The Restaurant Recommendation Thread

Lia_lia

sporina wrote: »

or if you like middle eastern/lebanese style food why not try ORSO - same owners as Market Lane - but the food is a little bit more adventurous - delish - though no booking and its tiny so say you plan to go on a fri/sat night and eat at 8 - go at say 7.15 - put your name on a waiting list - go to maynes and have a drink and they will call you when your table is ready - usually they have a 30/45 min wait

Yes I love Orso! I don't eat meat (do eat fish though) and had a look at the menu and I've tried pretty much everything on the menu already (without meat). So just waiting for them to change it up a bit.. Plus went to Orso last year for my birthday. Great place though.

Drdenise75

Went to Spitjack last Friday night, 4 of us for dinner and I can recommend. My second visit - I didn't post comment after first as they weren't long open and I think needed to sort a few things with the plating of the dishes/sides but this time all was very good. Between us we tried beef carpaccio to start - the beef was lovely but it wasn't true carpaccio in that it was pretty much cooked and quite thickly sliced - still tasted good. Giant portion so could easily be shared. Cod fritters to start nice enough too. Then 2 of us had salted cod for mains - nice well cooked fish, chicken - again well cooked flavourful meet, and porcetta - very tasty. Tried one dessert as we were all pretty full at that stage - creme brulee, very good. I think they are doing a very good job there now at a decent price point. Decor is lovely. We were upstairs this time which is a bit nicer than downstairs I think.
Also, Ali's kitchen for brunch last week- lovely mushrooms on toast, and a very good eggs benny. Great service there. Cinnamon bun to take away - delish!

roundymac

sporina wrote: »

Lunch in Market lane: party of 6 inc. toddler... absolutely blown away by the service and the food was 10/10 - could not fault it.. those who had the soup adored it... mains were all devoured and more chips requested (skin on - delish).. mains had - fish pie, steak sandwich, fish and chips, halloumi salad (divine hmmmm can still taste the dressing - chili and orange).. and a soup and 1/2 sandwich (the full would be too big for one surely).. Then deserts - and brownie sundae and berry and pear crumble were had.. all devoured.. and one of the company is a former cook so knows her food. They were visiting us so was hoping that they would be happy and I am glad to say that they were... v much so. Had booked the Corn Store but changed my mind this morn - was lucky to get a table - place was v v busy!
But hat's off to the waiter we had - I hope that he is well looked after in there because he was flawless.. customer service of the highest degree.. we wanted for nothing - timings were perfect, water refilled before empty, looked after the toddler soo well - high chair, markers and colouring book, baby bowl ( which all the adults tasted and enjoyed too lol)...

So yeah - well done Market Lane - A benchmark for restaurants in the city for sure! (and i am fussy)

I hope you left a decent tip for the waiter.

the beer revolu

Drdenise75 wrote: »

Between us we tried beef carpaccio to start - the beef was lovely but it wasn't true carpaccio in that it was pretty much cooked and quite thickly sliced - still tasted good. Giant portion so could easily be shared. !

Did the menu describe it properly or was it a surprise to find the beef cooked?
I'd be sending it straight back if it wasn't explained on the menu.

What was the music choice and volume like?

Drdenise75

the beer revolu wrote: »

Did the menu describe it properly or was it a surprise to find the beef cooked?
I'd be sending it straight back if it wasn't explained on the menu.

What was the music choice and volume like?

No it was not described any more in the menu, just beef carpaccio with whatever it was served with - figs, etc. I guess it's their interpretation of it but it certainly isn't what you'd expect. In fairness the beef was cooked rare enough but still not the real deal. I can't remember if there was music playing. If there was then it must have been fairly unobtrusive! The restaurant was full but the overall noise level was pleasantly buzzy not too loud and I'm a bit fussy about that - I can't stand over-loud restaurants where you're shouting to be heard.

the beer revolu

Drdenise75 wrote: »

No it was not described any more in the menu, just beef carpaccio with whatever it was served with - figs, etc. I guess it's their interpretation of it but it certainly isn't what you'd expect. In fairness the beef was cooked rare enough but still not the real deal. I can't remember if there was music playing. If there was then it must have been fairly unobtrusive! The restaurant was full but the overall noise level was pleasantly buzzy not too loud and I'm a bit fussy about that - I can't stand over-loud restaurants where you're shouting to be heard.

