The Triskel Cafe Bar

If you live in Cork and enjoy a nice cup of tea and a sit down, you might be interested to know of a little discovery I made today. Looking for a nice place to have a bite to eat and some tea, we stumbled upon the new cafe in the Triskel, tucked away in the little lane behind the Long Island.

I am not normally one for shameless raving and plugging and, what’s more, I am usually loathe to share hidden gems with the masses, but seeing as the Triskel Cafe Bar is both new and lovely, I feel it is my duty as a citizen to spread the good word.

The first thing we noticed when we passed the outdoor tables, the beer-stocked fridge and the twee decor is that it really didn’t feel like we were in Cork anymore. The advantage of being off the main street is that you are sheltered from all the hustle and bustle. We ordered some hot baguettes (goats cheese – with added chicken – they let you mix and match) and sat down. The tables are adorable with old-fashioned floral oil tablecloths. The chandeliers are adorned with teaspoons and teacups. The music is soft and folky. The lighting is good. Also, maybe due to the location, or the fact that the cafe in its current form has only just opened, it is nice and quiet, and you don’t feel you are in any kind of rush to finish your lunch.

The food is tasty in a lunch-time-sandwichy way. Good goats cheese always gets the thumbs up from me, and it was particularly tasty, as was the chicken. The chicken is free range, the bread is from the nearby Alternative Bread Company and the cheeses are all sourced from various farmers’ markets by the owner of the cafe. The fresh food, bold flowery tablecloths and unmatched cutlery all give the Triskel a real country village cafe feel, which is really something when you consider it is in the centre of the city.

The side salad wasn’t the most exciting thing in the world. It was basically lettuce. Also, they make all their yummy looking desserts on the premises in the morning, but storing them uncovered on a table next to the door meant there were a few flies around. But these are things I imagine will get ironed out when the place has been open more than 3 days, so it didn’t take away from the experience for me.

The best thing about lunch in the Triskel Cafe is definitely the tea part. We were in for quite a treat when the waitress emerged with three china teacups and saucers (each one different), little shortbread biscuits and a big blue china teapot. To make it all the more lovely, the tea was made using tea leaves. I love tea leaves.

After a very satisfying cup of tea and a hearty lunch, we finally felt ready to brave the charming August rain and weave our way back into town.

If you’re in Cork and looking for a nice cup of tea and a sit down, pop over to the Triskel.

The Club Brasserie

I went for a meal in The Club Brasserie, on Lapp’s Quay in Cork, the other night. I’m always looking for good restaurants in Cork, and it’s worth bookmarking when I find one. The Club Brasserie is one of those places that is superbly located, with a view of the Lee and City Hall from the boardwalk on Lapp’s Quay, and has a really good menu, nice staff and pretty decor while still being reasonably priced. This is hard to find, so I figured it was worth raving about.

We had a table booked for 8, but stopped in at Kudos in the Clarion for a pre-dinner cocktail first. The waiting staff were very polite and friendly when we arrived, and didn’t seem at all annoyed that we were a few minutes late. Granted, it was a Tuesday night and we were the largest party in the restaurant but still, things started out on a nice note.

The people at Club Brasserie were attentive, without being annoying. They took our drinks orders, kept our breadbaskets full, our serviettes replenished and made sure everyone knew all the specials (i.e. – all the things you want in a waiter) yet weren’t hovering or doing that classic thing they always manage to do to me of asking me how everything is when my mouth is full of food. And one of them said my dress was nice. So a giant tick next to them then.

The food is obviously an important factor, and the food at the Club Brasserie is delicious. To start, a couple of us split the Calimari and the feta cheese and lamb salad. The calimari was really good and came with a mildly spicy cocktail sauce dip. The lamb salad was just beautiful. I would go back there alone just to sit at a table outside and eat that salad. Salads are not supposed to taste that good. Something about warm cheese and strips of juicy lamb is just so right.

For my main course, I had the seared brochette of lamb with baby potatoes. The lamb was gorgeous, and served in a sweet, fruity sauce with mint sauce on the side. Something about the sauce just worked really well with the meat. I love lamb anyway, so it wasn’t hard to sell me on lamb skewers. But it was pretty good.

Most of the rest of my unadventurous friends opted for steaks. All feedback was good, except for one friend who ordered medium rare and got a very well done steak. I have to say though, at €19.95 for sirloin and €26.95 for fillet steak, it was great value and people certainly seemed happy with what they got. When you go out and order a steak, you clearly want a big hunk of meat and a big pile of chunky chips, and the steaks at Club Brasserie did not disappoint.

Two of our party went for the pork belly. I tasted this and it was fantastic. It was also monstrous. Definitely a job for more than two people or a rotweiller or a bear. Seriously though, there is nothing like a good bit of stuffed pork and this really really was good. We nearly had to bring down the tone of the evening by asking for two prying boards to get my friends out of their chairs and to the pub afterwards, but it was worth it to see the contented, sleepy and uncomfortably full looks on their little faces.

As for dessert, they were out of baked Alaska, much to the dismay of one or two of our party. But they did have a scrumptious Eaton Mess (meringue with cream and berries all messed up) and several other lovely things that we definitely didnt need to eat but enjoyed nonetheless. One of our party ordered cheesecake but ever got it, but seeing as he was one of the people who had the pork belly, this was probably for the best. They did bring me an Eaton Mess with a birthday candle in it which was lovely.

Just a special mention for the location and setting. The restaurant is located just on the banks of the Lee and has a beautiful view of the City Hall, which is beautifully lit at night. The interior of the restaurant is fabulous too, almost resembling an old-fashoned French salon. The high ceilings and chandeliers are a nice touch, but not too over the top. The lighting in the restaurant is just right with low lighting in the foyer and at the bar, and huge windows, along with the chandeliers, to keep the tables well-lit. The Club Brasserie would be a great spot for an early eveing bite to eat and glass of wine, with table outside where you can watch the world go by, or for a slap-up meal for any occasion.

Overall, between the vino, the prosecco, the yummy food and the pleasant people and surroundings, the Club Brasserie was a very pleasant dining experience and one anyone looking for a nice place to eat in Cork should definitely check it out.