The Restaurant Recommendation Thread

whatever76

Malari wrote: »

Yes, I really like it, it's worth a visit. Seems to be good value, friendly service and they have live string music playing at weekends...think it's Sunday night.

Paid a visit over the holidays - lovely spot and very relaxing ! Staff there are really nice and friendly ... defo worth a visit ! Did not try a pizza from la tana but there were plenty of orders coming in - on my list for a revisit and do a pizza and wine evening !!

sporina

whatever76 wrote: »

Paid a visit over the holidays - lovely spot and very relaxing ! Staff there are really nice and friendly ... defo worth a visit ! Did not try a pizza from la tana but there were plenty of orders coming in - on my list for a revisit and do a pizza and wine evening !!

where did you go?

whatever76

sorry I thought I replied to my original question - went to Bar pigella on barrack street !

kcb

Finally tried Ramen (the one in Ballincollig). In short, it was very average. The Chilli Pod (name?) down next to the Quish Supervalu is streets ahead of it for Asian Street Food.

Ramen seems to be another Cork fad.

ABajaninCork

kcb wrote: »

Finally tried Ramen (the one in Ballincollig). In short, it was very average. The Chilli Pod (name?) down next to the Quish Supervalu is streets ahead of it for Asian Street Food.

Ramen seems to be another Cork fad.

Forget Ramen. Go to Aroi instead. FAR superior in every aspect!

sporina

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Forget Ramen. Go to Aroi instead. FAR superior in every aspect!

i heard that the chicken is not the best of quality in Aroi?

anyone tried Soba in Glanmire yet?

ABajaninCork

sporina wrote: »

i heard that the chicken is not the best of quality in Aroi?

anyone tried Soba in Glanmire yet?

Who told you that?? I've eaten the chicken in there several times, and it seems just fine to me...

the beer revolu

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Who told you that?? I've eaten the chicken in there several times, and it seems just fine to me...

My only complaint with Aroi was that the chicken breast in my chicken salad was dry and overcooked.
Generally, I have loved the place, though.

Calling Ramem average is being very kind, imo.

Nonoperational

Still love a Ramen Pad Thai...

SteelyDanJalapeno

Nonoperational wrote: »

Still love a Ramen Pad Thai...

Has the take out portion gotten smaller?

dibkins

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Who told you that?? I've eaten the chicken in there several times, and it seems just fine to me...

It was a good bit earlier in this thread. I have to agree that the chicken in the salad can be a bit dry sometimes (it is bloody good so i've gotten it 3 times), but the flavour is absolutely fantastic so i'm more than willing to overlook for a quick €10 lunch. My buddy got the duck curry the other day and it tasted great, i'll be getting it next time i pick up a takeaway as that amount of chilli may trigger....a lavatorial reaction.

I've gotten Malay Kitchen a few times recently as well, the crispy beef is delicious as is the sesame chicken. The chicken satay skwers are tasty, but there is too much cumin in them for me to consider as proper satay skwers (the beef satay skewers work a lot better with the cumin imo).

And for those who gave me pointers before, i got the satay skewers in Yaun Ming Yaun at last and they were great, just not enough sauce.

Finally, my landlady gave me a Market Lane voucher for Christmas, so i'll be forced back into it's delicious grasp once more:D Omnomnomnom.


Edit: Question: I was meeting some vegetarian friends the other night at short notice. Cafe Paridiso was a bit out of budget and i didn't have much time to research anywhere else, so we ended up at Yaun Ming Yaun (they said noodles and stuff was good) which I enjoyed, but i'm not so sure they did. Is there anywhere around that is vegetarian friendly, more on the casual side of things? It doesn't have to be fully vegetarian, just with a nice few options.

pwurple

The three pure veggie places are
Cafe Paradiso - fancy enough, birthday treat. I love it.
Iyers - casual south indian, more of a cafe. I love the food there.
The quay co-op - casual again, cafe-style and has a crowd that thinks facial hair and an indoor hat = personality.

My veggie friends are split between loving italian veggie food, and loving indian veggie food. For the italian lovers, it's usually gallo and galletti. My own preference for indian is iyers or that place by the bishopstown bar... spice of india?

the beer revolu

dibkins wrote: »

Edit: Question: I was meeting some vegetarian friends the other night at short notice. Cafe Paridiso was a bit out of budget and i didn't have much time to research anywhere else, so we ended up at Yaun Ming Yaun (they said noodles and stuff was good) which I enjoyed, but i'm not so sure they did. Is there anywhere around that is vegetarian friendly, more on the casual side of things? It doesn't have to be fully vegetarian, just with a nice few options.

