By Lucinda O'Sullivan

Sunday Independent January 04 2009

The Lapp's Quay Quarter, as it is now called, is the current hot spot on the Cork dining scene. Apart from this new restaurant, the area also incorporates the Clarion Hotel and, right next door, the excellent Club Brasserie. For those of you who don't know Cork, Lapp's Quay is right on the River Lee with wonderful views of City Hall, along with The Elysian, a striking new 17-storey apartment building, twinkling like a blue beacon in the night sky.

The Boardwalk is a big place, straddling a corner with its large plate-glass windows softened by voile curtains. On one side is the restaurant and on the other the bar. The fit out cost €2m, so the Boardwalk was a big undertaking. The long bar is enormous, curving around at the back, and there are plans to install a teppanyaki table, which cooks Japanese-style food on an iron griddle.

The restaurant decor is in a cool, urban style, with brown leather, button-back dining chairs, white napery and lots of walnut, coupled with plenty of buzz and atmosphere. Mags and I had a Cosmo (€9.50) each and Brendan had a Paddy (€4.30) while we absorbed the menu. Starters are €5.50-€17.95, including popular stalwarts such as calamari, mussels, salmon fish cakes and hickory-smoked barbecue back ribs. Mags and Mike shared the quirkily titled 'Fresh Alaskan king crab, deadliest catch!', priced at a whopping €17.95. Alaskan king crab is fabulous and doesn't need any enhancements, save perhaps lemon juice, or a horseradish cream on the side. This was a case of not allowing the star of the show to shine, instead drowning it in an overpowering dressing and serving it as a tian.

Iced jumbo shrimp cocktail (€13.50), on the other hand, was cracking, because the gorgeous shellfish was left unadorned. A cocktail glass was filled with eight big, chunky, American-style shrimps hanging over the edge of the glass with a spicy Marie Rose-style dipping sauce to the side! Ace.

Irish Angus Steaks run from €22.95 for rib-eye, through €32.50 for a 9oz fillet, to €35.75 for a 20oz bone-in rib-eye. There is something for all pockets, including chicken and pasta at €15.95, or salmon at €17.50. Sole on the bone is €36. At lunchtime they have a beef trolley lunch special, which is carved tableside with seasonal veg, Yorkshire pudding and beef gravy (€15), which I can see being popular. Mags had delicious Atlantic halibut (€19.95), served on spinach with roasted garlic and chive butter. Mike had an 18oz T-bone steak (€29.95), while Brendan enjoyed his 10oz New York striploin (€26.75). A split, chargrilled rack of lamb (€25.50) was certainly ample and tender, but they need to ask the butcher for a younger model! Spinach (€4.25) was very nice, as was an onion stack at €4.25.

We shared a selection of ice cream at €6.95. With two bottles of Tyrrell's Pinot Noir (€29.90 each) our bill, with optional service and two bottles of Ballygowan (€10), came to €269.95 for four.

Service was very pleasant. There are a few simple issues that need to be resolved, such as having appropriate condiments available, which are crucial with grilled food.

The Boardwalk has the potential to be a humdinger -- it is all down to military precision and a general who takes no prisoners. And as to my Rear of the Year Award -- you never came close enough, Neil, for me to check out your derriere!