Latest news with #Pipers'
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
The Village bar in Cork's Douglas is braving the All-Ireland Final for a soft opening
Can you have a 'soft opening' of a bar, restaurant, and hotel business on a crazy Cork weekend of an All Ireland final? As she prepares to open her business venture The Village in Cork's suburban Douglas, Gillian McCarthy sweetly says she and her hospitality business partner Patrick Dillon hope so. It prompts the question as to what, exactly, would constitute a hard 'hitting the ground' running opening, as Cork flags (and possibly the odd Tipp one: the landlord is a Tipperary investor) may adorn the new-look suburban venture, on the site of the historic old Pipers' fairground in upmarket Douglas? Soft it is not going to be... The business pairing have taken over a previously trading hospitality premises, East Village on a 30-year lease, dropping 'East' from the rebrand to now trade as The Village Rooms Bar and Kitchen in the 20-year-old mixed-use development. Gillian McCarthy at The Village, Rooms, Bar & Kitchen in the East Douglas Village. Picture Dan Linehan Builders Kumry Construction finished up refurbishment works in the last few days and it's now final fit-out time for the bar and restaurant, each seating up to 120 patrons on the ground (bar) and first floor (restaurant) as well as outdoor and first floor terrace seating. The new opening is the most significant development at the overall East Douglas Village complex, created around a new street which include other restaurants and 16 apartments in red brick and cut limestone blocks, since it was acquired by Tipperary-based private investor in 2021 for €11m. Two other recent lettings, to Midleton-based Hs2 hair salon and to Regina Nails (also on Patrick Street in the city centre) bring the overall East Douglas Village complex to near-full occupancy, says letting agent Margaret Kelleher of Cohalan Downing who sold the East Douglas Village development in five blocks in '21, with a then rent roll of €760,000. At The Village, the primary focus this All Ireland weekend will be on the bar trade, with a midday Saturday opening planned. Taking over the kitchen and restaurant will be well-known Cork chef Brendan Cashman (Augustines, Ox Kinsale's opening set-up, etc), says Gillian McCarthy, who has a strong background in management and HR, with family connections to the hotel trade, as does business partner Kerry-based Patrick Dillon. She says their new venture 'which has been a long time coming, it's a dream,' will employ up to 20. The previous business in other operator hands ceased by January when The Village closed for a full overhaul, with interior design work done by architects Healy Butler Moffatt: the impact of the changes might be better seen in a week or so once red and white Cork flags go.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
One clear winner when I tried selection of lower calorie crispy snacks - but not everyone will agree
It doesn't matter whether it's Walker's Cheese and Onion or posh Pipers' Karnataka Black Pepper & Sea Salt - I LOVE crisps. Glutton that I am, I would happily gobble a family-sized pack if left to my own devices. As for Pringles, once you pop really is impossible to stop. In a bid to be healthier and not consume quite as many calories (a typical small bag of crisps has at least 200) I tried some of the crunchy new additions that are an alternative to potato crisps and corn snacks like Doritos. I discovered savoury snacks made from lentils, chickpeas, seaweed, mushrooms and even a super grain packed full of nutrients and a probiotic that delivers a world-first gut-health benefit in crisp format. Tempting or what? After lots of packet rustling and crunching, here's how I got on. READ MORE: Our romantic getaway wasn't in Rome or Paris - hiking through the Peak District didn't disappoint READ MORE: One simple ingredient to add to your scones to make them extra fluffy and taller Insane Grain struck a deal with England captain Harry Kane in a bid to persuade kids to ditch crisps for a bag of these healthier snacks. There's Harry's mug on the front of the packet and a personal message on back, where he raves "These score highly with me," "wow", insanely delicious". Calm down Harry. The baked salt and vinegar knobbly sticks are ok but not a patch on Chipsticks, in both flavour (more vinegar wouldn't go amiss) and crunchiness. Made from sorghum, an ancient gluten-free grain, they have 34 percent less fat and include bacillus coagulans - a probiotic which deliver billions of live cultures to your gut. So good for your gut, not so good for your taste buds. Calories: 468 for 100g/112 for 24g serving Price: 99p Score: 4/10 High in protein, low in saturated fat, no added sugar, preservative free, high in fibre, and only 47 calories per pack, these have a lot going for them on paper. However, upon opening the packet, the contents resemble something I'd swept up from the garden. They'll taste better than they look, I assure