It’s a long drive (by Irish standards) from our home, to the village of Baltimore in West Cork, add to that the roads are horrendous once off the main motorways. Thankfully, though, the weather was fantastic. We made two quick stops along the way and arrived into a very sunny Baltimore just after 6:00 p.m. There was a small festival on so accommodation was in short supply. We were unable to get a place to stay in the centre, however, we booked a very nice B&B on the outskirts less than a kilometre to the village centre.
The Channel View B&B has a fantastic location with great views out to the bay and beyond. Our host was very welcoming and was quick to ask us were we here for Dedes which we were of course. Our room was small but adequate with a full sized bathtub in the ensuite and it was spotlessly clean, plus we had a nice view out our window.
We only had about an hour to pass so we caught up on some reading before getting ready for dinner. Once spruced up, we took a very pleasant stroll into the village. The centre was hopping, there was a fantastic atmosphere with everyone outside enjoying the amazing weather, it was already shaping up to be a great evening. We wasted no time and grabbed a drink in one of the bars and made our way outside to listen to a band which had set up. We could have easily spent a few more hours here enjoying the vibe, but we had dinner reservations and were excited to get going.
As it turned out, when the Michelin awards were announced, Terre as expected achieved a star, however, the real surprise was Dede at the Customs House who went from having one star to two – a fantastic achievement. Luckily, our insight to book both restaurants before the awards were announced, had paid off.
We arrived into Dedes bang on time and the very welcoming staff member informed us that we’d be seated outside for the first part of the evening. Dedes is actually named after the owner/chef who is of Turkish origin and now lives in Baltimore with his family. The restaurant is new having only opened in 2020 and to achieve what he has in such a short space of time is fantastic.
The outdoor area was very comfortable, it has a nice wood-fired stove in the centre of a covered area, the seats are very Nordic in design with sheepskin blankets thrown over them. As always, we kick things off with a Kir.
Once enjoying our drinks the first of our ‘nibbles’ arrived – I’ll let the photos do the talking….
Just a quick word regarding the bread rolls, they were served with a spiced butter which was fantastic, however, the olive oil served on the side was easily the best tasting olive oil we have ever had, it was delicious!
So how was Dedes, does it deserve it’s two stars? Absolutely, it was wonderful. It was a combination of Irish produce, some French techniques and a Turkish twist that brought some fantastic flavours and unusual dishes which added to the overall dining experience. This coupled with the very friendly and attentive staff made for an excellent dining experience and to say a return visit is on the cards is an understatement. After our meal, we purchased two bottles of their amazing olive oil that I was raving about during our meal and then made our way back to our B&B for a good night’s rest.
The next morning, we had breakfast in the very pleasant dining conservatory, we kept it simple, C opted for a cream cheese bagel and I had scrambled eggs with bacon, all this washed down with coffee and fresh soda bread made for a good start to the day.
We checked out of the B&B and headed back into Baltimore, parked up and wandered around checking out the very few but interesting gift shops that lined the small main road. Baltimore is a popular spot for boating and the bay is quite busy with several different types of boating vessels coming and going, plus you can visit several of the islands just off the coast. The main attraction is Baltimore Castle, so we paid a visit to pass some time. The castle is musty and old, but it had some interesting bits and pieces, plus from the top you get a nice view. Before we left, we grabbed a coffee from their small coffee dock which is situated outside in a nice garden area.
Once done with our coffee, we hit the road. Our only plan was to go to a place called Future Forests, which is a garden centre that happens to have a nice café with a plan to grab lunch which is what we did.
After our very tasty lunch, we hit the road again and made a stop in the town of Skibbereen – we had stopped here before and it’s a decent stop if you fancy a break. We also browsed some of the shops before hitting the road again, this time heading towards East Cork for our next culinary adventure. Of course, if you have read our blog before, you already know we’re big fans of all things Ballymaloe, so we swung in by the house and grabbed some bits from the kitchen supply store. After, we headed to the Ballymaloe cookery school where there is another shop and we stocked up on some jams and chutneys.
