In pictures: Conversations flow at alcohol-free mixer at Marina Market for Cork on a Fork
Guests enjoying a fun, alcohol-free big table dinner in Marina Market during Cork on a Fork Festival. Pictures: Darragh Kane
Friday night and the lights are low. No, it’s not the start of an ABBA song, we’re at the Cork on a Fork Marina Market Big Table Mixer. The central area of the Marina Market has been transformed into an atmospheric, communal dining experience with long tables on either side of a mingle space.
The alcohol-free event has been designed for connections and chat. On a balmy Friday evening, with Stevie G on the decks, non-alcoholic beers and wines flowing, the conversations were quick to get going.
For appetisers, Okras served up the ultimate conversation starter — plates of raw and tempura oysters, complete with dramatic dry ice. Guests swarmed the plates, making short work of the popular seafood. A face painter was on hand to adorn our faces, creating another clever talking point.
And then we were on to the starters. Guests were invited to find seats at the tables on the right-hand side, the close quarters made it easy to strike up a conversation, and the sharing platters doubled down on the buzz and the banter.
Starters of vegetable gyozas and California rolls from Kura were followed by a delightful chicken salad from Just Wing It. Among our tablemates, two tried sushi for the first time, with mixed results. The chat happened naturally, and moved from sushi to karaoke within a few minutes.
With our starters finished, we moved into the mingle space again, before being invited to take our seats on the left-hand side for the main course. Halloumi steak and tzatziki from The Greek, GF Beer Battered Fish from Eco, Pork Belly and Chimichurri Baby Potatoes from Nua Asador and Beef Sliders from MKT Burger were piled high in the middle of the tables, together with a Black Bay Bramble non-alcoholic cocktail from SAOR Zero Alcohol Bar.
After the mains, we moved straight across to the left-hand side tables again for our dessert, a trio from Sweet Spot — Oreo Brownie, Strawberry Sponge Cake and a dairy-free tropical fruit meringue. They were accompanied by another alcohol-free cocktail — the BYOB — again from SAOR.
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The food was delicious and plentiful, the non-alcoholic drinks were freely available all night, but the standout of this event was the people and the conversations.
Maybe it was because it was a Friday night, or it could have been the continuing good weather. Perhaps it was the wonderful location, or the communal vibe. Whatever it was, the guests understood the assignment — this was a mixer, and mix we did. We left the event with new friends made, promises of follow-on meetups, and contact details exchanged.
This was the first time the Marina Market has held such an event, but I’d wager it’ll be back for next year’s Cork on a Fork festival. It was a resounding success.
- The Irish Examiner is a proud media partner of Cork on a Fork Festival
