Why I’m a Regular at Fenn’s Quay and Electric

After reading Dianne Jacob’s post about food bloggers being pushovers (or not), I want to state clearly that even though I eat at Fenn’s Quay and Electric at least once a week, Tweet/blog about my visits there, am friends with Kate (something that happened after I wrote my TripAdvisor review) and know Ernest and Dennis, I do not receive any freebies or benefits that are not also given to other customers. Every so often, I get a free tea or hot chocolate as a random act of kindness to a group of people or customers, but this is not timed or in association with any action on my part. I have never ever been asked to write a post or review about either place. Below, I am listing what I like about each place.

FENN’S QUAY RESTAURANT

Sheares Street, Cork City (one street north from Washington Street, behind the Courthouse)
Tel: 021.427.9527
Facebook and Twitter
Open Monday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to late

Fenn’s Quay (owner: Kate Lawlor), Sheares Street, Cork City Centre

Why the love? 
1) The specials change daily and feature seasonal ingredients so it doesn’t get boring. But popular standards are always on their main menu. All at reasonable prices.
2) It is walking distance from my home, so it’s convenient.
3) The staff are friendly, helpful and knowledgable.
4) The food is delicious, using quality local ingredients.
5) The restaurant is clean with aubergine velvet banquet seating and chairs that feel elegant even though it’s a casual spot.
6) Ever since day one, my baby boy has received a warm welcome there and they make it easy to dine out with a little one. I am a sucker for a kid-friendly restaurant that isn’t geared toward children (ie, no frozen chicken fingers on the menu or plastic cups for everyone to drink from).
7) Free coffee refills.
8) Open from 8:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday. That’s three meals a day, six days a week!
9) Comfortable and warm. A very important attribute in rainy Cork.

 

ELECTRIC BAR

South Mall, Cork City (downstairs)
Tel: 021.422.2990
Facebook and Twitter
Open Monday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to late. Open Sundays too!

Electric Bar (owner: Ernest Cantillon), South Mall, Cork City Centre

Why the love? 
1) Simple but creative sandwiches and soups after Noon for reasonable prices.
2) It is walking distance from my home, so it’s convenient.
3) The staff are friendly and welcoming to my baby boy, LB.
4) There is a changing table in the handicapped restroom. Though it took me over six months of motherhood to discover that (I never asked).
5) It is clean with great natural light streaming in the windows.
6) They carry Australian non-alcoholic ginger beer and pitchers of water with different sliced citrus or fresh mint.
7) Welcoming to my knitting group. Knitters are the like the skateboarders of the craft world. We are too busy knitting to order lots of food and drink so not a real money-maker for wherever we meet.
8) Sometimes there is a little taster of biscotti with my hot chocolate and it’s such a treat. Not always there as it is not listed as part of the hot chocolate on the menu, so a nice surprise.

So, there you have the details on why I eat where I do. Now, there’s no need to doubt the sincerity of my posts and enthusiasm for Fenn’s Quay and Electric. I go to these places with regularity and love them without any compensation, freebies, bribery, brown envelopes or begging. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?

TweetMeetTues – 5 June 2012

Today, #TweetMeetTues was lively at Electric on South Mall.
We had food blogger and restaurant reviewer @GlassOfWin visiting from Los Angeles as well as locals:
@Beautiful_Data
@donal_cahalane
@volumeagency
@spiller2
@kencurtin
Of course, I was there with @weeog.
Thanks to Rachael @GlassOfWin and Stephen @spiller2 for helping with the list of topics discussed.

