Just Ask Restaurant of the Month for November - Market Lane Restaurant & Bar, Cork

 The “Just Ask!” Restaurant of the Month winner for November is Market Lane Restaurant & Bar, Cork

Named after the nearby English Market that supplies so much of the produce used in their kitchens, Market Lane Restaurant & Bar was once a pub. Luckily it caught the eye of business partners and hospitality professionals Conrad and Judy Howard and Tracy Corbett, who transformed the substantial two-storey premises into an attractive restaurant and bar that became the flagship restaurant of the quality-led group (Orso Kitchen Bar; Castle Café at Blackrock Castle; Elbow Lane, with Elbow Lane Brew & Smokehouse) that is now doing so much to confirm Cork’s reputation for good food.

It’s a friendly and welcoming place with terrific staff, flavour-filled contemporary cooking and a lively atmosphere - and, as they celebrate a decade in business, the ‘eat local’ philosophy that led them to name their business after the English Market still drives everything they do. Supporting local producers and suppliers ties in with a wider environmental commitment too - most of the produce used in their kitchens travels a very short distance (from the English Market) and, following recent investment in the ingenious Green Space organic hydronponics system producing food in the city centre, their already low food miles have been reduced even further.

The other constant theme is giving real value for money: they want the best food to be accessible to everyone. It was a policy that proved timely and probably kept them in business, as they headed straight into the recession when they opened in 2007, and it’s fundamental to what they do - when putting unusual products such as the very special Blasket Islands autumn lamb on the menu, for example, they keep the price down so that regular customers can enjoy it. Buying it by the carcass - and working with English Market butcher Tom Durcan to get the best possible use of every cut - helps to make that possible.

Take a glance at the exceptionally informative Market Lane website and - as well as finding the full range of tempting and very reasonably priced seasonal menus created by Group Head Chef Pamela Kelly-Gough and her team - you’ll be in no doubt about the Market Lane philosophy.

Much more than just a Suppliers list, it has separate sections dedicated to The English Market and Our Suppliers - and the detail on suppliers is an education. It includes an interactive map as well as a comprehensive catalogue of suppliers, listed under ‘Cork and Local’ and ‘Other Parts of Ireland’ - each of which has live links so, for example, clicking onto the entries for suppliers like Ballycotton Seafoods, Tom Durcan Meats or Rosscarbery Recipes will take you through to their own sites. It’s fascinating and very interesting, so an hour or two will slip by very easily...

And - very unusually - the list is dated and updated every quarter.

It would be hard to find another supplier list in Ireland to match this and, together with their overall philosophy - and, of course, the delicious and accessibly priced food that they serve, including coeliac and vegetarian dishes and a healthy kids menu - the Market Lane team deserve huge credit for the lively and engaging way in which they convey their inspiring sourcing policy to customers

http://www.marketlane.ie/our-suppliers/

For additional information on Just Ask and previous Just Ask winners, or to find out how to get involved, visit www.bordbia.ie.

SAMPLE MENU:

Also available -
• A la carte Lunch & LUNCH OFFER €12 & €13.50;]
• EARLY BIRD €25 FOR 3 COURSES

Set Dinner €30

Soup of the day with farmhouse bread
Pan seared scallops, bacon and lemon butter, cauliflower purée, pine nuts and raisins
Shallot tarte tatin, balsamic caramel, Ardsallagh goat’s cheese mousse and beetroot crisps(v)
Confit trout, goatsbridge caviar, seaweed bread, cuinneog butter, Ellie’s leaves
Glazed duck leg, caramelised plums, Serbian salad, orange and toasted pumpkin seeds
xxx
Pan fried monkfish, roast whole crevettes, prawn bisque, tempura broccoli stems, poached potatoes
Seared Tuna Niçoise, tomato and caper salsa, boiled egg, olives, flageolet beans, horseradish aioli
(v) Pea and pearl barley risotto, St. Tola ash goat’s cheese, broad beans, spinach, samphire and crispy kale
Roast marinated chicken breast with apricot stuffing, braised red cabbage, roast veg, creamy mash and gravy OR with roast sweet potatoes, freekah, courgette and pinto salad, lemon and parsley gremolata
Sirloin Steak (10oz), sautéed mushrooms, home-cut chips, green peppercorn and brandy cream or horseradish and parsley hollandaise or red wine and caramelised onion butter
Ballinwillin wild boar and cider casserole, cavolo nero, grain mustardr mash, caramelised apples Roast cod, seaweed butter sauce, asparagus, carrots, sea samphire and hasselback potatoes
xxxx
Raspberry and custard trifle, ginger crumb & toasted almonds
Chocolate and Jameson marquise, cherry tiffin base, burnt orange caramel
Mango and passionfruit sorbet with fresh fruits
Earl grey crème brulée with a citrus biscuit
Strawberry glory with crushed meringue, custard & vanilla ice cream
xxx
Tea or Coffee

THE ENGLISH MARKET

The English Market is located in the middle of the city and has for two centuries been the beating heart of the Island on which Cork is located.

Each day people from the city and beyond stream into the mar­ket to look over the produce, banter with the stall holders, enjoy the smells and sounds and pur­chase the amazing local produce on sale within it. We are proud to use the market as the principal source for many of our products, as by support­ing it we ensure that it stays viable as a commercial entity and that it in turn supports local growers and farmers.

We named ourselves after this sp­cial place as we always want Market Lane to be synonymous with fantastic produce, amazing service and to be accessible to one and all. The English Market’s proud heritage and endur­ing appeal reminds us that if we keep it simple but excellent, the people will come.

OUR SUPPLIERS http://www.marketlane.ie/our-suppliers/

Where possible we source locally produced foods and artisan products to deliver to you and wel­come any suggestions you might have or samples from any producers in the Munster region who may be reading. Please contact us at info@marketlane.ie

*Supplier list correct as of August 2017. We occasionally change suppliers and review this list quarterly.

CORK AND LOCAL

BALLYCOTTON SEAFOOD Fish THE ENGLISH MARKET, CORK
•
THE OLIVE STALL Olives and Toons Bridge haloumi cheese THE ENGLISH MARKET, CORK 
•
HASSETTS BAKERY Bread THE ENGLISH MARKET, CORK 
•
K O’CONNELL Smoked salmon THE ENGLISH MARKET, CORK
•
TOM DURCAN MEATS THE ENGLISH MARKET, CORK
•
MR BELLS Spices THE ENGLISH MARKET, CORK
•
BRESNANS VICTUALLERS Meats THE ENGLISH MARKET, CORK
•
COOLEA CHEESE CORK 
•
ROSSCARBERY RECIPES Black Pudding CORK 
•
GREEN SAFFRON SPICES CORK  
•
ARDSALLAGH FARMHOUSE CHEESE Goat’s Cheese CORK  
•
GUBBEEN FARM HOUSE PRODUCTS Chorizo CORK  
•
BALDWINS FARMHOUSE ICE CREAM WATERFORD 
•
GREENSPACE Salad leaves, herbs and micro greens CORK
•
ELBOW LANE BREWERY Craft Beer CORK 
•
LINEHAN’S SHANDON SWEETS Handmade sweets CORK

OTHER PARTS OF IRELAND

•
SILVER HILL FARM Duck Livers MONAGHAN 
•
COOLEENEY FARM Brie TIPPERARY 
•
MIKE’S FANCY CHEESE Young Buck Blue Cheese DOWN 
•
ST TOLA GOATS CHEESE CLARE

CROWE’S FARM Pork and Bacon TIPPERARY 
•
VELVET CLOUD SHEEP’S MILK YOGHURT MAYO 
•
BLASKET LAMB KERRY
 

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