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County Cork, home of the famous Slow Food Ireland movement, has become Ireland's top foodie destination. The mecca: Ballymaloe House, where Myrtle Allen pioneered New Irish cuisine and her daughter-in-law, the celebrated cookery author Darina Allen, learned her trade. Adventurous, well-traveled chefs throughout County Cork make
County Cork, home of the famous Slow Food Ireland movement, has become Ireland's top foodie destination. The mecca: Ballymaloe House, where Myrtle Allen pioneered New Irish cuisine and her daughter-in-law, the celebrated cookery author Darina Allen, learned her trade. A
County Cork, home of the famous Slow Food Ireland movement, has become Ireland's top foodie destination. The mecca: Ball
County Cork, home of the famous Slow Food Ireland movement, has become Ireland's top foodie destination. The mecca: Ballymaloe House, where Myrtle Allen pioneered New Irish cuisine and her daughter-in-law, the celebrated cookery author Darina Allen, learned her trade. Adventurous, well-traveled chefs throughout County Cork make the most of the first-rate local specialties: succulent beef and lamb, game in the winter, fresh seafood, and farmhouse cheeses. The best restaurants are not all in towns: even tiny villages might boast a gastropub.
Tucked away on a cobbled patio, this surprising haven is part of a Victorian warehouse conversion that houses Hotel Isaacs. Stone and redbrick walls are the backdrop to a minimalist modern interior, while out back a gigantic rock-wall waterfall makes a stunning backdrop to the dining area. The menu features the best of local produce, often served with an unusual twist. Start with organic Ummera smoked salmon three ways—with lemon, beetroot, and crème fraîche on organic leaves—or steamed West Cork mussels (marinière or with chorizo and onion). For dessert, try the iced white chocolate parfait with roast peaches or classic crème brûlée.
Advance booking advisable weekends and during festivals.
"Ichigo Ichie" translates as "a once-in-a-lifetime encounter" and a special, once-in-a lifetime dining experience is exactly what this dramatic, Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant delivers. Japanese chef-owner Takashi Miyazaki brings the traditional Japanese multicourse tasting ritual to Cork in the kappou style (meaning the sushi and sashimi is prepared by the chef in front of the diner) and infuses the 12-course menu with Irish fish and produce. Alternatively, request harmony (dining room) or garden room dining---priced at €120 per person. Once-in-a-lifetime might also nod to the chances of getting a table at this 24-seater buzzy spot.
There is a takeaway menu available and the chef also owns Miyazaki, a restaurant-takeaway shop where he sells bento, udon noodles, rice bowls, curry, and other favorites from the Japanese canon.
The small, dark, L-shape room (hence the name) on the ground floor of a handsome town house is dominated by a blue-tiled chimney with a wood-smoke grill, whose aroma pervades the room. There's a masculine ambience here, as befits a brewery and smokehouse renowned for hearty portions of grilled food and triple-cooked chips. The always-buzzy atmosphere is encouraged by helpful, welcoming staff.
4 Oliver Plunkett St., Cork City, Co. Cork, Ireland
In front of a fast-flowing, urban stretch of the River Lee, the neon-clad exterior of a snazzy Art Deco building announces a casual city-center venue that combines a sense of dining as theater with a friendly staff that puts everyone at ease. The ground floor has a square bar with booths and dining niches around the perimeter, while upstairs is a more conventional dining room.
One of the best—and busiest—informal lunch spots in town is on a terraced gallery above the fountain at the Princes Street entrance to the atmospheric English Market. All ingredients used at the café are purchased in the market below. One side of the gallery is self-service; the other side is glassed in and has table service (reservations advised). Weekend dinner available.
Cross Patrick's Bridge to the River Lee's north side and turn right to reach this large, atmospheric brasserie in a converted 18th-century warehouse—a true Cork institution. Modern art, muted jazz, high ceilings, and well-spaced tables with colored wooden tops create a relaxed setting. The menu focus is contemporary---fish cakes, crispy duck confit, or steak. Service is friendly and efficient. Reservations are advisable Friday and Saturday evening.
Tucked away near the GPO is one of Cork's favorite restaurants. Enter through a softly lit, curved Art Deco–style bar that combines exposed brick walls with caramel-shaded leather banquettes to create a soothing respite from the city center. Food is always sourced from local artisan producers, and the seafood as fresh as it gets, while the imaginative, well-judged menu encourages flavor to shine through. Small to large appetites are catered for---and priced accordingly---with big plates that include seared Castletownbere Scallops, venison, or rib-eye steak.
23 Oliver Plunkett St., Cork City, Co. Cork, Ireland
All that remains of this building's former identity as a pub is the long mahogany bar; today, it is a bustling bistro-style restaurant serving robust, freshly prepared food from an open kitchen. Art Deco touches and a predominantly black-and-white theme set a Parisian mood, and light floods in from two walls of large windows on summer evenings. Most ingredients come from the renowned English Market, for a menu (on no-frills paper table mats) that is mainly contemporary Irish, centered on comfort food.
A three-course dinner menu is available for €39.50 for large groups.
5–6 Oliver Plunkett St., Cork City, Co. Cork, Ireland
Easily missed, tucked into a quiet lane close to the renowned English Market, Nash 19 is one of Cork's secret gems, popular with locals for its wholesome, unpretentious cooking using local, seasonal ingredients. Highlights include a decadent signature platter that features the best of Cork's artisanal produce. Takeaway meals are available at the deli.
Irish owner--chef Denis Cotter has won awards for his cookbooks, which have added greatly to the fame of this simple, café-style restaurant. The Mediterranean–Eastern fusion-style food is locally grown, and is known for its imaginative combinations, so tasty that even dedicated meat eaters forget that it's vegetarian.
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