Mushroom Hunting - Success??

Foraging came back into fashion at the start of the recession and it makes sense. I always wanted to do it but have no idea what is edible or not (so much easier in the shop). Longueville House are doing a mushroom hunt every year but to be honest, the price is a bit steep for me at €95 per person. So, last Saturday Terence and myself - armed with the mushroom book of River Cottage - went to the woods. It was a great day, warm and still a bit breezy. It was a great walk and we found loads of mushroom - and that's where the trouble started.


We saw the mushrooms in our book and tried to compare to what we found - no luck really. We thought we had chanterelles (I am still not sure) and puff balls (which are easy to recognise). With the rest, we were a bit stunned. I love chanterelles and when I see them at the market, I normally by a few and make a nice dish and it is always a treat (they go really well with game). But if you are not sure what you just found - and no one there to tell and ensure you - ups.
They looked beautiful, they looked appetizing but no real indication if they were edible. Obviously, just because birds, snails and rodents eat them, doesn't mean that we can. The gills are not indication either as they all looked different.

I tried to find a few professional foragers but it seems that they don't really advertise. Darina Allen gave me 2 names and no luck there either. I would love to organise a day out with SlowFood (yes, I am still with them) with a professional forager and maybe end up having a BBQ/picnic with our finds. Please let me know if you know anyone suitable and who would be willing to take a handful of eager amateurs to the woods or even seashore (wouldn't mind to learn about seaweed either).

Anyhow, we still had a great day and a few boxes of mushrooms which we still try to identify - no haven't eaten them yet, apart from the puffball.

It might even be already too late to hunt for anything in the woods - at least the birds were already at it but surely, with the weather we have now, there should be still plenty available.

If you are interested in joining the Longueville House Mushroom hunt, they have 2 coming up (16th & 30th October) but as I said, €95 per person. Well worth it, I would say but we do have a recession on at the moment (by the way, it was €85 last year). You are being taken out into the woods and come back to the house where a lunch will be served. You will be able to ask all kind of questions and it is definitely an experience.

Please let me know if you recognise any of the mushrooms shown here (yes, I will trust you). I got the foraging bug now and really want to learn more about it. Have already some ideas bouncing around in my head. So watch this space for more to come.

Savour Kilkenny

Savour Kilkenny is in its 5th year and will take place over the October Bank Holiday weekend - yeap the Halloween weekend. The festival went from strength to strength every year and this year is no exception. The program is packed to the rim and the only negative thought you might have about it that you can't clone yourself to attend all demonstrations, workshops and taste trails. I have the program in front of me and I am already torn between spending the day at a taste trail or spend the day in Kilkenny attending several smaller events.....decisions, decision, decisions...

To wet your appetite here are just some of the events that awaits you in Kilkenny:

Big Night Movie, A Feast of Chefs (€50), Food Camp, Food Industry Seminar, Cookery Demonstrations by Catherine Fulvio and Donal Skeehan, Forgotten Skills Demos, All About Pigs, Food Market, Pop-up Allotment, Foraging Walks, Kilkenny Masterchef Final, Wines Tastings, Meet the Brewer etc etc etc... click here for the full program

I will be there - hope to see you there

Elderflowers are out

Terence and myself were out hiking on Sunday near Galbally and some of the Elder trees were in full bloom - luckily for me I had a box in the car so we started collecting the flowers...and when coming home, I was lucky again as I had enough sugar, lemons and citric acid to make a batch of elderflower cordial.....the smell in the kitchen was amazing after I added the flowers to the sugar syrup....the next day I strained the mixture and bottled it nicely. Half a bottle is already gone - just love the taste of summer....and my Sunday breakfast is sorted now as well as I got a bottle of prosecco in the fridge.....what better way of starting a lazy Sunday but with elderflower prosecco

Beer Festival in the Franciscan Well

Fenn's Quay

We had plans for last Friday - Cinema, popcorn and back home as the big freeze is not really inviting to stay out too long. But destiny had other plans for us. We were too early (or too late) for the King's Speech, so we decided that a nice meal instead might be on the agenda.

As I had read on Facebook that Fenn's Quay has introduced a new menu, we decided to try it out. And it was the best decision of the night. Warm and inviting as always, Kevin came to greet us (always nice to be recognised and welcomed). We went into the back part of the restaurant and were given the menu....and the debate started....what to order. So many nice, yummy things on the menu made it really hard to choose. I had my heart set on the platter of dips. Fiery tomato-pepper dip, watercress pesto, houmus and garlic marinated olives were waiting to be smothered over lovely toasted bread. I was already in heaven. Terence went for the cauliflower soup with Cashel Blue cheese and the conversation at the table stopped apart from 'hmm', 'yum', 'ohm' etc. As Terence was torn between the soup and the scallops, Kevin suggested to have the scallops as a main which put a smile on his face. I had to make the difficult choice between Potato Rotondo and Baked Cod with Spinach sauce and Champ. The fish was flaky, white and cooked perfectly until I came to the end of the fish (trying to keep the fillet of fish in one thickness makes sure that both ends are cooked evenly). The end was a bit dry - but the taste and combination of the dish was excellent. The scallops came with prawns and a warm puy lentil salad. The scallops still had the coral attached (I always think it is a waste to discard them) and the prawns looked lovely juicy and pink. I wasn't able to snatch any of the lentil salad but the empty plate was evidence enough that they were indeed very tasty.

