Monthly Archive for April, 2005

The Viscount

Published on April 28, 2005 in Cork. 0 Comments

The Viscount is a pub across from the fore mentioned Outpost bar. It was bought by Carrigaline based business man Barry Collins in recent times. There is ample parking available as it is situated next to Dunnes Stores. There is a bar and a lounge and the lounge was where i went into. I’m reliably informed that they provide a very decent lunch which may be worth trying. As you walk into the lounge there is a seating section directly to the left and another alcove area on the left again. If you walk straight ahead there is another seating area on the left and the bar is off to the right. As you walk along with the bar on your left there is plenty of seating to the right. There are some very comfortable areas off here. If you keep walking there is more seats to the right including a nice area which has a few steps up to it. There is a food counter on the left here. I ordered my drinks and the barman even though very polite disappeared so i was left waiting a while to finally get the stout. To be honest it was a poor pint and i didn’t really enjoy it

The toilets are over past the bar, out a door and down a corridor. They were very clean and well maintained. It appears to be a pub that does a good trade all through the week. It was fine for a quick pint even though it was a poor one. It has a central location and is a decent pub overall.

Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 5/10
Overall rating: 6/10

Final comment: The Viscount has competition from two popular pubs in the vicinity. I saw an advert for live music and that could be good. Take a look for yourself.

The Rendezvous Bar

Published on April 28, 2005 in Cork. 3 Comments

The Rendezvous bar is situated on the model farm road near Bishopstown in Cork. We headed in for a drink and i was suprised at the major developments that have taken place. I was in there a few years ago at a table quiz and there has been a major transformation since then. It has a prominent roadside location and is an impressive building. There is parking at the front, side and back. As you walk in you can take the door to the left or the right. I took the door to the left. It is a very impressive modern interior. There is seating straight ahead as you walk in. If you take a right the bar is on the right and there are seats across the way. There is a very nice seating area off to the left with some very comfortable couches which is where we sat. They have two gas fires that i saw and they are very welcoming on a miserable night. There are candles on each of the tables which creates an intimate atmosphere as the lights were kept low. The bar continues around to the right and in a semi circle. There is more seating in this area. I saw two big screen tv’s and saw an advert for Setanta sports which shows some very good games. They have a good selection of beers and wines. Jen got her favourite wine ‘Michel Laroche’ which cost 4 euro 35. I read about their international beers and this is what’s available. Budvar, a Czech beer for 4 euro 20, Erdinger, German for 4 euro 20, Krombacher, also German for 4 euro 20, Warsteiner for 4 euro 15, Stella Artois 4 euro 15 and Kopparberg cider from Sweeden for 4 euro 50. Of course i stuck with the usual. The Murphy’s was around the 3 euro 50 mark and was a very decent pint.

The toilets are located up a stairs, a bit of a walk it has to be said. There are a few cubicles and to be honest i was a bit disappointed with them given how nice the pub is. Overall i was very impressed with this pub. I would most certainly go back again. It was quite busy for a midweek night to be fair and there was a good crowd there. There was a good mixture of ages in the Rendezvous with a more mature crowd predominating. It is a trendy pub well worth a visit.

Toilet rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 7 and a half/10
Overall rating: 7 and a half/10

Final comment: The owners of The Rendezvous Bar appear to have ploughed a lot of money into the pub. I think they have food in the bar but am not entirely sure. A fine establishment with bucket loads of character.

Server Move

Published on April 18, 2005 in Announcements. 1 Comment

Munsterpubs.com is moving to a bigger, brighter (and cheaper) home. Some downtime is inevitable, bear with us while we get everything back to working order over the next day or two.

Phew, that was quick. Forget a day or two, more like an hour or two. Move is complete, just have to get everything out of the boxes and put some shelves up. If you find any errors where there previously were none, please report them to mail [at] rymus [dot] net

The Babbling Brook

Published on April 17, 2005 in Cork. 1 Comment

Villages such as Riverstick are becoming more developed as people move away from the city areas. As far as i know Riverstick has two pubs. This one and Allens. It is an attractive building and we got parking directly outside. This is a pub that i have driven past several times and said that i would like to visit. As you walk in the door the bar is directly in front of you. From the moment you walk in you will see it is a very modern and comfortable pub. There is seating over to the right. If you turn left there is more seating here and also a very welcoming open fire. We sat straight ahead and it was fine. There is a a seat just before you walk out to the toilet on the left and it is a grand private spot. The bar lady was extremely friendly and offered several choices of wine. I had a mineral so i can’t comment on their stout. We were suprised at how modern a pub it is and in fairness nobody batted an eyelid as we walked in. There was a good crowd in there, both a mixture of locals and those who just wanted a drink. It appears to be quite a small bar but there is something about the place that is appealing.

