Sunday 5 October 2008

things I saw in Cork...

Cafe Paradiso exterior

I think you've probably gathered by now that Cafe Paradiso featured largely


Cafe Paradiso orange tree

inside Cafe Paradiso... pretty, innit?


tripe and drisheen

heh. Not so pretty. Tripe, and drisheen - the eviller version of black pudding


buttered eggs

like it says - buttered eggs. Never seen these before. Apparently, they're eggs dipped in butter (no, really?) straight after they've been laid. They then keep for about 6 months, and give the eggs a rich, buttery taste. Sadly, I didn't get to try any. I'd be interested to know if this is just a Cork thing, or an Irish-wide thing - anyone?


crubeens and pigs head

corned crubeens. Cork-speak for trotters, obviously.


oysters

fabulous local oysters


samphire and fish

fabulous local samphire and fish....


O'Connell's fish stall

... all from O'Connell's huge fish stall in the covered market...


covered market view

... which looks like this.


mango and coconut cake at Joup

if you don't like fish, you can have cake. This was superb - moist and tangy and luscious. From the Joup stall, should you ever be wandering through


Fishy Fishy Cafe exterior

But back to the fish. Fishy Fishy Cafe, in nearby Kinsale.


al fresco dining Fishy Fishy Cafe

al fresco dining at Fishy Fishy. These guys are hard. It wasn't warm. It wasn't even sunny.


Fishy Fishy oysters


Fishy Fishy oysters. Cr*p photo due to low light. Sorry. But they were the best oysters I've ever eaten. And I've had a few. Oysters, that is.


Fishy Fishy clams

Fishy Fishy oh-s0-delicious clams in ginger, lemongrass, and chilli. Same excuse for poor photo.


Fishy Fishy pannacotta with plums

The Other Diner made it through to dessert. Not fish pannacotta, but vanilla pannacotta with plums.


victualler, Kinsale

I can't ever remember seeing a 'victualler's' shop before. Wonderful.


Kinsale cat

The hardest cat in Kinsale. Do not mess with him. He may only have one eye, but he's a born killer.


Kinsale cappuccino

in Kinsale, it was impossible to walk more than ten yards without coming across more yummy things. And eating/drinking them.* (*delete as appropriate)


Kinsale harbour

the views weren't bad, either...


Kinsale view

see what I mean?


Kinsale street

they don't worry about colour co-ordination in Kinsale. Strangely, though, it 'works'


Cork old and new

back in Cork. Old and new - St Finbar's cathedral behind the River Lee, and Jury's Hotel



University College Cork entrance

the entrance to University College, Cork. How pretty is that?


wedding University College Cork

a wedding in the grounds of University College


University College Cork grounds

serene statue in University College grounds.

35 comments:

Pia K said...

What a great set of photos! Love those colourful houses especially!

Not so much the dead animal body parts, to display them like that is just such a sad, sad disrespect of life IMHO...

But if I try and overlook that part, the vegetarian bits, cakes and coffee and Paradiso looks mouthwatering and the place is now, of course, on my to-visit-list:)

Peter M said...

Thanks for the postcards from Cork and it looks like a food shopper's heaven.

lorraine@italianfoodies said...

Nope, never heard of buttered eggs but then nowhere else in Ireland has a market like Cork, me jealous, never:) I haven't been to the fishy fish but dying to try it as have heard such good things about it!!

Cynthia said...

The pictures are beautiful. Loved the ones with the produce and yes, that means the tripe too. :)

Anonymous said...

looks like a fantastic trip. I love those brightly coloured houses and all that fish looks so fresh. Samphire is also something I cannot get enough of each year - one benefit of the rubbish this year - an extended season. Oysters are also something I am totally addicted to so I think I would have had a good time there!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I had to look up what a victualler was. I seems they deal mostly with army and navy items. I did see one in Nottinghamshire that was food related and had hams, etc. Thanks for sharing this photo album with us. Great shots:D

The Caked Crusader said...

Should not have looked at this when there's still 40 mins till lunch (sigh).
That market looks like the sort of place I would have to be dragged out of!
Great photos.
And yes, that cat looks dead hard.

glamah16 said...

What great posts of your trip to Ireland. That Cafe Paradiso serves up some killer breakfasts. I need to try whisky soaked raisins in my oatmeal. A little 'hair of the dog'. All your pictures are great.

Sylvie said...

Your pics make me wish I had stopped in York on my recent Ireland trip!

Anonymous said...

Nice photoes... those clams and oysters look delicious!
Ciao,
Orchidea

Anonymous said...

Oh - this makes me slightly homesick. Beautiful photos, you even covered my alma mater.

I can answer some of your questions :-) Buttered eggs are not just a Cork thing, but an irish thing as I understand it. Very common, the butter blocks the pores of the shell so that the eggs don't go off as quickly. Crubeens are the irish language word for trotter, cru meaning foot, crubeen meaning little foot.

