Ireland – Cork

October 31, 2024Uncategorized2024, IrelandCathy’s Taste @TheTravelGroup

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.

Hegarty’s Cheddar & Spinach Croquet, Beet Tartare & Ricepaper Cracker, Parsnip Soup

Carrot Escabeche, Buffalo. Labneh & Pickled Fennel

Smoked Leek, Romanesco, Girolles & Spiced Butter

Sweetcorn & Coolea Ravioli, Jalapeño, Lime & Coriander

Broccoli, Squash, Oloroso sauce, Hazelnut Cougere

Coolea, Beet relish, Young Buck Blue, Membrillo

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.

Irish Whiskey is Always Triple Distilled

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.

Ireland – Dublin

October 29, 2024UncategorizedCathy’s Taste @TheTravelGroup

It’s not just the butter, which is truly delicious, it’s the bread, chowder, cheese, whiskey and so much more that makes up the excellent culinary scene in Ireland. And the topper is the hospitality, consistently warm and welcoming.

Our first dinner in Dublin was at Sole featuring a great sole meunière but we remember it best for the first of many seafood chowders. Great potatoes, bread and butter. Expensive!

Delahunt was highly recommended. Unfortunately our server made several biggish blunders. The chef was particular about fixing a problem but we let most of the errors slide. Remembered best for the cheese plate with house made fig mustard. If they sold it by the jar my suitcase would have been full.

First vegetarian dinner was at was Glas.

Chestnut Parfait with walnut bread and preserved grapes was a nice little starter for 2.

Chestnut Parfait, Walnut Bread, Preserved Grapes

The Jerusalem Artichoke with goat cheese frittata and mustard sauce was tasty but not pretty.

Jerusalem Artichoke and Goats Cheese Frittata

The Flamed Red Cabbage needed a sharp knife but the potato and truffle accompaniment was a winner.

The polenta fries with kimchi aioli, a side dish, stole the show.

Glas is a comfortable restaurant with a good wine selection. The food is tasty but lacked colour. Possibly just our choices. Those polenta fries though, well done .

On a great day trip up into Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains we had a remarkable pear scone in the cafe at Powerscourt while we looked at the splendid gardens in the rain. Later we had an excellent lunch at Lynham’s in Laragh. David still claims it the best fish and chips of the trip. I had an excellent salad. The warm and welcoming room and hospitality were outstanding.

A visit to the Guiness Storehouse was better than I expected but at the end of the day the rooftop bar was too busy to enjoy. Go early, it’s a good spot to see Dublin.

Dublin was lively and inviting with great food everywhere. Our best meal was on a later one night stay at the Mayson Hotel in the Docklands a hip and vibrant area. Ryleigh’s Rooftop Steakhouse served these 2 pescatarian’s very well. Best truffle fries ever. The included breakfast was pretty fine too.

We didn’t go near the Temple Bar but really enjoyed the Lincoln’s Inn a good spot after a visit to the National Gallery of Ireland.

The Palace Bar across from the very excellent College Green Hotel was another great spot.

Med Yacht Club Lunch on Explora 1

January 17, 2024Uncategorized#LuxuryTravels, #OceanStateofMind, 2024, @ExploraJourneys, @TheTravelGroupCathy’s Taste @TheTravelGroup

Open for lunch on sea days we loved the Med Yacht Club lunch enough to go twice. On the final sea day we couldn’t resist the desserts.

These tiny portions are perfect if you like a chance to try as many different things as possible.

Crispy perfection is the only way to describe the calamari.

My favourite salad might be a niçoise but this lighter salad without the potatoes was lovely.

Nicely presented and a good vegetarian option.

I never miss a chance to have salt cod and this was a new version for me. Great option with crisply roasted skin and delicious beans.

I’m glad I had this chocolate hazelnut bomb at the end of the cruise or I would have been back again and again.

Floating island pink pralines and pistachios

It’s not chocolate, cheesecake or crème brûlée so I don’t see the point. David said it was good.

