For New Year's week this year, the family and I were in Cork. This was the first time I've been to this lovely city. If you ever get a chance to visit Ireland, put this gem on your list of places to visit. It's also close enough to little towns like Kinsale and Blarney to do a nice little day trip. So today I give you the yummy places to eat while you are there!
Best Breakfast - Liberty Grill
This little gem has only been open on the weekends for about a year or so and already they are doing more than enough business to justify the extra hours. In fact, I think this place is so well known they could probably be open around the clock and still have customers, but who wants to do that right?!? The Eggs Benedict melt in your mouth and my lil one devoured her "pancakes" (or crepes) as fast as I could cut them up. The Irish tea here is spot on, but more than that, they actually make a good cup of coffee. Not espresso, not latte, coffee. Very hard to find!
Best "Non-Irish" Cuisine - Crystal Inn Chinese Restaurant
While there are some really good pubs serving really good bar food all over Cork, and Ireland for that matter, there comes a time when you want something different. This place was just down from our hotel so we decided to give it a try. Really glad we did too! The menu here has a variety of Chinese dishes as well as some basic sushi and a very attractive looking Bento box. I got a roasted duck lo mein that was one of the best noodle dishes I've ever had. Don't be surprised if you make a few friends while you are here too. There are only a few actual tables. Since those were all booked, we sat at one of the community tables which is just a long table with benches on either side. We met a lovely Irish man in town visiting a friend, who the lil one immediately began to call grandpa, and a group of Malaysian students who were down from studying in Belfast. Either way, the food and the company are quite nice!
Best Burger - Gourmet Burger Bistro
If you like burgers, then you'll love this place! And if you don't like burgers, this place will either convert you...or what am I saying...who doesn't like burgers?!? Anything you can think to put on a burger, they will put on a burger. Each one ever has a certain "country" flare complete with the flag from that country holding your burger together. I got "The Vampire" a wonderful burger topped with sautéed mushrooms and a wonderful garlic mayonnaise. The hubs got the "Full Irish" which comes complete topped with bacon, black pudding and a fried egg. If you're not feeling a burger, they had great looking salads as well as some chicken dishes. I overheard our waitress was from Dublin, and she was nice enough to send us an email full of suggestions for exploring Dublin (stay tuned!)
Best Place for a Quiet Drink - The Mutton Lane
We stumbled upon this place coming out of the English Market. If you are staying in a place and capable of cooking your own food, make sure to hit up the English Market for some of the best produce and protein in Ireland. You can also find some interesting cheeses and spreads along with something good to wash it down with.
Mutton Lane is a small pub located just outside the English market. It was so named since the alley in which it is located is where they used to bring the lambs to market to be slaughtered and sold. A bit of a gristly tale, but the history of the pub is evident and the drinks are served up cold and quickly.
One week more in Ireland. Stay tuned for some exploration of the country's capital city...
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