The Restaurant Recommendation Thread

evilivor

mcmurph wrote: »

Its the first time in almost 4 years me and the wife have been away over night without the kids and first time in over a year we'll have had dinner alone.....So a treat I think is in order

Both look great suggestions thanks.

Defo Paradiso then.

nerwen

Went to Les Gourmandise the other day and while everything was nice (except for the room itself, my god can you say stuck in the 80s) I didn't walk away super impressed.

Paid €100 for 2 people which is probably the most expensive place I've been in Cork so far.

We had a daily special starter that was panko shrimp with a mango cream and jelly, which was probably the best part of the meal, great flavour combinations. The other starter was a chef platter with a parsnip soup shot, breaded scallop and rabbit terrine, all nice though not favorites of mine in taste. A little bland and/or on the sweet side. My date had a salmon dish that she absolutely loved, I had a duck that was cooked to perfection and came in abundance - sadly the same couldn't be said for the 2 slices of potato that came with it. For dessert I had a passion fruit jelly with a mango mouse and pinapple granita on top, it was gorgeous and basically summer in a cup. We also both had a glass of wine.

They do a menu that's €35 with a glass of vine for specific weeknights, so if you really like French food I'd recommend it for a treat. Personally, not being a massive French food fan, I doubt I'll be going again.

pwurple

Nerwen that dinner sounds fantastic! Was it the price which was the problem, or it just wasn't to your taste? Sounds like you loved the starter, duck and the dessert!

It's not the most expensive place in cork tbh... Off the top of my head, Oysters would be more deoending on what you order. hayfield manor is pricey, ivory tower does tasting menus for 50 and 60 euro a head. Even cafe paradiso's three course menu is 40 euro a head, without drinks or coffee. Probably more places as well.

There's a place for cheap and cheerful, middling and expensive all in the city I think.

evilivor

I believe Meades has reopened? Anyone know what's the story - who is running it, is it any good?

nerwen

pwurple wrote: »

Nerwen that dinner sounds fantastic! Was it the price which was the problem, or it just wasn't to your taste? Sounds like you loved the starter, duck and the dessert!

Re-reading my post I am clearly having some mixed emotions about the place! I think it's mainly that I'm just not a massive fan of French cuisine that was the problem. For anyone that likes French and is hunting for a nicer place, I'd definitely recommend it.

pancake batter

Any recommendations of restaurants that have a private room/area for dining/drinks?..for a group of about 25?

SusieBlue

pancake batter wrote: »

Any recommendations of restaurants that have a private room/area for dining/drinks?..for a group of about 25?

SoHo would be a good bet, I think they have private function rooms.

nerwen

WhiteRoses wrote: »

SoHo would be a good bet, I think they have private function rooms.

I know they have a BBQ deck on their top floor, been there for team outings with about 30 people and the space was nice. There's a private bar up there, though it's not fancy in any way.

sporina

so with these sunny evenings, there is another factor to consider when choosing where to eat in the city…

so where do ye like to go for an outdoor/window seat in the sun for some tapas and a glass of your choice?

SteelyDanJalapeno

sporina wrote: »

so with these sunny evenings, there is another factor to consider when choosing where to eat in the city…

so where do ye like to go for an outdoor/window seat in the sun for some tapas and a glass of your choice?

Boardwalk?

sporina

TiltedBrain wrote: »

Boardwalk?

hmm does lapp's quay get the sun in the eve?

gimmick

Looks like Ramen are opening a premises at Dennehys Cross next door to the Tesco Express. Presumably for the student market so the complete lack of parking wont be an issue for them.

ABajaninCork

Went back to McGettigans today for a spot of lunch. What a difference in the food and service! It was like night and day...

Went for the chicken wings again. Freshly cooked, nice piquant sauce, and a nice Cashel Blue dip to go with it. Delicious! My husband had the special of French Onion soup which was also nice.

My husband had the rib-eye steak to follow. Nice bit of steak, well-cooked and nicely presented with chunky chips. I chose the special of deep-fried sole with a nice side salad with pesto dressing, grilled asparagus and chunky chips as well. Very, very nice meal, and the service was excellent too.

We'll be back!

Oafley Jones

gimmick wrote: »

Looks like Ramen are opening a premises at Dennehys Cross next door to the Tesco Express. Presumably for the student market so the complete lack of parking wont be an issue for them.

Same carpark as Tesco i presume. Still it's a pain in the hole to get out of.

Footoo

gimmick wrote: »

Looks like Ramen are opening a premises at Dennehys Cross next door to the Tesco Express. Presumably for the student market so the complete lack of parking wont be an issue for them.

The popularity of this place is one of the most baffling things I've seen in ages.

I really don't understand it. Poor quality food that's bizarrely actually gotten worse since it opened.

It looks like some copycat competitors are starting to enter the market on South Main St not far from Wagamamas.

kcb

Tried that Perry St place again (after a terrible first experience!). They seem to have improved a little bit in terms of service but it still seems haphazard and you wouldn't want to be in a rush.

They take your money and give you a number. This time I had to wait about 10 minutes for my coffee.

The coffee was good and food in general seemed to go down well. There is just something about the place that I don't like!

Wouldn't be going back by choice.

evilivor

Had lunch in Coqbul - still think the name is dreadful but can't fault the food.

It's glorified burgers and chips but it's a nice room - pleasant staff - and the food was spot on - my companion said their burger could have been hotter - like it was cooked and left too cool but mine was divine. It was definitely the nicest burger I've eaten in Cork and nice chips too.

