Delicous Food in Maryborough - Believe me

It is not very often that I am writing a restaurant review and even less often that I am reviewing a hotel restaurant. But I came across this amazing gem when I was invited to a 'foodie' evening in the Maryborough Hotel organised by AA.

I have to admit, I didn't expect much but since Avril Allshire Howe of Rosscarbery came as well, I thought it was a great way of catching up with this amazing food producer (and boy, did we catch up, talking til way after midnight).

But let's talk about the food - as I mentioned, my expectations weren't very high but I was extremely surprised. The photos don't do the food justice (plates were black and it was dark) - so you will have to trust my words. I missed the first course as traffic was terrible but it was Pan Fried Scallop, Cumin Roasted Pork Belly with Cauliflower Puree (feedback from others was fantastic). Then came:

Seared Pigeon, Golden Beetroot, Orange Veloute - gamey, fresh, perfect autumn/winter dish

Didn't take photo (was just arriving)

 

Salmon Mi Cuit, Whiskey & Soya Lacquer, Herb Créme Fraiche - the best salmon I have eaten EVER

Potato Espuma, Crispy Potato Skins & House Pancetta - Rich, warming, creative, simply wonderful

Forgot to take a photo (ups)

Seared Venison Loin, Braised Haunch, Swede Puree, Cassis Jus - PERFECTION

Pork Fillet, Apricot & chestnut stuffing, Butternut Squash, Sage Crisp - Beautiful cooking, perfect balance of flavours, 

Roasted Monkfish, Parma Ham, Mussel Infusion - a simple description of a beautiful dish - a taste of the sea with a bit of earthiness 

Chargrilled Vegetables, Cumin Yoghurt, Halloumi - a different take on Halloumi

Earl Grey Tea Créme Brulee, Cinnamon Crips & Flora Tea - Subtle flavours, excellent execution, beautiful tea

Mulled Wine & Pear Trifle - AMAZING

Gingerbread & Lemon Curd Cup with Hazelnut Meringue Cap - curd was too sweet for me but perfect for a sweet tooth

Chocolate Taster Plate - Dark Chocolate Mousse in a chocolate case, white chocolate & Whiskey parfait (next to the trifle my favourite dessert)

Just writing the dishes down, makes me want more. It was a balanced menu, created by chefs who care. Perfect execution and presentation (apart from the black plates) - I will be back for more.

Service was exceptional - waiters/waitresses are well trained and attentive without invading your space. Head Chef Brendan Brosnan and General Manager Justin McCarthy have a winning formula and I am looking forward to many visits in the future.

Heather's at the Gap of Dunloe

Whenever I hear of restaurant openings, my ears are set to high alert and I get excited - the prospect of good food does that to me.

One of these openings was Heather at Moriarty's in Gap of Dunloe. I have to admit, I don't venture out much into Kerry (a big mistake, I know) so I was intrigued to see what Heather is all about and thanks to their PR company, Fuzion, I received an invite to the opening (big thank you for that).

Denis Moriarty welcoming Rachel Allen

Heather is located on the road that leads to the Gap and with a great advantage, it is one of the first premises you will see when you drive up the road. The building itself smooths in nicely with the rugged surrounds of the Kerry countryside. Tim Austen of RTE's Super Garden (previous) has designed the gardens and considering that it has only been finished recently, you can already see how he took the local flora and incorporated it to create an interactive gardens that will invite bees, butterflies and other wildlife to the area.

Staying with growing, 2 large poly tunnels provide a wide array of salads, herbs and vegetables. Across the grounds 130 fruit bushes have been planted - it doesn't get fresher than that.

Rachel Allen opening Heather

Michael & Margaret Moriarty established the souvenir shop in 1964 and have quickly gained a reputation for high quality. Son Denis and his wife Ailish are running the business now and Denis told us in his opening speech how his father used to collect local heather, bound it into nice bunches and sold it to passing tourists. An entrepreneur after my liking - so the name of the restaurant is in honour of Michael who passed away. Mother Margaret is still involved in the business and you could see how proud she was of Denis who has visions for the future.