We were both quite happy to just finish the bottle of El Coto 2006 Rioja (I more than Terence as he was the poor fellow who had to drive us back home, so it was just one glass for him and the rest of the bottle for me - tough life I have I know). The wine had a good balance - silky, velvety with a good aromatic intensity. It didn't matter that I had fish with the wine.

As I had seen on Facebook, Fenn's Quay were offering an Apple Clafouti. I had Cherry Clafouti in France (it is the old classic) but apples go actually quite nice with the lovely dough. A cinnamon mousse was the perfect partner. Hmmm.....happy

Congrats to Kate and Kevin for getting it right - and I am sure that the Michelin Inspector was equally happy when he came to see you.

You can follow Fenn's Quay on Facebook - and make sure you pay them a visit either for a lovely lunch or an even better evening meal

Girlie Weekend in Kells

Wow, I am still in Kells Mood. Dorothy invited Caz, Angela and myself to her cottage in Kells and we had a ball. It was the most relaxing weekend I had in a long time. Everything was chilled out and we took it all in with a big smile on our faces.

We headed out on Friday evening and Dorothy was the designated driver for the weekend - not that anyone objected. We arrived at the cottage in the dark but when Dor lit the lights, it was as if we arrived in paradise. We could hear the sea although not seeing it. But just to know that it was there was enough. I had prepared some pizza bases and brought along tomato sauce, tomatoes, feta, mozzarella and salami. So my job was to prepare the pizzas and we settled in with some nice wine and enjoyed that reality was left behind.

The next morning was greeted by some sunshine and a fresh sea breeze. Caz and Angie were still in slumber land so Dorothy and myself headed out for a nice walk on the beach which was exactly 2 minutes down the road - why did we return to Cork again????

After Dorothy managed to get the sleepy heads out of bed, we had some nice breakfast of toast, boiled eggs and homemade granola and yogurt. After cleaning up, we headed out for a drive along the really beautiful countryside. We stopped in Cahersiveen as Dor had just received her iPhone and wanted to get some advise from Vodafone.....and since we were 4 girls - we headed to the shops (very successful by the way as I got 2 pair of shoes while Angie got some amazing boots and a jacket - perfect for the festival season. Caz got the most adorable outfit for her little niece). Anyhow, the evening came too soon and we were starving. Dorothy - knowing the area like the back of her hand - took us to The Bridge Bar which has a restaurant 'The Moorings' attached to it. A lovely country pub with a pub menu as well as the a la carte menu of the restaurant. The interior is nautical with fishing nets hanging from the ceiling and ship models being displayed. The choice of both menus was so varied that it took us ages to decide. I opted for deep fried brie with homemade cranberry sauce (€5.95) for starter and fish cakes for main in starter size (7.95). The brie was gooey in the middle with a crunchy crust. The cranberry sauce was sticky and sweet. The fishcakes were made of salmon, mackerel and crabmeat and tasted great. I wasn't too keen on the tatare sauce and asked for garlic mayonnaise instead. Angela went for the homemade garlic bread and deep fried Lemon Sole. The portions were huge and she wasn't able to finish her meal at all. Dorothy and Caz ordered the King Prawns wrapped in filo pastry which were served with garlic mayo and sweet chilli sauce. Both stopped talking while eating - always a good sign ;-). For main Caz opted also for the fish cakes while Dorothy decided on the fish special which was Grilled Plaice served with lemon butter. It looked great and looking at her face it was delicious. The staff was friendly, attentive and made sure that all my questions were answered. A lovely evening.

After heading back to the house, we tried to have some wine, but to be honest, we were sooooo relaxed that we completely tuned out and just enjoyed each others company.

The morning came to quick and it was time again to come back to reality. Girls, we have to do that soon again. Thanks for a great weekend and your company.

Last Week

The start of last week was very quiet, didn't do much other than tomato chutney. Thursday I was suppose to go to Bubble Brother's wine tasting in the castle but decided instead to pay Cork Free Choice Consumer Group a visit in the Crawford Gallery. Ann Crowley who spent years in the Middle East introduced vegetarian food from Lebanon, Egypt etc. She shared some of her early memories on how food played an important part of everyday life. She was joined by Zico Ali (from Annie's Gastro Pub) who cooked up some amazing dishes and Samah (didn't catch the last name) who told us a bit about Egyptian Christians. There were too many dishes to list them all but I hope that Zico will publish a cook book soon..... (my wishful thinking anyway).

Lorraine invited me to her first wine night in Blarney and it was a great success. We were 6 girls (and all giggly) and each one brought a bottle of white wine. And as always, tastes are different and it was amazing to see how we rated the wines. Forgot to get the overall rating from Lorraine. Anyhow, the food was amazing, the wine kept coming and the company was outstanding....had a great time (only problem was, I had to get up early on Saturday to go to college)

Carol came over last night and we had a lovely bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and had a girly heart to heart. Today is going to be a bit easy. Have to do some studying and meeting some friends later in Mahon....and we are ready for the new week ahead.

