![\"Dishes](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5062676_4_articleinlinemobile_DSC00839.jpeg\" "\\"Dishes")
Dishes on offer include scampi and chips, and classic fish cod. Picture: Noel Sweeney<\/p>\nThe Black Market is Cork\u2019s uber cool foodie hang-out on the Monahan Road. New food businesses staking their claim to a slice of the city\u2019s high quality, fast\/ casual food scene have found success after earning their stripes here.<\/p>\n
The Pie Guys and Tongue Tied are two of the market\u2019s success stories, and now it\u2019s the turn of Sc\u00e1la\u00ed to grab a piece of the action – the new plaice to get your catch of the day!<\/p>\n
Open since February, Sc\u00e1la\u00ed is the new concept from cousins Rodrigo de Almeida and Paulo Ferreira, second-generation Portuguese, born and raised in Venezuela. Countries with a shared culinary tradition of fresh fish.<\/p>\n
Sc\u00e1la\u00ed – named after the Irish word for scales \u2013 is an homage to their home, heritage, and appreciation for Cork city\u2019s warm welcome.<\/p>\n
I caught up with Rodrigo to learn more about Sc\u00e1la\u00ed, life before Cork, and how memories of family dinners fuel their passion for food.<\/p>\n
Rodrigo grew up in a close-knit family. His mother was an accountant, his father a computer engineer, and it was in his father\u2019s footsteps he originally wanted to follow.<\/p>\n
Dishes on offer include scampi and chips, and classic fish cod. Picture: Noel Sweeney<\/p>\n
One of his grandparents owned a butcher\u2019s shop and, from 13 years old, Rodrigo worked shifts after school and at weekends.<\/p>\n
Both his grandmothers were homemakers, prolific cooks, and major influences on Rodrigo\u2019s love of cooking. Most of all, it was family that taught him the importance of hard work, ambition, and togetherness.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy passion for food and cooking comes from my grandmothers,\u201d says Rodrigo. \u201cEspecially my memories of our family coming together at weekends. On Sundays, outside in the sunshine, we would make a barbecue, bring some steaks or sardines. Even today, one of my favourite dishes is grilled sardines, Portuguese style. That\u2019s where my passion for food really started.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2017, Rodrigo married and had opened a restaurant with his father. But with the economy in crisis, life in Venezuela was becoming increasingly hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation was bad. My mother and father told us we should leave the country because things would only get worse. So, my wife and I moved to Portugal. But it wasn\u2019t like what we were expecting. There weren\u2019t many opportunities for work. It was really hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodrigo returned to cookery and began studying as a chef, graduating with a degree in 2019.<\/p>\n
But, unable to get a foothold in Portugal, he and his wife left for Cork in 2018, and he immediately landed a job working as a kitchen porter at Apple\u2019s headquarters in Hollyhill.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI started to jump into kitchens. I had worked in a lot of different kitchens with different cuisines when I was studying to be a chef. I learned a lot, but I also wanted to learn more so I could do more,\u201d says Rodrigo. \u201cI love to give twists to recipes; to give it my touch!\u201d\n <\/p>\n
After leaving Apple in 2022, Rodrigo took a head chef role working for a catering company, which was taken over by all-Ireland caterers, Gather & Gather, a year later.<\/p>\n
Rodrigo is still working as a head chef there, somehow managing to balance that busy role while creating his new venture, Sc\u00e1la\u00ed, with Paulo.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like the stress of both! I\u2019m running my own business with Sc\u00e1la\u00ed, but the work at Gather & Gather is also very busy. I prefer it when I have so much to do. I really enjoy working under pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having to leave their family behind in Venezuela to find a better life for themselves, there\u2019s a real sense of gratitude they can call Cork home, to build a life here with new friends and community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s our way of saying thank-you and giving back for what Ireland has given us,\u201d Rodrigo says. \u201cI am eight years in Ireland; it\u2019s an amazing country. We have a lovely sunshine day, a rainy day, but every day is different; every day gives us a challenge and there\u2019s opportunity for everyone.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe wanted to have a name for the business that was traditional, and because we knew we were going to have fish and chips on the menu. Paulo came up with Sc\u00e1la\u00ed because his friends said why not use something in Irish. He did some research, came up with the name, and we both really liked the idea.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
Although Sc\u00e1la\u00ed is a celebration of fresh fish and seafood, there\u2019s more to it than fish and chips. Rodrigo creates the seafood-focused savoury dishes, while Paulo, a trained pastry chef, creates delectable, sweet things for dessert.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a classic fish and chips, which is really traditional. I tried fish and chips in many different places, and tasted lots of different styles of batters for the fish. The best I tried was Catch of the Day in Kinsale. They are famous for their fish and chips, their batter is amazing and the portion of fish is great,\u201d says Rodrigo.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to replicate something like that and then give our twist on it. Our batter is beer batter \u2013 not 100% beer, but enough to give the batter a good flavour. We add sparkling water to the batter to keep it light and crispy. The tartar sauce is also different. You can taste the gherkin, shallot, capers and parsley – it\u2019s a great combination. The mushy peas we give a twist also. We make them creamy finished with mint and dill. People tell us it\u2019s the best mushy peas they have had!\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Rodrigo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5062679_4_articleinlinemobile_DSC00811.jpeg\" "\\"Rodrigo")