That's pretty amateurish, really.
Do they know what carpaccio is, I wonder.
Why not sell it as seared beef?

I once came across a cafe selling spaghetti bolognaise that was just spaghetti with tomato sauce.
Or the place advertising Irish stew but serving a beef brown stew - to be fair this one was really a chipper that sold meals so allowances can be made.

It just really bugs me when things are not as they are described on the menu.

Don't get me started on describing shaves of parmesan but serving grated parmesan like it's the same thing!

sporina

roundymac wrote: »

I hope you left a decent tip for the waiter.

absolutely :):)

Cherry_Cola

Hi all. So my girlfriend is over from Japan for a few weeks and is super keen to try "Irish" food. So I guess I'm looking for places that do a good stew or bacon and cabbage or the like? Even a pub grub recommendation would be great!

phater phagan

Cherry_Cola wrote: »

Hi all. So my girlfriend is over from Japan for a few weeks and is super keen to try "Irish" food. So I guess I'm looking for places that do a good stew or bacon and cabbage or the like? Even a pub grub recommendation would be great!

You might try the Oliver Plunkett on that street of the same name.
They have those items that you mention on their menu. It's a friendly place.

BailMeOut

Cherry_Cola wrote: »

Hi all. So my girlfriend is over from Japan for a few weeks and is super keen to try "Irish" food. So I guess I'm looking for places that do a good stew or bacon and cabbage or the like? Even a pub grub recommendation would be great!

there is a ham hock with potatoes and cabbage at Market Lane that is really good (dinner menu only I think).

H8GHOTI

You probably have a better chance of getting Japanese food here :-)

Maybe a carvery lunch would suit? The elm tree in glounthaune is good, was very busy though anytime I was there.

I had a nice stew in market lane before so definitely be worth trying there.

Cherry_Cola

H8GHOTI wrote: »

You probably have a better chance of getting Japanese food here :-)

Maybe a carvery lunch would suit? The elm tree in glounthaune is good, was very busy though anytime I was there.

I had a nice stew in market lane before so definitely be worth trying there.

Carvery could be a good shout alright and live only a few mins from the Elm Tree. Thanks a million!

JackieChang

Cherry_Cola wrote: »

Hi all. So my girlfriend is over from Japan for a few weeks and is super keen to try "Irish" food. So I guess I'm looking for places that do a good stew or bacon and cabbage or the like? Even a pub grub recommendation would be great!

Definitely try Kelley's restaurant on Oliver Plunkett st. It's like walking into a time machine directly to your grannies kitchen.

Just to warn you, it's not a 5 star romantic meal. But it is traditional and Irish.

I usually go there with my dad whenever he's in Cork. Last time I was there we had ice cream and jelly for dessert.

the beer revolu

Cherry_Cola wrote: »

Hi all. So my girlfriend is over from Japan for a few weeks and is super keen to try "Irish" food. So I guess I'm looking for places that do a good stew or bacon and cabbage or the like? Even a pub grub recommendation would be great!

The restaurant part of the Farm Gate in the English would be your best bet for traditional Irish food with a bit of finesse.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

the beer revolu wrote: »

The restaurant part of the Farm Gate in the English would be your best bet for traditional Irish food with a bit of finesse.

Closed atm though just as a heads up

northgirl

Leonel Putrid Cheddar wrote: »

Closed atm though just as a heads up

Back open tomorrow! Great recommendation.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

northgirl wrote: »

Back open tomorrow! Great recommendation.

