Finest Restaurant in Cork?

rsta · 30-06-2009 11:41am #1

Heading to Cork this weekend with the OH and would like to go to a top restuarant to enjoy a romantic dinner.

I've heard good things about Jacques Restaurant and Flemings Restaurant.

Any other restaurants in Cork City you would recommend?

Thanks in advance :-)

rebs23 · 30-06-2009 11:47am

The two you have mentioned already plus Club Brassiere on Lapps Quay, Les Gourmandies on cook st, Jacobs On the Mall, Greenes at Isaacs Hotel or the Ivory Tower are probably the best for fine dining.

dahamsta · 30-06-2009 12:24pm

I've heard nothing but bad about Jacobs, despite their reputation.

Dob74 · 30-06-2009 1:22pm

I like the Liberty Grill. Casual and the food is great.

Oafley Jones · 30-06-2009 2:08pm

Dob74 wrote: »

I like the Liberty Grill. Casual and the food is great.

I like it as well. But it's nowhere near the level the OP is looking for.

tagoona · 30-06-2009 2:13pm

I must say , I've only ever been disappointed the 2 times I was at Jacobs.

Oafley Jones · 30-06-2009 2:20pm

tagoona wrote: »

I must say , I've only ever been disappointed the 2 times I was at Jacobs.

Every time I hear Jacobs mentioned, the word disappointed is usually not far behind. Took the GF to Greenes about two weeks ago. Service was excellent, although I was disappointed that they had taken the Tempura off the starters. The parfait more than made up for it though. Despite being perceived lower in the pecking order, i'd prefer much more of The Cornstore's menu.

Morrisseeee · 30-06-2009 2:31pm

Scoozis is a nice restaraunt, it has a certain 'mood' to it (and can be romantic too), food/service is always very good aswell.
If you are splashing out, and like a chinese, then try the Ambassador (I think its still there!).

JSK 252 · 30-06-2009 2:45pm

Currans Restaurant I always thought was good.

http://www.curranscork.com/

Oafley Jones · 30-06-2009 2:46pm

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Scoozis is a nice restaraunt, it has a certain 'mood' to it (and can be romantic too), food/service is always very good aswell.
If you are splashing out, and like a chinese, then try the Ambassador (I think its still there!).

The Ambassador is a quality Chinese alright and is definitely still there. I stopped bringing dates to Scoozis when I turned 20, which is more a reflection of the crowd than the food.

Max001 · 30-06-2009 2:50pm

Makes me laugh when I see threads like this, cause the comments are so diverse and disagreements many

Tripadvisor (TA) ratings are usually dependable if you stick to the top five or so, depending on what sorta cuisine you're seeking.

Continental has been top on TA since it opened which is quite an achievement. Star Anise is always up there and haveing eaten there a few times, I'd recommend it highly. Have heard rave reviews about Augustines
on Washington St, but not tried it yet. Heard really bad things about the Brasserie on Lapps Quay.
OP if ya feel like trying something a little different, think about The Silk Purse at 1, Union Quay, which is just across the river from the Clarion. Theres a review for it on Tripadvisor and its only been open a few months. Been there and the food is orgasmic, the staff are very friendly and I'm going back asap.
Literally the finest restaurants might include Les Gourmandises and Hayfield Manor and I keep hearing rave reviews of Ivory Tower, but not tried it yet.
I'd say though, that too many restaurants in Cork are trading on past achievements and I'd encourage you to complain/send food back if you're unimpressed - its the only way they'll learn not to take us for fools.
Also, like elsewhere, nearly all local restaurants offer early bird menus so you can eat well and eat reasonably now, for a change. Great examples include Les Gourmandises and Man Fridays in Kinsale. Was in Man Fridays
last week and they're doing 3 courses for €25/early bird, similar to Les Gourmandises. Bit of a steal in both cases! :pac:

Oafley Jones · 30-06-2009 2:56pm

JSK 252 wrote: »

Currans Restaurant I always thought was good.

http://www.curranscork.com/

Once again, not a top class restaurant. Curran's is much more a family place where you'd see kids running around.

edit: I'll just add before I come off as some Frasier type snob, i'm more than happy eating Hillbillys from time to time.

glanman · 30-06-2009 3:08pm

In my opinion of the ones mentioned:

Jacques: very good, intimate and good quality food

Flemings: A bit out of the city(10 mins) Good food and fine dining

Club Brassarie: Never been

Les Gourmandies: Quality French food, perhaps a little dated but still very good

Jacobs: An institution of Cork, most people have very high expectations going in so some reviews can be a little disappointing

Greenes: Good food, nice atmosphere

Ivory Tower: My favourite. Intimate, you walk past the kitchen on the way in and interesting dining room. Food is very good and not bad value. Get a bottle of the Lenbanese red:)

Liberty grill: Burgers, steaks and chicken, standard fair, solid but nothing special

Scoozis: Pizza, pasta, lasagne. Not quite what you are looking for as far as I can make out from your posts

Currans: See Scoozis

Ambassador: Never been but its a chinese and as far as I'm concerned Irish chineses are nothing really other than western food

For lunch on any day other than a Sunday(not open), go to the English Market and The Farmgate Cafe upstairs. 2 choice for style of lunch and everything is delicious, try the B&B pudding for afters!

