Cork is known as the food capital of Ireland and the bounty of produce, the cheese and the seafood chowder convinced us it deserves the title.

Dinner at Paradiso is the best vegetarian meal in memory. We did the full tasting menu with wine pairing and it was unforgettable. Casual service at its absolute best. The food was as beautiful as it was delicious. The wines matched nicely and came with interesting stories of the varietals and producers.

There were little surprises like the popcorn with the ravioli. It was our first taste of Coolea Cheese and a big hunk came home with us.

Paradiso was our best meal all of in Ireland and we had some seriously good meals.

We took a train to Midleton and did the Midleton Distillery Behind the Scenes tour with Bryan. It was one of the highlights of the trip. We learned about the history of whiskey in Ireland and how it’s made. Several tasting stations were set up along the way. A great day trip.

We walked through the famous English Market. There were so may great things we wanted but couldn’t possibly eat. Locals are very lucky to have this market. We immediately had to go find a great chowder.

Quinlan’s Seafood Bar fit the bill nicely. Chowder was on our minds but it was time for Fish & Chips too. The F&C was good but the chowder was fantastic.

We enjoyed Cork and would happily return.