Jola’s got good taste

KINSALE on Cork’s south west coast has been a trenchers’ valhalla for so very long that you’d nearly expect to see, if you stuck your head over the wall of one of the local cemeteries, skillets and engraved roasting trays used as tombstones.

Food is central to the town’s character and commerce. It almost defines the place. Eating in Kinsale has come to mean guaranteeing a positive experience— though disappointment can be found anywhere if you look hard enough.

Jola’s of Lower O’Connell Street adds to that feeling of positive, justified expectation. Run for a number of years by Jola Wojtowicz most of the dining area is in a high-ceiling and subtly-lit space that seems to naturally encourage a hush — though how long that calm would survive if an adventurous party decided to take a tour of the two dozen-plus flavoured vodkas Jola makes available remains to be seen.