Restaurant Recommendation Thread - Anyone for seconds?

notAMember

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120029717#Comment_120029717

Yes, back when it was over in the black market.

The eggs were rubbery and overdone unfortunately when I tried it, and the hollandaise was cold , with an odd texture. I wasn’t sure was it a loosened mayo with yellow food colouring rather than the real thing. I didn’t go back again anyway.

I like the concept, but it’s a tricky one to get right.

Cotts72

Had it once and thought it was nice,something a bit different for an earlier visit to the market

Rfrip

glass curtain last weekend, have been twice previously and loved it.It was so disappointing. The food was “grand”, no where near as nice as before but the service was shocking. I don’t think I’d return.

notAMember

Service in general has taken a whack the last few years. Shop staff unable to work tills and the like.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120031616#Comment_120031616

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120031616#Comment_120031616

Oh, no. I've been twice and loved it, too. Tasting menu both times.

Rfrip

Ya i had tasting menu first time and possibly the nicest tasting menu I’ve ever had, a la carte the second. I was shocked to be honest. I get that there’s issues with staffing etc every where but the service was shocking and an hour wait between starter and main course.

pigalle remains the best in cork for me!

the beer revolu

Haven't been to Pigalle in a while. Must revisit!

Drdenise75

Ate out a few times over Christmas. First up was Pigalle. Been before a few times and always happy. And thankfully it's still excellent! I really like their menu and food presentation. Good drinks menu too and great service. Menu was quite fish focused which suited me anyway. Had two different seafood starters and the market fish and another fish dish for main. All really good. The place was full but they were super efficient, no delays at all with our orders. And very friendly staff. Also, great value. Think it was about 35e for three course menu.

Next up Glass Curtain. I'm a big fan of the cooking here. Always something interesting going on with the menu. We had beef tartare and scallops to start, venison and turbot for mains. Again the food was really good but, oh my, the kitchen is let down by the front of house service. It seemed really disorganised. They were very pleasant but just didn't seem on top of the job at all. Delays with taking orders, coming back to have the food order repeated, delays with getting the wine etc. I really wanted to be able to give this place a great notice, and the food is still really good, but they need to sort out the service side of things. I know it's difficult times for finding staff and below par service is a common refrain it just seems extra disappointing when the food is so good.

Next was Paladar on Bridge Street. Latin American vibe. Pretty happy with it. Good cocktail menu as you'd expect with the people behind it, had the mezcalero one which was great. Small wine selection. A few interesting beers. We tried a variety of the small and larger plates. All were pretty tasty, empanadas were good and the croquettes in particular were memorable. Only thing was, our server told us that they were quite small portions and they're really not! So we ended up with too much food. But next time we'll know better. Friendly efficient service. It's quite loud in there, more a bar doing good food than restaurant really but think that's the idea.

Not in the city but managed to get to Terre in Castlemartyr in early December and wow, it's amazing. A real special experience.

sammyjo90

Good to see the paladar review, I've been waiting for someone on here to go 😂

Paradiso on NYE was my only outing down here over christmas. Great as always. First dish and the Mole one was hard to beat.

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120070424#Comment_120070424

just had a look at the Paladar menu - wow - looks really €€... €6 for chips?, €9 for a glass of white wine? (chose those as easy to benchmark)..

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120070488#Comment_120070488

It does look pricey, but I've been keen to try it!

Good to know the portions aren't tiny like some tapas places. I'll probably skip on the chips though.

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120070424#Comment_120070424

I found the mole quite bland when I was there last year, (however the "strange sauce" was savage) but I love Paradiso. The flavours and care put into the food are exceptional.

sammyjo90

Ah thats a shame, this one had a bit of a nice kick to it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120070673#Comment_120070673

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120070767#Comment_120070767

Oh that's good to hear, they must have changed it. Would love to go back soon, but the € levels aren't great for me now :(

I want to try Pigalle, Paladar and Goldie. Never been to either of them yet!

Drdenise75

Re Paladar...It's not cheap but we did get the chips and it's a huge portion! Very good crunchy wedge type fries with a side of sauce. 4 people could easily share it as a side. It is pricey enough though in general. Having said that, I'm finding 9e for a glass of wine not uncommon these days. Not saying it's good value for a glass of wine, just seems to be the way things are going.

sammyjo90

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120070788#Comment_120070788

Pigalle is one i always forget about until someone tells me they've gone.