Rodrigo De Almeida and Paulo Ferreira of Sc\u00e1la\u00ed Fish and Chips at The Black Market. Picture:\u00a0 Noel Sweeney<\/p>\n
Every Friday, it\u2019s Mexico for inspiration with Taco Friday! A trio of fish tacos are filled with different fish each week. One week was octopus, scampi, and white fish piled high inside toasted corn tortillas with salsa, salad and sauce.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone loves our tacos, and they sell really well,\u201d says Rodrigo.<\/p>\n
Scampi and calamari are given a Japanese-style treatment with a light, crispy tempura-style batter, steaming the fish as it cooks, keeping the fresh prawn tails and squid rings tender and juicy inside.<\/p>\n
There are also flavours of Rodrigo and Paulo\u2019s Venezuelan heritage with dishes inspired by his mother\u2019s own homespun recipes.<\/p>\n
\u201cA starter dish we have that is important to me is our salt cod croquette. It\u2019s based on my mother\u2019s own recipe and a real taste of our Venezuelan home. We make it the traditional way by soaking salt cod overnight, then we poach it gently and mix it with soft potato, parsley, shallots, olive oil, salt and pepper. Brazilians and Portuguese, they tell me they are very good croquettes, and I invite everyone to try them when they visit us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paulo\u2019s talents lie in the pastry kitchen. The South American dessert, Tres Leches, is always on the menu.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s our best-seller. It\u2019s a traditional cake from South America using three types of milk: condensed, evaporated and powdered. Together they keep the cake moist, light and fresh tasting. Traditionally in Venezuela, it is served with cinnamon, but we see that not everyone likes the taste of cinnamon here! So, instead, we give it a little twist with Biscoff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, in Ireland, there is a long tradition of Friday fish, with fish and chips a favourite dish. Portugal, the land of Rodrigo and Paulo\u2019s ancestors, is renowned for its seafood culture, but what about Venezuela?<\/p>\n
There is, he says, but Venezuela is a large country, so it depends where you are.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe state in Venezuela I come from, I can be at the coast in 45 minutes. Every Sunday, my father-in-law, who is from the coast, cooks a whole fish deep fried. It\u2019s served with rice, tostones [unripe plantain] that we also deep fry, coleslaw on top and a traditional Venezuelan salty white cheese. He cooks fish like this all the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the south of Venezuela, most people eat meat, but in the river, they catch sweet water fish. It has a very different flavour and texture to sea fish. It\u2019s really awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sc\u00e1la\u00ed mantra is \u2018Tradition, Fresh, Respect\u2019 – three things that are close to Rodrigo\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s about respect for the recipes, the food, the tradition, and what everyone is doing for us by coming and eating with us every week. In Venezuela, it\u2019s traditional every weekend to come together and eat together family style.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cWe share big moments over food, and in that tradition, we share the moments that keep our memories with us all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodrigo is at his happiest when he sees these same cherished memories of home play out at the dining tables inside The Black Market.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love seeing families come and order fish and chips from us, sit down together to eat family style with all the food laid out on the table. That makes me feel like we are doing something good. It\u2019s people choosing to come here, enjoy what we\u2019re doing, and saying to us that it\u2019s tasty. All the hard work, all the stress \u2013 it\u2019s worth it for moments like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, why put Sc\u00e1la\u00ed at the top of your list of places to eat in Cork?<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to try a delicious twist on a traditional recipe fish and chips, give us a shot. You will be surprised. We have great scampi, calamari, and generous portions of fish with hake and cod always on the menu.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur fries are triple cooked, and people say they are the best chips they have had. Don\u2019t forget to save room to enjoy our desserts, too!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Black Market is Cork\u2019s uber cool foodie hang-out on the Monahan Road. New food businesses staking their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":468441,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[73],"tags":[23437,79,126899,18,19,17,153542],"class_list":["post-468440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-black-market","tag-business","tag-cork-food","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-kate-ryan"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116518147725614647","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}