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Eat, Drink Ireland
From artisanal cheese in ancient estates to pub grub and stout in a workman’s saloon,
our writer savours forty shades of tasty. SM King chronicles Ireland’s culinary revival.
o whom do you turn for some proper chef
T cred? Albert Roux, of course. Jeanne and
Paul Rankin wrote the Master a letter and
spent three years under his guidance in his
triple-Michelin-starred restaurant. After
stints in Australia, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong,
they returned home to Belfast and opened Roscoff; the
first restaurant in Northern Ireland to be awarded a
Michelin star.
The Rankins quickly became local heroes and landed a
telly show in which they shamelessly promote Irish
foodstuffs. The Irish culinary scene has since blossomed,
with artisan producers and new establishments making the
country a more than viable gastronomic destination. In
fact, it’s hot.
Sniffing the trend, foul mouthed but lovable über-brat
Gordon Ramsay has just set up shop at the new Ritz-
Carlton Powerscourt in County Wicklow. This low-rise and
sprawling establishment is a beacon of luxe on the
approach to one of the country’s most famous estates,
Powerscourt House and Gardens. The hotel development is
sensitively done: you can barely see this colossus from the
road. In fact, blink and you’ll miss it.
Gordon Ramsay at Powerscourt is the celebrity chef’s
first foray into Ireland, and he has appointed one of his
right hand men, Paul Carroll, as his Chef De Cuisine and
CAYENNE.
installed key front-of-house staff to run the place.
It appears a good move. There’s a waiting list to join
the waiting list. Plan on booking eons in advance to dine at
the chef’s table in the kitchen and enjoy the culinary
sideshow.
Powerscourt is also home to a couple of cracker golf
courses, making the area a potentially tasty alternative to
staying in Dublin. It’s only 20km away.
Eating well surrounded by centuries-old opulence isn’t
exclusive to the Ritz-Carlton. It can be done all over
Ireland.
In County Mayo on the west coast, Ashford Castle is a
magnificent edifice and five-star hotel both. It’s a
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storybook fortress, and one of Ireland’s most stunning
settings for a well-heeled wedding. You can dine in the
super stuffy and elegant George V dining room or opt for
the more casual and bucolic Cullen’s at the Cottage on the
castle grounds. Freshly steamed wild mussels finished
with wine and fresh herbs, plus a side order of the
wickedly named and absolutely fantastic cheesy potatoes,
sate an appetite earned through a morning of castle-
worthy falconry and clay pigeon shooting on the grounds.
It’s a standout meal on a cold day.
Every accommodation option ranging from castles to
B&Bs is accessible right across the country. Boutique
properties are springing up all over the island. And each
has an individual take on relaxation and refinement.
Wineport Lodge in Athlone describes itself as a
“lakeshore restaurant with rooms” as well as Ireland’s First
Wine Hotel. They’re both pretty apt descriptions. Chef
Feargal O’Donnell creates excellent dishes from well
chosen local seasonal produce. A sauté of wild
mushrooms and roast parsnip served with grilled soda farl
is simple and delicious. Seared fillet of McGeogh’s Irish
beef, celeriac and smoked Ardrahan mousseline with
sundried pepper tapanade sounds too busy to succeed,
but emerges well-balanced. Irish Ardrahan has all the
aroma and delicacy you’d expect from a quality washed
rind semi-soft cheese, and it’s a good match with the
tender beef and slightly sweet tapenade.
The selection of wines from around the world is
conscientious. This wine theme continues to the
accommodation where rooms are not numbered but bear
the names of top producers instead.
Just down the road from Wineport in town is Sean’s
Bar. A wattle-and-wicker walled tavern dating from
900 AD, this pub is Ireland’s oldest. If you’ve time to visit
one pub in Ireland, make it Sean’s. The live music and
atmosphere are as intoxicating as the Smithwick’s ale and
Guinness on tap. You will not go gentle into this good
night.
If you elect to stay over night at Wineport, the
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succulent warm baked ham leg in the carvery at breakfast
will rectify any wobblies brought on by a nip too much at
Sean’s the night before.
