MARTYN TURNERstays at Cafe Paradiso, in Cork
IT’S NOT EASY being an eater of greens. I have been herbivoring for nigh on 40 years, and in all that time I have been married to an omnivore. She looks very well on it. But when it comes to dining out there is little chance for us to ask: “Shall we eat at your sort of restaurant or mine?”
In those four decades we have eaten at three or four vegetarian restaurants. And one was so awful we like to not think about it, but the memory lingers. It was in Atlanta, Georgia, some sort of franchise chain called Sprouts or Beans ’R’ Us or some such. I remembered that meal long after, and the bruise lasted about three weeks.
All I did, seeing something called “vegetarian ham” on the menu, was to ask the waiter if it would be okay for Jews to eat. Of course, being an American, he didn’t quite grasp my attempt at humour and said: “I will go and ask the manager.” That was when Omnivore kicked me under the table and I got the bruise.
If you can imagine the polar opposite of the get-’em-in-and- out Beans ’R’ Us, that is where we spent last weekend. We’d been given a voucher for Cafe Paradiso, in Cork, by our nearest and dearest. We arrived in time for lunch, and although checking-in time isn’t until 3pm they kindly showed us to our room early.
Cafe Paradiso has three rooms above the restaurant. They are large – leastways the one we stayed in was – quiet and sumptuous. Omnivore gleefully noted the little things: the Paradiso chocolate truffles, the spiced cashews and the herbal teas and ground coffee. I noticed the big things: a bed you can disappear in and the windows to the sky. Ours was the red room. The bathroom was terrific, with lots of shower power for the grimiest amongst us.
But the thing I really liked was the stereo. Not the stereo as such but the fact that three of the four CDs they had left for us to listen to are on my iPod: Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Iron and Wine and Paul Desmond, who was, if memory serves, the saxophonist for Dave Brubeck.
And then there was the vittals. Well, I have a sort of complaint about the food. When you have spent your life going into restaurants and asking if there is anything they might be prepared to cook for you, it comes as something of a culture shock to be faced with a menu where you can eat every single item. And I had a limited amount of time to sample the dishes: one at lunch – cos we ain’t talking nouvelle cuisine here, not in size, anyway – two at dinner and then breakfast the next morning.
What I would have liked is one of those sampler thingies, so I could have tried a small bit of everything they had to offer.
Anyway, we struggled through, making different choices, so we could try each other’s plates. I was pretty well smitten and would marry Denis Cotter, the chef, tomorrow if I wasn’t already married and if, er, he was a girl and he didn’t mind my snoring.
Róisín Ingle wrote recently of the wonders of the food at Cafe Paradiso, so I’ll leave you to look up her article, as I’m sure she described it better than I can. But, as a treat, look up the sample menus on the website. My favourite was aubergine parcels of spinach and Knockalara sheep’s cheese with beetroot and puy lentil salsa and crushed potato cake. Great service, nothing rushed but no lengthy waits either. We really enjoyed ourselves.
But here’s the important bit. You have to stay at Cafe Paradiso to qualify for a Cafe Paradiso breakfast. When we checked in we were muttering to the manager that maybe Omnivore might want to nip down to Kinsale for Sunday lunch to reacquaint herself with dead edible carcasses. We were told that she wouldn’t, in all probability, as the CP breakfast is enough to see you through the day.
And our informant was right. In many ways the breakfast was the best meal of all. The restaurant was empty except for the three couples who had stayed overnight. The sun shone in between the squalls, there were Sunday papers to read between leisurely munches and the food was impressive.
As it was identifiable as something you would cook at home – scrambled eggs, poached eggs and such – it was much easier to appreciate the imagination and the attention to detail that turned an ordinary breakfast into a memorable feast.
WhereCafe Paradiso, 16 Lancaster Quay, Cork, 021-4277939, www.cafeparadiso.com.
WhatVegetarian restaurant with a limited amount of accomodation.
RoomsThree en-suite double rooms.
Best ratesUntil the end of March, from Tuesday to Saturday, dinner and a room costs €100pps. Usual best rate is two nights' accommodation and one dinner, Tuesday to Friday, for €150 per person sharing.
RestaurantDinner Tuesday-Saturday 5.30-10pm, lunch Saturday noon-3pm. Good wine list.
Child-friendlinessCafe Paradiso welcomes children; it has comfortable sofa beds that can be put into the rooms.
AmenitiesWheelchairs can access the restaurant but not the rooms. Wireless is available throughout the building. Car parking is on the street or in a multistorey across the road.