Restaurant manager Jennifer Dowling is working hard to transform this vision into reality and is very open when asked about ethos of the restaurant etc. The food is sourced within a 25km area if not grown on the premises. The Moriarties are working closely with local producers who were invited to meet future customers and talk about their products and I had the great pleasure of meeting the amazing Peter Ireson of Knocknatee Cheese. His cheddar and blue cheese were simply outstanding - high quality cheese that will be in my top 10 cheese list. Peter himself is a character who you simply have to like.

The restaurant will be open 7 days a week until 7pm but private parties can be booked. The menu highlights local produce and the ethos is, let the food and its quality speak for itself. Mains include Ring of Kerry Lamb Chops with Braised Lentils, Buttered Bay Carrots and Sage Jus, Glenbeigh Cockles and Mussels cooked in White Wine, Garlic and Chill. Brunch is served Saturday and Sundays from 11am. 

So make sure to stop at Heather's when you are in the area...... the Gap of Dunloe is always worth a visit, now there is an added bonus

A Hidden Gem of Cork

Dining Room Pembroke

I am getting asked quite often where I recommend to eat in Cork - a very personal question really but I will give my opinion of course. But for some reasons, I never think of restaurants in hotels in Cork - a big oversight on my part as we have wonderful hotels with great restaurants. Regular readers of this blog know that I am already impressed by the team in River Lee Hotel but now I like to add the Pembroke Restaurant at the Imperial Hotel to that list of great restaurants in Cork.

Mr T and myself spent a midweek break in Imperial and booked dinner at the Pembroke. I have to admit, my expectations were low but to my big surprise, I feel in love with the hotel, the staff and yes, the food. Prembroke has in Craig Mills a chef who has a wonderfully light hand in preparing fish and he proved it in my dish of Tian of Crab and the pan-fried Hake with Lemon-Saffron Sauce. Both dishes were executed perfectly - for me a talent quite rare these days. Mr T tucked into a goats cheese tart for starter and a Trio of Pork Plate for main - and that was a plate of meat, you will have to have a great appetite to be able to finish this dish. It included Jack McCarthy Black Pudding, Pork Belly & Cutlet. Side dishes included potatoes that were roasted with caraway seeds which gave them a new dimension. Mixed vegetables completed the sides. We took our time enjoying the main course and I was able to savour every flavour. The fish is supplied by Jim Good of the Good Fish Company and the meat is sourced in Ireland - another point I am very happy about.

The dessert list was short but catered for all sweet tooth fairies and included chocolate, panna cotta, cheesecake and ice cream - we opted for strawberry cheese cake and hazelnut panna cotta. All desserts are made in-house (for me a big plus) and the hazelnut panna cotta had a wonderful subtle hint of hazelnut and the right amount of 'wobble' (yes, I wobbled). All in all, a wonderful meal, perfectly cooked and Mr T and I left with big smiles on our faces. The in-house bar 'Souths' is the perfect spot for an after-dinner tipple and it rounded our evening up just nicely.

Tian of Crabmeat

The staff is overall excellent. In the restaurant they are extremely attentive without being intrusive. Our waitress was a girl called Karen and she was personal but not too much, she had a nice sense of humour and I wish her all the best for her studies and research - we couldn't have asked for a better waitress. It is always a good sign when employees are smiling - and we saw quite a few walking up and down, simply smiling. A great place to eat and apparently to work as well. 

I have been to the cafe, Lafayette a few times and love the atmosphere of bygone times with their attractive tiling on the walls and the large windows looking onto South Mall but I might be changing the view in future to Pembroke Street instead.

So, from now on, Pembroke will be on my list of places to go if someone is asking for a dinner recommendation again.