Hope ye all had a great weekend as well - keep dining and wining...

Super Sunday

Sunday was such a lovely day that I picked up Wendy and we headed to Ardmore....I wanted to pay the Cliff House Hotel a visit to try their food (remember, they got a Michelin Star awarded) and Wendy wanted to walk along the beach.....so we headed off..

The weather was just amazing and no traffic. Unfortunately, the hotel was closed (opens again next weekend) but we had a lovely walk along the beach (found even a dead fish). Anyway, our bellies wanted something to amuse them, so we decided to head back to Youghal and pay Ahernes a visit. I haven't been there before but have heard many good things about them so I wanted to see for myself. We went into the seafood bar which is small with about 8 tables. The interior is casual relaxed with neutral colours. The bar leads into the pub. Staff needs a bit of training - although the young girl was lovely but inexperienced. The 'head waitress' was a bit brisk. The menu - of course- was seafood focused with some of the dishes offering fish on the bone (not my favourite way of eating fish to be honest).

Anyhow, Wendy ordered Monkfish & Scampi with salad, sauteed potatoes. It didn't say on the menu that the fish was breaded but it was cooked lovely and the portion was generous. I opted for deep-fried plaice served with root vegetable mash and sauteed potatoes. As I love mashed potatoes, I asked if I can have champ instead. Tartare sauce was served with both dishes.

The fish was cooked very well, my plaice just a bit too long. The sauteed potatoes were fantastic while the champ was nothing to write home about. But the root vegetable mash was out of this world.

Whenever I am in a restaurant and see Banoffi Pie on the menu, I have to order it. I am actually on a mission to find the best Banoffi Pie in Ireland. Ok, to cut it short, Ahernes hasn't got the best....not even near. The base was too crumbly, the toffee not enough cooked and the cream was too synthetic......and it was served with a fruit coulis. I had 2 spoons full and left the rest behind.

Just to let you know, the best Banoffi Pie I ever had, was in Poco Loco (doesn't exist anymore - a bit tragedy in my opinion).

But the crowning of the day was of course Manchester United beating the crap out of Arsenal.....hehehehe...sweet.

Dingle in January

Last weekend, Linda, Wendy, Sue and myself decided to head up to Dingle. Linda's sister got a lovely summer house up there and we kinda invited ourselves along. As Linda knows the way in her sleep, she was the driver for the weekend.

The weather in Cork wasn't very promising but as soon as we were out of the city, the weather cleared up. Traffic was easy and we made good head. When we arrived in Dingle we stopped for a light lunch at the Apple Tree. A bistro style cafe with no frills attached. Their speciality is chips with cheese....and since Linda was so excited when she ordered them, I decided that I have to try them. In a very weird way, they were yummy and I couldn't stop eating although I was already stuffed after half the portion. Sue followed our example while Wendy opted for the seafood chowder.....which looked and smelled amazing.

Linda, best tour guide in the world by the way, headed to the house to prepare it for us, while Wendy, Sue and myself started to visit the local shops for some retail therapy....(for the fashionistas....I got a great pear of sandals).

Since Linda knows the area very well, we agreed to go on a walk......hmmmm...lets say, it was a long walk and thanks God we found a pub halfway through. A pint helped us on the way again.

Since it is January and Dingle really lives of tourism, most restaurants were closed but Linda managed to secure a table at the Lord Bakers pub. I love old fashioned pubs and when they offer good food, I am normally in heaven. The Lord Bakers is named the oldest pub in Dingle and is run now by John Moriaty who seems to be the local celebrity as he seems to know everyone. The interior is old pub style without looking made up. Bare brick walls and dark colours made it a cosy atmosphere. Walls are covered with personal photographs that shows John Moriaty with several 'famous' people. The staff was friendly and attentive. John was also voted best host in 2009 by Georgina Campbell.

The focus is on seafood and local produce. Catch of the day was monkfish in a garlic cream sauce which Wendy ordered. Served with potatoes and mixed vegetables. Wendy was very quite during the dinner - a good sign. Linda ordered steak and asked for medium to well done and her face lit up when it came exactly that way. Sue and myself opted for stuffed mushrooms in a garlic cream sauce. I asked for mashed potatoes and it was a problem - although it wasn't on the menu. It came with scallions....just the way I like it. the mushrooms were perfectly cooked and the stuffing was flavoursome. The garlic cream sauce wasn't to overpowering. For desserts I had the best apple crumble ever.....and I mean the best ever.

We ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio San Vigilio to go along the food and the wine was fresh and crisp and went perfectly with the fish as well as the steak. After all that food (and still feeling the legs after the walk), we only managed to go back to the house and finished the bottle of Prosecco Wendy brought along. We all had a great night sleep (although too short for Linda who was dead surprised that the 3 of us were up and chatty by 8am).