I'd love to go to goldie but fish just isnt my thing...id have to get the veg dish and no point doing that!

sporina

defo wanna try Goldie this yr.. hopefully b4 Easter.. love fish..

would love to go back to ORSO but getting a table is so difficult as they don't take bookings

leahyl

I was in Orso once and I had a curry but it was very spicy and I didn't expect it to be. I want to go again but the no booking is annoying cos it's so small. Anytime I've passed there before it's full so I never end up going :-D

Going to Koto this weekend - always fairly reliable, tasty food. Then next weekend I'm going to Aye for a friends bday - never been but have wanted to go, anybody here tried it?

Edit: it appears you can book a table in Orso! https://www.orso.ie/

the beer revolu

I've always found, "it's €x for a glass of wine", to be a statement with very little useful information.

Firstly, there seems to be no agreement on what size a "glass" of wine is. Servings can vary from anything between 125ml and 200ml.

Secondly, there is a massive variance in the cost of commonly available wines. A "glass" of wine for €9 in one place could be better value for money than a "glass" for €6 elsewhere, in terms of quality.

I wish the industry could at least agree on what a, "glass", means.

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120072799#Comment_120072799

oh thats great news about ORSO.. woo hoo.. thanks

sammyjo90

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120072799#Comment_120072799

Went to Aye in November, its nice enough. We had a sharing board and some extra bits. The lamb parcels were the best thing for me.

Its not out of this world but hopefully you'll enjoy it ☺️

leahyl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120073020#Comment_120073020

Cheers! I read a few not so good reviews on Google and some great reviews so we'll see!

After the talk above about Goldie, I'm after going and booking it for March (it was the nearest date on a weekend that had availability for 5!) - looking forward to that now :-)

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120073375#Comment_120073375

hmm must book Goldie..

a mate of mine raved about Aye recently..

Gamb!t

First time in Sophies over christmas,The hotel interior certainly looks much nicer and charming compared to the exterior.The food was great although the menu a little limited as it had a lot of stuff with mushroom which Im not into but we found something we were happy with and the meal /desert tasted great.I would also give a thumbs up to the staff there who were brilliant.

Also ate in the Barn which was disappointing,waiting well over an hour for mains whatever happened in the kitchen/waitress only to then to finally get one of our meals cooked not to our liking (steak on the rare side too bloody).The restaurant rectified the error in fairness by apologising and also not charging for one of the mains (steak) which thankfully we didnt need to ask when it came to paying but the evening was ruined..Not a fan of the no cash card only policy which is fairly evident in the restaurant.

byronbay2

Went for Afternoon Tea in The Montenotte Hotel on Saturday. Beautiful sunny afternoon. great views over the city and a lovely buzzy, full room of customers (many having lunch): everything was set fair for a wonderful experience!

Unfortunately, what transpired was most disappointing. The sandwiches were stone cold, presumably just out of the fridge. The scones were rock hard and bone dry. We were told that one set of sandwiches was cucumber, it was actually PICKLED GHERKINS. Nothing else, just bread, butter and halved pickled gherkins! Also, all the sandwiches were made with the same white bread, no wholemeal/wholegrain/sourdough/rye etc. For €36 per person (you heard that right! 😱), it was a pathetic effort.

We complained and were given an apology and 2 for the price of 1: still too expensive imo. I could see other unhappy customers around us. I had heard good reviews of the MH but our experience was very disappointing. I will not be returning. 😥

sporina

wow this thread is soo quiet ekk... anyway..

was at a private Birthday dinner party in Rochestown Park Hotel yesterday - would highly recommend it..

gee,.. service was unreal - and quality of food.. and just the whole experience.. twas a luxurious experience in general.. the Birthday lady and guests felt v well looked after.. me included obv lol..

Food wise.. twas all great.. but especially the Hereford Beef.. wow wow wow.. and I am not a red meat lover - but I can appreciate good beef.. and the sticky toffee pudding OMG - didn't even want it (full after other courses) but almost ate it all.. twas so good.. yum

whatever76

Great review here for Glass Curtain and McCurtain St - A thriving Cork restaurant is the gem on what could be Ireland’s best street for foodies | Ireland | The Sunday Times (thetimes.co.uk)

rob316

Fish in Chips in Clancys at the weekend, massive portion of fish, nice hand cut chips, really excellent.

Water John

Had lunch in the Montenotte Hotel earlier in the month, was really excellent. Seems we were lucky not to go for the afternoon tea as per Byron above.

Drdenise75

An evening at Nell's wine bar on the now trending MacCurtain Street a couple weekends ago. Highly recommend. Sharing plates of very high quality and interesting food. You do have to be willing to do the sharing thing to really get the full food experience which I love but I guess wouldn't suit everyone. Really great wine selection. We tried 4 different ones between us and all were excellent. Friendly efficient service. A great spot all in all.

Going for dinner in the Montenotte at the end of the month. Hope the food is more like the lunch standard than the afternoon tea as reported!