And freshly deep cleaned

Sorry thought they were shut for the week

Cherry_Cola

Perfect, thanks all!

northgirl

Leonel Putrid Cheddar wrote: »

And freshly deep cleaned

Sorry thought they were shut for the week

I'm so addicted I took a trip in to town today thinking they'd be open and was disappointed to learn the truth! They were closed all of Christmas - rightly so I suppose

sporina

JackieChang wrote: »

Definitely try Kelley's restaurant on Oliver Plunkett st. It's like walking into a time machine directly to your grannies kitchen.

Just to warn you, it's not a 5 star romantic meal. But it is traditional and Irish.

I usually go there with my dad whenever he's in Cork. Last time I was there we had ice cream and jelly for dessert.

where exactly is kellys restaurant?

i remember eating in some place really "irish"/old fashioned back in the late 90's - it was upstairs on one of the streets off Oliver Plunkett Street.. but can't remember which one..

igCorcaigh

sporina wrote: »

where exactly is kellys restaurant?

i remember eating in some place really "irish"/old fashioned back in the late 90's - it was upstairs on one of the streets off Oliver Plunkett Street.. but can't remember which one..

That sounds like it. Near where the Grafton is? I haven't been, always looked a bit iffy...

rob316

It's a real blast from the past Kelly's. menu hasn't changed in 30 years. Jelly ice cream, Apple tart, bacon cabbage, pork chops with apple sauce, turkey ham. it's old school but not bad just the decor ha.

sporina

igCorcaigh wrote: »

That sounds like it. Near where the Grafton is? I haven't been, always looked a bit iffy...

no i'm sure that the place where i ate was on one of the streets OFF Oliver Plunkett Street..

JackieChang

sporina wrote: »

no i'm sure that the place where i ate was on one of the streets OFF Oliver Plunkett Street..

Kelley's is upstairs too and definitely on Oliver Plunkett st. What age were you back in the 90s? Could be imagining things.

byronbay2

northgirl wrote: »

You're bang on though. 20 minutes walk is most of town. I've heard decent enough things about SpitJack but can't give a personal recommendation.

Went to Spitjack on the 29th and have to say I wasn't that impressed. The food in general was OK (not great) but the rotisserie chicken (which I assumed to be their signature dish) was over-cooked and chewy - very disappointing!

Markcheese

The Crawford cafe would be another on the traditional side, and really good..

pwurple

Drdenise75 wrote: »

No it was not described any more in the menu, just beef carpaccio with whatever it was served with - figs, etc. I guess it's their interpretation of it but it certainly isn't what you'd expect. In fairness the beef was cooked rare enough but still not the real deal. I can't remember if there was music playing. If there was then it must have been fairly unobtrusive! The restaurant was full but the overall noise level was pleasantly buzzy not too loud and I'm a bit fussy about that - I can't stand over-loud restaurants where you're shouting to be heard.

In their defense, it is described as Seared Beef Carpaccio.
See menu here:
https://www.thespitjack.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DINNER.pdf

Complaining that it was seared, is a little unfair. You either misread or misunderstood the menu I’m afraid.

the beer revolu

pwurple wrote: »

In their defense, it is described as Seared Beef Carpaccio.
See menu here:
https://www.thespitjack.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DINNER.pdf

Complaining that it was seared, is a little unfair. You either misread or misunderstood the menu I’m afraid.

Well, that clears things up.

Drdenise75

the beer revolu wrote: »

Well, that clears things up.

The beef was not seared... it was cooked! It was big thick slices of rare roast beef! But if you don't believe me then try it for yourself. It was very good it just wasn't seared carpaccio.

northgirl

Markcheese wrote: »

The Crawford cafe would be another on the traditional side, and really good..