Sunday morning was lazy, we had lovely breakfast prepared by Linda and took our time. As it was kinda rainy we went for the spin in the car and enjoyed the coast views. We left Dingle around 3ish and took our time. Of course, we had to stop in Killarney for some retail therapy and started slowly to think about food again.....Linda actually suggested McDonalds.....thanks God, neither Sue nor Wendy agreed....so we went further towards Cork and stopped at the Mills Inn. Another lovely old style pub with excellent food. They had a set menu of 2 courses for €19. We all opted for the stuffed mushrooms (I know I have an affection towards mushrooms) which were perfectly good. The breading stayed on the mushroom and the filling was plenty enough to taste it actually. The filling was pesto while it came served with a sweet chilli dressing. You would think that can't work but for some weird reason it did. Sue had a vegetarian Lasagne while Linda opted for the beef lasagne - both portions were plentiful and rich. Wendy got shiny eyes when she saw her portion of mussels in white sauce (the smell was just amazing) while my fish & chips portion came served in a newspaper and was massive. The bread we were served is baked in house as well as the tartare sauce that came with my fish....I was in heaven....on the way home we were all very quiet, sad that the weekend was over, happy that we had full bellies.

Chef of the Year 2009

...and the winner is Sunil Ghai of Ananda Restaurant in Dublin who received standing ovations at last nights award ceremony hosted by Food & Wine Magazine. He was very humble and simply said thanks for the award and thanks toward his amazing team at the restaurant. But let me start at the beginning.

The day started of with a Veuve Clicquot Reception at 12:30 on the terrace of Fire Restaurant at the Mansion House. The champagne was flowing freely and the chefs enjoyed their day off. Well known faces as Derry Clarke with his charming wife Sallyanne of L'Ecrivain, Dylan McGrath of former Mint, Paul Flynn and too many to name here all. Lots of food writers were attending as well like Dianne Curtin & Aoife Carrigy (both write for Food & Wine) as well as Regina Sexton - a food historian from UCC.

Dianne and myself arrived in the morning after a 'short' drive from Cork (my first time driving up myself), and we were already in the mood for the champagne. We were then called into the 'Round' Room of the Mansion house which - as the name kind of suggests - is round with a ceiling that had 'stars' glowing down on us. The service was amazing and the food mouthwatering (below the menu). Norah Casey (Publisher of Food & Wine) opened the day with a lovely speech that relaxed everyone and set the mood for the rest of the event.

Roast Thyme infused baby beetroot St Tola feta goats't cheese, orange and mache salad with caramelised walnuts (WOW in capitals. One of the best salads I have eaten in a long time. The walnuts gave a lovely sweetness and texture to the dish). Served with Penfolds Reserve Bin Eden Valley Riesling 2005 (leave the Riesling to the Germans - one of the few things they really do well). The wine was okay but nothing to write home about. Saying that, it went well with the salad.

Casteltownbere crab ravioli in a spiced tomato and coconut broth and yellow curry oil. (The soup was more a cream soup than a broth but it was absolutely yummy. A great kick from the spices and the curry oil. The crab was fresh and the ravioli was cooked to perfection). Served with Penfolds Thomas Hyland Chardonnay 2007 (again, okay but nothing of note but then, I am not the biggest fan of Chardonna)

Duo of wild marsh black face lamb with nage of spring vegetables (samphire & peas), celeriac gratin and caramelised shallot jus (it look fantastic - listening to the carnevores - very rich and filling). I had panfried hake with samphire & peas, served with potato cubes and lemon cream (they let the fish speak for itself - simply perfect dish). For the main course, we had 2 wines to choose from, Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2004 & Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (I chose Shiraz - nice wine but I like my wine bolder).

We were then served a Crozier Blue Cheese and Pear Cider Sorbet.........okay, lets be civil......it didn't work. Almost everybody sent it back. If they'd left the cheese out, it would have been great. The texture was simply perfect for an ice cream - and you expected something refreshing.....and then you were hit with the blue cheese, nope it didn't work as a palette cleanser

Lemon posset with a layer of passionfruit jelly served with lavender sables and strawberries......heaven on earth.

And now to the winners:

Restaurant of the Year
1st Chapter 1
2nd L'eCrivain
2nd Pearl Brasserie
3rd The Tannery

Chef of the Year
1st Sunil Ghai (Ananda)
2nd Paul Flynn (The Tannery)
3rd Garrret Byrne (Campagne)

Ulster Best Restaurant
1st McNean House
2nd Deanes
3rd Balloo House

Munster Best Restaurant
1st The Tannery
2nd Fishy Fishy
3rd Gregan's Castle

Leinster Best Restaurant
1st Campagne
2nd Dunbrody House
3rd Aldrigde Lodge

Connaught Best Restaurant
1st The Pier
2nd Inis Meain
3rd Oscar's Restaurant

Dublin Best Restaurant
1st Pear Brasserie
2nd Dax
3rd Chapter One

Ulster Best Chef
1st Neven McGuire (MacNean House)
2nd Noel McMeel (Catalina)
3rd Danny Millar (Balloo House)

Munster Best Chef
1st Paul Flynn (The Tannery)
2nd Mickael Vilajeu (Gregan's Castle)
3rd Martin Shanahan (Fishy Fishy)

Leinster Best Chef
1st Garrett Byrne (Campagne)
2nd Billy Whitty (Aldridge Lodge)
3rd Henry Stone (Sha-Roe Bistro)

