Monthly Archive for February, 2006

Good for lunch or a drink in the evening. I have visited this bar twice in a couple of days. You will find the Park Cafe Bar at the Midleton park hotel. The first occasion we visited for a carvery lunch. It was very enjoyable. We both got the chicken and ham and found it very nice. Last night we revisited the bar as we went to hear a wedding band we were thinking of booking. Prior to going into the function room we went into the bar. It is a big hotel bar with two sections. It is very bright and welcoming. We sat up near a lady playing the piano. In fairness she was very talented and entertaining. I went to the bar and it took a while to get served even though the two lads behind the bar were not that busy. Both myself and Ryan had a pint of Murphy’s and they were of good quality. There is a good selection of places to sit all over the pub.

The toilets are fine and were well maintained on the two occasions that i vacated them. I would most definately head back for a drink or a bite to eat here again. Carvery lunch is served from 12-2:45 and bar food is served up until 10pm. Have a look.

Toilet rating: 7.5/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Final comment: The Park Cafe Bar is part of a fine hotel. There is ample parking available outside if you are driving.

Sundays Well is an interesting area of Cork steeped in tradition and history. You will find the famous Cork Gaol in the area and this is well worth a visit. I paid my second visit to Annies Bar the other night. It has been about 3 years since my first visit when i was there for lunch. I was driving the other night and we managed to get a parking space directly outside the door. Annies is not a huge pub but it is not very small eithier. I got a 7up and Jen got a wine, big suprise there! There was a small crowd out for a drink and there was plenty seating available. I have to say that i remember the lunch i had there being very enjoyable. There is nothing special about the pub for me. It is ok for a drink though.

The toilets are out a door and up a stairs. They were in grand condition when i had a look. I certainly won’t be rushing back to Annies but of course i was here on a midweek night so i didn’t see what its like when it is busy. Check it out for yourself.

Toilet rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 6.5/10

Final comment: Annies enjoys a nice location not far from Cork city.

Malones Bar was our last port of call on our Blarney area pub reviews. We walked in and the place was practically deserted. There was a few lads sitting at the bar just inside the door. Malones is a big pub. The main seating area of the pub was blocked off and we sat by the bar. I noticed a pool table at far end of the bar. I got the impression that this would be a nice bar to watch a match in. The other people in the bar were keeping in good spirits with a sing song! In fairness there was one man and he had an excellent and unusual voice. I enjoyed listening to them. The man serving behind the bar was pleasant. I informed him that we were doing a pub review and he told me that they are quiet at this time of the year. The pint of Murphy’s i had was a good pint and went down well. Even though there was only a few people in the bar it was not at all awkward.

The toilets were ok but there was no seat on the toilet bowl in the cubicle. The pub serves food and it is a place i would like to head back to when it is busier.

Toilet rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 7.5/10
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Final comment: I like Malones Bar and it is a worth having a look at.

The next stop off we took was in Tower. We decided to head for Aunties Bar. As we were walking in we found the door blocked by a group of people who were not that inclined to move. We managed to find our way past them and into the bar. We took a seat to the left inside the door and i ordered a pint of Murphy’s and a glass of finches orange for Jen. I had a look around the bar and noticed a big projected screen above the door showing a match. The bar itself is small and there is an area upstairs but i didn’t get to check that out. The pint of Murphy’s was very good to be fair. I was served very efficiently by the bar man. There was a good few people in the bar. As we were enjoying our drinks there was a bit of commotion and two people were asked to leave the bar by one of the female staff. She could have been the manager. Anyway, she handled herself very well and stuck to her guns even though these lads didn’t want to go.

The gents toilets are some what old fashioned but were clean and usable. Aunties is not a pub that i would return to. If being honest it was a nice pint but the crowd at the door and the trouble inside made it unappealing. Saying that, this may have been an isolated incident. Aunties Bar in Blarney is there for you to try out.

Toilet rating: 6.5/10
Pint rating:7/10
Overall rating: 6/10

Final comment: Aunties Bar has regular live music from what i’ve heard. Thats all i have to say.

I had to ask a girl at work the name of this pub as i couldn’t make it out on the wall of the place on the night we visited. The Old Halfway House known locally as Curtains enjoys a very prominent roadside location on the new Mallow road in Rathduff, Grenagh. We were driving past and decided to stop off and have a look. I wasn’t sure if it was a pub or not at first but noticed the Murphy’s sign outside. There is a conservatory area at the front which is apparently there for a good number of years but is not part of the original pub. This area appeared very comfortable and would be a nice place to enjoy a drink. I walked into the pub and everyone sitting at the bar in front of me turned around and stared! It is very much a locals pub and my presence was certainly noticed and although nobody said a word, i could sense they were all thinking ‘who’s your man’! They soon got back to watching a film that was being shown on the tv behind the bar. I took a seat over past the pool table after getting my 7up and glass of wine. The fact that i was driving curtailed my stout testing.

Jen joined me in the pub after making a phone call and received the same stares. They were by no means stares of annoyance but more of curiosity, i would think. There was a good few people inside having drinks and we were there on a Wednesday evening. I checked the gents toilets and they were typical country pub type toilets. They were alright. I think there may be another area to the pub that i didn’t see. Overall a place that has its local and regular trade and us from Munster Pubs invading their place of drinking!

Toilet rating: 6/10
Overall rating: 6/10

Final comment: The Old Halfway House is a pub that is convenient to stop off at and there is parking outside along with some petrol pumps. It was grand to visit but as i said it appears to be a locals pub.