History
Denis Cotter opened Cafe Paradiso on Lancaster Quay in 1993, two years after Charlie Trotter declared his vegetable-tasting menu in Chicago; collaboration with Ultan Walsh's Gortnanain Farm since 1996 made Paradiso one of Europe's earliest single-farm vegetarian restaurants. Cotter's three cookbooks, Cafe Paradiso Cookbook (1999), Paradiso Seasons (2003) and Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me (2007), are the defining Irish vegetarian texts. Paradiso has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand and Bridgestone Top 100 listing for over two decades and was named the best vegetarian restaurant in Ireland by McKenna's Guides repeatedly through the 2010s and 2020s.
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Make it at home
Ingredients
- 2 small kabocha or red kuri squash, halved and seeded
- 200g pearl barley
- 1 leek, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 150g Gortnamona or Cashel Blue cheese, crumbled
- 60g toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seed oil
- 1 small bunch sage, leaves picked
- 50g unsalted butter
- 300ml vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp white miso
- Lemon zest of 1 lemon
- Sea salt, black pepper
- Olive oil
Method
- Heat oven to 200C. Rub squash halves with olive oil, salt, pepper, and place cut-side down on a tray.
- Roast 35 minutes until the flesh yields to a knife but holds its shape.
- Meanwhile, cook pearl barley in stock with the leek and garlic, simmering 30 to 35 minutes until tender but with bite.
- Stir miso into the warm barley. Fold in half the blue cheese, half the hazelnuts, and the lemon zest.
- Flip the roasted squash halves cut-side up. Scoop a generous mound of the barley into each cavity.
- Top with the remaining blue cheese, return to the oven for 8 minutes until cheese softens.
- Brown the butter in a small pan with the sage leaves until the butter smells nutty and the sage crisps, 2 minutes.
- Spoon sage butter over each squash. Finish with the remaining hazelnuts and a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil.
Tip from the editors. Kabocha holds its shape better than butternut and is closer to what Paradiso uses; if you must substitute, choose a dense-fleshed winter variety, not butternut.
Where to eat paradiso seasonal vegetable tasting
Paradiso Seasonal Vegetable Tasting in Cork
Paradiso ★ 4.8
Denis Cotter's vegetarian flagship on Lancaster Quay since 1993, with a six-course market-and-farm tasting menu and one of Ireland's best organic wine lists.
Book2 to 3 weeks ahead
More places near Paradiso
Not on this list, but close by, nearest first. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.
- Ichigo Ichie Bistro Japanese Bistro, about 250 m away
- Ichigo Ichie Bistro and Natural Wine Japanese, about 250 m away
- Liberty Grill Brunch, about 350 m away
- The SpitJack Rotisserie, about 350 m away
- The Grumpy Bakers Artisan bakery brunch, Sourdough, Pastries, about 500 m away
- Alchemy Coffee and Books Specialty coffee, Artisan food, about 500 m away
More cities are in research. Want paradiso seasonal vegetable tasting covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.