Restaurant review: The Glass Curtain is probably the best restaurant of its type in Cork city

Excellent food in an effortlessly elegant interior at The Glass Curtain, Joe McNamee says it is set to be a national contender

Sat, 23 Oct, 2021 - 18:14

Joe McNamee

Brian Murray’s Glass Curtain restaurant was a hot ticket in town within weeks of its December 2019 opening, but for all his extensive experience as a chef, he was a debutant restaurateur and it seemed only fair to afford him a month or two to bed in. The Covid thought otherwise.

Almost two years have passed, during which time I tasted one of Murray’s dishes — as judge at a cooking competition, weeks before first lockdown; and then reviewed TGC’s smashing finish-at-home meal kit, and Murray’s excellent street food stall, Birdsong in the City, a Basque-style grill I sincerely hope will be resurrected next year.

All this only served to further whet my appetite and, betimes, in passing, I pressed cold little schnozz against darkened window, pining for the day when lights would switch back on and I’d be seated within.

The opportunity finally presents on a deliciously crisp, clear Friday evening, tailor-made for a night out on the tiles with Current Wife after far too many Covid nights passed at home on the couch. Further cranking up the excitement is a bustling welcoming warmth in TGC’s effortlessly elegant interior — one of the most becoming and personable dining spaces around.

I’m in my preferred ‘reviewing’ perch, back to the wall, eyes to the room, the better to survey service. After three lockdowns, we’ve seen more than enough of each other so CW abandons her opposite berth to sit alongside me for the aperitif, and never leaves for the night. We are two just-released jailbirds relishing the action and company of other adults, sipping wonderful fizz, a crisp, biscuity Loire blanc de blancs (Tuffeau).

First, a divine ‘jambon’, Murray’s take on hangover fare from the garage ‘forecourt deli’ canon. Pastry, puff and choux, houses savoury caramel of Templegall bechamel; wispy mantle of creamy pork lardo melting into transparency. If this is the ‘cure’, you’d bear almost any hangover!

My starter is tender slices of delicious meaty bluefin tuna, topped with herbs and mixed leaves, croutons, pickled shallots, oyster cream, yuzu dashi and smoked tomato — a smashing dish plumbing depths of flavour without adding ballast to the belly.

CW’s is better again: king oyster and maitake (hen-of-the-wood) mushrooms, confited in olive oil, then grilled over charcoal, served with soft-fried Cork Rooftop Farm egg, warm yolk a velvet emulsion, ghostly foam of smoked Ballinrostig gouda adding umami punch.

Quarters of pointed cabbage take a swift turn on the BBQ, adding smokey notes to virgin green crunch, textural counterpoint to succulent pork belly, served with sweet whey caramel and potent black garlic aioli that glistens like tar.

CW’s main course is a robust fillet of monkfish, bathed in wildly flavoursome razor clam, mussel and corn sauce, with sea veg and more of that ‘black tar’ aioli.

If that’s a cold-weather comforter, my loin of venison is pre-hibernation fare to see a bear through winter. Succulent rack chops, pink at heart, are flush with gamey flavour, and neither is the rest of the plate backward in coming forward. Salt-baked kohl Rabi could anchor a vegetarian main course; grainy, sweet house black pudding hits all the notes; celeriac comes as piquant fermented brunoise and hefty emolient cream. Sweet, meaty jus caps a powerful dish.

Excellent sides of smoked Kilbrack potatoes with salsa verde, and charred greens and roast veg with tahini yoghurt dressing, are largely redundant, briefly admired and earmarked for the doggie bag.

Desserts is the most ‘eclectic’ corner of the menu. I have on-trend namelaka, an iced silky ‘mousse’ of Beamish and hazelnut, partnered with dark chocolate sorbet, blackberries and malt. Accompanying Kouign-amann, Breton pastry sinfully overladen with butter and sugar, is superfluous, but entirely splendid in its own right.

CW relishes pandan custard choux bun, tropical Asian pandan flavour a sideshow to the elemental star turn that is custard and pastry.

Our wines (Morgon, Classique, Jean Foillard, France 2018; Chenin Blanc-Viognier, Percheron, South Africa 2019), from a cracking little list, play out perfectly; an equally sharp cocktail menu begs for an extensive trawl. Service is snappy, smart yet effortlessly charming, all immaculately marshalled by manager Sarah Roche.

Right now, The Glass Curtain is probably the best restaurant of its type in Cork city though it has so much more under the hood, so much more promise to fulfil. Once Murray & Co complete fine-tuning and hit top gear, it will be a true national contender.

The Glass Curtain