This week, we discussed:

• Blog Awards Ireland
• Politics
• Where to hold the evening World Social Media Day Cork event on 30 June
• What we each did over the bank holiday
• West Cork
• Time – and how it seemed like 9:45-11:15 didn’t exist this morning
• Best restaurants ever (what was the one you recommended, Ken?)
• Pharmacists vs doctors
• Over the counter allergy meds
• Good eats in Cork
• Haircuts and Cork Barbers
• Princess Leia hair
• Food
• The small fella (aka LB or @weeog)
• The Muppets
• R2-D2 and how the movie would have been different if 3CPO translated for him properly
• Knitting (particularly Fair Isle like this R2D2 one and this whale one)
• Start-ups
• Singing gigs

A Visit to Cork City

A friend of mine wrote to say she would be visiting Cork City with her family (herself, her husband, her two lovely daughters). Yay! I’ve not seen her in years! Of course, I instantly wanted to tell her about all the great things to do and places to eat so I jotted down my favorites if I was to visit Cork for a couple days in Springtime. This is what resulted. Be forewarned, it is mostly related to places to eat. Big surprise, I know.

A great start to the day is a good breakfast. The key is to have one that nourishes you without leaving you in a food coma. Eggs are great for this because of the protein. My two favorite places in City Centre to eat eggs are Fenns Quay and Liberty Grill. Fenns Quay also is one of my favorite places for lunch and dinner.

Fenns Quay on Shears (behind and one block west of the Courthouse on Washington) is one of my favorites for food and they have a la carte breakfasts every day (except Sundays) starting at 8:30am. Nice coffee (so says my Seattle-raised hubby). I love their eggs Florentine with Ardsallagh (a local goat cheese). Their hot chocolate is yummmm! They melt real chocolate buttons in it. For lunch, their specials are always good and I adore their chicken in green salad. Their burger is bun-free and one of the most authentic American in terms of the texture of the meat. The head chef is Kate. They are child friendly without being made for kids. Their Hollandaise is Pasteurized. Off the tourist track. Good wine and beer (including 8 Degrees Brewing, I think) selection. Recently nominated for Best Restaurant, Chef and Customer Service for the upcoming RAI regional restaurant awards.

Fenn’s Quay, Shears Street, Cork City
Telephone: +353 (0)21-4279527
Website: http://www.fennsquay.com/
Twitter: @FennsQuay
Chef Kate on Twitter: @FQChefess
Facebook: Fenns Quay

Liberty Grill has very American fare and their breakfasts include many a delicious item. Portions are ample. Queues are commonplace during peak meal times or weekends. Their Hollandaise is Pasteurized.

Liberty Grill, 32 Washington Street, Cork City
Telephone: +353 (0)21-4271049
Email: dine@libertygrill.ie
Website: http://libertygrill.ie
Twitter: @LibertyGrill
Facebook:  Liberty Grill

If your kids need a little chill time amidst a big day of sightseeing or rushing around, pop into the kid’s room at Cork City Central Public Library on Grand Parade. The kid’s room in the front when you first walk in and you can go in and have a little reading session together before heading back out to the city for your next adventure. Free city wifi is strong here. Just accept terms of service (no access to file sharing sites) and it’s free.

Cork City Library Central Branch, Cork City
Telephone: +353 (0)21-4224900
Email: libraries@corkcity.ie
Website: http://www.corkcitylibraries.ie/
Twitter: @CorkCityLibrary
Facebook:  CorkCityLibrary

For some culture, scenery, and food on the outskirts of the City, check out Fresco Bistro & Eaterie in the Glucksman Gallery on the campus of UCC. Every weekend, there are family/child events (free) at the museum. Fresco Bistro is nice for weekday breakfasts or lunch or for brunch on Saturdays or Sundays. Their flourless chocolate cake is light and sooooo good. The place is run by Brian and Kash. For more about Fresco Bistro, read this blog post I wrote.

Fresco Bistro & Eaterie in the Glucksman Gallery on the campus of UCC, Cork City
Telephone: +353 (0)21-4901848
Website: http://www.glucksman.org/fresco.html
Twitter: @FrescoBistro
Facebook: Fresco Bistro UCC

Need to take a break to rest your feet, refuel your belly between meals, or to make sure you know what you’re doing next? I recommend stopping into Electric‘s downstairs cafe. They have my favorite bottled gingerbeer (aka ginger ale) as well as coffee, cappuccino, hot chocolate, tea, beer, etc… View of River Lee from back seating section. Good natural light. Nice scones and sweets. It is on South Mall near Grand Parade. Free Wifi. Ask at the bar for the password. Of course, if you want a bigger meal, their upstairs has a lovely menu.

