The Restaurant Recommendation Thread

clio_16v

the beer revolu wrote: »

I did like the fact that their standard burger is 2 thinner patties rather than one thick one.

This should be standard practise. Maximise surface area for the crust / carmelisation.

the beer revolu

clio_16v wrote: »

This should be standard practise. Maximise surface area for the crust / carmelisation.

Also easier to cook to the required temperature and not totally dry out.

leahyl

I thought wow burger was awful. No flavour from the meat and it was dry too. West Cork Burger or Bunsen have the nicest burgers, IMO.

the beer revolu

leahyl wrote: »

I thought wow burger was awful. No flavour from the meat and it was dry too. West Cork Burger or Bunsen have the nicest burgers, IMO.

It was the lack of flavour was my problem, too. I wouldn't say awful, though.
I haven't tried West Cork yet but I'm a big fan of the bunsen despite the patties being pretty thick - but they don't overcook them.

Herb Powell

I've found Wowburger to be very tasty any time I've been. Never would have though to describe it as "dry", but that's just my experience.

who_me

Leonel Putrid Cheddar wrote: »

It looks like an absolute kip from the outside, but Malay Kitchen on the corner just up from where Wagamama was is good.

Never would have gone in there myself only for my sister brought me.

Thanks - I had to look it up. Is that where Hoggie's takeaway used to be? I think I'd be like yourself, I wouldn't try it unless it looked bright/clean/impressive from the outside.

thetimeisnow

When my brother and his wife come to visit from Australia soon I'm going to treat them to a nice meal in the city. I was going to consider the Ivory Tower but would be open to other suggestions . Elbow lane is in my thinking too

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

who_me wrote: »

Thanks - I had to look it up. Is that where Hoggie's takeaway used to be? I think I'd be like yourself, I wouldn't try it unless it looked bright/clean/impressive from the outside.

Think so yeah, it's beside Fast Al's just on the corner of South Main Street and Castle Street.

They do some chips and burgers and wings etc., I haven't tried that side of the menu but they look good.

Lovely lovely tofu dishes and edamame beans, everything is made fresh to order so if you like things extra spicy, less spicy or whatever they'll adjust it. Seems more of a specific cuisine than the kind of pan-Asian style Wagamama was (Malaysian I guess :pac:) but it's a good replacement for that lighter healthier buzz, I know what you mean about Ramen in that regard.

clio_16v

leahyl wrote: »

I thought wow burger was awful. No flavour from the meat and it was dry too. West Cork Burger or Bunsen have the nicest burgers, IMO.

Haven't tried WCB, Son of a Bun is the best I've had by far

cbmonstra

There is a Restaurant recommendation thread stickied in this sub forum which might prove helpful.

However, Elbow Lane is fantastic.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Probably best to ask in here
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056189950&page=444

nerwen

D'Agger wrote: »

Where?? Katsu Curry ftw

Wabisabi does a decent katsu curry if you need a fix.

who_me

The above thread is great, but a lot to trawl through

Green's restaurant is great, but I believe currently closed for renovations(?). May be open again in time. Also have the option then of sitting outside by the pool/waterfall or heading into the wine bar Cask.

I'm a big fan of Orso, Lebanese / North African cuisine I'd say. Small restaurant, lovely staff. Walk-ins only, no booking.

Also love https://www.elbowlane.ie. Limited menu (pretty much steak, or fish-of-the-day on the bone) but again lovely staff, great drinks menu.

The Cornstore is quite good, but in my experience I always feel a bit rushed when I'm eating there.

Ichigo Ichie is probably right up there - if you like Japanese food (haven't eaten there).

And probably Rachel's; though again I've never tried it.

Jacobs on the Mall, Market lane and Electric are all good shouts too.

Roger Hassenforder

who_me wrote: »

The above thread is great, but a lot to trawl through


I'm a big fan of Orso, Lebanese / North African cuisine I'd say. Small restaurant, lovely staff. Walk-ins only, no booking.

