Archive for October, 2009

Sweeties and Beauties, beauties and sweeties

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

frankpaul-is-your-friend

Pescao en lata

Friday, October 30th, 2009

bubble-wiggle-duncan(2)
One tends to lust after a decent tin of sardines of a morning, or a late afternoon as it were. Considering the invigorating nature of the previous evenings (haw haw haw!!) activities, I deemed nothing less than crucial that I had the little devils. As they could not be located in the kitchen lard, whereupon said fishies were last sighted, well I firstly fixed myself a gill or thereabouts of sherry, and prepared to search the remainder of the house, certain that the little blighters couldn’t have gotten far. In order to fully appreciate the worldview of your average sholette of sardines whom inhabit a can, I deftly made my way onto a pantry shelf. From there I thought thoughts fishy as you can imagine until I found myself swimming as best as one can in the confines of a tin, to the kitchen door. My fish gut then led me to the direction of the stairs and eventually up said said stairs, and toward the bedroom, outside of which and in spite of my newfound fishy senses, I could detect all manner of odours, from the curious to the depraved, but none smell of Portugal’s finest, wriggled into the door and opened with fins and there she was a young vixen of whom I had the previous evening entertained, upright on the bed, gorging on the final sardine and naked but for the spicy tomato sauce and fish oil that adorned her blossoming young body like a wound, “I should have known it would be you, you insatiable minx” I tried to boom authoritatively from my belly on the floor. Nothing came from my gill but a bubble. Bubble and wiggle

This little Piggy went to the Market

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Paco Guzmán at the English Market in Cork, Ireland. Photo courtesy Irish Examiner
…and here’s
Paco's Menu
…what he made from it.

The famous Dracula Desert

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

And the national press spoke, and people did listen…

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

So here is what Master Tom Doorley of the paper of record, ie The Irish Times had to say about the lads:

An Crúibín is arguably Cork’s coolest pub and you can get some brilliant tapas (some of which are inspired by Spain, others by good Irish produce) here in the evenings, but the real draw and what has been making big waves in Cork of late is the restaurant upstairs which is called the Silk Purse…

The Silk Purse’s slogan in “Where elegance and debauchery go hand in hand” which is a cheerful thought.

Frank and Paul, the funky proprietors, have created a brilliantly varied and inviting menu – short, constantly changing and featuring Italian, Spanish, even the odd Mexican treatment for local produce. There is a fritto di giorno and usually a risotto with a title in flawless Italian.

The dish that sums up the wacky feel of The SIlk Purse, with its fun and fellowship, for me is “marinaded seared pinchada of beef,papas fritas, ensalada de tomates, Jimmy McCurry sauce.” I have yet to try it, but how often does the description on the menu really make you want to eat the dish? Exactly.

There’s a lot going here, much of it on the busy plates. It feels like the epicentre of Cork seen through very cosmopolitan and slightly mad eyes.

A Message from Paco

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Cooking at An Crúibín

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

Snacks

Paco Guzmán shall be cooking in the Silk Purse, Upstairs of An Crúibín, as part of our gastronomical food exchange.

Paco, who runs his own restaurant Santa Maria, in El Born, Barcelona will be cooking using Irish ingredients sourced from Cork markets, in his own youthful and energetic style.

A very limited number of Tickets are on sale for 35 euro. A five course taster menu of Pacos, and a glass of wine are included in this event.

Telephone 021 431 0071 for details. October 24, Saturday at 7.30 PM.