The Restaurant Recommendation Thread

sporina

pwurple wrote: »

Women eat less. You know.... the 2000 cal vs 2500 cal per day thing? I brought visitors to the city there too. Vancouverites. (aka health nuts) Market lane was just the right size portions for us. One of them just got a starter size salad as a main and declared herself stuffed. I know it's not for everyone, it is not big portions, I agree, but I think they are catering to a specific market rather than trying to rip anyone off. 6ft GAA playing man-mountains are going to be hungrier than the 5ft figure-consious women.

Downstairs is noisy alright as the kitchen is right there on top of you, upstairs is quieter.

so what we pay whether we have the appetite of an woman or a man???? or its a woman only restaurant??? also, i never said what gender my mate was. and it is irrelevant!!!

Milly33

Has anyone gone to the Ivory Tower recently. Kinda always wanted to go just to see what the fuss was about. They used to have a cheaper option menu but I see the main one now for a 5 course is €70 bit steep. Has anyone tried any of there menus..

Nonoperational

I've heard fuss both ways, so I'm a bit apprehensive to try it...


Market Lane is fine, but it's one of those places that I don't quite understand why it's so popular. It's grand food, but nothing at all special.

Milly33

Yeah so I have, I was hoping they still had the cheaper menu would defo try then but €70 for something you may or may not like but much..

Back to the whole Mexican thing is café mexicano the only place in town that does food like this, have a real taste for it and have to say beside from chilli tis one food (if the correct word) I have no experience cooking.

Nonoperational

Pretty much... I've often thought there's a real opening there.

It's pretty easy to cook and it's very nice. Things like Tacos and Fajitas are very simple, a variation of something like this... http://www.jamieshomecookingskills.com/recipe.php?title=chicken-fajitas , except I use loads of cumin!

Pabmac

Milly33 wrote: »

Has anyone gone to the Ivory Tower recently. Kinda always wanted to go just to see what the fuss was about. They used to have a cheaper option menu but I see the main one now for a 5 course is €70 bit steep. Has anyone tried any of there menus..

Don't go. The owner (don't know if he still is the owner) is a bit of a pain. I wanted to book lunch one day and rang in advance to book. Was told "don't know if I'll be open that day. Haven't decided yet" !! Needless to say, I haven't been back there.

Previous to that I went there and asked for my steak to be well done. Was told that the chef wouldn't serve it well done. So when steak appeared at table I said it was too rare and they took it back to kitchen and cooked it a bit more !!

By the way, lunch was for a work meeting.

Thought they had closed down anyway.

Milly33

That's a bit much alrite especially if you are the paying customer.. mmm that would put me off now. I get that he is suppose to be a bit of a character but that doesn't sound to impressive.. I shall stay away well unless I get a free offer..thanks for the adivce

pwurple

Ivory tower is in my top three restaurants in town. I really love it there, always a surprise, very interesting things to eat. No place like it. but you need to be pretty adventurous with food to get anything from it. If you only eat your meat well done, or you prefer to eat stuff you know you like and trying unusual food is not your idea of fun, you are guaranteed to absolutely hate it.

cadaliac

Pabmac wrote: »

Don't go. The owner (don't know if he still is the owner) is a bit of a pain. I wanted to book lunch one day and rang in advance to book. Was told "don't know if I'll be open that day. Haven't decided yet" !! Needless to say, I haven't been back there.

Previous to that I went there and asked for my steak to be well done. Was told that the chef wouldn't serve it well done. So when steak appeared at table I said it was too rare and they took it back to kitchen and cooked it a bit more !!

By the way, lunch was for a work meeting.

Thought they had closed down anyway.

No, still open.

That is why I like the place.

He doesn't open for lunch normally and I'm pretty sure you would have hated it as a venue for a work do.

Food is great and imo he is right not to serve a well done steak.:)
Customer service wouldn't be on the top of the list but the exciting and different food is.

Pabmac

cadaliac wrote: »

No, still open.

That is why I like the place.

He doesn't open for lunch normally and I'm pretty sure you would have hated it as a venue for a work do.

Food is great and imo he is right not to serve a well done steak.:)
Customer service wouldn't be on the top of the list but the exciting and different food is.

Must say my oh agrees with the well done steak thing He loves the place :eek:

Milly33

Pabmac wrote: »

Don't go. The owner (don't know if he still is the owner) is a bit of a pain. I wanted to book lunch one day and rang in advance to book. Was told "don't know if I'll be open that day. Haven't decided yet" !! Needless to say, I haven't been back there.

Previous to that I went there and asked for my steak to be well done. Was told that the chef wouldn't serve it well done. So when steak appeared at table I said it was too rare and they took it back to kitchen and cooked it a bit more !!

