We set off on Good Friday morning for the long drive to Cork. As a child, I was taken to Cork and Kerry on summer holidays quite often. While I always loved the holiday, the six-hour drive was the big obstacle to be overcome first. Before settling off, I had begun trying to convince my boyfriend that the drive would be a long one, despite the fact that the distance is not so great. Being German, he has little tolerance of the Irish roads and, as I know also from those childhood holidays, rows about the state of roads, directions, speed of driving and so on can quickly ruin the holiday atmosphere.
The first leg of the journey, from Clondalkin to Portlaois was not as slow as I’d anticipated. We reckoned that leaving the house before 10 a.m. had been a good bet. However, the fact that we hadn’t had a real breakfast in our haste to get on the road meant that we were dying to stop for a brunch break before we were long out of the capital.
Our picnic of coffee, hot cross buns, fruit and yogurt (no meat allowed) was spoiled by the fact that we couldn’t find a decent spot to get out of the car to eat. We had to settle for sitting in the car, doors open, in a country-style lane just off the main road.
That was our only stop on the way down to Kinsale. The traffic was so good that we decided not to risk having a break and then getting stuck in the afternoon crowds.
We arrived in Kinsale about 4 p.m., a little tired but eager to settle into our accommodation. This was the first time I’d booked accommodation in Ireland on-line and I was curious to see if the cosy-looking B&B I’d seen on my PC would be recognizable in reality. Thankfully it was. We had booked into The Gallery Guesthouse in The Glen, Kinsale for three nights. The guesthouse was smaller than I’d anticipated and had no common area. However, the bedroom was pretty in décor and adequate in size considering we were only staying a long weekend. There was a deep set window opening onto the street side of the house and located above the dining room. The bed was pine and made up with embroidered white cotton covers and scatter cushions. To one side of the bed was a locker topped with a lamp, kettle, mugs, tea, coffee and milk. Just the thing to revive us after our journey.
Our tea drunk, we set off to explore the harbour town. We took a walk along the waterfront, passing the all important tourist office, as far as the Trident Hotel. It being Good Friday, we wanted to find a place that would be open for dinner. In Catholic Ireland with its traditional restrictions on serving meat and alcohol on Good Friday, we feared we were in for a challenge. However, we were in luck. Not only was the main restaurant of the Trident Hotel, award-winning Savannah Restaurant, open for reservations, their Fisherman’s Wharf Bar was serving food and drink to non-residents. With happy hearts, we continued on our walking tour to work up an appetite.
Back at the guesthouse, we snoozed, showered and changed for dinner. By 8:15 p.m. we’d had an aperitif and ordered our meal in Fisherman’s Wharf Bar. We both began with seafood chowder – Marie-Rose coloured and full of flavour from the generous chunks of potato, mussels, salmon, prawns and white fish. Before ordering, we’d enquired from our waiter whether the chowder was good. He confessed to having never tried it. We were so impressed with it that we felt compelled to recommend it to him as he cleared our empty bowls away.
As a main course, Ulli chose plaice in a light batter, potatoes (champ & boiled baby new potatoes) and vegetables (sauted courgette and braised red cabbage). It was all excellent.
I opted for breaded scampi with chips and tartare sauce. The chips were only lukewarm but the portions of chowder and scampi were so generous that I no need for the chips in the end.
The bill, including a ¼ bottle of Chardonnay and a pint of Smithwicks, came to Eur 41.40. We were so full that we couldn’t even entertain the thought of coffee or dessert. However, I caught a glimpse of the white chocolate & strawberry roulade as it sailed by on a waiter’s arm and it was as mouth-watering as the description on the menu had led me to believe. For pub grub, the meal and service were of excellent quality.
On Easter Saturday morning, we woke refreshed and looking forward to the gourmet breakfast promised by The Gallery’s website. Sadly, there was nothing gourmet about it to my mind. While there was nothing wrong with what we were served, it couldn’t be classed as gourmet. On offer was a choice of 2 breakfast cereals, a fruit bowl, Yoplait yogurt, orange juice, scrambled egg with smoked salmon and a fry. All in all, the usual B&B breakfast fare. Regardless, we filled up and strolled down the town to take a look in the shops which had mostly been closed the previous day. There are plenty of craft and antique shops in the town, my favourite being the Stone Mad Gallery. Run by Jill Brennan, an American who has settled in Kinsale, the tiny corner shop is crammed with trinkets and quirky gifts. Included in these are her own handmade scented candles, produced with delicate scents imported from Seattle, her handmade earrings, lip-shaped cushions, masquerade ball masks and jewellery.
Opposite Jill’s is a café and sandwich bar with outdoor seating and gas heating, so necessary in Ireland in spring. Each time we passed by, which was fairly often as it was on the route to our lodgings, the place was reasonably busy and wonderful smells wafted from the doors.
About 1 p.m. we set out for Clonakilty, 22 miles away along a mostly costal route via Timoleague. In Clonakilty I had hoped to have a peek inside Fionnuala’s Little Italian Restaurant, for two reasons. The restaurant shares my name and is recommended by Georgina Campbell’s guide to the best food and accommodation in Ireland. No joy on this occasion as Fionnuala only open’s her doors at 6 p.m. Instead we ate at another of Georgina Campbell’s suggestions, An Sugan. The place was warm and busy and seemed like just what we were looking for as the wind and rain had begun outside. By the bar and by the fire were cosy but the rest of the pub-cum-restaurant was lacking in atmosphere. Here again we chose the seafood chowder and brown bread. This time the chowder was tasty but without any solid fish pieces bar a mussel or two per serving. The brown bread, which was obviously homemade, was so fresh it crumbled at the touch of the butterknife.
Back in Kinsale that evening, we had planned to eat at one of the Good Food Circle restaurants. Of those falling within our price-range, none had a table free. We settled for pub grub again, this time at the White House. My meal, salad with crispy, smokey bacon followed by sea-trout and new potatoes was very good by pub standards. Ulli’s chicken wings starter was nothing special, not even measuring up to the standard of the microwaveable version available in Spar. He had hoped that his safe bet of steak and chips would be just that. It all sounded and looked like it couldn’t go wrong, but it had no flavour at all. Not even the fried onions. His spirits were lifted by the live music that started about 9 p.m., just as we were starting our main course. The two person band sang a mix of Irish and international music including Thin Lizzy and Van Morrison.
Sunday was the best day of the weekend, food-wise. For breakfast we were offered Quiche Lorraine as an alternative to the bacon and eggs. I am generally cautious of eating quiche when I don’t know the cook as too often it is tasteless and rubbery. However, this was fresh from the oven and cooked to perfection. Continuing the good food idea, we drove out to Shanagarry, the far side of Cork City, to visit the Ballymaloe Cookery School. Here, Irish chef family, the Allens run a highly successful cookery school with courses ranging from one day to three months. They also have a shop selling cookery utensils, crockery and items such as Irish handmade clothing. At the rear of the shop is a café serving delicious light meals, afternoon tea and cakes made on the premises. The main house serves as accommodation for the residents of the school and as a restaurant for visitors to the house and gardens.
If you're into your food, Kinsale is a wonderful base from which to explore the natural beauty and gastronomic splendour of West Cork.