Cattleman

[Graham]

I'd lile to book for Saturday - anyone have the number (and yes, I did check faq!)

[shanagarry]

You will notice that the Americans have 'pinched' our spelling of WHISKEY - they know quality - I think. That attention to detail did not extend to the selection of their President though

Whiskey was spelt that long before I came along - and given that Irish Whiskey is older than the Scottish variety - I guess that spelling was not a Scot's strong suit

[shanagarry]

Graham - their number is 282 354 088 - but you get a recorded PT message that is difficult to understand.

Enjoy

[EMM]

Only an Irishman would say that Irish is older ( and by implication ) better than the real thing.
My highland ancestors are rising from their graves at colloden as we speak.
Next you will be saying that the Irish invented cider if you can call that overpriced fizzy pop Magners sell cider

[pickwick]

A History Lesson!!

June 1, 1494. First Recorded Batch of Scotch Whisky

Old Bushmills opened in 1608 and is the only distillery in Ireland to make triple-distilled malt whiskey.

As usual most good things were invented by the Scots.......

Pickwick

[shanagarry]

If you go back to the origins of distillation you will see that it all kicked-off in Babylonia (now Iraq) long before the Irish and Scots got involved.

You are absolutely right in that in 1494 the Scottish Exchequer granted to Friar John Cor the malt to make Whisky - with the clear intention of taxing the consumers wishing to enjoy it.

To put the record straight - the Scots did not invent it - instead they were the first to tax it and in 1707 The Acts of Union merged England and Scotland and the taxes soared further.

So what you Scots are responsible for is the exorbitant taxes the drinking man has to endure to enjoy life - some stigma that

[djprescott]

It's amazing what you can learn on this forum!!

..........back to the Cattleman, my daughter went there this week and obviously was impressed as she has booked to go again to try the speciality sausage.

[shanagarry]

EMM

We're way off beam here with our Whiskey and now the Cider issue.

Firstly - I do contend that the Irish Whiskey is better - but then I would - I find the Scot's stuff too sharp for my palate. Irish whiskey is, in my opinion, milder.

Secondly - I most certainly do not lay claim to the invention of Cider (Percy Bulmer did that in 1887 in Hereford) - while I enjoy a glass of it and find it refreshing - water does an equally good job.

Unfortunately The Cattleman could not provide cider (Bulmers, Magners or any other brand) and neither did he have the coffee to make an Irish Coffee with Irish Whiskey - but his food was very good

[EMM]

We will agree to disagree on Scotch ( the real stuff ).
As for cider it has been produced for thousands of years Bulmer was just the first person to market it in bottles for city dwellers to drink ( its certainly not real cider either ).
Magners have done great marketing job in convincing those " real men " who would not drink alco pops that it is OK to drink their conconction.
Water is certainly better for you and tastes better as well.

[Graham]

Decided to give it a go last night - to be honest this was our favourite restaurant when it was Flamingos run by Roland and his wife Pitti so Frank has some pretty big shoes to fill.

We know that it is by far the best location in town - it is amazing how tranquil the setting is around the pool just 20 metres from the bustle of restaurant hill, and afterwards, walking down past all the restaurants with tables spilling onto the pavements and diners just a couple of yeards from the traffic reinforced how great the setting is.

I am well aware that Frank (the owner) reads all these posts and all credit for him to keeping ane eye on his feedback.

As others have said, the menu (and wine list) is very limited. It is also almost impossible to book since there is no published phone number that will get answered. However, the food that is on the menu is very well done. The ragout fin (actuallly more of a chicken and mushroom pie with a cheese gratinee topping) is delicious (and huge), the orange and carrrot soup is as good as it gets and the home made sausage (our kids had this main course dish split as a starter) was excellent.

The steaks are well prepared and very well cooked. (If you want a sauce just ask - it is only on the menu with the pork but you can have them with the steak) and all in all we felt it was good value for money. My two carnivourous children rated the steak as amongst the best they have had in Carvoeiro (obviously excluding the ones I cook them )

Frank is a superb host and I applaud his decision to start off slowly and build up a clientele before rushing into more staff and a larger menu, but he does need to make booking easier. As he gets busier (which I really hope he does) then I am not going to turn up hoping to get a table - I want to make sure I am booked before setting off! Also, unusually for CVO there is no cover (or cover charge) - a couple of slices of bread, some olives and pate is always a good start and a good way to add a euro or two per head. Equally, when the main course was cleared we were not offered deserts, coffees or liquers - given the lovely seating area available this is another added revenue opportunity missed.

We will be back and hope that this restaurant grows its repertoire and succeeds - it is something that could be a very refreshing change in the hill.

PS Frank - think about adding some toasted cashews and a couple of chives to the presentation of the soup (as well as maybe bread or breadsticks) - it would just add a little something to the appearance but since the flavour is so good I will have it next time anyway!

[sam]

Loved it when it was O Flamingos. Wonderful setting, looking forward to trying it.