By the way, lunch was for a work meeting.

Thought they had closed down anyway.

I was saying this too, my manfriend as well last night and he agreed with the steak thing that it should not be overcooked, but then you were the paying customer so why cant you have it your way.. I wouldn't have dreamt of eating rare steak before now it wouldn't bother me.. Ill have to give the place a go at some stage

kingtut

I hate it when places won't serve a well done steak or insist that it is a bad choice. I think the big issue is that people assume well done = burnt which it isn't.

Although I do sometimes go for 'medium to well ' it is usually well done. That means I want it cooked fully i.e. no blood or pink bits. It does not mean burning the cr*p out of it.

So yes please give me a nice well done steak that isn't burnt !! You can't be that good of a chef if you can't understand the difference. :mad:

pwurple

kingtut wrote: »

I hate it when places won't serve a well done steak or insist that it is a bad choice. I think the big issue is that people assume well done = burnt which it isn't.

Although I do sometimes go for 'medium to well ' it is usually well done. That means I want it cooked fully i.e. no blood or pink bits. It does not mean burning the cr*p out of it.

So yes please give me a nice well done steak that isn't burnt !! You can't be that good of a chef if you can't understand the difference. :mad:

There should never ever be blood in a good piece of properly slaughtered and hung beef. Blood in meat looks black, like black pudding does. That pink juice, that's myoglobin, from muscle fibres (being cooked). If it's coming out of your steak onto your plate, your meat has either not been aged properly, or it hasn't been left to rest after cooking. It should stay in the meat to keep it juicy.

Faith

kingtut wrote: »

I hate it when places won't serve a well done steak or insist that it is a bad choice. I think the big issue is that people assume well done = burnt which it isn't.

Although I do sometimes go for 'medium to well ' it is usually well done. That means I want it cooked fully i.e. no blood or pink bits. It does not mean burning the cr*p out of it.

So yes please give me a nice well done steak that isn't burnt !! You can't be that good of a chef if you can't understand the difference. :mad:

It's not that they think they're serving you burnt steak, it's that cooking it all the way through completely changes the structure and texture of the meat. Steak up to medium is velvety and smooth and juicy. Towards 'well done', it gets coarse, chewy and dry. It's like the different between well cooked vegetables that are still vibrant, full of flavour and with a crunch, and overcooked vegetables that are pale, lifeless and soggy. Chefs want to serve food in the best way possible, that highlights the quality of the ingredient.

That being said, if you REALLY wanted it cooked well-done, I don't think they should refuse. But his restaurant, his rules I guess.

cantdecide

I like a well-done steak too and I make no apologies for it!

Nonoperational

Faith wrote: »

It's not that they think they're serving you burnt steak, it's that cooking it all the way through completely changes the structure and texture of the meat. Steak up to medium is velvety and smooth and juicy. Towards 'well done', it gets coarse, chewy and dry. It's like the different between well cooked vegetables that are still vibrant, full of flavour and with a crunch, and overcooked vegetables that are pale, lifeless and soggy. Chefs want to serve food in the best way possible, that highlights the quality of the ingredient.

That being said, if you REALLY wanted it cooked well-done, I don't think they should refuse. But his restaurant, his rules I guess.

Absolutely. Hard to beat a quality medium-rare steak.

ABajaninCork

Actually, I prefer my steak rare to blue. It's not often I get that, it's more like medium. But I don't send it back in case they spit on it! :pac:

Cedrus

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Actually, I prefer my steak rare to blue. It's not often I get that, it's more like medium. But I don't send it back in case they spit on it! :pac:

+1 If I want a rare steak in a restaurant i ask for it blue, if I want it blue I cook it at home.

I think chefs reluctance to overcook meat has more to do with them making an effort to source good quality meat (it's part of what sets them aside from home cooking and supermarket shopping) and wanting people to appreciate it, but there is a snobbery element there and at the end of the day "who pays the piper calls the tune"

However, I don't really understand why so many people order steak in a restaurant anyway, it's bachelor food, why pay a chef who has trained for 3/4 years to cook something so simple that a child could do on a campfire, for 5 times what the butcher would charge?

Anthony Bourdains (celeb chef and author) take on well done steaks and the restaurant industry's need to maximise profits wherever possible would put the fear up the aficionados of well done steaks(don't mention the butter tricks:eek:).

Milly33

Went into town last night planning to go to the sea food place in Electric but the place was very busy and to be honest the menu didn't look that exciting a bit more to go in for a day time nibble me thinks rather than dinner. Anywho we said we would try Nosta instead and it id defo a winner.