Fcuk ya
Clicked the link and the menu.
Now im starving

j8wk2feszrnpao

who_me wrote: »

The above thread is great, but a lot to trawl through

Agreed, but I just meant the best place to ask the question as many may have it "followed" and might get more attention.

Ate in the Oyster tonight and could not recommend it highly enough. First visit there. Very nice atmosphere upstairs and great food. I had pork croquettes to start and lamb for main - my wife had scampi and monkfish. Everything was really nice and the service was superb. I will be back very soon.

ThePott

I didn't find Wowburger that bad, although I think there's better options for what you're paying.

WCB is nice but I also thought their chips were better than their burgers, so maybe I'm not much of an authority

Herb Powell

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

Fcuk ya
Clicked the link and the menu.
Now im starving

Orso is probably my favourite place to eat in the city.

The staff are so on the ball, and the food is class.

pwurple

Add Spitjack to your list there.  https://www.thespitjack.com/ Worst named restaurant of all time (Spitting? Jacking? Food?) , but great cocktails and the food is excellent.
I'm a big fan of Les Gourmandises,  http://www.lesgourmandises.ie/
And Cafe Paradiso is also one of my favs. https://paradiso.restaurant/

GavRedKing

thetimeisnow wrote: »

When my brother and his wife come to visit from Australia soon I'm going to treat them to a nice meal in the city. I was going to consider the Ivory Tower but would be open to other suggestions . Elbow lane is in my thinking too

Merged with the restaurant recommendation thread.

GavRedKing

I'm also going to suggest the Elm Tree in Glounthaune.

While not strictly in the city, it does fine food.

I've ate their twice in the last 6 months and both meals, 6 different courses, have been very good and they're reasonably priced, IMO.

.red.

I ate in Son of a Bun for the first time over the weekend.
The Q was ridiculous but the people we were with reckoned it was worth the wait so we did.
We were told roughly 20mins for a table, after 45 mins we were apologised to and told it wouldn't be long. They eventually took our order at the bar and said we'd be seated before it was ready. 50mins after walking in we got seated.
We got a mix of starters and burgers, mainly wings and onion bites(rings). The wings were nice but the onion rings were a little greasy.
All the burgers looked really good, especially the black pudding and everyone loved there's, except me. I opted for the chicken burger and the buffalo sauce was nice but the breast of chicken itself was tasteless and very greasy. The coating wasn't even crispy. Ended up leaving half of it behind.
Didn't wanna be the only one to make a fuss at a full table so said nothing when the plates were taken.
I honestly don't think I'd go back again.

sporina

GavRedKing wrote: »

Merged with the restaurant recommendation thread.

@thetimeisnow - if you realy wanna wow them, i would suggest Orchids in The Hayfield Manor... i have not been there myself but a group of friends have been and they were all totally bowled over by the food and service..

I love ORSO but as you cannot book a table I would not go with it..
Elbow Lane is not for everyone - unless they are red meat lovers.. v small menu

The food in The Ivory is good but I would not recommend it for visiting guests

limnam

sporina wrote: »

@thetimeisnow - if you realy wanna wow them, i would suggest Orchids in The Hayfield Manor... i have not been there myself but a group of friends have been and they were all totally bowled over by the food and service..

Probably the only "real" 5 star experience in Cork imo

whatever76

limnam wrote: »

Probably the only "real" 5 star experience in Cork imo

Greens isn't that far off either along with Les Gormandize - you are very limited in the city I think for that special occasion dinner ( just my opinion now). would you consider SAGE in Middleton or perhaps somewhere in kinsale e.g http://www.bastionkinsale.com/

Markcheese

whatever76 wrote: »

Greens isn't that far off either along with Les Gormandize - you are very limited in the city I think for that special occasion dinner ( just my opinion now). would you consider SAGE in Middleton or perhaps somewhere in kinsale e.g http://www.bastionkinsale.com/

Gormandaise is nice... But not wow....
It depends a lot on what you want.. Gourmandaise, Jacobs on the mall ect are one type... Bastion, greenes are a bit fancier... And sage would be very fancy but not as "floufy"
But that's just my opinion...
Or you could go fishy fishy in kinsale...

who_me

.red. wrote: »