Electric, 41, South Mall, Cork City
Telephone: +353 (0)21-4222990
E-mail: info@electriccork.com
Website: http://www.electriccork.com/
Twitter: @ElectricCork
Facebook: Electric

For something more active than sitting and eating, climb the belltower of St. Anne’s of Shandon and ring the Shandon Bells.

If you’re in the mood for a picnic and the weather agrees with that idea, why not pick up a few nice sandwiches, salads, and drinks to-go. Top three sources for tasty and affordable picnic sandwiches (excluding any national chains) are:

• Long Valley, 10 Winthrop St has AMAZING corned beef sandwiches. They also have chicken and beef sandwiches and probably ham, but I only have interest in the corned beef salad sandwich. Trust me, it’s good. And less than a fiver!
• Wild Ways, 21 Princes Street, Cork City, Telephone: +353 (0)21-4272199
  E-mail: feedback form, Website: http://www.wildways.net
• The English Market has all the stalls and options to create your own custom picnic. Pay a visit to On the Pig’s Back some cheeses or pate, then get some fresh apples from one of the produce stands, olives from The Olive Stall, fig preserves and goat cheese from Iago, and a loaf of bread from Alternative Bread Company.

I recommend going for your picnic in Bishop Lucey Park (by the central library between Grand Parade/North Main Street/Tuckey Street) or in the slightly farther away but more sprawling Fitzgerald Park, which is about 15 minutes walk from city centre and a great spot for a picnic on a nice day. There is a little cafe there with Cornettos and soda but not much for real food. A museum there too.

Fota Wildlife Park is great for kids of all ages. Ideal for cloudy days or sunny ones. Check out the cheetah run and stroll among the animals. The staff know so much and are always willing to share facts, tid bits and history. I particularly love hearing about their Bald Eagles.

Fota Wildlife Park, Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork
Telephone: +353 (0)21-4812678
E-mail: info@fotawildlife.ie
Website: http://www.fotawildlife.ie
Twitter: @FotaWildlife
Facebook: Fota Wildlife

For science buffs or rainy days, I recommend a visit to Blackrock Castle Observatory. There is even the option for a tasty meal at Castle Cafe which has really nice menu options (not too pricey). Free parking at Blackrock Castle around the corner by the water.

Blackrock Castle Observatory, Cork C2, Co. Cork
Observatory Telephone: +353 (0)21-4357917
Observatory E-mail: info@bco.ie
Observatory Website: http://www.bco.ie/
Observatory on Twitter: @BlackrockCastle
Observatory Facebook: BCO

Castle Cafe, Cork C2, Co. Cork
Cafe Telephone: +353 (0)21-4357911
Cafe E-mail: info@castlecafe.ie
Cafe Website: http://www.castlecafe.ie
Cafe on Twitter: @Castle_Cafe1
Cafe Facebook: Castle Cafe

If you want to do a little shopping, there are all the usual shops plus my favorites for women’s apparel: Amity and Store. Those are the shops to visit if you don’t want to dress like everyone else. Also The Dressing Room but they are pricier than the other two I’ve mentioned and much more suited to a professional wardrobe. Chain stores are easily found on Patrick’s Street and Opera Lane (list of stores and hours here).

But perhaps I’ll do shopping in a separate post since you’ll have plenty to do in a weekend visit to Cork as it is. And if you’re into knitting or sewing, definitely check out some of the city’s wool and knitting shops (there’s a list here) and the Cork Button Factory.

Oh, and if you get sick and need a prescription at an odd hour when you’re in Cork there is a late-night pharmacy on Patrick’s Street and Irwin’s Late-Night Pharmacy is on Shandon near North Gate Bridge.

