You ‘fin’ me right round Goldie, right round
A popular Cork city restaurant has retained its highly coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand rating for the second year in a row.
It has been joined by Cush in Ballycotton, one of the three new Irish additions to the Michelin Guide.
All four Cork restaurants that hold Michelin Stars, the highest grade, retained their awards. These are Ichigo Ichie in Cork city, Bastion in Kinsale and dede in Baltimore as well as Chestnut in Ballydehob.
Since entering the Michelin Guide for the first time last year, the team at sustainable fish restaurant Goldie on Oliver Plunkett Street has really hit its stride, taking inspiration from all over the world to produce an affordable, ever-changing and always delicious menu.
The Bib Gourmand rating recognises friendly establishments that serve great food at moderate prices.
Goldie is the brainchild of talented young chef-owner Aishling Moore who has set up her business with a “whole catch” approach, providing fishermen with a guarantee of income ensuring that no fish are discarded. This means it is up to Moore to create a new menu every day depending on what catch is delivered to her kitchen, while always sticking to the restaurant’s ethos of “gill to fin” cooking.
Dishes like monk cheek scampi, Taiwanese fish nuggets, handmade prawn cocktail crisps and crunchy fish spines imbibe the menu with a keen sense of fun and provide an easy entrée for diners into a mostly fish menu which has serious style.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the news,” said Moore. “This recognition is really encouraging for the whole team as we gear up to normal trading conditions. It reaffirms our commitment to sustainability and to serving delicious, accessible seafood in a lovely, relaxed and casual environment in Cork’s city centre.”
She added: “Using most of the fish from gill to fin was a challenge for all of us to start off with, but now I can say we are thriving on the opportunities it provides us to change things up on a regular basis.”
The practice of foraging, preserving and pickling is also central to the ethos of the restaurant and the shoreline of Ballycotton Bay provides the kitchen with much of its bounty.
“Finding ways to preserve seafood other than freezing has been very important, as the weather affects our base ingredient availability every week,” explained Moore.
Other premium local producers showcased in the restaurant include Rossmore Oysters, Hive Mind honey, Churchfield Community Gardens and Singing Frog Gardens.
Encouraging the next generation to embrace fish in their diets is also on the menu at Goldie, and young diners eat free on the first Wednesday of every month. Goldie is part of the Market Lane Group of restaurants.