Get in my belly!

With less then two weeks until the return of the annual Soul in the City Festival, organisers recently held a competition to see which restaurant could make the best soul food dish.

With the festival taking place in nine different venues, this year's Soul in the City is not just about the music but also the culinary aspects of soul!

The food trail, which was being judged by headline act Karen Underwood, started off in MacCurtain Street at Gallagher’s Gastro Pub where a king creole was on the menu. The king creole consisted of chicken and chorizo jambalaya with prawns, crispy arancini, deep fried kale, lemon pepper and collard greens, all cooked in Cajun sauces and was produced by head chef Amit.

Next up was Gourmet (Burger) Bistro on Bridge Street where head chef Nick cooked up a delicious salmon cooked in a creamy Cajun sauce, accompanied with baby garlic potatoes. Next on the tour was the newly refurbished Met Restaurant at the Metropole Hotel where chef Ben produced seared tuna marinated in Cajun spices with crème fraiche, wasabi and sweet potato puffs.

The food trail continued to Son of a Bun where head chef Karen McCabe took her swing at a soul dish. The burger joint produced something a little different by showcasing a healthy take on a creole with a Cajun chicken salad. Boasting a lot of greens and spices, Karen said it was by far the healthiest option of her day and very keto-friendly.

Isaacs Restaurant was next on the list and produced a southern fried chicken, accompanied by a side salad. Karen didn’t waste a crumb and was super happy with chef Canice’s meal.

It was back to The Bridge bar then where lamb chops cooked in spices and a paste to accompany the meal awaited.

At Novecento, chef Orla produced a buffalo mozzarella base pizza with Dingle Bay prawns, mango and black eyed beans accompanied with a melted mozzarella dip.

Greenes Restaurant was the final stop and Cajun pork belly, smocked Gubbeen cheese with chorizo casserole was served up by head chef Bryan.

Upon finishing the food trail, the individual chefs were invited to showcase their dish at a long table in front of the Metropole Hotel where Karen announced the winner, Chef Ben at The Met Restaurant’s for his seared tuna dish as the over all winner.

The Cork Independent is proud to be a media sponsor for Soul in the City, along with Cork’s 96FM.

The Soul in the City Festival will take place from 31 May to 2 June in the Victorian Quarter. Visit soulinthecity.ie for more.