The toilets are situated down the back out a door and to the right.
They are also very modern and were very well maintained. From the outside it appears like a very big building so there may be another
part to this pub. I can honestly say that it’s a place that i will certainly consider in the future. Jen echoed this sentiment.

Toilet rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10

Final comment: The Babbling Brook is a nice pub. Even though it was our first visit, it was very welcoming and it is worth a visit.

The Huntsman

Published on April 17, 2005 in Cork. 1 Comment

Belgooly is a small village on the main route to Kinsale. We headed out here for a drink previously. We tried to go into ‘Colemans’ bar but the doors were locked even though there was people in there. They must require some special knock for entrance to the pub! We went across the road to The Huntsman pub. It has a namesake in Waterville that has been reviewed already. As you walk in there is a stage to the right and some seating straight ahead. If you walk to the left there are more seats on the left and the bar is on the right. There is more seating across from the bar. This constitutes the pub. On the night we were there we got stares as we walked in because we were the only ‘non locals’ there. The Murphy’s in this pub is very decent and i enjoyed the pint. When we were sitting enjoying the drink a man in his slippers came in followed by an extremely obese cat! Some oul fella muttered something about us being too quiet and stumbled out the door. In this pub everyone knew everyone, except us. They have regular live music in the bar and as far as i know there is a restaurant off the bar. They have a tv over the stage area and a few were watching a match.

The gents toilets are straight ahead as you walk into the bar and out a door. They are small and were a bit smelly but seemed ok. The Huntsman as stated is a real locals spot and visitors although welcome should realise this. It’s one to stop off at.

Toilet rating: 5/10
Pint rating: 7 and a half/10
Overall rating: 6/10

Final comment: Belgooly has the two pubs and one obviously closes its doors and the other is a village local. I wouldn’t be rushing back personally.

The Rochestown Inn

Published on April 14, 2005 in Cork. 16 Comments

The Rochestown Inn enjoys a prominent roadside location on the Rochestown road in Rochestown, Cork. We headed there the other night to see what it offers. As you walk in there is seating to the right and left. If you walk to the left there is more seating and there is a small bar on the right. There is an area for smokers out a door here. If you continue up a few steps there is another bar on the left and seating all around this area. Overall it is a small pub. It is renouned for it’s summer BBQ’s and has a great selection of different food themes available. It was quite busy on our visit. You will find live music in the Rochestown inn on a regular basis. They have a Jelly bean machine by the bar which is great. The Murphy’s here is fine, a bit bitter but ok.

The toilets are located up the back and out a door to the left. You may get stuck going out one door and in the other. The toilets are small and could probably do with some modernisation but weren’t the worst i’ve seen. This pub has a lot of character and charm and was nice to visit. I’d like to go back again when it is livlier and maybe enjoy a BBQ night.

Toilet rating: 5/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating 6 and a half/10

Final comment: The Rochestown Inn is a nice spot off point for a bite to eat or a drink sometime.

I have been to this pub a few times since this review. I have to say that the staff were very friendly and Phelan Goodman was playing on one night and he is a very talented musician. There was a very good mix of people there the last time we were in there and the pints i got were far better than the first visit. Can certainly recommend the breakfast here as well which is delicious.

Eoin

Mount Oval Bar

Published on April 12, 2005 in Cork. 6 Comments

This is the first pub review to be undertaken in a residental estate. Mount Oval village is an exclusive development of houses located in Rochestown, Cork. Myself and Jen paid a visit to the Mount Oval Bar. It is situated in an attractive cul de sac surrounded by shops and other facilities. It is an impressive and modern building from the outside. As you walk in the bar is straight ahead and there are comfortable seating areas to the left and right. I was very impressed with the decor and design of the pub. It was quite busy inside. I ordered a Murphy’s and a white wine and it came to 8 euro. The bar man was extremely polite and brought the pint over to the table. We sat over to the right on a very comfortable couch. They have one of those plasma tv’s on the wall. The Murphy’s was a good pint and Jen stated the wine was very nice. I thought it would be very posh but it certainly wasn’t that. I would have happily had a few pints in there. We only stayed for the one though.