Connaught Best Chef
1st Seamkus Commons (La Fougere)
2nd Wade Murphy (Lisloughrey Lodge)
3rd Stefan Matz (Stefan Matz)

Dublin Best Chef
1st Sunil Ghai (Ananda)
2nd Sebastien Masi (Pearl Brasserie)
3rd Ross Lewis (Chapter One)

Best Artisan Supplier
1st Murphy's Ice Cream
2nd Blazing Salads Bakery
3rd Gubbeen Smokehouse

Best Sommelier
Ian Brosnan (Chapter One)

Best Wine Experience
The Wine Cellar (Fallon & Byrne)

Best Service Award
1st Deanes (Belfast)
2nd Park Hotel Kenmare (Kenmare)
3rd Seasons Restaurant (Four Season Hotel)

The Readers' Choise Award went to KOH Restaurant

Congratulations to Hamonia.ie for organising such an event and congratulations of course to all chefs and restaurants that have been nominated and a special hurrah to all the winners.

What a day - the evening was continued at Ron Blacks Champagne Bar across the road from the Mansion House. Silly me forgot the camera again - the dishes were elegantly presented and woul have given a lot of material for the blog. I certainly got many ideas for the next dinner party.

Maybe next year if I get invited again :-) (hopefullly)

Dublin - **

I have been to Dublin a few times in the last few years - mostly with Steve (who is not the biggest fan of the city - as most Corkonians) but never did I have the time to visit some of the fantastic starred restaurants. This weekend I finally made it. Wendy and I drove up on Friday night, while Sue and her brother flew up on Saturday morning. I started to beg Wendy almost immediately when we left Cork that I would love to eat at Patrick Guilbaud's restaurant. And I continued my begging on Saturday morning when we met with Sue and her brother. And they all agreed to go...(I think I forgot to mention the 2 stars). Anyhow, the visit was well worth it. We didn't have a booking but they made room for us (although we didn't look very posh, they treated us like kings). The front of house greeted us like long lost friends without being to 'theatrical' about it - we were simply welcomed. Most of the staff is French which adds to the flair of the restaurant. The dinner set is custom made for the restaurant in yellow and darkgrey with the frontdoor as en emblem. Classy but not tacky.

I started the lunch with a lovely chilled glass of Laurent Perrier Rose served in a very tall flute. I was feeling right at home. The restaurant has a lunch offer of €38 for 2 courses or €50 for 3 courses. I didn't fancy any of the 3 given options so I asked for a main from the a la carte menu....and there was no problem 'mixing & matching'. We were treated to an Amuse Bouche consisting of fois gras mousse and black cherry mousse (a pity I couldn't eat it but the others loved it). I opted for the jerusalem artichoke soup (I had it in Cafe Paradiso and it was yum so I wanted to see the difference). The soup was like silk, thinner than I expected but very very light and flavoursome. It was served with Brioche croutons. My main was handmade truffle tortellini with a garlic reduction and chive oil. The others had ravioli with ricotta cheese as a starter, Wendy had Brill for main, Sue and her brother opted for the cornfed chicken. There was no talk on the table as we all savoured the meal with every bite. It was a simple menu but the execution was outstanding. Desserts (ohhhh yes, we opted for the 3-course deal) were so pretty that I was going to propose to the pastry chef. The dessert special of the day was Vanilla Creme Brulee - and being in a French restaurant - 3 of us ordered it. Wendy opted for the panna cotta with passionfruit coulis. Again, there was only silence at the table. Tee & Coffee came with a small tray of petit fours and Wendy was very quick to grab the green macaroons and the strawberry tart.

Now let me tell you about the wine list.......it isn't a list. It is a bible. When the sommelier - a young guy (not bad looking either, girls) approached us, I got nervous when I saw the 'list'. You really have to go and see the 'list'. Anyhow, as it was only lunch I didn't want to go too heavy and as we all had ordered light dishes I thought we go for a rose. There was a lovely V.d.P des Collines from the Domaine du Monteillet, a non-vintage which suited the fish, the chicken and me perfectly :-).

Wendy was even so impressed that we are planning to return in October to celebrate her 5th anniversary in Ireland....

My Weekend

Wow, what a weekend. Okay, I am not talking about the weather... :-)

I didn't make any plans as I was for some reason not in the mood for anything. I promised Wendy that we would go to Myrteville on Saturday (I was actually supposed to go to a BBQ in Kinsale but Steve had to work, so I decided to spend the Saturday with Wendy). But lets begin at the start...

Friday, weather was dreadful, so I planned a quite evening in front of the telly. While I was in town on Thursday I got some cheese from the market and I thought, the evening called for some 'Me-Time' (as they say in the Radox ad...it was a quarter to me). I made a nice plate of Munster, Durrus, a really lovely Pont L'Eveque and some Ardrahan. A few grapes followed the cheese onto the plate. I had a bottle of Farnese Montepulciano d'Abruzzo in the fridge. So I lit the fire (the weather really was dreadful) and settled in for the night. I felt great...I didn't leave much of the cheese behind.....ups).

