I’m planning to head to Bandon, West Cork soon to review some of their pubs. Should be a bit of fun!
Bandon Pubs
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Electric
On a recent work night out i ventured to this relatively new pub on the South Mall in Cork. The South Mall would generally be regarded as the financial district of Cork City. This is the only bar located on this street. It enjoys a fantastic location overlooking the river Lee. On a summers evening you would find it hard to pick a nicer place for a pint while sitting outside in the heart of the city centre. I was impressed when i headed in. It is a modern bar with efficient and professional bar staff. There are some very nice seating areas and its quite a big establishment. I liked the decor in this pub which was formerly a bank. It is more expensive for a pint here than other nearby pubs but as myself and Ollie discussed it is a new pub with very glamorous surroundings. I had three pints of Murphys there and they were all top rate. I saw people going upstairs so i don’t know if there is a restaurant there.
The toilets reminded me of those in Sober lane just across the bridge. The sinks are located outside the door of the gents and ladies toilets. A communal hand washing area. The gents toilets are small but to be fair were immaculate and i couldn’t fault them. The city certainly needs a classy pub such as this and i think it’l do well in that niche market.
Toilet rating: 8.5/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 8.5/10
Final comment: Electric is probably the most exciting bar to open in Cork city for a long while in my opinion. I would certainly recommend going there. I personally wouldn’t stay here for the whole night but for a couple of pints its a great find.
Amicus (Douglas)
I have been here on a number of occassions and have always been impressed by the prices, quality of food and atmosphere. I have to say that this was not the same story on my last visit. I went for the late lunch and ordered a steak sandwich from the lunch menu. I have to say that i was very disappointed with the quality of the meat that was presented. I asked for it to be cooked medium but it came out a bit overdone. Ok thats not a capital offence on a lunch menu at reasonable prices but the meat itself was chewy, stringy and tough. I have to say that i felt i was given the real bottom of the pile meat due to it being reasonably priced lunch menu food. Saying this i have always found Amicus to be excellent value. Their prices are not pretentious and it is simple good quality food that is provided with professional service from the staff. The place is spotless as are the toilets. The toilets are a bit of a drawback in that there are too few of them and this is borne out by the fact that there is a line of chairs to sit on if you’re waiting for the loo. Over all Amicus is a quality, well run restaurant that will facilitate a nice lunch or a romantic meal and they accommodate children well also.
AJ’s Take away (Riverstick)
Take aways are also restaurants (Once they have a seating area anyway!!) right thats that clarified….
AJ’s fast food take away also boasts a seating area so qualifies… This is a relatively recently opened take away situated next to the Topaz garage in Riverstick. The place is generally spotless and one can, for the most part see the food being prepared behind the counter. This place comes from the “Lennox’s” stable of catering and the chips are home cut real potatoes and portions are great value. The food overall is excellent for fast food but the winner for me definitely has to be their southern fry wraps.. They are without doubt the best in the area.. prices are reasonable and as stated the food is good quality. The place is very clean as are the toilets. I can definitely recommend a visit to this spot on those sultry evenings returning from Garretstown and Kinsale (or from watching the statue move a bit in Ballinspittle) over the summer.
Cleanliness. 9/10
Value 9/10
Staff 8/10
Food 8.5/10
Family friendly. 7/10
The Grafton
A relatively new bar in Cork City centre. You will find this pub on Oliver Plunkett street. It is a big pub and on the two occasions i was there i encountered two very differing scenes. On the first occasion i was there just before christmas the place was thronged with people. There was barely even standing room and a very loud band. We decided not to stay on this occasion but i called back recently on a Wednesday night. There was very few people here on this visit except some people in to watch a champions league game. It seems to be a decent pub to watch a match in. The bar man was extremely friendly and engaged in pleasant chit chat and pulled a great pint of Murphys too.
The pub has some comfortable seating areas although the area just inside the smoking area appears to not have been furnished to the same standard as the rest of the pub. The smoking area itself looked to be a very nice area to enjoy a drink. My overall view of this pub was good until i checked the toilets. They appeared fine until i saw the seat on the cubicle. It was in need of bad need of attention and i suppose i should have said it to the bar man but i didn’t. I have to say that i enjoyed my pint here and would head back again.
Toilet rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 7.5/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: The toilet conditions in this pub let it down but saying that maybe the staff were just unaware. It is definately worth checking out for a pint.