Brunch in Cork City

Brunch, part breakfast part lunch, all delicious. Much like cupcakes, Ireland has caught on to an American food trend and made it their own. The mid-morning to mid-day weekend meal is no different and Cork City has embraced it. Brunch can be for friends to catch up after a busy week or a time for family to gather, especially for holidays like Mother’s Day (March 18th this year), Father’s Day, Easter, Jazz Festival weekend or some such special occasion.

Here is a list of places I know of that offer weekend breakfasts and brunches that are worth a visit. I link to their brunch or weekend morning menus whenever possible.
PLEASE NOTE: This post only lists the weekend hours. These establishments also have weekday hours which you can learn about by clicking on the restaurant name to visit their website.

WEEKDAY & SATURDAY BREAKFAST/BRUNCH AND LUNCH

• Fenn’s Quay (located one street north and one street west of the Courthouse) serves breakfast/brunch, and lunch Mondays through Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. Their breakfast/brunch menu includes custom omelets to-order (custom ham, cheese, and tomato omelet pictured above), fluffy pancakes, eggs Benedict, eggs Florentine, fresh baked breads/croissants/scones, and scrambled eggs. Their Hollandaise sauce is Pasteurized (great for pregnant ladies). I love this place for my Saturday mornings because it is peaceful yet has a warm neighborhood feel. Linger over the morning newspaper (or your iPhone) and enjoy starting the day on your terms at your pace. Or meet up with friends and tease them about the crazy stuff they did the night before!
• Fresco Bistro at Lewis Glucksman Gallery on the campus of UCC serves brunch (menu) from 10:00am to 5:00pm on Saturdays and Noon to 5:00pm on Sundays. Tables are in demand (reservations available by phone: 0214901848) and a stroll around the gallery afterward is a good excuse to eat something decadent. Evidently (and not surprisingly), it serves up the best food on UCC campus hands down. For peek inside their kitchen, check out the appetite-inducing video of the food as photographed by Neil Danton. Great location for art lovers.
• Liberty Grill is serves brunch 8:00am-5:00pm on Saturdays. Like Fenns Quay, their Hollandaise sauce is Pasteurized (great for pregnant ladies).
• Idaho Café is open on Saturdays from 8:30am-6:00pm (their Facebook page). If you are vegetarian, options are limited.
• Crawford Gallery  Café in Crawford Gallery serves from 9:00am-4:00pm on Saturdays (their eggs on toast pictured below). Great location for art lovers.
• Cafe Serendipity on Western Road opposite the River Lee Hotel serves breakfast/brunch from 8:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
• Nash 19 on Princes Street in Cork City Centre serves brunch on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. and breakfast Mondays through Fridays.

 

 

 

SATURDAY & SUNDAY BREAKFAST/BRUNCH AND LUNCH

• Electric serves lunch in their upstairs restaurant on Saturdays from 12:30pm and brunch on Sundays from Noon. Their website is updated with seasonal weekly menus. Downstairs, coffee/tea/cocoa and a selection of baked goods are available.
• SoHo serves brunch (menu) on weekends. Great if there’s a match on – have you seen their TV collection?!
• Bodega serves brunch and lunch (menu) from 10:00am on weekends.

SPECIAL HOLIDAY BRUNCHES

• Orchids Restaurant at Hayfield Manor serves a weekly special Sunday lunch (sample menu) and even more Special Gourmet Brunch a few times a year (Mother’s Day, Easter, Father’s Day, Jazz Festival).
• Greenes Restaurant is only open on Sundays for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Jazz weekend, and holiday weekends. Would be great on a sunny day if you grabbed a table by the waterfall!

WEEKEND LUNCH

• Ballymaloe Cookery School, though not in Cork City, is a notable destination serving lunch at 1:00pm with a regular menu on Saturdays and a special buffet on Sundays (details). The school offers a Brunch Cooking Course too. I went to Saturday lunch here for my birthday in 2009.
• Café Paradiso serves lunch (menu) from Noon to 3:00pm on Saturdays.
• Market Lane serves lunch from Noon or 1pm on weekends.
• FarmGate Restaurant serves lunch from Noon to 3:00pm on Saturdays.

