Exciting new arrivals in the city
Two exciting openings happened recently in Cork city. The first one is The Pavilion in Carey’s Lane. I remember it when it was simply called the Pav and I swung the odd dance leg in there with my friend Sari.
The team of Benny McCabe and Judy Wilkins has transformed the bar into a stylish lounge bar with upstairs having a bit of an old world cabaret feel to it. Local artist Anthony Ruby has added his flair to the walls, combining his love for Cork with his art.
Upstairs also features a cinema and a stage and my brain went into overdrive thinking of all the events that could happen there – I’d say, watch this space.
You can expect a great selection of craft beers from the Rising Sons brewery and other amazing Irish craft brewers as well as healthy selection of whiskey and gin. The attention to detail for this new venture makes the bar stand out and I can see many happy hours ahead meeting friends for a relaxed drink.
The second exciting opening happened in Bridge Street – again, an old haunt of mine has been transformed into a stylish bar with a Cuban feel to it.
Andy Ferreira is one half of the brain behind this new spot and if his success in Cask is anything to go by, we can expect award winning cocktails. Andy has a passion for cocktails (or mixology as it is now called) and even goes as far as preparing his own bitters and syrups to give each cocktail the Andy flair.
Paladar is based on a traditional Cuban bar – I’ve never been to Cuba but when thinking of old movies, I expect a lively atmosphere with a hint of art deco and some passionate barmen wiping the bar top and asking ‘what’s bothering you girl?’.
Okay, the last part might just be my wishful thinking but the tasty cocktails are not – Andy and his team in Cask have won some great awards on the world stage and I can’t wait to try some of the drinks on the cocktail list in Paladar.
Tequila and rum feature high but also Irish gin, vodka and whiskey can be found. I have already picked the drinks I’d like to try when visiting – Banana Clipper, Plantation Café Swizzle and Spitfire are just screaming to join my circle of friends.
Being focused on the South American flavour profile, Paladar is not shy in featuring Mexican beer, wines from Chile and Argentina and Jamaican rum.
The food menu also looks mouthwatering with dishes like bread & butter with tequila flavoured butter (it has my name on it), cerdo con papas (slow-cooked pork belly), moqueca (pan fried fish) and pao de queijo (traditional Brazilian cheese bread with pulled pork).
If you think you can have three-course meal in the usual way – think again as dishes are served when they are ready rather than in a certain order.
This location was a regular destination of mine when it was La Boqueria – I used to work just around the corner and had over an hour lunch break. I started my lunch break with a glass of wine and a little tapas plate – after a few weeks I was trading up to a carafe and when I left the company, I was known to manage a bottle of wine – I was always one of the happiest people going back to the office.