Gambienis (Careys Lane Cork)
I’ve been to Gambienis on a number of occassions and i am a big fan of one particular dish that is served there. Pollo Bruchettas is a chicken dish served with onions and mushrooms and covered in a bar-b-que type sauce. It is generally delicious an served with choice of fries potatoes or rice. There is a fault however. The food can be relatively inconsistent. I dont mean that it is good and bad because to be fair it is always good. It can, however be slighly different each time depending on the chef (who incidentally cook in full view of the restaurant). Some of the dishes will have more food one day so this can be slightly off putting. Gambienis is an Italian restaurant and does the traditional Italian dishes well. The Lasagne and bolognese are tasty and the lunch menu is quality and reasonably priced. The full menu is in my opinion slightly expensive due to the inconsistencies in the dishes. Kids are catered for very well by the staff and are provided with the usual distractions such as colouring books that are a godsend when the stress levels rise for the parents. The restaurant does a busy trade in the evenings and is well worth a visit for an evening out. The place is very clean as are the toilets which happen to be at the extreme top of the building and so offer mandatory exercise for anyone needing to use them. On the bright side, this exercise reduces the guilt felt by the customer when they tuck into one of the delicious desserts…. Overall Gambienis is a well established well run restaurant that know how to produce quality food. Some consistency could be attained to make it even better.
Cleanliness. 9/10
Value 8/10
Staff. 8/10
Food. 8.5/10
Family friendly. 8/10
Florry Batts (F.B O Sullivan)
The last pub that we visited in Kenmare on Fos’s stag was Florry Batts. We had just come from Crowleys bar down the road. The bar is on your right on the way in and there is another area down the back with a pool table and an open fire. We all stayed down in this section for our drink. The bar staff here were pleasant and the pint of Guinness was good it has to be said. There was a good atmosphere in this pub.
The toilets were out the back and were fine when i checked then. Kenmare has some good pubs to offer their locals and visitors alike.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: Florry Batts is a pub worth popping into for a pint.
Oscars bar
We headed down to Clonakilty recently for a family night away. I had heard very good things about the quality hotel in Clon. To be very honest about it all were true. We stayed for one night and couldn’t fault the whole set up there. We have a little girl and were looking for a child friendly hotel and we weren’t disappointed on that front. Facilities for kids are first class and you can sit back and relax while they are entertained.
Oscars bar was very busy on the saturday night that we were there. It is a big pub with plenty seating areas available. They serve pub grub and there was a lot of people eating there. The bar staff were very efficient and i wasn’t waiting long to be served. The pints of Murphys were very good, i couldn’t fault them. We didn’t stay in the bar area for the night but instead chose to sit out in the lobby where the reception is located. In fact all parents of the smaller kids were sitting here. It was great that they could run around and have fun and have the space and tolerance of staff and other guests to do it. The toilets were well maintained when i saw them and they are just before you enter the restaurant area. We are heading back to this hotel at the end of the month and i’m really looking forward to it.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: This hotel is certainly one to consider if you have kids of any age. I enjoyed my overall experience here and Oscars bar is worth a visit.
Man Fridays (Kinsale)
Had been here on a few occasions over the years and decided to pay a visit last Sunday night. The thing about Man Fridays is that it is consistent. It is consistently good. I had a Fillet Steak with Bearnaise sauce and it was cooked to perfection and my wife had Turbot which was also cooked perfectly. I had a chicken salad for starter which also had pine nuts, grapes and strawberries in it. Who would have thought that it was a winning combination. I have to say that the place is quite expensive and i dont know if the prices can be justified based on the name the place has. Very little has changed since i first took my wife (then girlfriend) on our first real night out back in 2001. Consistency yes, unchanging yes. It is probably inadvisable to change a winning formula but having been there over a ten year period and seen little changes i have to say i would be slow to go back again. The food is also quite expensive and my wife remarked that it was unusual to see fish on a menu that was more expensive than the steak for the most part.
Overall this is a lovely place for a romantic evening in beautiful Kinsale. There is a good value early bird menu also but for those who have been there and may be hoping for an updated experience then they may be disappointed.
Cleanliness 9/10
Staff 9/10
Value 6/10
Family friendly N/A
Food 8/10
Overall a classy restaurant that lives on its reputation and is consistently good. Average size portions and friendly helpful staff.
PF Mc Carthy’s
After our disappointing trip to O Murchus bar we continued down the street when we came to PF Mc Carthys. This pub had been recommended to us by locals we were talking to earlier in the day. It was buzzing when we walked in and got the drinks in. Live music was just about to start as we went in and we stayed here for a few pints. The pints of Guinness were good here and went down well. I found this bar to be extremely enjoyable.
The toilets are located down the back of the pub. They were in good condition and well maintained to be fair. I didn’t go out but i think there is a smoking area out the back. This is a very decent pub with efficient bar staff and is most certainly worth a visit.
Toilet rating: 7.5/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Final comment: This pub is certainly one of Kenmare’s hot spots and i’d head in there again.