Kinsale is good food, but a lot of places are trading on the Kinsale name so choose carefully if going there. Head to West Cork for special experiences. There are little gems all over the area such as Blairs Cove near Bantry. Too many to mention

Max001 · 30-06-2009 3:13pm

+1 on the Farmgate for lunch. Fun food plus the theatre of the market going on below - can't beat it.
Soooooo hard to pass those puddings by! lol

Glanman if/when ya have time, would welcome your recommendations for West Cork.

Cheers!

glanman · 30-06-2009 3:20pm

Give me a few days and I will draw up a list:)

Had the best meal of my life in the Old Convent House in Clogheen Co. Tipperary(about 25 mins for Mitchelstown) recently. My words wouldn't do it justice how good it was, these reviews might:

http://www.theoldconvent.ie/Reviews.html

JSK 252 · 30-06-2009 3:50pm

Oafley Jones wrote: »

Once again, not a top class restaurant. Curran's is much more a family place where you'd see kids running around.

edit: I'll just add before I come off as some Frasier type snob, i'm more than happy eating Hillbillys from time to time.

Well tbh then to get really good food at reasonable prices and get the upper class atmosphere then somewhere like the overdraft at minane bridge or man fridays in kinsale is where the cuisine is at.

glanman · 30-06-2009 3:56pm

On an overall theme why do people make such an issue about paying over €40 for a meal when they have no problem going out and spending €100+ on drink for a night. None of these places in Cork are over €60/€70 a head for 3 or four courses which I reckon is money well spent if its a good meal.

A good meal, good company and good bottle of wine or two (or decent beer) will beat a night on crap beer and the crap feeling the next day for me any day.

(Maybe I should put this in the rant section, just the first time I have posted about food on boards and its my pet hate)

chuci · 30-06-2009 6:19pm

the ivory tower is really nice and cozy.have never been disappointed whenever iv gone. the hardwood near the Franciscan well is just delicious as well have gone back a few times the food just gets better. Jacobs iv ever only eaten there twice but both times have been very nice and i haven't been disappointed with what iv gotten.i also like Fenns Quay at the back of the courthouse its small and the food is superb and no very pricey.

mik_da_man · 30-06-2009 7:37pm

Max001 wrote: »

Literally the finest restaurants might include Les Gourmandises and Hayfield Manor and Ivory Tower

I agree with the above.
Hayfield manor would be top of my list, if your out to go to the finest then it's the choice for ya.
Food and service is explempary

Illkillya · 30-06-2009 11:05pm

Very good summary by glanman, I agree with most of it.

If you can go outside the city then Ballymaloe House is my favourite spot. Nowhere in the city comes close in my opinion, but I do like Les Gourmandises. Hayfield Manor is good but have been disappointed there before. Flemings can be great but can be awful depending on your taste (the whole "grotty old house" experience works for some).

Jacobs was a great spot, one of my favourites, but they definitely went downhill in the past year. But that's not necessarily a bad thing since I think they also dropped their prices.

Jacques was delicious before, but last time I went there it was quite poor.

Regarding Club Brasserie... I've been there a few times and was really impressed by some of their stuff. Had a quiche there at lunch once and it was the nicest quiche that I ever had. The problem is the menu is not the best so I can see how you could get a dud, and the desserts aren't great.

Fenn's Quay - was only there once... I enjoyed it, but far from the finest in Cork.

Greenes & Ivory Tower...was disappointed at the time but that was years ago so maybe I'm doing them an injustice.

Liberty Grill: what glanman said
Scoozis: what glanman said
Currans: see Scoozis

If we're taking lunches into account... Farmgate was always in my top 3 but too many times this year the staff were under pressure, overcooked the food, etc., so I guess it has been leapfrogged on the list by Club Brasserie. Best lunch spot in Cork though in my opinion (and maybe I'm a bit of an old lady for saying this) is the Crawford Gallery Cafe. Really great stuff and their roulade (depending on the way it's cooked on the day) could be the best dessert in Cork.

Also, I would not take the Trip Advisor ratings seriously at all. I spoke to someone before from a hotel who told me that their rating was sabotaged by rivals. If you look at Continental, for instance, is #1 because it's got 5 star ratings from 13 people - most of whom made only 1 contribution to Trip Advisor. Could very easily be friends of the owner. On the other hand, look at Farmgate Cafe - ranked #54, only has 1 rating (4 stars, from someone with 10 contributions, i.e., a real person). They obviously didn't get their buddies to bump it up the charts, but if 13 of us here from boards.ie went and gave it 5 stars then it would be the #1 and it would probably stay there for a long time, unless it got sabotaged.

