a master stroke of acoustic engineering on the part of the 3 inch thick carpets! The walls are decorated with enlarged and mounted photographs of some of the chef's (Kevin Thornton) creations.

Until quite recently, Thornton's had two Michelin stars. While the chef was working on his book, he decided to scale back slightly and stop serving lunch. He lost one of those stars because of it. Having had dinner here when there were two stars and when there was one, I can't say that I noticed a difference in the food or service, so the losing a star thing strikes me as a bit of a nonsense!

Anyway - on to the food. Starters are priced from €27 to €45 and main courses from €40 to €60. You may think that this is excessive but remember, it's not like you'd be dropping in here for a quick bite to eat on your way home from work. This is a special occasion place. Also, if you're up for it (and all the people at your table need to be up for it too) you can tackle the surprise menu - 8 courses of epicurian delight for €125 per head.

Needless to say, when Con and I rocked up here last weekend with friends of ours (all four of us free from children, thanks to the wonder of babysitters!) we glanced briefly at the menu, looked at each other, and said "Surprise?". A resounding "YES" all-round. (And we were - all round - by the time we'd finished.)

Apperetif: Freshly squeezed orange juice for the driving/pregnant amongst us; Bombay Sapphire and tonic for the others
Course 1: Lobster and caviar with lobster consommé
Course 2: White asparagus spears with truffle
Course 3: Green asparagus mousse with caviar
Course 4: Foie gras and duck terrine served with truffle for the men. A bad case of 'shroom overdose (ixnay on the truffles) and pregnancy (no can do liver products) meant that the women were treated to goat's cheese in marinaded tomatoes with aubergine skin
Course 5: Brill in truffle saubinon
Course 6: Cod with potatoes
Course 7: Nettle and thyme sorbet (for those who were neither driving nor pregnant, this was also doused in Bombay Sapphire gin)
Course 8: Stuffed ballotine of Guinea Fowl with fig and armanac sauce
Course 9: Dessert - cherries that had been soaked in something incredibly alcoholic for a long time, créme anglais, cherry icecream, shortbread and some sort of pudding with cherries in that had been glazed over with a brulée torch
Coffee: Delicious coffee with a dish of petit fours
Wine: There was a bottle of white, a half-bottle of Chateau-Neuf-de-Pape (red) and an unending stream of sparkling or still water throughout the evening
Total: (including tip) €750

Worth every penny. Or cent.

The Nuremore Hotel, Carrickmacross

2006-05-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

There are some restaurants you keep hearing about. For me, the Nuremore in Carrickmacross was one of these. Maybe it's because many moons ago I washed dishes in the kitchen, or maybe it's just because it gets a lot of reviews. A whole lot.
A new chef, Raymond Macardle won the Georgina Campbell chef of the year award in 2005, and every review I come across tells us that a Michelin star is on it's way.
Maybe he wasn't working that night is all I can guess.
The Nuremore is very much a silver service place. Very formal dining. The menu looked good, I didn't understand half of the words on it, so that was a good start. I went with the pigeon to open. It was nice enough I guess, but there is a good chance that a good vet could have used the parts in a life saving pigeon transplant surgery. Or maybe there is a save the environment thing going on in the kitchen, and not cooking the food is good. Or maybe it's meant to be that way. I don't know. It was ok, and just ok. A bit chewy, not at all the delectable starter I was hoping for.
For the main I had pork, which again was ok. And just ok. Lets face it, I've had better and in much plainer surrounds. This was followed by a sorbet to refresh the taste buds, which was better than the previous courses.
Dessert, at last, the chocolate cake and home made ice cream was perfect, and the coffee was excellent. The wine was good too, I can't remember the name off the top of my head, but I did write it down to see if I can get it elsewhere. At only thirty euro for a bottle, it was pretty reasonable.
Overall, the service was excellent, but at forty eight euro a head and a restaurant aiming for a Michelin star, I would have expected better. Would I go back again? I don't think so. Stars? About two.

Sixty6

2006-05-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

Before I review anywhere let me lay my cards on the table. I am prepared to like restaurants. Open mind, positive attitude. I also like food. These things taken together are probably negatives when it comes to restaurant reviews, where truth be told, you need to be a bit of a dick. The arrival of my son means I go out less, so when I do go out I am more likely to enjoy it. They’re the rules, apologies that I cannot be more objective.

So. On to the review.

Brasserie Sixty6
66-67 South Great Georges Street
Dublin 2.
www.brasseriesixty6.com

I was here for lunch a few weeks ago. The décor (if that’s what interests you) is modern, with a long corridor down the centre with tables each side. If many people are dining the atmosphere would definitely be ‘intimate.’ We got a table in a section off the main corridor, which was very comfortable.

The menu is on the web, and hasn’t changed since I was there (it has just opened, so this isn’t really a criticism), with daily specials.

I had the wordy “Lamb chunks, lemon, garlic, oregano, olive oil with harrisa crème fraiche and pitta bread stuffed with sixty6 coleslaw” to start. This translates as lamb kebab with red cabbage, which was very tasty.

For main I had Crayfish salad with fries, which was nice enough, if not a little unremarkable. The others had sausage and mash, fish and steak, and were all fairly happy with what they got. The portions were decent too, you won’t leave hungry.

Dessert was the disappointment for me. I had “Raspberries, natural yoghurt, honey and pistachio Amaretto crumble,” which was plain yoghurt with crumble on top. I felt doubly cheated when all the other desserts arrived, and were pronounced “delicious.”

Everything was very attractively presented, on skewers, in steel buckets of ice, in glass jars etc., so your sense of style as well as your palate will be catered for, and it is very reasonable averaging €8.50 for a starter and €14.50 for a main.

Would I go back again? Definitely, I’ll just be a little more careful about what I choose.

this is how it will work

2006-05-29T02:35:00.000-07:00

this is going to be a venue for reviews of places to eat, drink, and have fun in ireland.

it will mostly involve places in co. cork, but as there will be guest-writers and lots of traveling, hopefully the rest of the country will get covered as well.

ratings will be out of 5 stars, and based on one or more visits. all visits will have been made in the last year.