I ate in Son of a Bun for the first time over the weekend.
The Q was ridiculous but the people we were with reckoned it was worth the wait so we did.
We were told roughly 20mins for a table, after 45 mins we were apologised to and told it wouldn't be long. They eventually took our order at the bar and said we'd be seated before it was ready. 50mins after walking in we got seated.
We got a mix of starters and burgers, mainly wings and onion bites(rings). The wings were nice but the onion rings were a little greasy.
All the burgers looked really good, especially the black pudding and everyone loved there's, except me. I opted for the chicken burger and the buffalo sauce was nice but the breast of chicken itself was tasteless and very greasy. The coating wasn't even crispy. Ended up leaving half of it behind.
Didn't wanna be the only one to make a fuss at a full table so said nothing when the plates were taken.
I honestly don't think I'd go back again.

Pretty close to my view of it. Tasty burgers, nice looking spot, great location. Not really worth queuing for though, just IMO!

D'Agger

Any time I go to Son of a Bun we know there'll be a queue so we give our number and go away for a drink or two then pop back. I know that can't work for everybody but I enjoy not waiting around there as it's really cramped at the bar with other people waiting, staff etc.

Between Sin é, Cask, Shelbourne, The Bridge etc. there's lots of nice spots to pop in to

sporina

D'Agger wrote: »

Any time I go to Son of a Bun we know there'll be a queue so we give our number and go away for a drink or two then pop back. I know that can't work for everybody but I enjoy not waiting around there as it's really cramped at the bar with other people waiting, staff etc.

Between Sin é, Cask, Shelbourne, The Bridge etc. there's lots of nice spots to pop in to

not been to The Bridge yet - whats it like? i loved that place when it was Six.. was well cool - south american style..

leahyl

who_me wrote: »

Pretty close to my view of it. Tasty burgers, nice looking spot, great location. Not really worth queuing for though, just IMO!

I’ve been once and while I enjoyed the burger, I don’t remember it as being the nicest I’ve tried. Like I’ve already said, WCB and Bunsen are my favourites. Went to Coqbull recently having not been there for a while and really enjoyed it too - the staff are always very friendly in there too.

northgirl

Had a lovely cheeseboard in Arthur Maynes last night. Delicious bread too.

Harika

Went to the indian aagrah in Sundays well, where Annies was. Great food, is on a level with Haveli and RajGaylord.

sporina

Harika wrote: »

Went to the indian aagrah in Sundays well, where Annies was. Great food, is on a level with Haveli and RajGaylord.

i miss old annie's

WhoElse

Quick one. What's the worst named eatery in the city/country?

Right away there's the unfortunate spitjack. Oh, and Tequila Jacks (two words that tell you how a Mexican party can begin and end).

Any others?

WhoElse

sporina wrote: »

i miss old annie's

Me too, used to work there 24 years ago!

Malari

Had a less than wonderful dining experience at Rachel's over the weekend. It seemed to have got much noisier in there than previous times, which didn't help when a manager turned the tv volume up to max for a match we weren't watching in the bar, and there was no-one near us watching that tv either Also, tvs in that kind of bar? Hmmm.

They tried to sit us right beside a massive hen party and we straight away requested to move, as we would have had to shout to be heard. I noticed at least 3 other parties immediately moving when waiting staff tired to sit them at the same table!

The food was quite good, although my dining companion had to send his steak back as it was so salty! Wine is overpriced for very average table wine.

Overall I wouldn't be rushing back. I thought maybe they had changed their ethos slightly...more like a brasserie now than fine dining, although the pricing has not changed to match.

sammyjo90

WhoElse wrote: »

Quick one. What's the worst named eatery in the city/country?

Right away there's the unfortunate spitjack. Oh, and Tequila Jacks (two words that tell you how a Mexican party can begin and end).

Any others?

We went there sunday and I actually mentioned this to my visiting sister whos a chef. She could find nothing wrong with name.
I dont find it unfortunately named either..its the name of an old piece of equipment...spit jack, spit roasted it is what it is..

