Cork is buzzing again

Last Saturday was the first time since before Christmas I went to town. The sun was shining, musicians were playing and the markets invited you to linger a bit.

Cork city had a beautiful buzz so it was hard to imagine that we are still in lockdown. I also saw a few new food places that had opened quietly while I wasn’t looking.

The former Bracken’s is now home to Masseytown Rotisserie Deli where you can get freshly grilled chicken, pork and butternut squash. The chicken is from East Ferry, proving that the team is dedicated to supporting local producers. A selection of cold and hot side, sandwiches and dessert complete the food offerings.

And staying with rotisserie, it seems to be a new trend now, following the opening of Spit Jacks a few years ago. Now, we have a second dedicated eatery with Masseytown but the Rising Sons Brewery Pub isn’t outdone and offers The Chicknic – rotisserie chicken that has been brined in their award-winning Handsum IPA, along with coleslaw, potato salad, buns and chocolate snacks as well as cans of Fandango Hazy IPA. All this for €30, serving four people.

Originally, rotisserie was simply spit roasting as we know to cook pork and other larger meats over an open fire. The word rotisserie today refers to a device where smaller meats, mainly poultry is skewered on a spit that is attached to a rotating device with the heat coming from the sides. Rotisseries are a common sight in France who have long discovered that rotating meat while cooking keeps the juices flowing and the meat moist.

The first time this method was used in France is mentioned in 1450 in Paris where you could buy a rotisserie in shops for the upper classes. Restaurants at that time also employed ‘rotisseurs’ who did nothing but roast and grill meats.

With three places offering rotisserie chicken now, sunshine as we had last weekend, music playing in the streets, markets offering their wares – you might be forgiven comparing Cork to Paris in summer!

I paid my favourite pub, the Rising Sons, a visit to grab some Fandango to enjoy later in my own garden and was so tempted to get one of their tasty pizzas as well. Unfortunately, I live too far away to keep the pizza hot but I am looking forward to the day I can do that again.

And talking about pizza, a new pizza place has also opened recently in French Church Street. Three friends in Killarney decided one day that they wanted to open an authentic pizza place and French Church Street seemed to be the perfect place (I have to agree) to offer pizza and Italian street food.

The team of three friends are chefs, construction workers and dreamers (we need more of them) who weren’t deterred by the pandemic or lockdown but went steaming ahead sourcing a very attractive pizza oven from Napoli and created a space that could be right at a piazza in Napoli.

I personally can’t wait to pay them a visit when dining in/out is possible again. Here’s hoping that we have many more days like last Saturday to enjoy the outstanding food offerings in Cork.