We got back on the road heading towards our stop for the night, Castlemartyr Resort, a short drive from Ballymaloe. Castlemartyr is a huge resort that incorporates an old manor with a large modern extension. The manor houses the suites and the modern part of the hotel has all the other rooms. As it turned out, we booked the suite, as at time of booking it was the only option available. This worked out as the better option as the manor part of the hotel is that bit quieter and looks much nicer, plus, this is where Terre is located.
Once checked in, a member of staff walked with us to our room and along the way, they pointed out where Terre is located. It was interesting to note that there was no name anywhere to indicate where Terre actually is, except for a small desk outside two sets of closed doors – intriguing. Our room is a really good size and has a huge ensuite. There are two large windows looking out onto the grounds and during our visit, there was a sculpture exhibit on in the hotel so there were some amazing pieces of art on display. We wasted no time and went for a walk around the grounds to check out some of the sculptures. The sculptures ranged in size from just a few inches in height to huge ones several feet tall – they were pretty impressive. Next, we grabbed a drink in the main bar before going back to our room to get ready for dinner.
Once spruced up, we headed in the direction of where Terre was located. When we arrived, there was now someone sitting at the small desk and as we approached they got up and approached us and welcomed us by first name – very impressive. We were then escorted into a large room, seated and asked what we’d like to drink – Kir of course, well at least we had hoped to – it turned out they were unable to find cassis for our drinks and the staff member was very apologetic, we had no trouble with this, we were more than happy to have straight up sparkles.
After a few minutes, one of the managers came over, introduced himself, and said that we were going to be going on a ‘journey’. I had no idea what would be involved but it was interesting to say the least, however, C had done some reading up and had an idea what was about to happen. After about 20 minutes, the manager returned and said to follow him, and we headed towards the kitchen. Along the way we looked at some produce which was hanging in fridges, such as quail, beef and other poultry, there was also a large wall of all manner of fermented and pickle ingredients.
We were then seated at what is essentially the ‘chefs’ table and the first of our nibbles arrived. After some tasty nibbles, we were brought up to the main pass at the kitchen and shown all of the produce that would be used for our meal and the chef explained how they would prepare the food. This was all part of the ‘journey’ and it was nice to see – it’s always interesting to be able to see a kitchen in full flow. After visiting the kitchen, we were shown into the dining room for the main part of our meal. I’ll let the photos do the talking…..
That covers the main part of the meal, however, the journey was not over. We were brought back into that first room and it was in here that dessert, tea, coffee and any other drinks would be served.
It was a nice finish to this culinary journey and certainly a different twist on things, but, how was Terre overall?
On the grand scheme of thing, Terre was good but certainly not outstanding. Most of the dishes were tasty, but some did not hit the mark, especially the desserts served at the very end. The service was good and the manager was very enthusiastic, however, some of the staff while still friendly, lacked a certain warmth and genuineness, but overall service was decent. Do they deserve their star, yes, they do, while it is nowhere near as good as some other dining experiences we have had – one you can check out here, it was still pretty good. Would we return, perhaps, but not anytime soon.
Once done, all that was left to do was get a good night’s rest. The next morning, breakfast was served in the very large Canopy restaurant in the new part of the hotel and it was really busy. Despite this, they have table service which is nice. You can help yourself to a buffet which has the usual cereals, fruit, pastries, breads etc. and the hot food is table service. Both of us opted for the full Irish which was pretty decent and the service was good despite how busy it was in the breakfast restaurant.
After breakfast, we went for another short walk around the grounds before packing up and checking out. We had a fantastic weekend in Cork, we enjoyed Castlemartyr a lot more than we expected and despite the size of the place it was well organised and the staff were very welcoming and friendly. Terre was a nice to try and while not as good as our expectations, it was still an enjoyable ‘journey’. However, Dede at the Customs House was outstanding and deserving of it’s two stars. Add to that, we really enjoyed visiting Baltimore and this coupled with the amazing weather and the festival that was on made it all the more sweet.
As always hope you enjoyed reading along,
Until next time,
Bye for now,
C&J
cjfoodandtravel 