Out and About

Travel Fever

corkairporthotel Acting on a tip from Mr. Mulley, I booked into the Cork International Airport Hotel since I’m off to Japan early tomorrow morning. It’s astonishing value for money at the moment (parking is also half the long-term airport parking price), and whatever some might think about the decor, it sure is fun.

Dinner was had at Cafe Paradiso, and once again it didn’t disappoint. Denis Cotter still has the best restaurant in Cork in my opinion,  and it made me happy to see it packed and buzzing. Anyone wanting to eat there should know they have cut back their lunch service in an effort to streamline. I hope that’s a temporary thing, since one would certainly hope that such quality is rewarded, no matter the economic climate. 

Next post from Tokyo!

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Paris Comes to Dublin

 A couple follow on tips from my trip to Dublin. The first was that I was delighted to see that the Palais des Thes has opened on Wicklow Street. I’m sure any tea lovers who have been to Paris will know this outfit, and if you want to serve something a little different and a little more special this Christmas, check out their wide range of blends and single leaf varieties.

Secondly, we paid a visit to the original Donnybrook Fair to see how our ice cream was doing, and we were given a tour of their beautiful new demonstration kitchen, The Cookery Room. It has a great kitchen, is wired for TV, and there is enough space for an audience of at least 50.

They will be offering cooking classes, so keep an eye out in the shop if you’re in the area. In addition, it would be a perfect place to launch a cookbook in Dublin, so if you have one in the works, keep it in mind. If you are interested, contact Donnybrook Fair and ask for Natasha.

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Bargain of the Year

Who says Dublin is expensive? My brother managed to find 10 euro rooms in a four star hotel in Dublin. The Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Newlands Cross, has an offer on of 1,000 rooms for 10 euro. Sean managed to snag two of them. And, as you might be able to tell from this post, there’s even free broadband in the rooms. It’s not the most scenic location, just off the Naas Road, but it’s perfectly comfortable, and at 10 euro, who’s going to complain?

Not Our Year

 I’m back in a subdued and quiet Kerry after a trip to Dublin for the All Ireland. For a neutral, it must have been quite entertaining. For us it was a very stressful match, and unfortunately, the photo above shows the closest we came to the cup. Tyrone deserved their victory, and must be congratulated for their achievement.

For most of the game, the teams were so evenly matched it looked to be heading for a draw, but Tyrone pulled away in the last minutes and Kerry had no response. 

It was a glum trip back on the train, but there were some positives including:

  1. Sun!!!
  2. Fantastic seats five rows from the sideline.
  3. A great evening out in Howth last night with friends and a meal at Ivans.
  4. The fact that it wasn’t a draw has a bright side in so far as the Dingle Food Festival and the replay would have coincided, which would have made things really awkward.  

Here in Kerry, anything short of winning the final is a disappointment, but the county will proudly stand behind the team and live in hope for next year…

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Burgers, Tapas, and Italian in Killorglin

 Even thought I’m in Killarney all the time, I very rarely get to Killorglin, though it’s a minimal detour. A few days ago, I had a bit of time to kill and a bit of hunger and decided to check out the offerings.

One of my excuses for going was to visit the Real Burger Co. (photo right), who have recently become a customer. They seem to be doing quite well, and really take effort with their menu and range of gourmet burgers (not to mention the ice cream!). I like their website as well.

We decided for food, however, to have more of a sit down meal and went to Sol y Samba (photo top) for some tapas. The restaurant is in a former church on top of a hill, and it certainly has one of the nicest interiors of any restaurant in Ireland. With Spanish staff, a good range of wines, and even some entertainment from time to time, it’s a great asset to the town.

Another place worth a mention is Giovannelli Restaurant. I met Daniele at the Dingle Food Festival last year, where he was selling fantastic Italian produce at the farmer’s market. His new place seems to be quite popular (it was fully booked on a weeknight), and the offerings look appetising indeed.

We had to be content with picking up some Italian cheese from the deli counter at the back of the place (he also has a range of Italian meats and sausages).

If you’re in Killorglin, you’re certainly not going to go hungry!

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A Late Taste of Terra Madre

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htg9WrajiVI

Forgive the lateness of this (not very bloggy, I know!), but here’s a video my brother Sean took of Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food, who was at Terra Madre. Petrini spoke as part of the organics conference…

One interesting snippet Sean brought back, is that it has been proven that the milk of cows who graze on grass has much higher concentrations of healthy fats and less dangerous fats than those fed on grain. Great to see those Kerrys grazing in these parts!

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Notes from Dublin

 Wilde and Green I am now back in Dingle, with my trips hopefully behind me for a bit, and today I spent much of the day happily making loads of chocolate sorbet for the shops.

However, I wanted to pass on a couple tips from Dublin:

1. If you live in the Milltown area, check out the new food shop, Wilde and Green (photo above). It’s really beautiful inside and has a tasty array on offer (including a good selection of our ice cream). It also contains a Liz Earle shop – more on that here. Shop address: St. Anne’s, Milltown Road, Dublin 6.

2. Morton’s has added a cafe as part of their refurbishment of their Ranelagh shop. The coffee was excellent, the whole places looks fantastic.

Happy eating!

Eating My Way from Kinsale To Mallow

Ardmore Just a little recap of the rest of my Cork sales trip:

In Kinsale, I visited Mange Tout, a little, tasty shop for delicious food on the go and a good place to grab a cup of coffee.

Gwen's ChocolatesI also learned that Gwen’s Chocolates has opened a branch in Kinsale, and any chocoholic will find their new place irresistible. It’s a stylish, continental-style chocolate cafe, and you can indulge in a cup of the hot stuff, pick up a bar from a good-sized range, or arm yourself with tongs and fill a bag from the mouth-watering rows of truffles.

I made it to Cork City in time for lunch, and managed to find a table at my favourite restaurant there – Cafe Paradiso. Dennis Cotter has been working his magic for a long time, but it feels as fresh as ever. The risotto I had with Bluebell Falls goats cheese, avocado and fresh peas was one of the best dishes I’ve tasted in a long while.

O'Keefe's Food Shop, CorkWe have a few new accounts coming on-line in Cork, notably JJ O’Driscolls and the Spar on the Douglas Road. This is great news for us, since finding our ice cream in the city has been difficult. The Blue Olive still has a selection, as does the brilliantly old-school O’Keefe’s gourmet shop in St. Luke’s Cross.

I spent the night outside Youghal in Ardmore (why not?), where the bed and breakfast lady turned out to be a regular Kerry visitor and customer in our Dingle and Killarney shops. The town is a gem, and the stunning cliff walk (photo top) is balm to the soul.

The next morning, I visited another new account – Grandon Fine Foods in Sallybrook near Glanmire. A gleaming shop attached to a petrol station, it seems to be quite a popular stop for a snack.

UrruOn the way back to Dingle, I stopped at Urru in Mallow. Ah, to have an Urru in Kerry! Any foodie who hasn’t visited one of their two branches is seriously missing out. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll find food blogger supreme, Caroline, behind the counter in Mallow. She served me up a bit of the aforementioned goat’s cheese and some smoked crackers to help me survive the trip back home.

It’s a lot of driving, but I must do this more often!

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