Warmly welcomed by a young clientèle looking for something different in Cork - and despite all the challenges presented by Covid-19 - the city's most hotly anticipated hotel, The Dean Cork, opened pretty much on time in December 2020.
Like its popular Dublin sister, The Dean Cork was quick to claim its place as the hippest hotel in town and - while Wilson Architecture's blocky, black-clad seven-storey building in the new development beside the railway station may be controversial - its New York vibe is fresh and exciting, and so is the original Irish artwork that (as in Dublin) is a feature throughout the hotel.
Entering the spacious ground floor lobby area, you’ll see the familiar neon welcome note above Reception (a bespoke design created by Irish artist Domino Whisker), and a layout designed to faciliate hot-desking professionals with super-fast wi-fi, ample plugs, and Irish roasted DIME coffee served throughout the day - while the ground floor Dean Bar is a cool spot to meet by day or night.
Accommodation is unconventional, as you'd expect, but super comfortable beds are a priority and there are no single-use plastics in rooms. The ultra-cool bedrooms come in three basic configurations - Superoom, sleeps 1-2; Triple, sleep 1-4 (including bunk beds, for family or pals to share) and Suite, sleeps 1-2 - all featuring Netflix-capable smart TVs, Nespresso machines, fully stocked Smeg mini fridges, munchie trays, Dyson hairdryers and rainfall showers. And right up on the seventh floor there's a treat in store in the shape of the Loft & Suites - two huge bedrooms with power showers and free standing baths, 'mega beds' and a Loft area with private bar, foosball table, huge Smart TV, dining table, record player, vinyl, guitars, games 'and more'...
On the 6th floor, with views of the River Lee and across the developing city, you’ll find Sophie’s, a bright and spacious restaurant that serves, breakfast, brunch (at weekends), dinner and drinks. A granite topped bar takes pride of place in the centre of the room and there are two terraces for al fresco dining with a view (and what a view). A long open kitchen allows guests to watch the team in action and the décor (by interior designers O’Donnell O’Neill, who have also done impressive work in other well known hotels around Ireland, including The River Lee across the city) has created a versatile, stylish and very comfortably furnished space for different occasions. During the day light pours in ithrough floor to ceiling windows, whilst the warmth of reclaimed wooden beams and soft lighting give the space a cosy feel at night. Somewhat surprisingly, considering the controversy surrounding this playful feature in the Dublin hotel, the infamous Dean swings have been installed here too, both on the ground floor and beside Sophie's.
As to the food, it also follows a similar pattern, and it works well. The “New York Italian inspired menu” combines the most popular dishes from their sister restaurant in Dublin - interesting pasta dishes like rough tagliatelle with oxtail and apricot ragu and pistachios and soft herb gnocchi, with egg, walnut and celery and sourdough crumb - with new dishes created by Chef Martin O’Mahony and his team, using some of the county’s best ingredients and suppliers, including Castletownbere crab, butter and yoghurt from Glenilen Farm at Drimoleague, and cured meats and cheese from Gubbeen Farmhouse near Schull.
Pizza (cooked in a bespoke pizza oven) accounts for some of the most popular items on the menu (at both lunch and dinner); a tasty one to note is the BBQ smoked Pork with Pickled Cider Apples and Onion Jam, while house specials among the desserts may include an appealng Raspberry Trifle with Vanilla Custard & Fresh Cream or a comfortingly warm and flavourful Blackberry & Apple Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream.
Service from friendly neatly-presented staff with a chatty attitude is efficient and very pleasant. Faultless bar service too - and the wine list includes a wide choice by the glass (but no local craft beers or ciders) while a separate list offers a good range of cocktails.