Reviewing my adventures on TripAdvisor landed me in The Times today

The Times ran an article today written by Daisy Greenwell (if you haven’t read her articles, you’ll like them since she writes about food fairly often and in a cultural and lifestyle sense) hat discusses online reviewers and their approaches, roles, and perspectives on the process and websites themselves. Throughout this post are screenshots of portions of the actual article.

Now that the piece is published, I’ll tell you all about how it came about.

A few months ago when I was in the final days of my pregnancy, Ms. Greenwell contacted me to enquire about my role as a Top Contributor on TripAdvisor. With over 280 reviews, I guess that’s something to be proud about. It’s also something I don’t spend much time dwelling on. Trips happen and while I’m busy writing about it for my blogs, why not whip up a review too? It’s only fair since I use TripAdvisor information to help plan the adventures in the first place. So back to me being very pregnant and on the phone with Ms. Greenwell… She interviewed me and I answered her questions honestly. I think I gave birth within a week or two after that so talking on the phone was just my speed at that point in the pregnancy. I kept quiet about her article until today because it’s her scoop to share, not mine.

Photo by Don Moloney for The Times. Taken at Electric on South Mall in Cork City.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, she asked about sending a photographer out to take my picture. Me? Post-pregnancy me? With my son’s age still being counted in weeks, I am not feeling my fittest but professional photographers bring out the best in us, right? Hopefully. They even sent Don Moloney, a professional photographer, to photograph me in seven or so poses to choose to run with the piece. I waited and hoped a photo would look good. I guess it must have because one friend didn’t even recognize me. Provided, the ponytail makes a difference.

I was relieved when the interview was shared in a straight-forward manner, giving little chance for misquotes. Honestly, I was worried I would somehow come across as a ruthless reviewer who seeks out opportunities to ruin businesses with harsh ratings. Trust me, I’m not. I think anyone who knows me will laugh at that worry now that I’ve voiced it. Of course, I also worried about that photo. Should I have worn a necklace? Did the post-pregnancy weight show? Were my Tracy Anderson DVD workouts helping? Would I shine through as the person I am in spite of the fact I was faced with a photographer (usually I snap my own portraits with my camera’s self-timer feature, like I did for my Twitter profile pic).

Want to read my reviews on TripAdvisor? Go right ahead. I’ll warn you though, some a short and some are long with no consistent review format being followed. If I go to a place that doesn’t give much of an impression, I only mention the part of the experience that made an impression. The boring things that every restaurant or hotel offers/has/does are skipped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So that’s it. And my boss is asking me to make him lunch now. He’s so good at encouraging me to keep my blog posts brief in favor of the all-important snuggles, floor playtime, and meals.

Do you write review on TripAdvisor? What food do you think defines the success of a restaurant or hotel? What is your top pick in Cork, Dublin, or Ireland for a place to visit, stay, dine? I’d love to hear from you!

Foodie’s Guide to Ireland: A Collection of Posts & Links

I have four blogs and three manage to include posts about food, which begs the question… Do I think about anything else? Um, no, not really. If someone asks me what color something is, I’ll likely answer with a food. Mention you’re visiting a certain country or city and I’ll literally be chomping at the bit to tell you my favorite dining spots there. It is rather comical how predictable I am when it comes to food but it is also somewhat handy because it drives my food photography, cooking, and travel adventures in a pleasant and delicious direction. So for those like me who start thinking about dinner as they are nibbling on the last bits of lunch, here is a list of my favorite food information, resources, and places in Ireland so you can plan your next trip.