Iyer's on Pope's Quay. But the only evenings it is open is Thursday and Friday.

House café, Opera House. But only open evenings on show nights.

sporina

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Who told you that?? I've eaten the chicken in there several times, and it seems just fine to me...

a mate of mine who ate there…

he said that the chicken was not your typical cooked breast of chicken - it was inferior processed stuff.. like the kind of "chicken" you get in dodgy chinese places..

for me, the meat/chicken/fish has to be good quality - i would rather cook at home or pay for for it else where

SteelyDanJalapeno

I'd agree on the chicken on Aroi, I've said it previously on this thread, it's something to the stuff you'd see pre made sandwiches and wraps in garages

JohnK

I'm sure its already been mentioned but I had dinner in Haveli Indian Restaurant in Douglas tonight and it was extremely tasty; I'd certainly go back again.

sporina

TiltedBrain wrote: »

I'd agree on the chicken on Aroi, I've said it previously on this thread, it's something to the stuff you'd see pre made sandwiches and wraps in garages

thats how i was gonna describe it but not sure if the chicken they get in is cooked or raw - i assume raw

the beer revolu

TiltedBrain wrote: »

I'd agree on the chicken on Aroi, I've said it previously on this thread, it's something to the stuff you'd see pre made sandwiches and wraps in garages

That wasn't my experience of the chicken.
My only issue was that it was overcooked and dry and didn't seem like it was freshly cooked.
I didn't notice any problem with the quality of the meat, itself.
Realistically, at the prices they charge, no one could expect free range, organic, locally grown chicken!

dibkins

The chicken in the padan(?) leaves is thigh meat which is lovely, the chicken in the salad is breast and seems fine. The chicken in the satay skewers however was a bit iffy when i had them, very wobbly.

leahyl

JohnK wrote: »

I'm sure its already been mentioned but I had dinner in Haveli Indian Restaurant in Douglas tonight and it was extremely tasty; I'd certainly go back again.

Haveli is amazing - my favourite Indian restaurant, followed closely by the Raj in Kerrypike.

kcb

the beer revolu wrote: »

Calling Ramem average is being very kind, imo.

That's very true. It's amazingly bad considering how popular it has become.

Markcheese

leahyl wrote: »

Haveli is amazing - my favourite Indian restaurant, followed closely by the Raj in Kerrypike.

I think I may be in a minority of 1so, got a take away on New Year's Eve and it was grand - not amazing ,not wow but grand - I'd gone out of my way to go to Douglas cos everyone said it's wow-

Lyaiera

Anyone have any love for Sakura? I had the chilli beef ramen takeaway from there the other night and it was lovely. Just the right amount of spice in the broth, the beef was a bit chewy. The veg were cooked perfectly and there was one vegetable in particular that I loved by I don't know what it is, a nice savoury rich flavour to it. I tried my friend's curried noodles as well and is happily eat them, and the yaki soba I had a previous time were lovely and fresh. The staff are also lovely in there.

the beer revolu

I've always enjoyed the bento box in Sakura.
Never had anything else.

sporina

the beer revolu wrote: »

That wasn't my experience of the chicken.
My only issue was that it was overcooked and dry and didn't seem like it was freshly cooked.
I didn't notice any problem with the quality of the meat, itself.
Realistically, at the prices they charge, no one could expect free range, organic, locally grown chicken!

how can you tell the quality of the meat in this condition?
I am not looking for "free range, organic, locally grown chicken" - just decent quality fresh chicken - like you would by in a super market. And not in a ready mead meal - what you describe sounds like that.. I would rather eat a cheese toastie that a ready made meal… these processed meats are full of extenders and binders of all kinds.. reformed meat - yuk..
so i would avoid on that account..
depends on one's standards i guess..

but like i said, if i go out for something to eat I expect it to be at least on a par with what i would cook at home..

stoutykid

Just a shout out for tara tea room went for lunch today and hadn't been in awhile. The staff are so nice, such a consistent service and I think it's such good value for money. Even though my office is near there I don't get pop in as often as I would like.i also love liberty grill for their brunch menu but that's a bit of a trek when I only have an hour..