Have been served raw pancakes there and really turned me off it TBH.

dinneenp

Hi,

I was looking for recommendations for a breakfast and pizza-
went to Gallaghers for breakfast (didn't venture further as it was lashing). V nice decor, comfortable & nice food (expect my wife's waffles- slightly burnt and undercooked in middle as they were v thick. Wasn't charged for them), would go back there.

Pizza- ended up in Milanos...I know but after her waffles I let her pick Pizza location in the end.

Thanks for all the tips,
Pa.

the beer revolu

Drdenise75 wrote: »

The beef was not seared... it was cooked! It was big thick slices of rare roast beef! But if you don't believe me then try it for yourself. It was very good it just wasn't seared carpaccio.

Fair enough.
Thick slices!
Sounds like they don't really know what carpaccio is.
I don't mind the idea of seared carpaccio but that sounds way off.

I believe you. It's just when I asked did it mention anything on the menu you said it didn't.

Further cleared up, now.

11214

I love beef carpaccio, I didn't know it can be seared as well though, would that not defeat the purpose?

the beer revolu

11214 wrote: »

I love beef carpaccio, I didn't know it can be seared as well though, would that not defeat the purpose?

Well, it would be a way to appease the food safety nazis.
I'd imagine it could be very nice if barely seared and sliced thin enough.

pwurple

11214 wrote: »

I love beef carpaccio, I didn't know it can be seared as well though, would that not defeat the purpose?

Yes, not really, but people do that kind of thing all the time. Putting seared in there is a clue that it’s not the standard.

Walnut pesto, raspberry tiramisu.

I think it sounds like they take their rare beef sirloin (which is very good) and repurpose it.

Challenge accepted anyway. Will be there for a birthday in the next few wks. Will try it sure.

Gardner

Not really into the whole Irish breakfast thing anymore as I have lived overseas for many years. I used the love the whole Australian vibe around the healthy breakfast. Is there anywhere in Cork City or County that resembles it? Along the lines of smashed avos, poached eggs, spinach, spicy sausage/chorizo/ bacon, olives, roast tomatoes, mushrooms, sweet potato & halloumi fritters etc. etc……

D'Agger

Gardner wrote: »

Not really into the whole Irish breakfast thing anymore as I have lived overseas for many years. I used the love the whole Australian vibe around the healthy breakfast. Is there anywhere in Cork City or County that resembles it? Along the lines of smashed avos, poached eggs, spinach, spicy sausage/chorizo/ bacon, olives, roast tomatoes, mushrooms, sweet potato & halloumi fritters etc. etc……

I think most places now will offer relatively healthy breakfast options. I know that Liberty grill certainly offered you the option to get avocado, extra bacon, mushroom etc. as sides so you could get a veggie breakfast & add some bacon/sausage to it.

Most places will do avocado/mushrooms/poached eggs/spinach etc. - Cafe Velo springs to mind, I know they have an avocado/poached egg combo that was nice but it's a while since I tried it.

There is certainly more need for halloumi, sweet potato and different sausage combos though I'll give you that.

Was in Galway recently and stayed in Corrib House, just outside the city, near the Cathedral - it's a café also so you can check it out if you don't stay. Anyway - their coffee was lovely & their veggie breakfast was top notch - diced fried potato, portabello mushroom, lightly steamed Kale - it's rare I'll go for a veggie option because I'm normally very hungry in the morning but it was very good.

Lia_lia

Gardner wrote: »

Not really into the whole Irish breakfast thing anymore as I have lived overseas for many years. I used the love the whole Australian vibe around the healthy breakfast. Is there anywhere in Cork City or County that resembles it? Along the lines of smashed avos, poached eggs, spinach, spicy sausage/chorizo/ bacon, olives, roast tomatoes, mushrooms, sweet potato & halloumi fritters etc. etc……

Brick Lane have a nice veggie breakfast like this.

igCorcaigh

@EoinBearla

BREAKING: Emergency services are responding to reports of a fire at Rachel’s restaurant on Washington St #Cork

UPDATE: Fire at Rachel’s restaurant #Cork has been confined to extractor ducting. No internal damage. Members of @CorkCityFire standing down shortly https://t.co/Q6SosFlZ8H

Sorry for going OT mods, delete if deemed inappropriate.