Loverly atmosphere in there feels like you are away.
We had the calamari for starters and its yum would go back now for more, their tarter sauce is great.
Himself had the chargrilled lamb kabab served with bulgar wheat which was really tasty and tender, and im not a lamb person but would defo try this.
I had the sea food kabab which again is a winner, I was worried when it said it didn't come with anything but there was plenty of salad with the nicest dressing, and veg served with it.
All washed down with a lovely white wine which was the most expensive thing on the bill but sure for a night out.
Would defiantly go back there for dinner and bring friends, the waiters and waitress are lovely but they did loose brownie points by kinda paying more attention to two table there and kinda putting the rest of the tables on hold.. One waiter is the spitting image (bit shorter) than Patrick Swayze as well

evilivor

Milly33 wrote: »

Went into town last night planning to go to the sea food place in Electric but the place was very busy and to be honest the menu didn't look that exciting a bit more to go in for a day time nibble me thinks rather than dinner. Anywho we said we would try Nosta instead and it id defo a winner.

Loverly atmosphere in there feels like you are away.
We had the calamari for starters and its yum would go back now for more, their tarter sauce is great.
Himself had the chargrilled lamb kabab served with bulgar wheat which was really tasty and tender, and im not a lamb person but would defo try this.
I had the sea food kabab which again is a winner, I was worried when it said it didn't come with anything but there was plenty of salad with the nicest dressing, and veg served with it.
All washed down with a lovely white wine which was the most expensive thing on the bill but sure for a night out.
Would defiantly go back there for dinner and bring friends, the waiters and waitress are lovely but they did loose brownie points by kinda paying more attention to two table there and kinda putting the rest of the tables on hold.. One waiter is the spitting image (bit shorter) than Patrick Swayze as well

Passed there Friday evening about 6.45 and the place was jammed - glad to see a new venture doing well.

Milly33

Yeah chatting to one of the waiters there and they said they are doing very well, which is nice to hear. It really does seem like good quality food there, you don't get that feeling of being stuffed or too full afterwards.Hope they stay

dudara

Was in Cork over the weekend - We had brunch at Fenn's Quay on Saturday, which was excellent value.Fluffy pancakes with bacon & maple syrup (€6) and home made baked beans with chorizo (€5).

We then had a late lunch in Electric seafood bar, which has a beautiful interior design. We ordered a mix of stuff including oysters, ceviche and the whole baked sea bream. It was really good and pretty decent value for a seafood restaurant. Lovely views out over the Lee too.

Loire

dudara wrote: »

Was in Cork over the weekend - We had brunch at Fenn's Quay on Saturday, which was excellent value.

We had dinner in Fenn's Quay for the first time on Saturday night and it was fantastic. They had beef cheeks done with porter as a special to start and it was to die for...the meat fell away. We were down the back and it was a bit quiet butI would highly recommend this place and will definitely return

stoutykid

can I just say Iyers, Iyers, Iyers.... nicest food I have had in Cork in ages. Also the new Lebanese restaurant that opened in Penrose Wharf was really nice but I can only vouch for the take away menu. It's really nice to see different cuisines being available in Cork.

gmf1024

Loire wrote: »

We had dinner in Fenn's Quay for the first time on Saturday night and it was fantastic. They had beef cheeks done with porter as a special to start and it was to die for...the meat fell away. We were down the back and it was a bit quiet butI would highly recommend this place and will definitely return

Was down in Cork at the weekend and dropped into Fenns Quay as well. It was lovely, [unfortunately I have to say one waitress was far nicer than the other]. We had to order three desserts between the two of us as we couldn't make up our minds. The starters, mains and desserts were all absolutely fabulous and the service was great with the first waitress more than making up for the second. We rolled out of there.

Really want to try Iyers next time we are down.

Pabmac

Must try Iyers. Haven't been to Fenns Quay for a while. Might be worth going back.

Also, if you're ever in Midleton I would recommend Raymonds. It's great we've been there twice recently and it was brilliant. Great service and really great food.

cantdecide

Pabmac wrote: »

Must try Iyers. Haven't been to Fenns Quay for a while. Might be worth going back.

Also, if you're ever in Midleton I would recommend Raymonds. It's great we've been there twice recently and it was brilliant. Great service and really great food.

I would recommend Sage in Midleton too,

opus

the beer revolu wrote: »

Spread the word, I really want this cafe to still be there this time next year.;)

Met a friend in Iyers cafe on Pope's Quay for lunch earlier & we were both very happy with the place. Really nice food & pretty reasonable as well.

Will definitely be going back there again

Pabmac

cantdecide wrote: »

I would recommend Sage in Midleton too,

Defo, Sage is great too

sporina

yes the food in Sage is savage… its so wholesome… and fresh… hmm..