The power of a food memory

It is not often that a dish in a restaurant takes me down a trip to memory lane but a recent visit to L’Atitude 51 did exactly that.

It was a spontaneous trip to town that lead us on a Saturday early evening to Union Quay to enjoy a nice glass of wine and cider paired with small plates of cauliflower risotto and pan-fried hake on polenta.

Although the food was impeccable as expected from chef Simone Kelly, it was indeed the Basque cheesecake that took me down memory lane as it was the same cheesecake my mum used to make – a baked bottomless deliciousness that was so light, it was gone before I even realised it.

I left L’Atitude with a smile as I remembered that my mum always baked a bottomless cheesecake for family gatherings as everyone loved it – she always had to bake two as my brother was able to devour one whole cake in one sitting. He also always requested a full cake for himself on his birthday.

Although my mum gave me the recipe, I never actually baked it as she used ingredients I find difficult to find here and if, not in the same quality as she used back in Germany.

She used a certain type of quark instead of cream cheese and she added a special custard powder for the flavouring – the result was a creamy mix that tasted of more.

A baked cheesecake tends to look burnt but that is simply the way it is meant to be and Simone’s cheesecake just looked like mum used to make. I had to text her after the meal to thank her for being an amazing chef but also to create a moment for me to remember days gone by.

If food can take you to places and times that make you smile, you know that you are a in a good place.

I had the pleasure of meeting Simone through SlowFood when we both worked together many years ago and her love for Irish food and her respect for artisan food producers had us bond again and again.

Do you remember The Rocket Man? The salad stall at Mahon Farmer’s Market and later in Princess Street? She is the co-founder of it together with her son Jack.

Both also brought us Neighbour Food – an initiative that enabled food producers and food lovers to still connect and share food during the pandemic.

I was devastated when The Rocket Man closed and was worried that the Cork food scene lost one of its strongest allies but I didn’t need to worry.

I was over the moon when I heard that she took the reigns at L’Atitude 51. Together with Beverly Matthew, both women have wine and food lovers coming back for more again and again.

And yes, we will be back as well and I can only hope that the cheesecake is a permanent fixture on the menu.

The winebar is open Wednesday to Saturdays from 2pm with the kitchen being open from 5pm. Check out their socials for interesting upcoming events.