Dave147

For anyone that's into Asian Street Food there is a new restaurant/takeaway in Glanmire called Soba and it's amazing. Had some teriyaki ramen and it was beautiful, and I'm not big into Asian cuisine, or at least I had assumed I wasn't as Chinese food does nothing for me.

run_Forrest_run

leahyl wrote: »

Haveli is amazing - my favourite Indian restaurant, followed closely by the Raj in Kerrypike.

steady on, The Raj beats Haveli easily. I always felt Haveli to be only average.

leahyl

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

steady on, The Raj beats Haveli easily. I always felt Haveli to be only average.

Nope, Haveli definitely nicer

leahyl

Markcheese wrote: »

I think I may be in a minority of 1so, got a take away on New Year's Eve and it was grand - not amazing ,not wow but grand - I'd gone out of my way to go to Douglas cos everyone said it's wow-

I've never had a takeaway from there so can't comment on that - sometimes the takeaway can be inferior to what you get if you dine in the restaurant - don't know why...

Anyway, I've eaten around 4 times in Haveli now and each time the food has been sooooo good - so fresh and the flavours are amazing.

pwurple

Anyone tried the new pizza and beer place in Douglas? Palmento I think it's called?

the beer revolu

sporina wrote: »

how can you tell the quality of the meat in this condition?
I am not looking for "free range, organic, locally grown chicken" - just decent quality fresh chicken - like you would by in a super market. And not in a ready mead meal - what you describe sounds like that.. I would rather eat a cheese toastie that a ready made meal… these processed meats are full of extenders and binders of all kinds.. reformed meat - yuk..
so i would avoid on that account..
depends on one's standards i guess..

but like i said, if i go out for something to eat I expect it to be at least on a par with what i would cook at home..

I know the difference between processed meat and fresh meat that has been batch cooked and reheated to order.
Maybe you can't tell the difference but I can.
The chicken I had in there was a fresh chicken breast poorly cooked - not processed chicken.

You are accusing a restaurant of serving processed reformed chicken without any evidence whatsoever. That's not on.


I had the same issue with chicken in Waga Mama's. Chicken was dry and overcooked as it had been pre cooked.

Loire

Had a takeaway from Ramen in Dennehy's X last week and it was awful. You could almost play "Where's Wally" trying to find any meat.

gimmick

I know its fashionable here to slag off Ramen, but I still find it far superior to Aroi, where I tried again and it was awful again. Poor service and terrible food. The chicken may as well have been rubber, the rice was hard and the rest tasted as it if were yesterdays.

SteelyDanJalapeno

gimmick wrote: »

I know its fashionable here to slag off Ramen, but I still find it far superior to Aroi, where I tried again and it was awful again. Poor service and terrible food. The chicken may as well have been rubber, the rice was hard and the rest tasted as it if were yesterdays.

Exact same, I've gave Aroi 3 chances now, never again.

Honestly dont get the hype in here for it.

ABajaninCork

TiltedBrain wrote: »

Exact same, I've gave Aroi 3 chances now, never again.

Honestly dont get the hype in here for it.

Different strokes. I much prefer Aroi to Ramen. The food in Ramen was truly awful, and the 'service' worse. A point I was willing to make and stand over on here as well as Trip Advisor.

I've eaten in Aroi twice and found the food to be excellent. But I didn't have chicken as much prefer fish to meat and eat that as much as possible.

Léan

I've eaten in Aroi twice now, once take away and once inside. It was great both times, but like the above poster, i went for seafood on both occasions and cannot fault it, two very tasty meals.

mimihops

pwurple wrote: »

Anyone tried the new pizza and beer place in Douglas? Palmento I think it's called?

Tried Palmento last weekend, the pizza was gorgeous but my only bugbear was that the mozzarella and basil pizza only had that little garnish of basil at the centre of the pizza whereas I would have expected a scattering of leaves on the pizza - it makes all the difference taste-wise! The other pizza we tried was a goats cheese one with mushrooms which was delicious.

Nonoperational

Getting a bit much with people bashing Ramen. It divides opinion, but people coming out with definitive sounding statements proclaiming it worse than a soup kitchen is just attention seeking.

ABajaninCork

Nonoperational wrote: »

Getting a bit much with people bashing Ramen. It divides opinion, but people coming out with definitive sounding statements proclaiming it worse than a soup kitchen is just attention seeking.

How is expressing your opinion attention-seeking? This is a public forum is it not?? Therefore, it's to be assumed all opinions are valid - Whether you agree with them or not...

