Cork: Vegging out at Cafe Paradiso

Café Paradiso, 16 Lancaster Quay, Cork, cafeparadiso.ie; tel: [phone]

LATER this year Café Paradiso will mark two decades of chopping and dicing, of slicing and sluicing, of braising and blanching, of melting and marinating with aplomb.

Over those 20 years the restaurant has won gong after gong, accolade after accolade, and set a new standard for vegetarianism in Ireland. For once all of those syrupy PR cliches about new gold standards and broader horizons are unquestionably true. That Café Paradiso did all of that while presenting substantial, challenging food and remaining constantly ambitious adds to the achievement.