CORKS NEWEST BISTRO
29th November 2010
The family favorite, Fitzgerald’s Vienna Woods Hotel, Glanmire, Cork, is proud to announce that they will be opening a new 90 seat bistro, Mabel Crawford’s, mid December 2010, just in time for Christmas.
The Fitzgerald Family along with Michael Magner bought the hotel 4 years ago, and ever since have been developing & improving the hotel product. The first part of the hotels redevelopment was their ballroom which is now one of the largest in Cork. A brand new state of the Art Kitchen soon followed in 2009 alongside refurbishment & preservation work on the old mansion in terms of the staircases, chandeliers, cornice features, fireplaces and wood paneling. In addition eight Luxury 4 bed-roomed Villas were erected to the rear of the 22 private acres at an investment of €1.6M
The most recent part of the hotels redevelopment comes as a Big Surprise. Not because opening a bistro in current times seems crazy, just as the winter season starts or because its before a much anticipated government Budget, but because Mabel Crawford’s will occupy an undiscovered part of the old House, never before used as a Public area!
One day by accident while moving a catering sized fridge, a blocked doorway was found.
Eric the Maintenance Manager was asked to arrange for the removal of the boarding over the mystery entrance. On doing so, what was discovered but Lady Mabel Crawford’s Old Kitchen and Pantry, dating back some 150 years! The House before it was a Hotel was home to Lord & Lady Crawford, founders of the Beamish Brewery.
Michael Magner, Director at the Hotel says “Can you imagine the surprise we got on finding these rooms? It really was enchanting, you know, finding hidden rooms in an old house. Everyone in the hotel that day was really excited and coming to look at our new space. I knew straight away that I would turn the space into a Bistro. The greater Glanmire area has such little choice and there is a large population around us here. We have combined the newly found rooms with the space that occupied our old Kitchen before we had our new facility to give us a really quirky space to work with for our new Bistro, Mabel Crawford’s.”
Mabel Crawford’s will offer the ultimate experience in upscale, value for money, casual dining. Michael Manger, Director at Fitzgerald’s Vienna Woods Hotel also says: “Sometimes Hotels are not an obvious choice when dining out. That’s because hotel dining rooms tend to be created for and operated as a facility for residents. Like our sister hotel in Adare, Fitzgerald’s Woodlands House Hotel, we have always been geared to outside diners and “Mabel Crawford’s” will follow suit. Of course we will be looking after our residents in Mabel Crawford’s, but our aim from the outset is to treat the Bistro as a stand alone business. Mabel Crawford’s will have its own dedicated team of people, and will be a full service bistro open to the public, serving breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.”
Mabel Crawford’s will offer modern Irish and European Cuisine, in a unique and quirky setting, at very affordable prices and with friendly yet professional service. The bistro aims to appeal to all generations, and is a family friendly venue with a kids menu designed by local kids, and a diverse menu offering coeliac friendly dishes as standard. Some dishes on the menu will include Crispy Confit of Duck with a haricot Blanc and a Port reduction , Poached Fillet of Cod served with a Chunky Provencal sauce and Topped with crispy leeks, Pan-fried Medallions of Monkfish served with a Tomato and Caper Butter, and Warm Carrot Cake with a Hazelnut Marmalade syrup and nutmeg Mascapone Cream
The new bistro will cater predominantly to the residential & business communities of Glanmire, Golunthaune, Watergrasshill & Little Island.
Head Chef Declan Mason comments “We have created a really exciting new menu and cant wait to start serving up some of our new Dishes. We use only well aged and certified Irish Angus Beef, I buy my fish fresh on a daily basis, all Fruit & Veg are sourced locally and delivered to me fresh every morning. I know my suppliers well, they are local and Irish, such as O’Connell Meats, Waterfall Farm just down the road from here, and Good Fish for my seafood. So you see quality is at the core of what we do, we also make all our soups, sauces and desserts from scratch. I don’t want to give away too much, but I can say, expect to see some new renditions of old classics on the menu!”
Advance Bookings are now being taken for Mabel’s, on 021 4556800
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