Saturday morning was spent in a very (and I mean) very lazy manner until it was time to drop my brother off at the airport. Picked up Wendy on the way and continued further to Myrteville. I have never been there (to be honest haven't even heard of the place) but Wendy was told that the restaurant Bunnyconnellan was suppose to be really nice.....so we arrived in Myrteville and had a lovely walk along the beach (weather was gorgeous at this stage). We asked Sabrina along (she just lives up the road in Carrigaline) and we were meeting in the restaurant at 5pm. The restaurant wasn't open (although it said 5pm) and we got a table in the bar where the same menu was served. The staff was very attentive, polite and friendly. Starters included soup (€5.50) and crab claws (€9.50). Main were mostly concentrated on fish wiht hake served with tarragon butter (€22.00), steaks (€22.50) and the usual suspects of lamb curry, stir fry and risotto. Special of the days included baked cod with a sundried tomato crust, pan-fried seabass, steak sandwich with sauteed onions (all for around €19). Sabrina ordered a goats' cheese tart with Serano ham, I had bruschetta with sundried tomatoes and Wendy had melon with Serano ham. The pastry of the tart was undercooked with a big chunk of goats' cheese topped with the ham.....my bruschetta was dipped in oil and baked topped with minced sundried tomatoes which didn't taste of anything. Wendy's choice has been a lot better. Her melon and ham came with a port and mulberry reduction (although they called it jam....nothing jamming about it).Sabrina (being Italian) and myself ordered the mushroom risotto.....I am too polite to actually describe the taste and texture of the risotto (they actually microwaved it). I had two bites and returned it to the kitchen. Sabrina picked out the mushrooms and returned it as well. Again, Wendy was the clever one having ordered the pan-fried seabass. The fish came with a potato cake. The waitress was very apologetic and offered a new dish for us. I thought I better go with fish as Wendy's dish looked really good so I asked for the baked cod.....ups, big mistake again. The fish was undercooked (Sabrina and myself really doubted that it was actually cod - I still assume it was monkfish), the same tomato mixture was used to top the fish I had on my bruschetta (the taste didn't improve with the fish) and the potato cake was greasy (I bet the chef put the cake in a cold oiled frying pan). The cake was simply mashed potato (salt must have been out that day), squeezed into a cake and dropped into a cold oily pan...the potatoes really soaked the oil up.....I gave up at this point. The wine we were recommended by the waitress was absolutely fantastic and made a bit up for the awful food (a white Rioja).

The location makes this restaurant a big success due to the beach and being the only restaurant at this location.....seriously, next time I am going I will stick to the wine.

Anyway, after that we decided to follow Sabrina home and there we were spoiled with some red Spumante. Quite sweet sparkling wine but great flavour.....so we all forgot about the food really fast (sorry forgot to note the name). Nick showed us some old movies of him and Sabrina and we had a good old laugh....a perfect ending of the day especially as we decided to pay Kerry a visit the next day.

For Sunday, we decided to meet at 5 in Waterville where Nick was able to book us some rooms in the Bayview Hotel. Okay, I have to say that this was an adventure for me as the furthest I have ever driven myself was to Baltimore....I normally get driven. So I was dead proud that I found the place. Since Wendy and myself left Cork quite early, we decided to stop in Kenmare for some lunch. She has been in Kenmare before and told me that the restaurant Jam is quite nice. So off we went. You can describe it as the little sister of Nash 19. Not as classy as Nash but with a lot of character. Wendy ordered the leek and potato soup and I had the chickpea and feta roll. The flavour of the roulade was nice but a bit dry. The place was buzzing.

The weather didn't improve much so we headed back to the car and continued our drive to Waterville. The Bayview Hotel is in the middle of the town with a great view towards the water (we didn't care much for it as we just wanted to get inside). The hotel dates back to 1889 and we assumed it hasn't been updated since (it reminded Sabrina of an old lady who still wears her clothes from her youth) but I bet it was spectacular in its days. The hotel was extremely family friendly which meant loads of children who loved to run down the corridors (and there were lots of corridors - the hotel seemed like a maze at times). When we were all gathered we settled in the hotel restaurant for our evening dinner. Being so close to the sea, the focus was on seafood. Looking at the prices I didn't expect much....but wow, can they cook their fish. I had fish and chips (this time it was actually cod in a lovely beer batter). The fish was flaky and the batter was crispy - just the way I like it. The peas were cold but I was so happy with my fish that I didn't care. The portion of tartare sauce was very generous and I didn't talk for a while. Wendy had mussels and she also had a happy expression on her face. I can't remember what all the others had just that Bernard had a seafood chowder from the starter menu that looked more like a maincourse and since he scooped out even the last drop of the chowder, I can only assume that it was a good one. Sue and her brother had a chocolate cake.....woooooooowwwwoooooo. That was the yummiest I have ever tasted and we kept scooping away on it (it really was a massive piece and Sue was happy to share - really). The prices were amazing as well....€10 for my dish.....hellooooooo Cork......take note. I wasn't impressed by the sad looking burger Nick had and the mashed looked a bit greyish but he loved it....so I held my tongue. Nick and Orla treated us with a session of lovely music and even took requests (the hotel staff was lovely enough to give us a private room). A great ending to a great day.