TripAdvisor ratings really only work in bigger cities with more of an internet culture where the rankings are not so easily skewed by getting a few friends and family members to sign up. They should weight the contributions so that reviews from people who sign up and post only 1 review don't count for so much.

In short:

If you will consider going outside the city, Ballymaloe House is the place to go, and there are probably other places around the county that would beat any of the city offerings.

But within the city, in my opinion, Les Gourmandises is still the best.

kcb · 01-07-2009 10:16am

glanman wrote: »

Scoozis: Pizza, pasta, lasagne. Not quite what you are looking for as far as I can make out from your posts

Currans: See Scoozis

And very very average pizza, pasta and lasagne at that!

D-Generate · 01-07-2009 8:00pm

Early bird menu at Man Friday sounds well good. Although it has been a bit hit and miss over the past two years.
Usually the food is quite fantastic but the service can vary wildly. Last time I was there earlier on in the evening and the staff were extremely friendly and efficient but another time I took an American girl there and she was offended at the quality of service there. Very gruff. Seems to be a good place early in the evening but after 9 the service just plummets.

Where is Club Brasserie and Continental?

Also anyone have an idea if Longville house is good. I think thats the spelling. Some say food is great but setting is uncomfortable like you are a guest in someones living room.

PowerHouseDan · 01-07-2009 8:23pm

Must say i Love Il Padrinos on Cook Street, Excellent Food,Safe...

Max001 · 01-07-2009 8:36pm

PowerHouseDan wrote: »

Must say i Love Il Padrinos on Cook Street, Excellent Food,Safe...

Would agree. Okay for pizza etc but they have or had a bad habit of seriously over-booking, particularly at weekends. Was kept waiting too long for a booked table twice and wouldn't risk it again, for pizza. Only thing stopped me walking out, was the likelihood that everywhere else (decent) was booked up.

Was in Longueville House some weeks ago for lunch and was underwhelmed by the food and surprised at the prices. I had vegetable soup of the day that came with home made wheaten bread. The soup was only okay, but didn't look very appetising. The wheaten bread was either a day old or had been sitting sliced for hours. Either way it was dry and tough.

My friend had pate, which itself was tasty, but the accompanying salad wasn't much to write home about - few plain leaves sparingly dressed.

Lovely location, shame about the food. With a drink each, the bill came to nearly €40. IMO not good value. Unlikely to be back.

Club Brasserie is next to the Clarion on Lapps Quay and Continental is in the side street leading from BT's to the end of Oliver Plunkett St. Some doors down from that Thai place.

dahamsta · 01-07-2009 9:18pm

PowerHouseDan wrote: »

Must say i Love Il Padrinos on Cook Street, Excellent Food,Safe...

Been there twice in the past, loved it both times. It's a tad cramped though.

glanman · 01-07-2009 9:43pm

I really like Loungiville house, great setting and food was good, god service, all round great for a special occasion/family gathering. Have to admit this as 3 years ago so a lot can change in 3 years

I liked Il Padrino too but wouldn't say fine dining compared to some others. Dont get me wrong, its good food and good value!

MJOR · 01-07-2009 10:01pm

The Ambassador is lovely for chinese and the boardwalk is nice too for a more casual bite, Jacobs is really only Ok and Greenes is fab.

Tony255 · 01-07-2009 10:15pm

just saw an offer in the hayfield mannor for a 2 course lunch for €25 seems like a pretty good deal to me.

all_smilz · 02-07-2009 1:06am

PowerHouseDan wrote: »

Must say i Love Il Padrinos on Cook Street, Excellent Food,Safe...

Ditto, it can be cramped but they served 17 of us in a college gang night out and served us flawlessly, food was great and i swear i had two glasses of wine, 3courses and a coffee for about 35euro.... i like it in the day time as well.... i think they consistently do well in my opinion...
not real fancy shmancy but real nice at the same time!

rsta · 02-07-2009 12:39pm

Thanks everyone

All those restaurants sound amazing, its very hard to choose just one. I'd love a week to try them all :cool:

But, I'm thinking I'll go with Les Gourmandises, the menu looks fantastic. It's very good value too. They are doing 3 course dinner for €39.50 per person.

I'll post here next week and let you all know how it went

Thanks for the casual dining recommendations too, good to know for lunch.

Tony255 · 04-07-2009 12:17am

so ended up in club brasserie and it was fantastic, went there during the day and had a great meal inside and a coffee outside for €20 including tip which was a great deal in my opinion and a great location. would totally recommend it for anyone who has a spare 1/2 hours during the day to just go there and chill out with a newspaper/book really nice atmosphere

Finest Restaurant in Cork?

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