Nothing beats strolling around your hometown on a Saturday morning and soaking up the atmosphere. That’s exactly what I did recently and stumbled upon two new hidden gems in Cork city.
Ali’s Kitchen is a newly opened bake house located on the busy corner site of Rory Gallagher Place, in the trendy Huguenot area of Cork City. With its chic interior design, an open baking area to allow customers see what happens behind the scenes, a large window front, and sweet aroma filling the air I knew I was onto a winner as soon as I stepped inside. Following years of travel and experience working all over Europe, Ali has very successfully combined her creativity, passion for food, international influences and culinary skills to bring a new sort of food vibe to Cork. Putting a modern twist on culinary classics, and creating exciting fusions of food, this bakehouse offers an artisanal approach to in-house food creation & casual dining.
There is a large glass cabinet running the length of the shop which holds a vast array of freshly baked cakes, doughnuts, buns and artisan breads. I stood in front admiring them for what felt like forever trying to decide what to choose! Everything looked so perfect, and deliciously fresh! Eventually, I decided on a caramel doughnut cake which oozed out thick caramel sauce as soon as I took a bite! I paired this with a warm frothy latte which had that distinctive fine coffee aroma! I couldn’t have been happier with my new find!
Next up was a spot of shopping! I was delighted to stumble upon Isobella Ru. Although the store is located in Cork city, like a true hidden gem it is tucked in behind the high street shops waiting to be discovered by those willing to look for it! It is full to the brim with trinkets and treasures, and overflowing with glitter, pearls, feather and lace, yet there is only one of each item stocked in the shop! I had great fun inside the store trying on floral headbands, sun glasses of all shapes and sizes…..infact anything that caught our attention! With an exceptionally friendly shop keeper I felt right at home as we rummaged through what felt like a giant treasure chest!
Whether you’re in search for a head piece for a special occassion, a bag to match your favourite outfit, or perhaps some jewellery as a gift for someone special… you will be sure to find something unique at this fabulous gem of a shop!
