Cork city lost two of its best-loved casual dining destinations, Dockland and the Crawford Gallery Café, in 2022. But, while both are still missed, a silver lining soon emerged as the former Dockland owners, Beth Haughton and Harold Lynch, opened The Green Room here at the Crawford, where they have found a new niche.
An excellent collection of 18th- and 19th-century landscapes is among the 4,000 or so works housed in this fine 1724 building and a large modern extension - and, until a planned redevelopment of the gallery begins (expected late 2024) this will also be home to The Green Room.
Harold, marking a return to the place where he made his culinary début (following training at Ballymaloe) in the late 80s, is as usual making the very best of mainly local produce and enhancing it with the colourful dishes and continental touches that were a hallmark of Dockland.
Beth has worked her magic on the elegantly lofty room, which features plenty of soothing green of course - including plants galore. With some of the larger ones set comfortably in big baskets, they make comfortable dining companions and, along with Cleo Barnham artwork on the walls, it's a fine setting for Harold's good cooking.
Lunch and weekend dinner menus overlap to some exrtent. The signature English Market Mediterranean Plate, for exampe, appears on both and it's quite a substantial one including Jamon Serrano Gran Reserve, Baby parmesan saucisson, Small di Tartufo, Classic Salami, semi-dried tomatoes, marinated olives, bocconcini (small balls of mozzarella), tapenade, pesto, beetroot relish, and toasted sourdough
Other typical lunchtime dishes include Chargrilled marinated breast of chicken, Quinlan's Smoked Salmon, or a Bombay Toastie, while evening options could include Quinlan’s Crab (with fresh chilli, dill, lime mayo and more) and a popular Seared Beef Salad (with Cashel Blue, rustic potatoes and French fried onion rings).
Desserts on both menus are well worth saving space for - a boozy chocolate mousse, for example, or Zabaglione Semifreddo - and there's delicious cheese too, typically Ardsallagh Goats, which comes with tomato chilli jam, leaves and toasted sourdough.
The Green Room is open from nine, so there’s coffee and tea with scones and 'sweet treats' for morning gallery visitors and other drop-ins to enjoy in this delightfully calming space.