Havent been to many places so my knowledge of names wouldnt be the best. But i dont put spitjacks as one a bad one

sporina

Malari wrote: »

Had a less than wonderful dining experience at Rachel's over the weekend. It seemed to have got much noisier in there than previous times, which didn't help when a manager turned the tv volume up to max for a match we weren't watching in the bar, and there was no-one near us watching that tv either Also, tvs in that kind of bar? Hmmm.

They tried to sit us right beside a massive hen party and we straight away requested to move, as we would have had to shout to be heard. I noticed at least 3 other parties immediately moving when waiting staff tired to sit them at the same table!

The food was quite good, although my dining companion had to send his steak back as it was so salty! Wine is overpriced for very average table wine.

Overall I wouldn't be rushing back. I thought maybe they had changed their ethos slightly...more like a brasserie now than fine dining, although the pricing has not changed to match.

major book boo

Cherry_Cola

I see Sliced in the city are doing offers through Pigsback now, not a great sign.

Mardyke

Cherry_Cola wrote: »

I see Sliced in the city are doing offers through Pigsback now, not a great sign.

They have been since day 1 I'd say. They seem to be doing ok in Ballincollig, although I always get the feeling they are not run very well. Simple small things like not having tables set up outside recently when the weather was fine... and when we went inside seeing a large table taken over with random supplies and crap.

They do great pizza and the staff are nice so it'd be a shame if they came undone by poor management.

limnam

Mardyke wrote: »

They have been since day 1 I'd say. They seem to be doing ok in Ballincollig, although I always get the feeling they are not run very well. Simple small things like not having tables set up outside recently when the weather was fine... and when we went inside seeing a large table taken over with random supplies and crap.

They do great pizza and the staff are nice so it'd be a shame if they came undone by poor management.

They've had tables and chairs setup outside ballincollig any day the weather was nice recently.

Mardyke

limnam wrote: »

They've had tables and chairs setup outside ballincollig any day the weather was nice recently.

Good to hear. Thanks.

Because they have a ready made plaza area there. Ideal for an al fresco glass of wine and bite to eat of a Friday.

limnam

Mardyke wrote: »

Good to hear. Thanks.

Because they have a ready made plaza area there. Ideal for an al fresco glass of wine and bite to eat of a Friday.

Yep they'd be mad not to make sure of it.


Was pretty busy on the plazza last week, it's great to see.


Their oragnic montepulciano is decent too

pwurple

WhoElse wrote: »

Quick one. What's the worst named eatery in the city/country?

Right away there's the unfortunate spitjack. Oh, and Tequila Jacks (two words that tell you how a Mexican party can begin and end).

Any others?

Yes, spitting and jacking are not what I want near my dinner. I like the place, bar the name.

WhoElse

WhoElse wrote: »

Me too, used to work there 24 years ago!

The old Annie's is such a loss. Really loved going there as it was easy to get to and the food was great.

It was a pity it went so far downhill when the new owner came in a few years ago and I was not one bit surprised when it closed.

I think I had my worst dining experience ever a few months before it did close - a 20e bowl of stew that was 90 % carrots and a few slices of white bread!

whatever76

whatever76 wrote: »

Greens isn't that far off either along with Les Gormandize - you are very limited in the city I think for that special occasion dinner ( just my opinion now). would you consider SAGE in Middleton or perhaps somewhere in kinsale e.g http://www.bastionkinsale.com/

Les Gourmandise is nowhere near 5 star in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, it is nice, but it's pretty standard French cuisine.

limnam

Deleted User wrote: »

but it's pretty standard French cuisine.

I think the French would disagree.



It's way off the mark and as you said no where near 5 star.


We could really do with a good french spot

limnam

limnam wrote: »

I think the French would disagree.



It's way off the mark and as you said no where near 5 star.


We could really do with a good french spot

Of course. It's Irish-French if you know what I mean. I guess the point is that while I have been back several times (got three vouchers for there when I got married!) I always come away pretty underwhelmed.

limnam

Deleted User wrote: »

I always come away pretty underwhelmed.

#metoo



The fact that it gets such high praise is mind boggling.