myself. Wrong... they're vile. Instead of that satisfying crunch you'd expect the air-dried snacks have a chewy texture. The bitter flavour lingers for a long time afterwards. It feels more of a punishment than a pleasure. Keep the courgettes and red peppers for ratatouille and snack on something more palatable instead. Costing £1.49 for the privilege, it wasn't money well spent. Calories: 294 per 100g/47 for a 16g serving Price: £1.49 from Holland & Barrett Score: 1/10 If you've ever had a pretzel in the US, you'll know just how salty and sweet they are. These are a crispy version of the chewy baked pastries, that are traditionally shaped into a knot. The bite-sized snacks aren't overly salty but I found them a bit on the dry side. They might have been better with a dip. To be honest I got bored with them and wasn't bothered about polishing off the bag, which is unheard of. Calories: 333 per 100g/117 for a 35g serving Price: £1 from Tesco Score: 5/10So far it feels like I'm onto a loser so hallelujah for these little beauties. It's impressive how revolting sodden clumps of seaweed on beaches can be turned into something so tasty. Black nori seaweed (the kind used to make sushi) has been coated with tapioca which gives it a satisfying crunch. While they don't look particularly appetising, the curls are very crispy, light and flavoursome in a salty sea-like way. The sriracha adds a cheeky spiciness. On flavour these win my vote, it's just a shame they're a little the pricey side. Calories: 544 per 100g/98 for 18g serving Price: £1.09 from Holland & Barrett Score: 8/10 After the earlier experience with H&B's courgette and pepper chips, I didn't hold much hope. The contents, button and chestnut varieties, are air-dried and look just like a pile of wizened up mushrooms. But true to the mantra, don't judge a book by its cover, they taste far better than they appear. Obviously you've got to like mushrooms to enjoy them. These have an intense umami flavour and at only 30 calories a bag and no flavourings, preservatives or additives, it doesn't get much healthier. Keep an eye out for Holland & Barrett deals though otherwise they're expensive. Calories: 298 per 100g/30 calories per 10g serving. Price: Would have been £1.49 but 50 percent off due to buy one, get one half price deal at Holland & Barrett. Score: 6/10 Aldi's lentil chips are golden and triangular like Doritos, but they have a puffed up bobbly surface. There's a substantial crunch which was loud enough to cause a rock fall in the Peak District. While I'm not a big fan of the texture, I really enjoyed the tangy barbecue flavour and they're good value for money. The benefit of lentil chips over conventional crisps is they tend to be higher in protein and contain more fibre. If you want a superior version though, you won't find better than Proper's barbecue lentil chips. Calories: 479 per 100g/96 calories per 20g serving. Price: £1.19 for 85g Score: 6/10 Oh my! Proper Chips describe them as 'tongue-tingling' on the pack and they're not wrong. Gluten-free and vegan with natural flavouring, some may be put off but don't be. Absolutely bursting with spiciness and a citrus undercurrent from the yuzu, I think they're delicious. The chips have a spice level of two - the manufacturers should do a full range from mild to blow your head off for a chilli chip eating challenge. Who'd be up for that? They divided the room, however. While I loved the spicy taste and found them irresistible, other snackers weren't quite so keen, which means they're mine, all mine. Calories: 429 per 100g/98 per 20g serving Price: £2 from Tesco or Sainsbury's Score: 10/10 I'm more used to dipping into a creamy houmous dip than crunching on it. I honestly thought I was eating Disco's, one of my all-time favourites. The round discs look and taste very similar but they're made out of chickpea and lentil flours. They're also reduced fat but there's nothing lacking in taste or texture. Light, crispy and deliciously salty and vinegary, they were very moreish. I couldn't stop nibbling on them and had to remove them from my desk as I was in danger of scoffing a whole sharing bag to myself. The recommended serving is higher in calories than some of the other snacks but 30g turned out to be quite a generous amount. Calories: 477 per 100g/143 per 30g serving Price: £2 from M&S Score: 9/10 You'd never guess these were made out of cauliflower. I thought they'd would be shaped like sliced florets but the curls look more like Quavers. The different flavours include salted and cheese and onion but I opted for the more unusual katsu curry, which is pleasantly warming. Since my husband was diagnosed with diabetes we've been eating a lot of cauliflower in our house, using it to make mash and rice instead of potatoes as it's lower in carbohydrates, so snacks like this are ideal for him. Super crispy, light and punchy, they're a good alternative to potato crisps - the only downside is the price. Calories: 494 per 100g/ 98.8 per 20g serving Price: £1.29 from Holland & Barrett Score: 7/10
