Adjacent to the Isaac’s Hotel and Apartments is the Greenes Restaurant, a lovely fine dining restaurant that my friend Steffie and I decided to splurge on our last night in Cork. I had been eye-balling the menu all week and as we decided to stay close to home for our last evening, Greenes was the idea choice before we headed out to the Everyman Theatre across the street to see a performance of Little Gem.
The service was impeccable, attentive and informative. The interior is friendly, warm and classy without being stuffy, exclusive and snobbish. MacCurtain Street is a very busy thoroughfare and yet there is no trace of the hustle and bustle going on a few yards away as the restaurant is kept tranquil. With the waterfall and stone courtyard, you would swear you were off in the country instead of being smack dab in the center of Cork City.
Compliments of the chef: mackerel pate on a crustini with yellow mustard.
Verdict: Amazing. I normally do not care for mackerel, but I gobbled this up.
Order: Braised Monkfish Cheeks in Red Wine, Mushrooms served on Crispy Pork Belly, Mini Pomme Duchesse
Verdict: If there was a heaven for meat eaters, this would be it. I had never ordered anything so bold and never been so satisfied with a move like this in all of my life. I dream about this morsel a lot.
Order: Baked Cod with Parsley Crust served on Fresh Tagliatelle, Frank Hederman smoked Mussels, Cream & Lemon Sauce
Verdict: I wanted to love this dish but did not. The combination of smoked mussels and lemon was too overwhelming to enjoy the sauce, which is a shame because tagliatelle is my favorite kind of pasta noodle. However, the fish alone was sumptuous.
Order: Pan fried Natural Smoked Haddock on Baby Potatoes, Spinach, Gubbeen Chorizo & Roast Garlic Aioli
Verdict: “It tastes like breakfast!” – Steffie. That’s easily the highest compliment a master chef can earn for a main when it comes to Steffie. She loved that dish.
Order: Creme Brulee with vanilla biscuits
Verdict: Steffie’s dessert weakness did not disappoint.
Order: Millefeuille of Filo pastry, lemon curd, strawberries topped with Chantilly cream, watermelon shake shot glass
Verdict: The watermelon shot was not as sweet as I was anticipating, but instead a refreshing contrast to the sweetness of the main dessert. I could have eaten three of those, they were magic. Strawberries and lemon are never a regretful combo, and the pastry was a light and crisp delight.
Would I dine at Greenes Restaurant again? Yes!
Whether you’re patronizing Isaac’s or not, it’s worth while to make a reservations at Greenes simply because chef Frederic Desormeaux knows what he’s doing. He brings the very definition of master chef to the literal and figurative table.
Greenes Restaurant
48 MacCurtain Street
Cork, Ireland