I am delighted you had such a good time. It always make me happy when people enjoy Cork as much as I do :-)

Niamh

Anonymous said...

Oh and also - Irish people love bright houses for some reason, predominantly yellow and pink :-)

Sam said...

I'm sure that market was on a Rick Stein program a while ago, looks great anyway. I like you're pictures, not that keen to try the tripe though!

Rosie said...

Great photo's from Cork!! I think I'll pass on the Tripe, and drisheen though, but a great place to visit for any foodie!

Rosie x

Hollow Legs said...

I went to Kinsale twice last year, once with family and a second time with work. I agree; they're the best oysters I've had so far. I didn't make it to Fishy Fishy - did you try Man Fridays?

Maggie said...

I'll have one of most things please. The cake and coffee look tempting!
Great set of photographs.

Alicia Foodycat said...

Who needs words when you have got pictures like this? Amazing!

Mike of Mike's Table said...

That looks like a heck of a trip! I'd never heard of buttered eggs (or a victualler) before. I'll pass on the tripe though ;)

Simply...Gluten-free said...

Fabulous photos! I am adding Cork to my list of must see places :)

The Peanut Butter Boy said...

Well, did you get to try any crubeen, drisheen or pork heads? Other than those, the food looks delicious =), the buttered eggs idea is interesting. 6 months? That seem impossible.

Anonymous said...

For shame, I live in Ireland, I love food, I've been to Cork and I haven't been to the market yet! Mr B has family there, so we're always with them and exploring gets pushed to the side...

Love these photos. Must sneak down there for a weekend without telling the family first. Shhhhhh!

Nic said...

Great photos, I've not been there before so I've really enjoyed these. I could murder one of those frothy coffees right now!

aforkfulofspaghetti said...

Pia - yes, you must go!

Peter - it is, it is...

Lorraine - get thee to Fishy Fishy. Wonderful food.

Cynthia - you like tripe? Respect, girl ;-)

Helen - samphire rocks, doesn't it? I just wish it was an all-round vegetable. But then I guess it wouldn't be so special.

Val - this victualler's was essentially a fancy butcher's shop

Cakey - it was. I didn't dare go any nearer. Poor old chap, though - he bore the marks of many a scrape..

Glamah - why, thank you kindly :)

Sylvie - you really should have...

Orchidea - all the food there was just amazing. So fresh, so perfectly cooked

eatlikeagirl - thank you for the info. Most interesting. I kinda loved the houses, actually. Unfailingly cheery.

Sam - if it was on Rick Stein, I missed it. Strikes me as very much his kind of thing, though.

Rosie - you a wimp, or something? ;-)

Lizzie - no, I didn't. I'll obviously have to put that on the list for next time...

Margaret - I DID have one of most things. That was the problem...

Mike - you and me both. The tripe, that is

Gluten-free - do. You won't regret it

Nick - I didn't, but I happily would have. I like pigs' trotters, pigs' ears and most parts of pig, actually. Does that make me sound scary?

Jen - I won't tell...

Nic - thank you. The coffee in that shop (next to the victualler - can't remember the name) was fantastic, actually. They did all sorts of specialties with chocolate, including premium couverture.

Anonymous said...

So pretty, the food looked good too!

Manggy said...

To answer your question: very, very pretty indeed :) And how about that, I love cake AND fish!! ;) Thank you so much for this virtual tour! It looks so idyllic!

Heather said...

These are really great photos. I love the cat. If we lived in a wee town with cobblestone streets and painted doors, that's who my cat would be.

Anna said...

Ohhh I am so jealous. Love Cafe Paradiso and that coconut & mango cake -- and the fish stalls! And the coloured houses! And the 'buttered eggs', whatever they are ^__^. Ohhh...

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Pigs' heads? Yikes! They scare me. Thanks for the pictorial tour. I especially love the scenic shots of the trees and the B & Bs.

Cate Bruce-Low said...

tell me you took the pigs head home with you! and the coconut/mango cake to go with it. nice photos!

xoxo, tribeca yummy mummy

Anonymous said...

Outstanding photos, what a great time.

Maria Verivaki said...

of all places, cork - i'm dying to get there meself some day,,,

Anonymous said...

i NEED buttered eggs.

and that cat could totally cut a bitch.

Abby said...

Have just discovered you through Food Stories and am ploughing through your archives. I'm a Cork city girl and you have no idea how homesick you've made me! Thank you for such a lovely portrayal of my home town.

George@CulinaryTravels said...

I knew I shouldn't have clicked, oh I'm longing to go back to Cork. Drisheen is lovely btw, delicious but I'll pass on the tripe thanks. Buttered eggs are gorgeous too. Did you eat at the English Market? The breakfasts there are to die for.

Spice Rack said...

The oysters and the clams really look so juicy. Whoa! That's really mouth watering, I love it when the clam or oyster is steamed, sauteed and grilled, then it has herbs and spices from your spice rack or spice jar on top.

Continue posting delicious food like this so that people are inspired in cooking new things.