If you have been reading this blog with anything more than passing interest, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that I am a bit food focused. Well, Cork may not be known for its gastronomy like Kinsale (except butter, of course), but we’ve been enjoying some delicious eats lately. Most recently, we’ve fallen in food love with the garlic and cheese bap at The Natural Foods Bakery. For just three euro you can make this hefty bap your own. There are also sandwiches. I had been missing the health-conscious hummus sandwiches I enjoyed in California so this place may just help me miss them less.
Tag Archives: Restaurants & Menus
Dinner at Wagamama
Dinner out at Wagamama was a pleasant surprise. Though the interior is bright and filled with benches and long tables, it feels nothing like a cafeteria and is surprisingly quiet considering the starkness.
I ordered the Chicken Itame and enjoyed the Mochi special (a trio of coconut, green tea, and peach?) for dessert. Conor had several side dishes instead of one main course: Gyoza, Rice, Miso Soup, Pickles. When we go back, I think it would be better to order one main dish to share and a few small side dishes to share as well.
The food comes out once it is ready so not everything is served as you’d expect it (my main course was out several minutes before Conor’s Gyoza).
The ingredients were fresh and delicious. I recommend this place is you want to taste the ingredients in your food and know they haven’t been sitting on a shelf for eons.
Please excuse the photo of my main course. It doesn’t look nearly as appealing after I’ve devoured it, but it just smelled so good I dove in and forgot to take a “before” photo. But I am including a “before” photo of my dessert.
Brunch at Hardwood
We enjoyed brunch at Hardwood today. The selection was standard, but less black and white pudding than most Irish spots. They have blueberry pancakes, French toast, and much more. I had eggs Florentine and my hubby had eggs Benedict. Both were delicious thought he Hollandaise sauce was more cheesy than what I am used to. Though it went perfectly with the meal. I also enjoyed a delicious hot chocolate!
Long Valley for Lunch
Lunch at Long Valley Pub on Winthrop (between Oliver Plunkett and Patrick’s) in Cork City Centre is a delicious and local experience. I love their corned beef salad sandwich on brown bread – slices of corned beef with some fine egg salad spread, lettuce, onions, and tomatoes on a tasty wheat bread. Delicious. It can also be done toasted with melted cheese. Mmm. A pint of Bulmer’s, Murphy’s, or the like goes nicely. It makes me miss Honey Hole Sandwiches (Seattle), Potbelly Sandwiches (D.C.), and Andronico’s (Palo Alto) just a little less. Each of the pub’s sandwiches are less than €6 and served until 18:00 daily.
©2009, Evin O'Keeffe
Lunch in Clonakilty
Today, we visited Clonakilty. Thankfully, we were there at lunchtime! We found Emmet Square and O’Keeffe’s Cafe within a hotel there. It was an amazing meal. The soup of the day was broccoli and cheese and a bowl was ample and served with a slice of moist, delicious brown bread. I opted for the smoked salmon salad. I thought it had potatoes in it, but they weren’t on the plate. I meant to ask, but we had a side of chips (French fries) so I really didn’t care much. The smoked salmon was not fishy or oily. The capers on the plate were the size of caper berries! The salad had a refreshing house-made vinaigrette. My salad was just under ten Euros. Well worth it if you happen through Clonakilty.
Points East and Castletownsend
We set out to explore east of Tragumna, specifically Castletownsend, but whatever else we passed along the way. Our lunchtime destination was Mary Ann’s of which we had heard wonderful things. We stopped by ruins on the way and enjoyed the 40 shades of green that enjoyed the rain. Lunch itself was good, though not mind-blowing. I had the tandori chicken. The chips (French fries) were too big without the outer crisp and inner soft I prefer. The entire lunch for four of us cost a whopping 83 Euros. Ouch.
My favorite part of Castletownsend was actually the small church cemetery. The history of the town was created by those buried there – the names Townsend, Sommerville, and Ross were prevalent. Sommerville and Ross as a duo were writers who are known for their book The Real Charlotte.
In Search of a Good Teapot
Though I have found a good pot of tea already in Cork City, I have yet to find a good teapot, thereby making it possible to make a good pot of tea at home. The search will continue. Perhaps it will take a day or perhaps a month (or longer), but I am patient and a good pot of tea is worth the wait.
When I arrived, I quickly learned there are things a Cork woman should have handy. An umbrella and/or light raincoat is very important. I did not have one with me on Friday and learned my lesson. Also the usual odds and ends that define city life, such as a wallet, a mobile phone, a few empty totes for the market, lip gloss, perhaps even a hat (not baseball). All this is handily carried around in the all-important city purse. This purse managed to not make it with me on my trip (yes, I am kicking myself that my D&B handbag is back in the States with parents). To make sure I was ready for life in Cork, I needed such a bag. Someone suggested a few shops downtown and we set out to find a purse. Quite a mission and I must admit I enjoyed myself. The move itself was a bit stressful so having some fun here was a treat. First, at Penney’s we found a light beige faux leather purse that was just five Euros! Then I fell in love with a Jasper Conran purse at Devenham’s, but resisted since it was not within impulse buy budget range. However, no sooner did I look away then I found an orange-tan shoulder bag that was perfect. A medium outer pocket and a large inside space. It can carry my raincoat, umbrella, market totes, wallet, change purse, and kitchen sink! I’ll admit I was surprised I had such immediate luck and now feel a bit more prepared to live here knowing I can at least make my way around town and back relying on the contents of my new purses.
Fourth of July in Ireland
To celebrate Independence Day while in Ireland, it seemed only fitting to explore a little. We started at Garryvoe Beach then went to Ballycotton (home of Stephen Pearce’s pottery gallery and studio) then to Youghal followed by lunch at Merry’s in Dungarvan and finished the day in Lismore. At Merry’s, I had French onion soup and fish (cod) and chips. Mmm.
The day started off with blue skies and a few clouds, but by the afternoon there was quite a bit of wind and rain. A lasher is how it is described here. It was a chilling afternoon, but still wonderful in spite of the fact that I was fooled by the morning weather and did not bring proper attire for the weather. Lesson learned! I went out the very next day and found a big purse that can hold my raincoat and bought an umbrella too!
In the evening, we met up with friends at The Mardyke for a real July 4th celebration. It was a bit of a welcome party for me and a chance to get out on the town.