All my 40 Shades of Life blog posts about Irish Cuisine & Restaurants

More 40 Shades of Life posts about Irish food: 

Eat Locally, Shop Locally in Cork City

Exotic Beers and Microbrews in Cork City

O’Conaill’s Chocolatier

Dublin Dining

Dining at An Canteen in Dingle

Good Food Ireland Cork Week Kick-off

Milk Delivery Services

Cork City Survival Kit

All my Cooking Peas & Qs blog posts about Irish Cuisine & Restaurants

More Cooking Peas & Qs posts about Irish food: 

An Evening of Food & Beer at Cornstore

Cork Food Forum 2011: Event Wrap-up

Kate’s Beetroot Fudge (Fenns Quay)

Make It An ELECTRIC Night Out

Market 57 in Westport, Co. Mayo

Jarred Cranberry Sauce Comparison

Celebrating ‘The Country Cooking of Ireland’

Good Food Ireland kicks off Cork Week

Eat Locally, Shop Locally

Luck O‘ The Irish

Delicious Blogs & Websites

• Good Food Ireland

• Food Fight

• Great Food

• Cheap Eats IE

• Munster Pubs

• Cork Food Blog (Billy, Co. Cork)

• Ballymaloe Cookery School (Darina, Co. Cork)

• Cooking Peas & Q’s (Evin, Cork City)

• 40 Shades of Life (Evin, Cork City)

• Bibliocook (Cork City)

• Good Mood Food Blog (Donal Skehan, Dublin)

• Beer Nut (Dublin)

• The Dublin Gobbler (Dublin)

• Boho Kitchen (Candi, Waterford)

• Val’s Kitchen (Val, Limerick)

• Limerick Post Food Section (Limerick)

• Irish Craft Brewer

• Beer Geek in Ireland

Restaurants & Local Culinary Creators

Fenns Quay Restaurant

Liberty Grill

Ballymaloe House

Greenes Restaurant

Market Lane

FarmGate Restaurant at The English Market

Crawford Gallery  Café

Ristorante Casanova

Café Paradiso

Orchids Restaurant at Hayfield Manor Hotel

Franciscan Well

Bierhaus Cork

Luigi Malones

•   Alternative Bread Company
•   Ardsallagh Goat Farm
•   Baldwin’s Ice Cream
•   Ballymaloe House
•   Ballyvolane House
•   Cafe Paradiso
•   Cronin’s Pub
•   Fishy Fishy
•   Glebe Café
•   Gubbeen Smokehouse
•   Hayfield Manor
•   Liberty Grill
•   Lorge Chocolatier
•   McCarthy’s Family Butchers
•   Nash 19
•   O’Brien Chop House
•   O’Flynn’s Gourmet Sausages
•   On the Pig’s Back
•   The Poachers Inn
•   Seymour’s of Cork

A Good Deal for a Great Meal – Electric Cork

I am not in the habit of posting deals or suggesting you go purchase anything in particular on this blog, but today’s Living Social email had me sit up and take notice!

Lunch for two for €17 at Electric in Cork City (on South Mall).

This could cost as much as €40 normally, not to mention the fact that the coupon is good for use on the weekend! I’m so used to see coupons only good for dining Monday through Thursday, but this coupon is valid for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday lunch.

Now, you may recall I have a bit of a crush on the food at Electric which started when I first dined there in November 2010. Since then, I’ve had tea there countless times, lunch there once, and enjoyed a stop there on the Cork Gourmet Trail.

I’m thinking that even though I bought myself one of these lunch deals, I may go back and get another to save as a Christmas gift because there’s nothing like a nice meal to give to the person who has everything and I love to plan ahead!

To get your lunch at Electric for just €17, click here.

While you think about it, here are some photos of their food!

Cork Gourmet Trail – Every Delicious Detail in Words & Photos

A few weeks ago, I enjoyed participating in the Cork Gourmet Trail. A the time, I posted a detailed account of the day with photos (oh, they’re yummy photos too), but forgot and only posted it on my new blog EvinOK.net – so here’s a link so you know where to find it and three teaser photos (food by Greenes, Electric, and El Vino respectively) to entice you come over and check out what I have to say about the Cork Gourmet Trail. Trust me, every bite is worth the trip.