Michelin Guide's love affair with Cork grows

WHEN it comes to food, Cork has always been the pioneer county of Ireland.

Our focus has long been the producers: the women cheesemakers who led the way in redefining Irish artisan food in the modern context; the family farms and their rich heritage of dairying and beef; visionary horticulturalists and their drive for organic and chemical-free growing; the fishing communities that haul a daily bounty from some of the richest maritime waters in the world.

That’s the foundation from where a new generation of food producers have emerged, growing wasabi and gourmet mushrooms, raising water buffalo grazing on grassy paddocks to produce mozzarella and burrata; tofu makers and fermenters of everything from ketchup and vinegar to sauerkraut to kefir and kombucha.

In the city, enterprises such as Cork Rooftop Farm and Cork Urban Soil Project (CUSP) show growing vibrantly nutritious food in an industrial urban setting is possible and there is a ready market for it.

Speaking of markets, the jewel in the crown may well be The English Market, but the county is also where the Farmers’ Market movement regained ground in Ireland, beginning with Midleton. Now there is a rolling weekly smorgasbord of them serving every community, even going digital with Ireland’s first online producers’ market, Neighbourfood. That project also began here.

In the past, Cork’s restaurant heroes were defined by the likes of Myrtle Allen, a self-taught cook who opened her dining room to guests at Ballymaloe House in 1964 and becoming the first woman in Ireland to gain a Michelin star. She spent her life advocating for great Irish produce, traditional Irish cookery, and, through Eurotoques mentoring the next generation of great Irish chefs.

All that is now coming full circle. Love it or not, the internationally recognised Michelin Guide is having something of a love affair with Irish food right now, and Cork is the current object of its desire.

The Rebel County boasts four one-Michelin star restaurants, one two-Michelin star restaurant, and three Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants. In addition, five others are Michelin Recommended, and in an article published by the Guide in June this year featuring six of the best seafood restaurants in Ireland, four of them were in Cork.

Where once the county was best known for its producers, now that reputation is equally matched with restaurants of prestige, echoing Mrs Allen’s rallying cry that where the best ingredients in the world are, the best cuisine will ultimately follow.

Following on from interviews with Barbara Nealon of St Francis Provisions (new recipient of a Bib Gourmand), Ahmet Dede of Dede at The Customs House (recipient of a second star), and Vincent Crepel of Terre Restaurant (recipient of one star), this final episode in the series on Cork’s growing international reputation for outstanding cuisine showcases our other well-loved restaurants included in the world’s most famous little red book.

How does it work?

Irrespective of whether a restaurant is recommended, starred or Bib’d, the same five criteria apply in ascertaining if recognition is warranted. According to the Michelin Guide, there are five objective criteria: “[…] quality of the ingredients used, mastery of flavour and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in his cuisine, value for money and consistency between visits.”

All categories are judged by the same five categories.

MICHELIN RECOMMENDED

Michael Ellis, International Director of the Michelin Guide says Michelin Recommended means “A sign of a chef using quality ingredients that are well cooked; simply a good meal.”

da Mirco, Bridge Street, Cork City

The busy Italian eatery run by chef-proprietor Mirco caught the eye of inspectors with his “authentic osteria” that showcases great local and imported ingredients in dishes peppered with scratch made sauces and daily fresh handmade pasta.

The Glass Curtain, McCurtain Street, Cork City

The Michelin inspectors paid homage to this well-loved restaurants links to the building’s past life as part of the Thompson Bakery. When Brian Murray returned home to Cork after many years abroad, he created a restaurant that can’t help but put out joyful plates of food. Michelin says dishes are cooked and served with grá – truer words were never spoken.

Sage, The Courtyard, Midleton

It was a brave move for Kevin Aherne to turn his back on the fine dining style he had built his restaurant and career on, but when you follow your instinct and find a way to keep doing what you love in a more rewarding way, it will always find a route to brilliance. Michelin inspectors recognise this, love its laid-back vibe, funky flavour pairings and utter commitment to using the best Irish and seasonal produce.

Max’s, Kinsale

Max’s has been satisfying the tastebuds of Kinsale’s residents and visitors since 1999. It is a restaurant beloved by locals because of its consistent commitment to simply great tasting plates of food. The Michelin Guide singled out Max’s as one of Ireland’s Best Seafood Restaurants, presumably based on its recommendation to diners to “try the tasty ‘Fresh Catches’” appearing daily on the specials board.