Outkast_IRE

igCorcaigh wrote: »

@EoinBearla

BREAKING: Emergency services are responding to reports of a fire at Rachel’s restaurant on Washington St #Cork

UPDATE: Fire at Rachel’s restaurant #Cork has been confined to extractor ducting. No internal damage. Members of @CorkCityFire standing down shortly https://t.co/Q6SosFlZ8H

Sorry for going OT mods, delete if deemed inappropriate.

The extract ducting from the canopy above the cookers is lethal for going on fire if its not kept cleaned regularily. The specificaiton on that duct is to be at least 1hr fire rated so even if the duct internally on fire, it should take over 1 hr for the integrity of it to be comprimised which is usually plenty of time for fire brigade to arrive and action to be taken.

igCorcaigh

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

The extract ducting from the canopy above the cookers is lethal for going on fire if its not kept cleaned regularily. The specificaiton on that duct is to be at least 1hr fire rated so even if the duct internally on fire, it should take over 1 hr for the integrity of it to be comprimised which is usually plenty of time for fire brigade to arrive and action to be taken.

Isn't that what happened in Arois?

Outkast_IRE

igCorcaigh wrote: »

Isn't that what happened in Arois?

Similar incident i am sure. These fires can be traced back alot of the time to the duct not being cleaned at the regular intervals its meant to be, and the extract canopy not being kept functioning 100% correctly. A flash of flame / fire from one of the cooking appliances can be enough to set the grease on fire once its warmed up.

i have not read the report on the careys lane incident but it certainly seems like there was an issue at the roof level with the fire spreading from the duct at that level. All it takes is one weak location on the run of duct.

From reading what happened in Rachel Allens restaurant on the examiner. It sounds like the ducting contained the fire internally - exactly as its designed to do.

ofcork

Planning is being sought for a restaurant on maylor st in former Ladbrokes.

dudara

11214 wrote: »

I love beef carpaccio, I didn't know it can be seared as well though, would that not defeat the purpose?

Carpaccio can often be seared slightly on the outside. Not uncommon.

who_me

ofcork wrote: »

Planning is being sought for a restaurant on maylor st in former Ladbrokes.

Great to hear! Even though I live 100m away I still had to check StreetView to check which building that was.

It's one of the bigger business fronts on the street, if that's occupied it'll help a lot! Especially with Parnell Place starting to get busier too.

ofcork

I see earth is open in the pod on corner of grand parade/south mall.

Markcheese

Bao boi last night, and loved it... Yeah it's not a huge feed, we had three Bao and a large chips between two of us, (the chips were the bomb) the black pudding and egg one was lovely...
Definitely going back...

Markcheese

Bao boi last night, and loved it... Yeah it's not a huge feed, we had three Bao and a large chips between two of us, (the chips were the bomb) the black pudding and egg one was lovely...
Definitely going back...

Dbu

Went to 12 tables in Douglas last weekend
Our 3rd or 4th time there. Food is good but they really need to get the service up to scratch.
15 mins waiting for a jug of water, waiting an age on 2 glasses of wine as well.
Had to ask for the bill 3 times.
Had a shared starter and 2 burgers and we were there almost 2 hours.
As I said the food is tasty though

Gamb!t

Dbu wrote: »

Went to 12 tables in Douglas last weekend
Our 3rd or 4th time there. Food is good but they really need to get the service up to scratch.
15 mins waiting for a jug of water, waiting an age on 2 glasses of wine as well.
Had to ask for the bill 3 times.
Had a shared starter and 2 burgers and we were there almost 2 hours.
As I said the food is tasty though

That's fairly poor service.