Please mention ireland-guide.com when enquiring.

Crawford Gallery Café

An excellent collection of 18th- and 19th-century landscapes is housed in this fine 1724 building and its large modern extension. And this is also home to the Crawford Gallery Café, one of Cork city's favourite informal eating places, which is managed by Fawn Allen, grand-daughter of Myrtle and the late Ivan Allen, founders of Ballymaloe House - and, by a remarkable coincidence, also a descendant of Arthur Hill, architect of a previous extension to the gallery, completed in 1884.

Menus in this striking blue and white room reflect the Ballymaloe philosophy that food is precious and should be handled carefully, so Fawn Allen's freshly prepared dishes are made from natural local ingredients, and she also offers Ballymaloe breads and many of the other dishes familiar to Ballymaloe fans.

Except for a few specialities too popular to take off (such as their spinach & mushroom pancakes), the menu changes weekly but the style - a balanced mixture of timeless country house fare and contemporary international dishes featuring carefully sourced meats, fish from Ballycotton and the freshest of seasonal vegetables - remains reassuringly constant.

Substantial dishes, such as classic sirloin steak and chips, with béarnaise sauce - or a big vegetarian option like Mediterranean bean stew with coriander & basmati rice - are great for a real meal, and the home-made pickles, relishes, chutneys and preserves are delicious details. And, for a lighter bite, the home baking is outstanding.

A short well-balanced wine list offers some half bottles.

Conference/banqueting: available for private parties, corporate entertaining, lectures etc in evenings; details on application.

Seats 60; no reservations (except for groups 6+); toilets wheelchair accessible. Open Mon-Sat, 8.30-3pm (from 9am Sat), B 8.30-11.30am, L 12.25-3pm; à la carte; house wine €19. Service discretionary. Closed Sun, 24 Dec-7 Jan, bank hols. Amex, MasterCard, Visa, Laser.

Directions:

City centre, next to Opera House.