The toilets are over to the right when you walk in. The ‘male toilet’ is fine and was in very good condition. There are some interesting lights on the mirrors. The cubicles were very clean and there was a nice smell of air freshener. There is a restaurant near the bar and they also serve bar food. It is a very nice pub to sit and have a chat in. It is a modern, comfortable and friendly bar. I will go back again and try some of their cusine.

Toilet rating: 8 and a half/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 8/10

Final comment:

Mount Oval bar is well worth a visit. I can recommend it from my short experience there.

Corner House – Ballincollig

Published on April 7, 2005 in Cork. 1 Comment

This pub is gone (25/08/09)

The Corner House, our last and least enjoyable stop in Ballincollig. A world away from it’s namesake in Carrigaline. From the outside it is a clean, modern looking and quite appealing pub. That appeal all but fades when you open the door and walk inside. I’m not saying it’s a hole, I wouldn’t normally be that crass. It’s just not what you’d expect given the appearance outside. Both the decor and the clientele are visibly dated, the layout is odd and the toilets (just because Eoin will moan if I don’t mention them) are an accident waiting to happen. In fact I can only presume one or two ‘accidents’ have already happened in there due to a sign indicating that the gents toilets are monitored by CCTV. A hugely worrying sight.

A hugely covert picture taken with a nokia 6600; which explains the rotten quality

I can’t fault the pint of Murphys I was served. The surroundings grew on me somewhat but I got the impression it was a ‘locals bar’ given the looks we were getting from a few of the drinkers on the way out. Everyone has gotten that look at some stage in their drinking lives. The “who are you and what are you doing in my pub?” look. Would I go there again? I suppose I would, if either Mary O’Connell’s or the Darby was packed out to the doors.

Darbys Bar and Restaurant

Published on April 7, 2005 in Cork. 0 Comments

30/08/06: I was passing through Ballincollig the other day and i noticed that Darbys has a new name and there appeared to be a lot of building work going on inside. I don’t remember the name.

The second pub we visited in Ballincollig was Darbys bar and restaurant. You will find it on the main street in the town. I had heard people talking about this pub and decided to head in. We took the door on the right on the way in. As you walk in here there is seating all around. If you walk through to the next section the bar is on the left and there are some nice seating area’s to the right. We sat just across from the bar. It was relatively quiet in there last night and there was a few groups of people scattered around. If you walk straight down there is another section here and a stairs. If you keep walking you go out a back entrance. The pints of Murphy’s in there were fine. We got the impression that this pub gets very busy at the weekends. We only saw this section. On the way in there is a door on the left too. This section of the pub is quite large.

I went in search for the toilets and had trouble in finding them. I eventually asked a kind lady who informed me they were up stairs. Off i went on a big trek up to them. They are poor to say the least. They are small and they had no hand dryer to be seen. I expected better to be honest. We only stayed for the one drink but we both agreed that the best night to come in would be the weekend when it would be very lively. We watched highlights from soccer games on their big tv and then left. The restaurant might be good for food but i can’t say one way or the other. This is very much a superpub.

Toilet rating: 5/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: Darbys is a big pub and is bang in the center of the town. A weekend visit is advised.

Mary O’ Connell

Published on April 7, 2005 in Cork. 1 Comment

We venured to the town of Ballincollig last night in aid of Munster pubs! I have been in this town many times in the past but had never tested the night life. Our first port of call was Mary O’Connell pub on the main street. We had a choice of two entrances, the bar and the lounge and we chose the latter. As you walk in there is seating immediately to the left. We didn’t sit there as there was a champions league on the television above. As you walk up the bar is on the left hand side and there is seating across from it on the right. We sat on the right near the back of the lounge. Two Murphy’s were ordered and we observed the place. I would hazard a guess that it caters for the older customer. There was a good number of people there and most of them were middle aged or upwards. It is a very modern and bright pub and it showed all the signs of being recently modernised. The two lads behind the bar were extremely friendly. It is a small enough lounge but i liked it.

The toilets are located out a door at the back. I was very impressed with them. They were very clean and smelled of freshener. They have two cubicles and a few urinals. They looked to be be recently done up as well. The pints of Murphy’s were great and we had no complaints with them. We didn’t check out the bar but the lounge was suitably impressive. They had some good in house music playing and i would recommend it for a nice pint of the black stuff.

Toilet rating: 8/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10

Final comment: I like Mary O’Connell bar in Ballincollig. It has lots of charm and all the modern comforts people demand in a pub. A good one.