Overall, top notch.

dudara

Visited Coqbull last night, but left disappointed. Ultimately, they offer chicken and burgers. My burger had delicious toppings (blue cheese, bone marrow), but the patty itself was overcooked, dry and mealy. It's such a disappointment when a burger joint fails on the burgers. I swapped sweet potato fries for the regular fries and they were not dredged/cooked well.

They also list "Coqtails" but to be honest, they're really glorified mixed drinks and with a price tag of €9.50 for a raspberry mojito that I couldn't taste any alcohol in, I wasn't impressed. Either lower the price, or increase the quality of the drink.

Service was good and I really like the venue itself. It's got a bit of buzz going on that Cork needs. I'd be interested to hear other opinions, but based on last night, I wouldn't be back for the burgers.

evilivor

dudara wrote: »

Visited Coqbull last night, but left disappointed. Ultimately, they offer chicken and burgers. My burger had delicious toppings (blue cheese, bone marrow), but the patty itself was overcooked, dry and mealy. It's such a disappointment when a burger joint fails on the burgers. I swapped sweet potato fries for the regular fries and they were not dredged/cooked well.

They also list "Coqtails" but to be honest, they're really glorified mixed drinks and with a price tag of €9.50 for a raspberry mojito that I couldn't taste any alcohol in, I wasn't impressed. Either lower the price, or increase the quality of the drink.

Service was good and I really like the venue itself. It's got a bit of buzz going on that Cork needs. I'd be interested to hear other opinions, but based on last night, I wouldn't be back for the burgers.

Was it busy? It was deathly quiet when I was there.

dudara

It was jointed. We had to wait a small while for a table to become available.

pwurple

Footoo wrote: »

The popularity of this place is one of the most baffling things I've seen in ages.

I really don't understand it. Poor quality food that's bizarrely actually gotten worse since it opened.

It looks like some copycat competitors are starting to enter the market on South Main St not far from Wagamamas.

I was only there at the startr, but the quality was very good then. Super-fresh veg, cooked fast, very tasty. I love lots of tasty crisp fresh veg in a take away, it's nearly impossible to get. Shame if they stopped doing that. I would go there more if I could park near it.

bladebrew

Footoo wrote: »

The popularity of this place is one of the most baffling things I've seen in ages.

I really don't understand it. Poor quality food that's bizarrely actually gotten worse since it opened.

It looks like some copycat competitors are starting to enter the market on South Main St not far from Wagamamas.

I don't understand it either, we spent €47 on a takeaway to feed 3, it's a stir fry you can make at home in a box, everything just tastes of sauce, we had a Massaman beef that was basically every vegetable in the kitchen swimming in sauce, maybe eating in would be nicer?!

Malari

pwurple wrote: »

I was only there at the startr, but the quality was very good then. Super-fresh veg, cooked fast, very tasty. I love lots of tasty crisp fresh veg in a take away, it's nearly impossible to get. Shame if they stopped doing that. I would go there more if I could park near it.

I'd echo this. Haven't been in a good while but I was impressed with the freshness and flavour when I went. Disappointed if the quality has gone downhill :-/

ABajaninCork

I used Ramen for a takeaway once. That was enough. The Pad Thai was nice and good portions, but the so-called crispy prawns were disgusting. I've detailed my experience earlier on the in the thread. Personally, I think Ramen is overrated, overpriced and the food was crap. I can get better elsewhere, and won't be returning there.

Nonoperational

I just get the Pad Thai in Ramen and I love it.


Went to Mcgettigan's recently. The place looks great, staff were friendly and food wasn't bad. Steak was over cooked though by a long way. I'd go there again though, nice vibe about it.

Footoo

Their "pad Thai" is as close to authentic pad Thai as a packet of koka noodles.

It's basically noodles , veg, about three pieces of chicken or prawns and some rancid dark soy based sauce that they use in all they're noodle dishes.

curly from cork

Not too sure Rocketman in Princes St. qualifies as a restaurant!! However queued today for my small salad bowl , priced at e5.5o .leaves, two salads,two dressings. It was lovely, plenty of it too. Very fresh and a small but adequate selection I thought. Hope they do well.

SusieBlue

Went to Liberty Grill again this evening and it was excellent. Quickly becoming my favourite spot!

Had the deep fried cambozola to start, followed by the ceaser salad which I had with a side order of rustic potatoes which were amazing. Had the berry cheesecake for dessert which was probably my least favourite course, perfectly nice but paled in comparison to the starter and main.

Great food and excellent service, a bit pricey but worth it.

Faith

I don't think the quality in Ramen has gone downhill. We're guilty of eating from there on a regular basis now and I haven't noticed a decline.

My only complaint is I think they sometimes cook dishes on woks which presumably have lots of leftover chili from whatever was previously cooked on it. At least 3 times that I've ordered Pad Thai there, it's been extremely spicy. Not great when you've no heat tolerance like me! It's also not supposed to have any chili in it at all so it ruins it for me when it's spicy.

Cedrus

Faith wrote: »

My only complaint is I think they sometimes cook dishes on woks which presumably have lots of leftover chili from whatever was previously cooked on it. At least 3 times that I've ordered Pad Thai there, it's been extremely spicy. Not great when you've no heat tolerance like me! It's also not supposed to have any chili in it at all so it ruins it for me when it's spicy.

Are you sure? I've never had a Pad Thai that didn't have some form of chilli in it.