The Menu: Farmhouse Cheese
Like many of his temporarily sun-enchanted fellows, The Menu has decamped lock, stock and barbecue to local beaches, rediscovering haunts long lost to the biblical floods that usually constitute an Irish summer. Which is how he found himself in Kinsale one recent and most glorious Wednesday morning, shuffling and slurping his way through the excellent little Farmer’s Market. A further nose around town provided ample evidence of new culinary stirrings afoot triggering a return trip the following weekend to find the stunning seaside hamlet doing a fine impersonation of Cote D’Azur. Homemade ravioli and a lovely pizza of Frank Hederman’s Smoked Mackerel, Beetroot and Horseradish Cream in Bruno’s, was followed by a short schlep down the road to the very wonderful Black Pig Wine Bar for sherry, cheese, chocolates (from local chocolatier Frank ‘Koko’ Keane) and splendid and sprightly Kinsale Pale Ales. It all proved so alluring, there was insufficient time for a planned visit to the much-heralded Shanghai Express but The Menu shall return. All in all, proof positive that Kinsale is very much on the up once more and when ‘local’ Irish is good, there is nothing finer in the world.