Next morning we went for a nice walk along the beach before we got back into the cars and headed for Valentia. The island is lovely but the weather really was dreadful. My rain jacket was tested to its limit. We found a lovely shop that was a quirky mixture of cafe, museum, second hand bookshop, meeting point, Internet cafe etc etc etc. Books were ever you laid your eyes on, tables were squeezed into every available space and there was a buzz around that was infectious. Cabinets filled with old china and bits and bobs....I was in heaven. Went through all the books and got some great cookbooks (will write about them later). We had a lovely piece of homemade cake there. I caught the owner and was begging her to sell me one of the cakestands in the cabinets but she was steady in her NO.....she collected them over the years and most of the china is from Wales. But she referred me back to Waterville to a woman called Peggy....so I have to go back to Waterville soon.

Nick then had the great idea to follow the tetrapod trial......not a good idea in the rain.....I got stuck with the car but was lucky that help was at hand.....whoever you were, thanks a million for pushing me out.

After that adventure we decided to head back to Cork via Killarney and to stop in Killorgin for something to eat. We arrived around 4:30 and the town was closed down. We found one place open called Bianconi. Sounded Italian but there was nothing Italian about the menu and I didn't fancy anything on the menu. Sabrina ordered a cheese plate.....the weirdest looking excuse of a cheese plate I have ever seen. Anyhow, they had grated (and I mean finely grated) cheddar cheese topped with a dollop of chutney. Crackers were already topped with some cheese which made them kinda soggy. All that for a whopping €13.90 so I was happy that I didn't order anything but a tea. Thanks God we found an Indian restaurant (Madras Inn) and since Sue and her brother are Indian, we were hoping for some treats. One word, the food was excellent (saying that, Sue's mum makes a better Biryani) and we all were happy leaving for the final part for the way home.

So, that was my weekend and I still have a big smile on my face....hope you all had a good time too.

Kinsale

Met Sofie in Kinsale on Sunday. We had a lot to catch up on as we haven't seen each other in ages. Anyhow we thought the Arts Week in Kinsale was the best excuse to meet up again. I am never sure if I like Kinsale or not. I love the old houses that are scattered around the town, the little shops and of course the restaurants. I have never been to Jola's and unfortunately they are not open for lunch and we both didn't want to stay around for too long so we settled in The Blue Haven Food Company.

I have been to the Blue Haven Hotel a few years ago when my little niece (now she would kill me if I called her little - she is 15 now) had her first communion and I wasn't impressed by the food. But in the years after that, the hotel has branched out - almost as if they are planning to take over Kinsale completely) and the Blue Haven Food Company is one part of this 'empire'.

You come into a little shop style which is called the Boutique Bakery. I have to admit that the display of cakes, slices and tarts looked mouthwatering and who ever tries to hang onto a diet should avoid this shop like the plague. It looked just divine. A corner of the shop was covered with shelving units that were loaded with chutneys, jams and lots of other delicatessen.

You walk through the shop into the dining area which - like the shop - was decorated in a warm but still fresh cream colour. The walls, cabinet units and chairs all were painted in cream (you think that looks boring - think again). Here and there was a splash of colour in turquoise. This is how you imagine an oldfashioned seaside cafe to look like. The menu was on the table but also on a big blackboard on the wall. You find the usual suspects of paninis, wraps, sandwiches etc but also Jacket Potato. So, you might think that is nothing to write home about.....but you are wrong as most cafes, bistros and restaurants don't have Jackets on offer (I still wonder why that is) while it is very common in the UK. Anyhow, Sofie and myself had a smile on our faces and we opted both for a jacket (mine with goats' and cheddar cheese and Sofie with coleslaw and cheddar). The portions were small enough for lunch but big enough to fill you. The waitresses left us mostly to ourselves and we took the time to complete our chats.

The arts week was well organised as most shops displayed local artists in their windows, a craft and arts fair was on in the Temperance Hall and the 'Clay Man' was entertaining the crowd with different heads of clay (he actually had a big lump of clay around his head and made different shaped heads from pigs to fish etc). A food market was there as well with the typical stalls of crepes, pies and others yummy delights. A youth dance group entertained the people as well as the Capoeira Group.....we escaped when they were looking for volunteers to join them.

I also came across a new shop called Gourmet Galley. It is a charming looking shop full of little treasures for the cook. Not as well stocked as Brennans in Cork, it was inviting to browse and I couldn't resist to buy a new tart mould (I know I know I got already a few but this is a new size - promise). The shop is located in 43 Main Street.

The weather was good to us as the sun was standing strong and we decided to walk along the water between Kinsale and Belgooly. It was a great day and I went home with a big smile on my face.

United Nations at the Aran Islands....

.... okay not the 'real' UN but 4 gorgeous girls all from different nations. Wendy, Sabrina, Sue and myself headed off to the West last weekend. We didn't really have a plan other than that we wanted to leave the city for a weekend. So we headed off in the general direction of Doolin - with a little detour to Sixmilebrigde (you have to visit the village pub with their duck pond - too funny). Anyhow, since we left quite late, we arrived around 9:30 in Doolin and booked into the Doolin Lodge. Lovely place actually and very very clean. Only problem we had, everything closes at 9:30 in Doolin (and they don't even have an ATM) so our plan to visit the Ballanacken Castle Hotel restaurant fell flat and we had to do with the local pizza place (not bad pizza at all but massive).

