Mouths of babes
It will feature children from North Presentation Primary School who will act as food critics for the night. Keen Bible scholars will be familiar with the old quotation, ‘out of the mouths of babes’ so The Menu is warning chefs to take especial care with what goes into the mouths of these ‘babes’ because this could turn out bloodier than a rare steak. Seats are available for no more than the cost of your dinner on the night and The Menu plans to be in the front row! www.corkmidsummer.com/programme/event/eat-the-street
The Menu predicts we shall see more and more tourists arriving, all gung ho to lay into some top Irish nosebag, as we catch up with the rest of the world and join the gastro-tourism train, targeting the huge market amongst those who book with their bellies foremost in mind. Notwithstanding the recent ‘heatwave’, offering some of the best produce in the world more than compensates for our usual ‘soft’ summers. First out of the blocks is Irish Food Tours, a start-up from Irish chefs Zack Gallagher and Wendy Kavanagh, offering guided coach tours to producers throughout the 32 Counties — their first Weekend Food Tour, of Co Kilkenny (July 5, incl. B&B, lunches, gourmet dinners for two nights) also includes an alternative all-day Saturday tour with dinner. www.IrishFoodTours.ie
Congratulations to Richard and Mairéad Jacob who won Best Café in Ireland at the recent Restaurant Association of Ireland awards for their wonderful Café Idaho in Cork. Paul Flynn (best chef, Munster) saw his Dungarvan restaurant, The Tannery, scoop Best Restaurant in Ireland, with Martin Shanahan’s Fishy Fishy picking up Best Seafood and Michael Quinn of Waterford Castle garnering Best Hotel Restaurant, Munster. While The Menu doesn’t mind a little festival mud on his wellies, he wouldn’t spurn the more salubrious Indie Wine Weekend (June 21-22) at Galway hotel The Twelve, combining splendid wines and dinner with serious sounds (www.thetwelvehotel.ie). The 172nd Cork Summer Show (June 15-16, www.corksummershow.com), in Bishopstown, includes demos from top Cork chefs and, finally, Curious Wines’ first Summer Wine Fair & BBQ (June 21) is in Cork’s summer-tastic Bowery Rooftop Bar (www.curiouswines.ie)
If there is a finer charcutier in Ireland than Schull-based Frank Krawczyk, The Menu will pay handsomely for an introduction so long as the price doesn’t entail parting with any of his precious hoard of Frank’s superb Rebel County Duck Rillette — exquisite Skeaghanore Duck cooked confit-style, perfectly spiced and shredded into succulent melting mouthfuls. www.facebook.com/frank.krawczyk.79