By the way, the Imperial has a great Easter Offer on:

The 4-star, Imperial Hotel, located in the heart of Cork city has a fantastic three night Easter offer available over Easter weekend. You can enjoy three night’s bed and full Irish breakfast from just €155 per person sharing. This cracking Easter deal also includes a sweet treat from the Easter Bunny on Easter Sunday. An egg hunt will take place for children at 2.00pm and non-residents who are in for Easter Lunch will also be welcome to partake in the fun! Easter Lunch costs €25 per adult (3 courses) and €13 per child.

Goats Cheese Parcel with Beetroot Chutney

Pan-Fried Hake with Saffron & Lemon Sauce

Trio of Pork

Dessert Menu

Lafayette Tea Rooms

Dining Room

Cheese Cake

Hazelnut Panna Cotta

Food Writer Guild Food Awards - Cork's a winner

Photoshoot before the awards

The Food Writer Guild Ireland was established 30 years ago and is currently headed by Georgina Campbell. Members  include Mrs Myrtle Allen, Darina Allen, Ella McSweeney, Dianne Curtin, Dr Oliver Moore, Joe McNamee to name but a few. Each year, the guild honors the best of food producers and this year was a triumph for Cork Food Producers and I was proud as if I won the awards. 5 out of 6 awards were given to Cork producers which proves again that County Cork is an Artisan Food County. After the ceremony we were treated to an amazing 5 course lunch prepared by Derry Clark and his team using the winning produce. I was in heaven and was indeed very happy to have been given the recipes. The food in L'Ecrivain has always been outstanding and each visit (not as many as I would have liked) was as mesmerizing as the last one. At the Irish Food Writer's Guild Awards, Derry Clark proved again that he is worth a Michelin Star or 2 (surely, the second can't be far off).

Ballyhoura Mountain Mushroom consommé with Coolea cheese tortellini

Cured & smoked Irish mackerel, Irish Heritage potato salad, pickle, beetroot

Dry-aged beef, Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms, Coolea cheese, parsley purée, wild garlic

Irish Atlantic Sea Salt & caramel mousse with Stonewell apple cider sorbet

Choc & Almond Lollipop with mini macaron

Wonderful Display of Mushrooms

Ballyhoura Mushrooms - if you ever have been to Mahon Point Farmer's Market or Midleton Farmer's Market, then you will have come across Lucy and/or Mark who sell their fares each week. They grow the mushrooms as closest to nature's way as possible but also forage quite a large part of their produce. To widen the range, they have added products like cep oil, marinated mushrooms and mushroom ketchup. This award is well deserved and I can't wait to see what Lucy and Mark have up their sleeves with the new season of mushrooms


Stonewell Cider - Daniel and his team should be used to awards by now but the quality of his cider is simply amazing that each new award is well deserved. Last Christmas, Stonewell Cider, introduced a Mulled Cider which went down a treat and I begged him to continue producing this amazing cider and he promised he will (no need to thank me, I did it for the greater good) - Well Done to the whole crew of Stonewell Cider.

Coolea Farmhouse Cheese - he is the gentleman under the cheese makers of Ireland. A quite man with a big cheese. I am delighted that Dick Willems took the Food Writer's Guild Food Award home. His cheese has won several awards already, taking home gold last year at the National Cheese Awards at Bloom Dublin. His son Dicky stepped into his father's footsteps and they have gone from strength to strength. Congratulations to the Willems family.

Irish Atlantic Sea Salt - what a great idea. Using the natural sea salt of Ireland, the O'Neills produce sea salt flakes flavoured with lemon & pepper, garlic and many more flavour combination. Converted fans include Darina Allen and Donal Skehan and Stuart Bowes. The Food Writer's Guild agreed and chose Irish Atlantic Sea Salt as their 2014 winner.

Responsible Irish Fish - let's face it, Ireland took the short straw when the fishing rights were given away but here is a company that wants to make us more aware of what fish we are eating. I had a lovely chat with one of the members (and I am not aware of his name - I must be getting old) about what we can do to increase the knowledge of consumers and chefs. Buy local is the main message but be responsible about it. A company worth watching. The prize was awarded for all the hard work these guys are doing for Irish fish.

