Beer, Food & Travel: Sage, Midleton, Co. Cork - Wise Choices

Your memory can be flawed, seriously flawed.

That is why I try to record as much as possible so that when I come to report on, reply to or simply describe an occurrence I'll have something factual to fall back on.

Some of the places that I have eaten or drank in that sit high on my list of best experiences are recorded in my notebooks and subsequently - or eventually - on this blog and are therefore written with the benefit of hindsight and the cooling-off-period that can help you speak rationally and clearly with controlled passion about any subject.

So as I sit here looking at the notes I hastily scribbled in Sage restaurant in Midleton a few weeks back I can feel confident that what I write about will be accurate where it needs to be and as factual as possible where it should be, allowing for a pinch of poetic licence of course!

We had visited Sage's younger sibling the afternoon before and were impressed enough to think about coming here for the early evening menu, with only the lack of visible kid's menus - on the actual building and online - making us wonder whether they would be fed or even tolerated. But a quick Tweet confirmed that there was indeed a kid's menu and I can only assume that its absence is just to stop hordes of unruly children from running amok in the restaurant and annoying those who have come for a romantic meal or those who don't like hearing discussions about Minecraft, or having to pick small pieces of strewn Lego or worse from their beef carpaccio ... and who can blame them?

We would have persevered even if they hadn't responded to my Tweet ... I like their ethos with regard to their main ingredients coming from within 12 Miles of the restaurant, and also the place had been recommended by a couple of people on the Twitter machine.

Arriving without a reservation didn't appear to be an issue as we had came early enough to avoid any evening rush. Our waiter got the nod from the manager that we looked ok and so we were seated, a little close to the door for comfort for me but only because of some ancient need I have to sit with my back to a wall facing an escape route. Not knowing how loud our kids might be, it was probably the correct decision, as we were a fair distance away from the rest of the diners.

Our surroundings tread a fine line between the warmth of wooden furniture, vases of cottage flowers and low lighting, and the clean angularity of modern chicness. The staff played their part in this look too, sporting jeans with waistcoats and crisp white shirts. This worked incredibly well by putting you at ease and giving you the feeling that this was a place that was easy-going and friendly but with that clinical polish that makes a place really click.

The early evening menu had a few interesting items on it; lamb's tongue, bone marrow butter, beef carpaccio all sounded a little different but Sage's own black pudding appealed as a starter while the brisket seemed like the natural follow-up main course to my palate's logic. Herself went with the chicken and smoked pork rib terrine followed by the hake, while the kids decided on a garlic bread starter between them and then fish and chips, with the memory of Skinny's still in their little minds. To drink I chose O'Hara's Leann Follain to go with my meal while herself went for 8 Degrees Barefoot Bohemian from a beer menu of 10 or more Irish beers.

We were served tasty breads with a sage butter as we waited for our starters, which arrived quite promptly. My black pudding was served with a crispy potato, onions and shiitake mushrooms, and looked like a little dark tower sitting in a sea of bearnaise sauce. The pudding itself was perfectly cooked, pink and moist inside slightly crisp on the outside, with a subtle sweet flavour. The terrine was a seriously smoky, greasy, meaty combination with tons of taste - we were off to a great start, as the kids munched on their garlic bread.

Our two main courses arrived quickly too, the hake was nice and perfectly cooked but my brisket was amazing. A subtle and shreddable, no-knife-needed lump of beef with exquisite creamy mash and a carmelised whole carrot, with gravy and creamy sauce.

There was a short delay with the kids food - I think they might have forgot about them! But their fish arrived not too long after our main courses and although the batter was a tad undercooked it was still gobbled up quickly and enjoyed, with chips dipped in tiny jars of red sauce.

For dessert herself had the the Midleton Brick - a chocolate and toasted marshmallow slice while I decided to have the baked cheese cake I had the day before and choose 12 Acres pale Ale to go with it this time, sticking with two beers that were local to me in this local-focussed restaurant.

The brick arrived and so did my cheesecake, but it turned out to be fridged cheesecake and not the baked one I thought I was having! No matter as it was lovely anyway and still suited the bitter lemony pale ale.