Nonoperational

The obvious inference some people are putting across is that it's cheap muck, regardless of other peoples' opinions.

leahyl

Guys I can't bold this as I'm on my phone, but give over with the bickering will ye; everyone is entitled to their opinion about a particular restaurant if they have dined there - doesn't mean they are jumping on a bandwagon or anything if the hold a particular view, you either like the food or you don't. Now can we move on please.

sporina

the beer revolu wrote: »

I know the difference between processed meat and fresh meat that has been batch cooked and reheated to order.
Maybe you can't tell the difference but I can.
The chicken I had in there was a fresh chicken breast poorly cooked - not processed chicken.

You are accusing a restaurant of serving processed reformed chicken without any evidence whatsoever. That's not on.


I had the same issue with chicken in Waga Mama's. Chicken was dry and overcooked as it had been pre cooked.

correct i have not eaten there - and i said that already - i was going on my mates review..

in any event - the chicken was poor quality and tbh he felt nauseous after it..
the chicken you described is unacceptable to me too - chicken is a major substrate for bacteria if not cooked/stored correctly etc..

the beer revolu

sporina wrote: »

correct i have not eaten there - and i said that already - i was going on my mates review..

in any event - the chicken was poor quality and tbh he felt nauseous after it..
the chicken you described is unacceptable to me too - chicken is a major substrate for bacteria if not cooked/stored correctly etc..

First you suggest that Aroi serve reformed, processed chicken.
Then you admit that you have never been there.
Then you infer dangerous hygiene practices!

What is your beef with this restaurant?

Please stop making unfounded accusations about a restaurant that you have never been to.

SteelyDanJalapeno

the beer revolu wrote: »

First you suggest that Aroi serve reformed, processed chicken.
Then you admit that you have never been there.
Then you infer dangerous hygiene practices!

What is your beef with this restaurant?

Please stop making unfounded accusations about a restaurant that you have never been to.

It's not just him, I've left plenty of reviews on this thread 90% of them very good, I'm very unbiased, I also dont think much of Ramen.


I'll repeat what I've said, the chicken was not the texture of traditional chicken, and did not taste of anything.

the beer revolu

TiltedBrain wrote: »

It's not just him, I've left plenty of reviews on this thread 90% of them very good, I'm very unbiased, I also dont think much of Ramen.


I'll repeat what I've said, the chicken was not the texture of traditional chicken, and did not taste of anything.

You formed your opinion from eating there. What chicken dish are you referring to?

I didn't enjoy my chicken there. I wouldn't order the same chicken dish there again. I am confident that the chicken was pure chicken breast (it was the chicken salad I had with a whole chicken breast). I've enjoyed everything else I've had there - including the chicken pandan.
I have no problem with people having different opinions to me.
I do have a problem with people who haven't eaten in a restaurant making damaging accusations.

Milly33

mimihops wrote: »

Tried Palmento last weekend, the pizza was gorgeous but my only bugbear was that the mozzarella and basil pizza only had that little garnish of basil at the centre of the pizza whereas I would have expected a scattering of leaves on the pizza - it makes all the difference taste-wise! The other pizza we tried was a goats cheese one with mushrooms which was delicious.

Thanks for this, I was tempted to go in for little ladies day but the reviews online weren't great.

Must say we have got take out from the golden elephant in Douglas twice now and it is lovely.. Had the currys and the oyster sauce and well I can say well done to them. Nice and fresh, not greasy or stodgey..

pwurple

The lesson is don't order chicken when out... I never do. From working in restaurants years ago, it can be hit and miss on quality. No reflection on any particular establishment.
It's there for the plain eaters who want "the chicken without the sauce".


Anyone got a recommendation for caterer/supplier for a children's party around Cork? I'm up to neck in work, so I'll manage the cake myself, but other than ordering 5 giant pizzas, any ideas? Would prefer it not to be total junk food. Will be mix of adults and a bunch of 4 year olds.

Milly33

JJO'Driscolls do catering.

Forgot what a nice shop that was until Christmas for anyone looking they have a great red and white wine selection.. For the more unusual wines..

SteelyDanJalapeno

the beer revolu wrote: »

You formed your opinion from eating there. What chicken dish are you referring to?

I didn't enjoy my chicken there. I wouldn't order the same chicken dish there again. I am confident that the chicken was pure chicken breast (it was the chicken salad I had with a whole chicken breast). I've enjoyed everything else I've had there - including the chicken pandan.
I have no problem with people having different opinions to me.
I do have a problem with people who haven't eaten in a restaurant making damaging accusations.

I had the Khao Pad and the Green Chicken Curry.