I’m happy to veg out in Cork and sample the best lentil burgers...

YOU have to know about Good Day Deli to find it but, not surprisingly, the news of its existence has reached all of Cork city at this stage and a dedicated band of regulars repair here, some of them daily, for… well, for a lot of things.

For a start, it’s a bright, modern glass box sitting in the three acres of gardens that the Presentation Sisters here share with the community. The food, by Corkonian Karen and New Zealander Kristin, is bright, vibrant, original, nurturing and thoughtful. And, oh yes, it doesn’t feature meat.

Indeed, we reflected as we enjoyed lunch there, that Cork has by far the three best restaurants in the country that eschew the flesh of animals: Good Day Deli, Café Paradiso and the outstandingly original (and often vegan) Iyer’s.

But people come to Good Day Deli for other reasons. One is the welcome and the enthusiasm which is genuinely striking. Another might be the excellent coffee. Yet another is possibly the way in which the bright, calm, tall-windowed room simply works. And the diversity of the customers.

In terms of look and in terms of menu, it’s all very modern and very cool, but there’s a warmth underpinning the experience. We simply loved it. Long, sinuous Douglas Street is, like so much of this part of Cork, rather down-at-heel so the Nano Nagle Centre, part of the Victorian convent complex, comes as quite a contemporary architectural surprise. Through the shop, up the stairs, along the garden path and there it is.

The website speaks of sustainable menus, a positive attitude and an inspiring atmosphere which, to be honest, sounds so earnest that it might be offputting. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the reality is a delight. Even my lentil burger. Now, regular readers will know that I’m a devotee of two profoundly democratic dishes: chicken wings and hamburgers. Both are carnivorous exercises and I even like my burgers – when I know they come from a kitchen that I can trust – a little on the bloody side. (Some Bunsen Burger outlets will oblige you in this respect, if you’re so inclined).

So, a lentil burger was a leap for me.

It certainly looked the part while not having a meaty texture, of course. However, it was protein and it was properly savoury; and the bun and all the other burger accoutrements (a) made this a very pleasant dish and (b) actually did deliver something of a hamburger experience.

The accompanying chips were excellent, although eclipsed somewhat by the paprika version that came with our other main course, the Kai Moana Fish Tacos, made with hake and served on lovely little Blanco Nino corn tortillas that are made in Clonmel.

The fish came in batons, ethereally battered, very subtly spiced, with a lemon and coriander mayonnaise, pickled red onion, lime wedges and a colourful slaw. This was a cracker of a dish, bright, vibrant and clean-tasting.

Desserts – or pieces of cake, to be accurate, were mixed. An orange polenta cake, prettily presented with a tiny triangle of the fruit on top, and scattered with dried rose petals, was too sweet and pure stodge in terms of texture.

But somehow it got eaten. A chocolate and Beamish cake, on the other hand, was fabulous: very dark, not in any way cloying, bitter in a deliciously grown-up way, the savouriness (so to speak) cut by glistening sweet icing on top.

With excellent coffee – although the macchiato, strictly speaking, should be much shorter – one glass of mineral water and a glass of white wine came to an eminently reasonable €57.95.

For a city of its size, Cork is well served with good places for lunch: the Crawford Gallery Café, Jacques’, Nash 19, The Farmgate, Iyer’s, Isaac’s and – towards the end of the week – Greenes, to name many of the best. But Good Day Deli, open just over a year, adds something new and different.

WINE CHOICE

There are two ‘natural’ wines (made with zero sulphur and minimal intervention) from Sicily, a Cattaratto and a Nero d’Avola at €7.50 a glass, and an interesting natural sparkler from northern Italy at €9 a glass.

SMART MONEY

Everything seems very reasonably priced.

AND ANOTHER THING

Between now and Christmas, there will be evening menus. Phone for details.