Anthology on Explora features Michelin Guest Chef Emma Bengtsson

January 13, 2024Uncategorized2024, Explora Journey's, MichelinCathy’s Taste @TheTravelGroup

Explora has one restaurant with a fee, Anthology, where they feature guest chefs from Michelin restaurants, in this case Emma Bengtsson, a Swedish chef from Aquavit restaurant in New York.

With the added cost and so many great options included I resisted. I’m also not a big fan of tasting menus. Thank goodness David insisted. It was a fabulous meal.

The salmon amuse bouche had us finger licking the mustard off the plate.

Savoury lemon bavarois, caviar, potato crumble, pickled onions, salted cream and dill oil

Bavarois is a savoury cheesecake, simply amazing.

Hamachi crudities, tomato vinaigrette, beets and cucumber

Tuna carpaccio, fried capers, juniper crisp and lingonberry vinaigrette

Chef Emma substituted tuna for venison carpaccio for us.

Lobster bisque, fennel, pickled tomatoes and endive

Little lobster morsels under the fennel and endive. The bisque was added at the table.

Turbot with salt-baked onions, sea buckthorn hollandaise, bleak roe and marble potatoes

There were 3 options for the main course. I can’t comment on the beef but the turbot and mushroom were fantastic.

I had the turbot, the best ever. Bleak roe is traditionally from Sweden but this came from Canada and made us proud.

David had the mushroom so I only had a bite but I would love to have that dish. It was extraordinary.

Mushroom Barlotto with confit baby carrots, arugula and king oyster mushrooms

There was a pre dessert chocolate dish that disappeared before any picture.

Arctic Birds Nest with blueberry sorbet, goat cheese parfait and chocolate twigs

The sorbet and goat cheese parfait was presented as an egg coated in white chocolate. Not a bite left on either plate.

We added the wine pairing. Other than the first French Champagne all the wines were from the Marche area of Italy and included some grapes we weren’t familiar with but thought they were beautifully matched to the wines.

A great evening.

Explora 1 Cruising with Elevated Dining

January 12, 2024Uncategorized2024, @ExploraJourneys, @TheTravelGroup, #OceanStateofMind, #ExploraJourneys, #LuxuryTravels, CaribbeanCathy’s Taste @TheTravelGroup

Our first night onboard and I had to satisfy a craving for Dover sole so off we went to Fil Rouge.

I started with the Cajun spiced jumbo lump crab cake with roasted cherry tomato aioli. I believe I’ve perfected the crab cake at home but this was a winner.

David had the tuna tataki tart and the combination of tuna on a crispy tomato olive tart was surprising and delicious.

Standard Caesar salad, the paprika croutons and excellent anchovy took it up a notch.

Who knew crudities could be so good? David said he’d order it again.

The Dover sole did not disappoint. Deboned table side, we added some French green beans and irresistible Franck’s mashed potatoes for a perfect meal.

Accompanied by a lovely Chenin Blanc from Domaine Mosny, Loire. Cheers!

Miami Stopover

January 8, 2024Uncategorized2024, @ExploraJourneys, @TheTravelGroup, #OceanStateofMind, #ExploraJourneys, #LuxuryTravels, Columbia, MiamiCathy’s Taste @TheTravelGroup

On our way to Columbia we had a night in Miami and met friends for dinner at Baku Asian Fusion Bar by Shois. The crab, wakame and shrimp salad with ponzu sauce was outstanding.

The sushi rolls were enormous and delicious.

A soft shell crab burger used 2 layers of crispy rice cake for a bun. You would never pick it up but it was good for sharing and the sauces were great.

We had a couple of other dishes but these were the standouts. An interesting restaurant with an “experience” room with special menu. Out of the way location but very good food.

A Day in Champagne

October 21, 2023Uncategorized2023, France, Reims, Wine TastingCathy’s Taste @TheTravelGroup

Paris was much too busy this visit so we were particularly glad we’d planned a day trip to Reims.

The fantastic cathedral, Notre Dame de Reims, had been on my radar ever since reading Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth. I wasn’t disappointed, the history and architecture are rich and storied, the stained glass rose windows magnificent. The modern windows, in particular the Champagne Workers and Mark Chagall’s three windows are exceptional.