The next morning started with rain - rain - rain and we saw ourselves stuck in museums and shops all day so - still with no real plan - got into the car and just drove off.....and et voila.....the sun took mercy on us and came out so we headed to the pier in Doolin (not before stopping at the music store/cafe in Doolin - you have to go and see it, it is so cosy you don't want to leave).

My stomach is not the best on an uneven and moving surface (I don't even go onto a children's carousel) and I was a bit worried about the boat trip to the islands but faced it bravely. Wasn't that bad at all. It took quite a bit to get to Inis Mór but well worth it. We were greeted by bus drivers who wanted to drive us around...but since we didn't have a plan whatsoever - and the last ferry left about an hour later - we needed to find accommodation. So we headed to the Touristic Information. We settled on booking into Clai Ban (main reason, it was close to a pub :-).

Anyhow, the people were lovely. We took the offer of a bus driver and he showed us nicely around. Haven't eaten since breakfast, we were in deep need of food. There was a vegetarian restaurant but looking at the faces of the three girls......we settled for the pub next door called Ti Joe Watty's. A lovely fire was on, the pub filled with locals and the menu looked promising. Sabrina and Wendy shared mussels which came with a lovely garlic butter sauce and the smell was divine. I settled for a butternut squash soup and was happy with it. I couldn't wait for the main course as it is very seldom that raywing is on the menu.....and I wasn't disappointed. The fish was baked to perfection with prawns in a herb butter sauce. It came with mash that could improve and peas and carrots (would have loved leeks with it) but all in all a great dish as the fish was shining above all the other ingredients. Wendy and Sabrina had the same while Sue opted for a steak burger in ciabatta bread. She loved the burger but wasn't too keen on the bread and the gherkins.....the dish looked good tho.

We headed back to the B&B as I brought a bottle of Champagne along (incl. some glass flutes as I hate drinking Champagne from plastic glasses or even cups). As the weather was still gorgeous, we sat in the garden and Sabrina demonstrated how to open a bottle of sparkly as she started her working career as a waitress. We filmed it but I haven't got the clip yet....will post it later :-)

The Chanoine Tsarine Rose Brut was just lovely. Smooth, not too dry but not too sweet either, fragrant fruit that didn't overpower. It was girlie and stylish....loved it.

After that bit of style, we went back to the pub as the 2 sons of our land lady were in charge of the entertainment that night. We had a great night, the locals mixing with the tourists and I was happy when I finally made it back to the B&B (long before the rest of the gang by the way :-)

The next day started with a lovely breakfast prepared by our land lord (as the lady of the manor was still in bed :-) and we went for a few small walks. As the weather looked rough, I tried to find a chemist and asked where it might be located - 'we don't have one'. My question, what do you do when you get sick - 'we don't get sick'....bang, there it was. No chemist, no sea sickness tablets and the wind picking up a lot......but brave as I am, we headed for lunch where I had pollack for the first time. Lovely fish and it really is very very similar to cod. So fish and chips it was. The fish on the island is really so fresh, it would be a crime to have anything else.

Soooo, we made it to the boat (and I mean boat.....it was really small and looked even smaller when the sun didn't shine). The wind was picking up even more and I was really worried about the contents of my insides. Anyhow, the girls went downstairs as it was freezing. But me....no no no I stayed up there with the elements as I thought fresh air might be good. To make a long story really short - it was a good idea to stay up there as the rest of the boat downstairs got really really ill. The winds were okay in between the islands but from the last island to Doolin was just the open sea and the sea just played with the little nutshell of a boat. We couldn't even stop in Doolin as the waves were actually going over the cliffs. And guess what......I faced the elements and even so I got soaked about a hundreds times, and the seawater was polishing my skin....and I really thought I might meet my maker.....I had a good time. 3 Italians were up there and 2 Germans (who spoke German to all of us thinking that we all understood what they were saying)....the poor English guy next to me.....sorry mate, wouldn't have moved for anybody (he just made it to the stairs). The old captain had a good laugh when we finally made it to shore where we were picked up by mini busses bringing us back to Doolin.....

Sabrina and Sue were still very much shaken up and just wanted to get out of there and since I was still soaking wet, we left Doolin (and I still didn't get to the Castle Hotel) but we stopped in Ennis as we didn't want the weekend to end on a bad note. We went to Brogan's in Ennis. A pub with a restaurant - dead busy on a Sunday night, so we had to wait in the pub where I warmed myself up with a pint of cider. Traditional live music played in the back and we all could laugh again about the tour.

The food was nice, from the traditional Irish Stew to Steak dishes. I opted for coconut crusted baked goats' cheese that came with a fruity chutney and basil pesto. A bit more of the chutney and a bit less of the coconut would have made the dish even better.

We finally made it back to Cork around 1am and I dreamed of waves and seagulls......