Lucinda O'Sullivan's Ireland

About The Restaurant

Everybody, it seems, still wants to be a restaurateur including Cork local radio presenter Neil Prendeville, who in late 2008 with hotelier John Gately opened the real capital’s Boardwalk Bar & Grill. My Cork moles told me at the time that cheeky Mr. Prendeville said on air that if I came to review his restaurant “I would like it if he had nice arses working on the floor as I was into arses”!! Presumably Mr. Prendeville was referring to my more delicately put humourous “Rear of the Year Award” in 2006. Anyway the Boardwalk added a new dimension to Cork dining and has settled in very nicely since.

The Lapps Quay Quarter, as it is now called, is the hot spot on the Cork dining scene. For those of you who don’t know Cork, Lapps Quay is right on the River Lee with wonderful views of City Hall downriver. and the striking new Elysian 17 story apartment building twinkling like a blue beacon in the night sky.
The Boardwalk is a big place straddling a corner with big plate glass windows softened by voile curtains. On one side is the restaurant and, on the other, the bar. It was a €2m fit out so the Boardwalk is a big undertaking – no expense was spared in getting this cool American style Steakhouse just right. The bar is enormous, long and curving around at the back, and here they also do great bar food.

The restaurant décor is the de rigueur cool urban style with brown leather button back dining chairs, white napery, lots of walnut, and yet has a clubby feel, and there was plenty of buzz and atmosphere. Mags and I had a Cosmo each and Brendan had a ‘Paddy’ whilst we absorbed the menu. Starters include popular stalwarts such as calamari, mussels in a white wine and shallot sauce, salmon fish cakes and hickory smoked barbecue back ribs, and confit of pork with black pudding, carrot puree and Brandy js. Mags and Mike shared “Fresh Alaskan King Crab, Deadliest Catch!”. Alaskan King Crab is indeed the most prized deadliest catch – it is fabulous and doesn’t need much enhancements save perhaps lemon or maybe a horseradish cream on the side. Iced Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail was cracking because they left the gorgeous shellfish unadorned. A cocktail glass was filled with eight big chunky American style shrimps hanging over the edge of the glass with a spicy Marie Rose style dipping sauce to the side! Ace.

They have of course fabulous Irish Angus Steaks run from rib-eye, through 9 oz fillets, to 18 oz T-Bones, to 20 oz bone in rib-eye – not to mention Surf & Turfs with fillet steak and jumbo shrimp. There is something for all pockets at the Boardwalk including chicken and pasta, salmon or vegetarian options at very reasonable prices. They also do a great Chicken on the Hour dish – basically a Sunday Roast style chicken which is taken from their ovens on the hour every hour. At lunchtime they have a “Lunch Special Beef Trolley – carved tableside with seasonal veg, Yorkshire pudding and beef gravy” which is very popular but they also do a Fast Business Lunch and daily Credit Crunch Lunch Specials with a main course and soft drink or coffee for under a tenner. I had Chargrilled split rack of lamb was certainly ample and very tender but on our visit they needed to ask the butcher for a younger model - which no doubt they have since!! Mags had delicious Atlantic Halibut served on spinach with roasted garlic and chive butter which she absolutely loved. Mike had a brilliant whopping 18oz T-bone steak whilst Brendan also enjoyed his 10 oz New York striploin - perfectly cooked and beautifully succulent. Spinach was very nice as was an Onion Stack.

We love the buzz and atmosphere at the Boardwalk - and by the way they also do a great Early Bird Menu which includes a rib eye steak which is more expensive on the A La Carte than the entire Early Bird Menu. I know now why we always saw J.R. Ewing of Dallas fame saying he would meet Sue Ellen for dinner at the Steakhouse at 6.30 pm. Don't miss out.

Take a walk on the Boardwalk – you won’t regret it.

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