By 9pm last Saturday night, myself and my five fellow diners had built up an appetite walking around Cork city all day. As we had two vegetarians among us, I had the inspiration to bring them to Cafe Paradiso, a well known and established foodie haunt. Being from Dublin and only having had the chance to visit on one previous occasion several years ago, I had delicious flavour memories and was excited to return. Oh dear...maybe I had set myself up for disappointment from the word go.
None of us being particularly flush, I tend to lose all sense of perspective when it comes to food. I suppose it's the foodie equivalent of the shopaholic. However noting the consensus of my compatriots, we decided to go straight for the main course. Probably for the best as it's a rare occasion that I say no to dessert. A few nibbles were provided on arrival-sunflower seed biscuits, cashew nuts and olives-a pleasant touch.
The menu was very appealing and I was torn between several options. I decisively settled on the roast aubergine parcels of Coolea cheese, walnuts & black kale with spiced fennel couscous cake and warm sungold tomato and caper salsa. Quite literally a mouthful! Each individual flavour was distinct and each bite was followed by a burst of flavour explosions. The aubergines had been grilled in olive oil before being stuffed with the tangy cheese and kale filling, bound with a mix of oil and spices. They were then roasted till hot and melting inside. The couscous cake was equally pleasing, with a crunchy top, although I had expected the fennel to feature more than the odd sliver. The inspiration of the plate however was the tomato and caper salsa-wow! Here is where one can appreciate the importance of good quality ingredients. It was comprised of sweet tomatoes with a tart edge, lightly cooked with juicy little capers in extra virgin olive oil. It made the dish. At a price of €25, I did think that it was a little steep for the time and effort required. Although the flavours were complex, the assembly and presentation were not particularly so. I also felt that there could have been more food on the plate and was very sad to admit to myself that I was still hungry having licked the plate clean.
My neighbour went for the sweet chilli-glazed panfried tofu with Asian greens in a coconut and lemongrass broth, soba noodles and a gingered aduki bean wonton. It smelt absolutely delicious, especially the sweet pungency of the tofu which had taken on a caramelised appearance. The broth appeared to be lacking, or maybe I was just expecting to see a big bowl of soupy noodles as we are used to in Asian restaurants. Anyway although I didn't ask for a bite, it got the big thumbs up. She, the only wine drinker of the night had a glass of sauvignon blanc which was well needed and hit the spot. Three of the others went for the almond pastry galette of feta and spinach with coriander crushed potato, harissa sauce and sugar snaps. The verdict on this was that it could have also been bigger and did not satisfy all tummies. I had a corner of my other neighbour's pastry and was expecting something more exciting from the inclusion of the ground almonds, however apart from being slightly shorter, it was no different to ordinary filo pastry! Again I couldn't agree that value for money was really offered with this dish at a price tag of €25.
Although I had decided on a dessert, I actually needed a dessert. Now, a dessert should not be a necessity. It should be something that we feel guilty for ordering so that we can savour every guilty and indulgent bite. Fancying myself as a bit of an amateur pastry chef, I was disappointed with the desserts on offer. They seemed a bit dull, lacking any real vision in an otherwise creative and inventive kitchen. I was tempted to go for the limone Paradiso-a trio of lemony sour desserts that hit you right in the cheek pockets. However fearing that this would not fill me up enough (I feel like I want to cry reliving this but maybe I am being a tad melodramatic...) I reluctantly decided on the Strawberry Baked Alaska, hoping that it would offer satisfying spongy, creamy comfort. Feeling the purse strings, only two of us ordered dessert and we both went for the Baked Alaska. Despite this we were kept waiting for at least 30mins before they arrived. A mountain of golden white, it didn't take me a second to get stuck in and I had made it clear that I was not sharing (at €9 a pop I could have nearly bought Magnums all round!). I did like the dessert but I didn't love it. Disappointingly there was far too much sweet, sickly uncooked eggwhite and far too little sponge and ice cream. The strawberry ice cream was undoubtedly homemade and tasty, but it was the stingiest tiny scoop. The sponge was nicely soaked in a strawberry syrup, however it was only a very thin layer underneath all the meringue. Unfortunately, the whole thing was overpriced and below par but at that stage I was just glad to have filled the gap in my stomach.
I don't mind paying for good food but on this occasion, I felt that the meals were overpriced and undersized. Maybe skipping on the starter was a mistake in a vegetarian restaurant where meals are typically going to be lighter, however remaining hungry after only a main course is not a good sign. (As a side note I am neither a horse nor a rugby player). Maybe I had built this place up too much and my expectations were too high but it was not as I remembered it. On my previous visit it had a more rustic and cosy feel. On this occasion it did take on more of a 'cafe' resemblance. Apart from slowing up towards the end of the night, service was fine but could have been more attentive. Would I recommend this restaurant? Yes but with a word of warning-make sure you've had a good lunch!
http://www.cafeparadiso.ie/
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