We had been well looked after all evening by the attentive staff and although it wasn't yet busy you could see that service ran like a well drilled army troop.

The meal itself was very good value, the key being the use of local, affordable ingredients cooked correctly and respected, with just a tiny bit of essential faffing. Personally I'd highly recommend Sage and it certainly lived up to the hype surrounding it.

Anything I'd change? Well being a family man I'd like to see some nod to the fact that they do kids food, a mention on the website or on the menu near the entrance would not go astray. But as mentioned earlier, in the interest of peace and quiet, maybe they've made the right decision to keep the kids meals under wraps!

I'd also love to see them with their own nano brewery too, producing beers to compliment their food, but I can appreciate that that's a serious investment in every way. Even if it would fit in with their ethos of local produce.

Anyhow, Sage is a great spot and hopefully we'll get back some day soon.

Oh, and they serve wine too by the way!

Visited 8th July 2015

(Apologies for the photo quality!)

Beer, Food & Travel: The Green Room at Sage, Midleton, Cork - Just Desserts

Travelling as a family we can be a little indecisive when it comes to trying to decide on what to see or where to eat. This often means we end up, out of frustration, somewhere that outwardly half appeals to everyone but in actual fact pleases no one.

So I decided our trip to Midleton was going to be different. Like when I travel abroad, I would do some research and commit a couple of eating places to memory that I felt should please everyone. From Tweeting and Googling it was clear that there were only a few places that would keep my need for a nice drink and my other half's, and our two quarter's (I was always poor at maths...), need for sustenance satisfied.

That is how I ended up one mid-afternoon, with my family in tow, staring down an alley on Midleton's unimaginatively named Main Street wondering if I had made the right choice. We weren't hungry as such but craved something sweetish with a cool drink, and from my list The Green Room had seemed the obvious choice. The discrete-ish signs on the alley wall means that you might miss this place if you didn't know it existed, but the smell of cooking food wafting towards us on the breeze tugged our noses down to the entrance.

The Green Room is the little sister - or perhaps estranged cousin - of Sage Restaurant and is a cosy but classy restaurant bar bistro café ... I'm not sure what label suits it to be honest so let's just call it an eat'n'drinkery for now. There's bench seating and a slightly rustic feel to the outside area, while inside is more formal with comfortable seating and a more intimate feel.

We were a little worried about appearing here with the smaller ones in tow, as there was no mention of anything for kids on any menu. But we weren't shooed out and after taking our seats the waiter ran through our options for something sweet, once we let him know we weren't here for supper, which strangely starts at 4.30 pm!

I went for the 'famous' baked cheesecake and herself ordered the lemon tart, with two bowls of ice cream that had to be procured from Sage next door for the smaller creatures. They also got an apple juice and an orange juice, while herself went for a 'nice cup of tea'. I mulled over the beers on offer - all bottles, all Irish - and decided that Black's KPA, from nearby-ish Kinsale, might be a good choice with the cheesecake.

My cheesecake arrived, baked with white chocolate and raspberries on a thin biscuit base, served with a dollop of stiff cream. It was light and way too easy to eat, with the zing of raspberry cutting through the firm sweet-cheese filling. The citrusy pale ale worked brilliantly to flush the palate and contrasted with the moderate sweetness of the cheesecake. This was one of my most inspired combinations and just a lucky guess if I'm being honest.

Herself's lemon, elderflower and raspberry tart was tasty too, living up to its tart name in more ways than one. The layer of raspberries on top lifting it above ordinary, while making it look pretty and appealing too.

The bowls of ice cream were demolished quickly and quietly, with a minimum of messing and stickiness, as we were quite conscious of our surroundings. Then refreshed and satisfied we paid the moderate bill and headed back to the busy main street of the town, with sprung steps all around.

Great service and nice surroundings are easy enough to find but the two additions of good food and good beer means that The Green Room ticks four boxes for me. Perhaps the only change I would make is a nod to families by making a mention of kids food on the menu somewhere ... that's providing children are welcome of course, as I get the feeling it's not really that kind of place.

Although ours had no complaints!

Visited Tuesday 7th July 2015