Letters Page

Dear John and Sally

I love eating fish dishes when I go out to restaurants, but I would like to learn more about cooking fish at home. I find there is only so much you can learn from books and feel that to really learn how to cook fish, you need to learn from an expert.
Do you know of any courses specialising in fish cookery in the Dublin area? And preferably one that avoids inflicting unneccessary suffering on live lobsters?
Thanks,
Gerry Gunnigan

*See the article on cookery schools, Gerry. In an ideal world, 10 minutes spent by Martin Shanahan's side in Kinsale's Fishy Fishy Café would teach you all you need to know about fish cookery! Martin also tells the most extraordinary story about The Buddhist and The Lobster. Ask him about it.

Dear John and Sally

Have enjoyed reading your guides and am anxious to visit Ireland in October.. When we have used guide recommendations in the past (like American Express concierge service), we have eaten in excellent restaurants, but places that are often stuffy and too formal, where one is afraid to sneeze.
We will be in Dublin for two nights and are looking at L'Ecrivain and Thornton's for dinner. I know that the food will be superb but what about atmosphere? Too stuffy? Do we have to wear our church faces?
Can you make a couple of recommendations based on great food and relaxed, nice atmosphere?
Oh, yes, and Irish patrons, we see enough Americans at home!
Best Regards,
Diane Bloodgood

*Pretty hard to beat Thornton's and L'Ecrivain in Dublin in 2001, Diane, for there you have 2 cooks on the top of their form and 2 mighty restaurants.
No need for church faces, either: stuffy restaurants tend not to make it these days in Ireland.
Have a good trip!

Dear John and Sally

Can you tell me why it is not possible to access the contents of your books and reviews through the site?
Thank you.

*That will be the future, hopefully, beginning with the new Bridgestone Food Lovers Guides to Ireland which we hope to publish in the autumn and which we will be looking to make web accessible.

Dear John and Sally

Why do you use the name "Best" places to eat and stay? Surely you can't have been in every restaurant, b&b and hotel in Ireland.
Anyway who has the right to decide what is "best"?
Appreciate your comments
John Moloney

*By "best", John, what we mean is a place that does their work to the best of their abilities and as well as they can do it. We judge places by their ambitions, not by ours.
If you make a great sandwich, you have made something as worthy of the accolade "the best" as someone who has spent forever perfecting a truffled lobster.
Our view of food is very democratic in this sense.
Ironically, we find that those places that assume that they are "the best" are usually nothing of the sort. They may be grand, and expensive and exclusive, but those factors to us virtually mean the opposite of what we understand as being the best.

Dear John and Sally

Two weeks ago I visited Fermoy Co.Cork and having consulted my "bible" in advance was disappointed to find La Bigoudenne had closed down three weeks previously.
Fermoy is not well served for restaurants but we were enchanted to find Mermaids Restaurant at Castle Hyde Hotel 3km outside town on Mallow Road. Would recommend you visit - enchanting setting and very impressive food.

*See our Noticeboard regarding La Bigoudenne. Glad to hear Mermaids was good.

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