48 HOURS IN… CORK

Lizzie Gore-Grimes enjoys a foodie a weekend

EAT The fact that Ichigo Ichie was only open five months before it was awarded a Michelin star speaks volumes about Takashi Miyazaki’s skill as a chef. The place is tiny and the rooms are plain, but the minute you’re presented with Takashi’s hand-drawn menu, you know you’re in for something special. Each dish on the set 12-course kaiseki menu offers up an endlessly inventive marriage of local and less-local ingredients (think Connemara sea cucumber, hojicha, daikon, yuzu and Leamlara sorrel) and is served with such exacting ritual that the whole experience is quite dreamlike. The name Ichigo Ichie means “one chance” or “once in a lifetime”, and at €120 per person for the set menu, this may well remain a once in a lifetime experience for most, but boy is it worth it, ichigoichie.ie. For something very different but every bit as impressive, Café Paradiso is not to be missed. Inside, there’s a great buzz about the place, with dark painted walls, tactile natural textures, gleaming wood and happy staff busying about. We ended up hogging far too much of sommelier Dave’s time as he introduced us to a selection of their stellar natural wines. Between this and Denis Cotter’s endlessly creative cooking, Paradiso is about as perfect as they come, paradiso.restaurant. But even after all that eating, you’ve still got to have brunch, right? The Good Day Deli is an exceptional little spot, hidden away in the verdant quiet of the Nano Nagle gardens, run by Cork woman Clare Condon and her chef partner Kristin Makirere, originally from the Cook Islands. The menu reflects their joint heritage with tasty dishes such as Kai Moana fish tacos, fingers of Irish hake, lightly battered, served in superb Blanco Niño corn tortillas (produced in Ireland, from Irish-grown corn), raw slaw, pickle and lemon coriander mayo. Together they have created one of the most light-filled, sustainable and popular places to meet and eat in Cork, gooddaydeli.ie. SLEEP After all this gastro-gallivanting, you’ll need somewhere to stay that meets these neighbouring high standards, and The River Lee Hotel does just that. Part of The Doyle Collection, the hotel’s interior will strike a familiar chord with folks fond of The Westbury’s Art Deco panache, but with a younger, less formal feel to the place. The River Club bar with its monochromatic tiled bar, white jacketed wait staff and teal leather button back sofas is Blind Pig New York cool, plus it boasts a canopied terrace overlooking the river that’s got to be one of the best spots in the city for a summer G&T. Double room B&B, from €164, doylecollection.com.