Heritage Irish Potato Collection - ince the 1970s, David Langford has been collecting and growing heritage potatoes. In 2006, he teamed up with Dermot Carey, an experienced organic vegetable grower who was then gardener at Lissadell House in Co. Sligo. The horticultural skills, passion and hard work of David and Dermot have resulted in an amazing collection, grown and managed by them on an entirely voluntary basis. The collection has well over two hundred varieties including the Irish Apple (dating from 1768) and the Lumper (forever associated with Irish Potato Famines), as well as more recently developed varieties.It was announced on the night that Richard Corrigan who owns Virginia Park Hotel will house the Irish Heritage Potato Collection for the unforeseeable future. 

Grow your own mushrooms

Myrtle Allen received the Lifetime Achievement Award - on her 90th Birthday. She is a lady I have the highest respect for and who has achieved so much in her lifetime that this award is long overdue.

Congratulations to all winners - and with 5 Cork winners (6 if you count Mrs Allen) I am proud as Oscar. 

Beer Excellence in Franciscan Well

Shane Long

One of the perks in my job is that I am getting invites to a few launches and events. One of these events was the Brewery Tour & Beer Tasting at the Franciscan Well the other day. I am not really a beer lover but have to say the evening opened my eyes a lot. Shane Long and his team have taking beer tasting to a new level by installing a beer tasting room upstairs in the pub. The walls will lead you through the brewing process with a handpainted drawing. Colourful charts make it easy to recognise depth of flavours and you will find yourself tasting beer with a new eye/nose and give it the same respect that wine tastings normally have. Flavours went from spicy over sweet to sour - a palette just as interesting as any posh wine tasting I have been at.

Des McCann

We had a charming beer sommelier, Des, who was leading us through the tasting and he was entertaining while informative at the same time. Considering that his background is wine, he was extremely well educated in beer brewing methods and we were mesmerized for the entire tasting. The beers were matched with food - which was pizza with different toppings. Beer & Food matching isn't new (I did a tasting a few years back in the Abbey Ales House) but having the same food, just with different toppings was very interesting and it was indeed very well matched. I learned more about beer that night I thought was even possible and we only scratched the surface.

The history of the building that houses the brewery is as rich as the beer that is brewed here. The brewery is built on the site of a 13th century Franciscan Well and monastery (now you know where it got its name from). It was built in 1219 and has hosted King James II at one stage. The water of the well is not used for brewing but it is said to have healing powers if you have an eye problem. I haven't tried it out (needing reading glasses soon tho, so might pop in again for a test) but I love the rich history of the place. It makes for interesting table talk.

Red Rebel

The brewing process has been automated as much as possible without damaging the craft ethos of the beer. Bottling, labeling and capping the bottles is still a labour intensive part of the process. The bottling machine has been made by mounting draft taps onto a board and fitting it with little plastic pipes. The labeling machine has been handmade by an employee and the capping machine could be found in any decent museum - craft beer at its best.

One thing I have to say about Shane Long, head brewer, proprietor, all-rounder - he has an eye for talent. Many have come to clear glasses from tables for a few months to get some cash for trips etc and have stayed on to become brewers in their own right.  Padraigh Scully being the best example. He has developed a coffee flavoured beer that went down a treat last year when I hosted a beer & cider tasting at the River Lee Hotel. 

I am impressed by the entrepreneurship of Shane Long and can see the Franciscan Well becoming a centre of excellence in Ireland for beer and brewing. Wouldn't it be simply fantastic if our future craft brewers can learn the trade right here in Cork??

Brewing Process

The Brewery & Tasting Tours are open Monday - Friday from 6:30pm and include a tour around the brewery, introduction into the history of the site, tour of the tasting room and of course the tasting itself. Admission is €10 and I can only recommend the tour to anyone who would like to learn about beer. 

Handmade Labeling Machine

Roasted Malt to taste

Tasting Glasses

Bottling Unit

Jameson Cask

Little Treat

Bottle Cap Machine