Adrift, Dunmore House Hotel, Clonakilty

A double whammy for Adrift this year as they entered the Guide for the first time and noted as one of Ireland’s six best seafood restaurants. For four generations, Dunmore House Hotel has been welcoming guests to relax in comfortable surroundings with incredible Atlantic views. In recent years, the team has focused on raising their game with the food offering with local and seasonal the guiding principle and creating an impressive organic kitchen garden. That’s as local as it gets.

BIB GOURMAND

Recognition as a Bib Gourmand is all about great value food. The award was created in 1997 specifically to recognise all styles of restaurants from bistros and pubs to restaurants and cafes. Cork has three Bib standard restaurants, the latest of which was given to Saint Francis Provisions in Kinsale and featured in week one of this series (catch up on that interview here).

Cush, Ballycotton

Head chef Dan Guerin grew up in Ballycotton so it’s fair to say that no-one knows what grows best there, where the best foraging spots are, and which boats bring in the freshest fish. This is classic French technique influenced by what is on Guerin’s doorstep and elegantly plated. Diners choose between eating in the cosy pub or the restaurant with its sea views. Either way, it’s the same menu – a nice touch. Cush was also listed in Michelin’s Guide to the Best Seafood Restaurants in Ireland.

Goldie, Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork City

Pioneering the whole-catch, fin-to-gill approach in Aishling Moore’s endlessly exciting seafood-inspired restaurant confidently takes a side-eye view at how a menu is planned, prepared and served then flip it on its head. It’s fun yet serious. No-one else can take the idea of the Friday fish chippy supper and make it look like a work of art complete with pickled gherkin ketchup on the side.

ONE MICHELIN STAR

The first rung on the star rating signifies high quality cooking that’s worth a stop. While this is a modest descriptor, those that reach this standard deliver food laden with personality and individuality.

Cork has three one-star restaurants. The newest entry is Terre at Castlemartyr Resort under the stewardship of French-Italian chef-proprietor, Vincent Crepel, featured in week three.

Ichigo Ichie, Fenn’s Quay, Cork City: The kaiseki tradition of a sequence of dishes telling the story of a season is the vision of Takashi Miyazaki’s cuisine. It’s a fusion of the very best of Irish ingredients with the studied and symbolic preparations and techniques from his home country of Japan.

The five counter seats are the most coveted from where diners can watch a master of his craft at work and engage in conversation on anything from the best time to pick cherry blossoms to how to wood-age a piece of tuna belly.

Bastion, Kinsale: Scottish-born Paul MacDonald is hailed for his solid classic cookery with contemporary flair. That binary expression flows throughout the restaurant. Dishes are a masterclass in restrained elegance; service, lead by Paul’s wife Helen, is both professional and friendly; the experience is outrageously good, but the vibe is modest. Everything is precise and relaxed. Bastion is high fine dining with a Celtic cuddle.

Restaurant Chestnut, Ballydehob: Few restaurants truly embrace seasonality like Restaurant Chestnut. Chef-proprietor Rob Krawczyk lives and breathes it, and with his father’s inherited talent for preservation of foods by smoke, there are flavours and textures a diner will experience here that won’t be found anywhere else.

On every available surface, jars and bottles of ferments, pickles and preserves tell the story of a moment in time when produce is at its best, saved for another time when the taste of fresh ramsons, elderflower or honey are a distant memory.

TWO MICHELIN STARS

Symbolising excellent cooking worth a detour, a two-star restaurant is a sign the execution and commitment to that all important consistency has broken through to another level. 

They are rare – certainly in Ireland, and it’s in Baltimore, west Cork, where you’ll find the county’s only one.

We featured Ahmet Dede at The Customs House in week two of our series (catch up on the interview series here ). His cuisine is typified by what he calls Turkish-Irish fusion: the best of ingredients from both places fused to create dishes that echo tastes shared with his family in Turkey. His food is incredibly personal. They say an artist should allow themselves to be vulnerable to produce their best work. I think the same can be said for Ahmet.

When we look across our clutch of Michelin restaurants, this is the common thread: chefs who have found an individualistic way to express a deeply personal style, mission, vision, taste and experience. Next time you sit down to dine, taste beyond the plate.