Joe McNamee gets into a Pastis frame of mind in L’Atittude 51, Cork

It’s a point in time, impossible to predict but upon arrival it is immediately apparent to all. It is the point when a prolonged lunch could begin to evolve into something else. Food, possibly a glass of wine is long since consumed, even coffee dregs are stone cold but, but … the sun streams through the windows, the conversation meanders, a slow and lazy river and the thought of getting up, paying the bill, stepping back onto the treadmill of the real world is just too, too painful.

That point is invariably marked by a tentative, near-risque suggestion of another …. Wine? Beer? Coffee? Whatever you’re having yourself. Many a legendary skite has been birthed at such a point in time, many a plan scotched, many a day altered out of all proportion.

On a gloriously sunny Friday afternoon in L’Attitude, the point has not only been arrived at but also, by now, been openly named. Sadly, it has also been dismissed out of hand as an utter impossibility for another unbreakable appointment is fast approaching. But that near-physical regret speaks volumes about the intentions and actions of the current tenants of former Cork music institution, the Lobby Bar, sound base material for any hospitality venture.

There’s been little or no tampering, just a freshening up; muted pastels to softly reflect the bountiful light pouring through multiple windows. All told, a very easy room to settle in. An enormous blackboard lists an excellent selection of over 50 wines, the majority available in measures ranging from a 75ml taster glass (ideal for a spot of experimentation) through to a 250ml pichet and, finally, the full bottle.

There is also a daily food menu, simple and very, very short but that is perfectly acceptable if the food is decent. And it is. We have a good chowder, sizeable chunks of fresh haddock and al dente potato, cream soup, no more viscous than a consomme, none of the industrial coagulants so often favoured. A game pie, a spicy veg pie — superb pastry, outclassing the fillings — with a simple green leaf salad and those handy taster glasses ensuring variety without intoxication.

Is L’Attitude a pub? Probably not, in the strictest sense: while the usual beer suspects can be found (though commendably outnumbered by a good selection of Irish craft beers), this is very much about the wines. To dub it a wine bar, however, seems plain wrong. The proprietors have opted for the term Wine Café. In mainland Europe it would simply be a café/bar. But it’s not hard to imagine an Ireland in the future when this type of place might be classed as just another pub. A good one, at that.

L’Atitude 51, 1 Union Quay, Cork city.
Tel +353 21 4381 470
http://www.latitude51.ie/
Daily opening hours:
Mon-Fri: 10am-late, Sat/Sun: 12pm-late 
Informal menu prices ranging from 2.50-13.50
All major credit & debit cards