Conor's Bandon Blog-Conor's Bandon Blog

Review of Heston Blumenthal - In Search of Perfection - BBC2

[Heston Blumenthal - In Search of Perfection - BBC2](http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/perfection/) _This second series by one of the world's most cutting edge chefs is as whacky and entertaining as the first but the chicken tikka masala did not impress_ ![](http://www.loudervoice.com/static/images/5outof5.gif) I’ll be honest, I think Heston is fantastic. I love what he does and how he does it. He tickles my engineering brain cells and my foodie ones at the same time.

Posted by Conor O'Neill on Sunday, October 21, 2007

Review of Locanda Locatelli

[Locanda Locatelli](http://www.locandalocatelli.com),8 Seymour Street, London, W1H 7JZ, UK _Good Italian food ruined by some of the worst service I've had in a restaurant in years. These people need to learn some manners and learn how to smile._ ![](http://www.loudervoice.com/static/images/2outof5.gif) This was our final dinner in London and I had very high hopes. I’ve been a fan of Giorgio Locatelli since the wonderful Tony and Giorgio TV series in 2002.

Posted by Conor O'Neill on Sunday, October 21, 2007

Review of Petrus

[Petrus](http://www.gordonramsay.com/petrus/),The Berkeley, Wilton Place, Kiightsbridge, London, SW1X 7RL, UK _The dining experience of a lifetime. Just as we thought it couldn't get any better, we were given a tour of the kitchen and met Marcus Wareing._ ![](http://www.loudervoice.com/static/images/5outof5.gif) Of all our anniversary meals in London last week, this was the one where I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would it be overly formal and stuffy? Would it be filled with Gordon Gekko types and Russian tycoons?

Posted by Conor O'Neill on Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Any certified “Nut Allergy Friendly” restaurants in Cork City?

A friend of a friend is visiting Cork soon and is wondering if any restaurants can assure him that their dishes are nut-free? This person feels that many would use vegetable oil with nut traces when cooking. It’s a tough one I know but any tips would be appreciated. If you run a restaurant and are willing to make the assertion, even on a sub-set of your dishes, feel free to comment here.

Posted by Conor O'Neill on Monday, October 15, 2007

Review of The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain

[The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain](http://www.anthonybourdain.com/) _A fine collection of articles he has written over the past few years on all things food and restaurant related. A great food writer._ ![](http://www.loudervoice.com/static/images/5outof5.gif) This book has been on my ever growing pile of unread books for a long time. I finally took it on a flight to San Fran so I could make a dent in it.

Posted by Conor O'Neill on Saturday, October 6, 2007

Politics In Ireland site re-vamp

The updated Irish Politics site is now live. This is a tremendous resource for anyone interested in what people on the ground are writing about politics here. It is a site that watches for any blog posts that mention a TD’s name and provides a summary of that post on the site. It is party neutral and is in no way partisan. Those with blogs can add a widget which displays the latest politics posts on their own blog sidebar.

Posted by Conor O'Neill on Saturday, September 15, 2007

Cully and Sully Scale Everest

Well not quite but they did get to Nepal. In Sully’s own words If you would like to see Cully & Sully in action (and have a good laugh) tune into RTE 1 at 22.45 tonight. There will be a half hour programme about our recent trip roughing it in Nepal whilst attempting to assist a women’s cooperative – you’ll get a flavour of my truly amazing negotiation skills and Cul’s cooking under pressure!

Posted by Conor O'Neill on Thursday, September 13, 2007

Review of Nigella Express

[Nigella Express](http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/nigellaexpress_index.shtml) _After the Christmas debacle I didn't think Nigella Lawson could sink any lower. I was wrong._ ![](http://www.loudervoice.com/static/images/2outof5.gif) I decided last Christmas that I was never again watching or buying anything that Nigella Lawson did after her horrendous TV series. The fake family scenes recorded during the summer were just ridiculous. But I’m a sucker for punishment and just finished watching an episode of her new series which is all about cooking quickly, a theme which has been done a thousand times.

Posted by Conor O'Neill on Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Irish Immigration Control is a Disgrace

Today I am embarassed to be Irish. I wish to extend my apologies and those of all reasonable people in this country to Keola Donaghy and his family. Keola, who is from Hawaii, arrived earlier today in Dublin with his family to begin his doctoral studies in UCC. He had been assured by the Gardaí in Cork and by UCC that there was no issue with him coming. He has spent months preparing for this move.

Posted by Conor O'Neill on Friday, September 7, 2007

Clonakilty International Guitarfest

Ray in deBarras in Clon mailed me to tell me about the Guitarfest starting on September 20th. I’m glad he did since it looks fantastic. Lots of details on their very cool site. MySpacers should check them out here. The line-up has a very rich mix of styles but the one that caught my eye has to be Eric Bell, the Thin Lizzy founding member who is responsible for the classic Whiskey in the Jar!