Living in Cork

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The decor is classy but certainly different, or what would you say to a place sporting sculptures of the female reproductive organs (there were a few, the rest of the art circled around naked women and interesting colour combinations).

The waiters were very professional and attentive, paying a lot of attention to the wishes of the customers (this place actually gives you a steak medium minus minus) and managing to be there when you need them and to stay away when peace is wanted. Go here, even if all your holiday savings are squandered!

The food is so Italian you can almost see little green, white and red flags on it. They have a lunch menu which I have never sampled as it is obviously meant for people who wish to eat a little less during the day. It sports cheaper and smaller pizzas and other such like wonders. But personally I prefer the actual menu. Plenty of pizzas oozing with mozzarella and fresh toppings. I recommend the "pick the fillings yourself" calzone, price 12 euros, if I remember correctly. All the pizzas range at 11 to 13 euros, which is an excellent price for something this good.

The atmosphere is nice, and the restaurant is sitauted opposite a very beautiful church which you can dreamily goggle at while waiting for your food. Luckily this place does not keep you waiting for your lunch or dinner any longer than absolutely necessary. One thing I don't suggest: do not go here on your own. The food is as great as ever and the service impeccable, but you will feel lonely. You need someone special (friend, family, or lover) to share this fantastic place with. Oh, and if there's an important football match on in which even one of the teams is Italian, this place may well be closed. As it was when Juventus and AC Milan played in the Champions League Final.

I definitely recommend this place if you're looking for a cheap place with good food.

Luckily, the food is excellent and all sorrows about the interior are buried under a mound of fantastic delicacies. All the food is prepared with immaculate care and you can certainly taste the effort the cook has put into your particular dish. The greatest thing is the daily menu which consists of a choice of three appetizers, three main courses, and three desserts for the price of 15.95. This offer is on from noon to 6pm every day. I was not disappointed. My bruschetta, pizza, and warm chocolate fudge cake were all high quality and came promptly.

You really do not have to wait for your food here. The waiters are highly professional and very pleasant.

This is a good place to go to if you want a fulfilling meal and don't want to pay yourself silly.

The food is relatively cheap (this may be why it is popular with children and their parents) and extremely good. They have a selection of food ranging from Italian to American with plenty of choices with your meals: you can get fries with salt and vinegar, ketchup, mayonnaise, HP sauce . . . oh the glory! This is also a place which pays attention to it's customers wishes. When I asked for extra sauce on my Caesar salad (have this, it's mind-blowing), I got extra sauce on my salad.

They have a bit of a different way of making things here: for example, the Caesar sauce was not like usual Caesar sauces, being more mustardy, and the bruschetta was made not on baguette or Italian bread, but on toast! This may sound slightly suspicious, but I assure you, the bruschetta was delightful (fresh tomato, fresh basil, olive oil and plenty of garlic -- drooling yet?)!

The atmosphere is very warm and cosy, this is a place where you could sit for hours just watching people, talking to friends, or smooching with your sweetheart. If this appeals to you, try this out!

The pub itself is gorgeous. This is perhaps the one thing that entirely swept my misgivings (being a metal fan, I don't usually hang out in places such as the Old Oak) away. It is a beautiful place. Big and beautiful, with dark wood counters and light parquet floors.

The music is definetly great if you enjoy hit music mingled with old favourites. Even I was entertained by the great DJs who played The Beatles and AC/DC at request.

They have many types of drinks here, but don't go asking for a White Russian as they don't sell cocktails. This is also a place where no matter who you are, you will most probably get someone buying you a drink if you just hang about for long enough. The good side? You don't have to pay for anything. Apparently the men are so keen to buy you drinks, they may even buy two in very quick succession (while you're still sipping the first one). The down side? You may get a drunk admirer sticking to your side for the whole night. It may be worth it though.

Dancing is a bundle of fun here, although sometimes the dance floor is deserted and you may need plenty of guts and alcohol to start moving your body in front of everyone.

This is a pub that everybody in Cork will (and should if they don't) know. And after a night of sweaty boogeying, you can step into the Central store a little further ahead on Oliver Plunkett Street and buy a refreshing ice-cream or non-alcoholic drink, open on Saturday till 4am!

They have a larger than average Fantasy section, where you can find some good bargains (9.95 for the Silmarillion) and the perfect history chapter. I thought I'd walked into British history heaven when I walked up to these shelves and it took a long while to rip myself away from them. Here too, great bargains apply (three books by Alison Weir for the price of two, and prices range from 10 to 13 euros per book!). Being an English history/monarchy fanatic, I found plenty to fulfill even my wildest dreams.

But the downside: no Narnia series, no European fashion from 1000 to present day books, not a very extensive choice in dog books, and only one silly astrology book! But if you're not picky, I'm sure you'll love this place.

Also this may not be the place to go if you want the cheapest books (outside of the frequent bargains): the newest Harry Potter was 19.95 here, while I found the same book in Tescos for 17.95, nevertheless it's still better than at Eason where the book was 21.95.

We sat ourselves on the grass and began talking, munching our delicacies and reading the book. The amazing thing was that although there was a lot of "hustle and bustle" around, it was still really peaceful. Even when the wedding party from the church next door came close by to take some photos, it wasn't a bother, au contraire, we enjoyed is excessively. Let's just hope that the happy couple won't have pictures with two strange people sitting in the background staring avidly. After a refreshing ice-cream from the campus store, it was time to go home. A shower and a dinner later, we concluded that the day had been a succees.

I've heard that the market is expensive, but experience and other tales tell another story. Four meduim sized lemons can cost over 2 euros in a normal store in Cork, but at the English Market I got them for 1.60! Also apparently, chicken is cheaper here than at any food shop, and undoubtedly fresher too.

You can also go to the "specialities" department, where there will be a large assortment of olives and pastas, sundried tomatoes and sauces. The fruit, herbs and vegetables are all fresher than fresh, and the same goes for all other products too.

It's a real treat looking at the mounds of minced meat(cheap too!) and the piles of shrimp and big slimy fish all begging to be bought and eaten. I'm getting hungry just writing this. Obviously if you're a vegetarian and consider all I've written both tasteless and inhumane, then try to avoid the meat and fish sections of this place.

The drinks are cheaper than at most other places I've been to, but nevertheless, you will pay till your wallet weeps if you love the place and never want to leave (let me sleep here, please!). Enjoy the music (as I know many of you will), sit back, relax, talk to the people, and have a great night.

As an extra bonus: get to know the bartenders, they're great people, and you may find yourself partying with them after Fredz closes! Expect the unexpected when visiting this place.