Heading across the city we stopped at the Basilique Saint-Remi and happened on a band doing their sound checks for a performance that evening. We enjoyed the music and singing as we explored the church. It was one of those unexpected travel experiences we’ll always associate with Reims.

For lunch we found l’atelier restaurant pédagogique, an educational restaurant, La Sauvegarde de la Marne. The staff were very young and inexperienced but polite and efficient. The food was delicious and the prices excellent. See the menu below.

A visit to Cite du Champagne wouldn’t be complete without a tour and tasting at one of the many champagne houses.

We booked at Maison de Champagne Pommery.

Magnums over 100 years old that will never be opened.

The caves are huge and deep underground, with lots of art to see as you walk and hear the story of Pommery before the grand finale wine tasting.

Art in the chalk caves of Maison de Pommery

I recommend booking the slightly more expensive vintage tasting.

Paris to Reims in under 50 minutes means you go fast.

A Night on the Left Bank

October 21, 2023Uncategorized#LuxuryTravels, #TravelFrance, 2023, @TheTravelGroup, ParisCathy’s Taste @TheTravelGroup

Once upon a time in Paris David booked a piano concert, in a tiny church on the left bank, and a restaurant nearby.

Every beer has a special glass in Europe.

We enjoyed a bottle of Clos de la Roche from Chinon in the Loire.

A delicious Cabernet Franc from the Loire.

A Loire barge cruise is on my wish list. I’d be pretty happy with a different Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc every day. This Franc was delicious, not as earthy as in BC. On to the food.

It had been a long time since I’d had escargot. I question if it’s really about the snails or the baguette binge at the end to soak up all the butter. Either way we were happy.

We’ve added a lot more fruits to our salads since we had this one. Simply delicious.

Almost every table was having Aligot. A runny mashed potato, cheese and cream dish that I’m going to learn to make. We’d never seen it before and had to ask what it was as they poured the stringy pile of hot deliciousness onto the plates. We wanted to order it for dessert but never had time.

Le Petite Périgourdine is a good choice for a reasonably priced, very French restaurant, on the left bank, near the Pantheon. Have the aligot.

Rome meets NYC at Scarpetta in the Ambasciatori Palace

October 15, 2023Uncategorized2023, RomeCathy’s Taste @TheTravelGroup

Scarpetta Restaurants started in New York City and recently opened in Rome at the Ambasciatori Palace l, the former home of the US Embassy library and around the corner from the Embassy. It’s a natural fit and we loved the warm and welcoming service with fabulous food.

Cacio E Pepe is a dish that’s hard to perfect, sometimes too salty, sometimes too peppery, and yet, I always want it. At Scarpetta the sauce was perfectly balanced and the pasta was elevated to these little bundles of cheese and charred leek. Beautifully presented at the table under a clear glass tagine top that kept them melt in your mouth hot.

We learned that Scarpetta means to sop up the sauce on your plate with bread. Our plates were very clean.

Even the Caesar salad was taken up a couple of notches with a soft egg and a cheese crisp.

There was a great bread basket. With these toppers it was hard to save some for scarpetta.

We had a peek at Charlie’s rooftop bar. I’m betting it becomes a hot spot.

I highly recommend Scarpetta Rome and the Intercontinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace.

Georges at The Pompidou Loved It

October 10, 2023Uncategorized2023, ParisCathy’s Taste @TheTravelGroup

The Pompidou gets better with each visit. I love the building though the exterior is showing it’s age and could use a good scrub.

After a couple of hours of great art we decided to try the rooftop restaurant.

Always great pommes frites in Paris. I liked how these were served. Tasty too.

David had the ridiculously expensive and equally delicious lobster salad.

I had the spinach and truffle salad. It proved that truffle doesn’t have to be overwhelming. I guess there’s more restraint with the good stuff.

The views are great.

The interior must be a fabulous event space.

I’d love to see it full of beautiful people.

We enjoyed our impulsive lunch at Georges at the Pompidou.

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