In County Wexford, Monart Spa is a magnet for
indulgent locals and weary execs from Dublin. There are
two ways to approach this place. Monart is a plush pad to
spend the weekend being pampered by massages, sleek
accommodation and fine dining. Or, it’s a spa destination
in which to detox and rejuvenate. Some ambitious
travellers try out both functions.
There’s a five-day program for those wishing to
change unwholesome life-long habits, and the spa
treatments have received international accolades and
awards. The restaurant is also top notch, whether you GEORGE V DINING ROOM AT ASHFORD CASTLE.
choose to induce a post-massage coma by way of a
supreme of Caim organic chicken with confit chicken
rillette, seared foie gras, sautéed wild mushrooms with a
truffle jus washed down with an exquisite Bordeaux (a
bottle of Château Latour 1990 Pauillac is a snip at
€1600.00). Or, you can heroically stay on the detox path
through cannelloni of leek and ratatouille with braised Puy
lentils and a light vegetable broth accompanied by ginger
tea.
The passion for Irish foodstuffs is deliciously evident on
SHERIDANS CHEESEMONGERS, GALWAY.
CULLENS AT THE COTTAGE. GORDON RAMSAY PORK BELLY, SCALLOP AND SPAGHETTI.
THE RESTAURANT AT MONART SPA.
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the plates in these smaller establishments, and all manner

of artisan produce is gaining popularity.
Over in Galway, in the country’s west, the wine bar at
Sheridan’s Cheesemongers bustles with activity on the
weekend, as customers perch on bar stools at high tables
and others gather vulture-like waiting for a vacant seat.
Everyone is here to sample Seamus and Kevin
Sheridan’s outstanding selection of local cheeses, such as
Durrus and Clonmore. Made by Jeffa Gill in County Cork,
Durrus is a semi-soft washed rind raw cow’s milk cheese
which has picked up just about every cheese award you
can imagine. It’s a superstar. Think of it as the cheesy
equivalent of Bono.
Another County Cork award winner is Tom and Lena
Beggane’s Clonmore cheese, a hard waxed rind goats
cheese that’s available raw or pasteurised. Its distinctive
flavour is wonderfully smooth. You can pick up these
cheese superstars downstairs in the shop.
Sheridan’s started as a humble stall at Galway market
in 1995 and has quickly become a major artisan cheese
distributor in Ireland with an additional two retail outlets in
Dublin.
There’s further fine selection at Dublin’s premier FALLON & BYRNE FOODHALL.
gourmet food emporium, Fallon & Byrne. Another favourite
of dedicated Irish foodies, this is a showcase of great
products from around the country. Fallon & Byrne is
intended as a one-stop solution for those wanting to bring Back over the border in Northern Ireland, the Rankin’s Wooden carvings and columns combine with ornate
the best of the season to table. Vibrant fruit and Roscoff is long gone and sorely missed. But its successor mirrors, brocaded walls and tiled mosaic floors to form a
vegetables, olive oils, coffees and charcuterie are plentiful, Cayenne has been setting a sprightly pace in the Belfast visually stunning interior. Semi private wooden booths with
and there’s a decent selection of wines in the cellar to food scene. The place is casual and elegant; the wait staff doors, called snugs, line the wall. Intact are the metal
sample on the premises with a snack or take home. knows their stuff and the kitchen doesn’t falter. In keeping plates for striking matches and a bell system for
Main course salads crafted from seasonal local with their world travels, the Rankin’s menu at Cayenne is summoning the bar staff. One can easily imagine the
produce are served in the upstairs restaurant and make a both Asian inspired and dotted with home comforts. Crispy clandestine meetings that have taken place in the snugs
fantastic light meal. Marinated beef fillet with crisp Asian fried hake with spiced mushy peas and Thai mayo is a over the years.
vegetables, ice leaves and a coriander, garlic, lemon and bold yet perfectly sensible fusion. The seafood wontons This is the place to come for Irish lamb stew, beef and
white balsamic dressing is a great blend of textures, with hot and sour broth is aromatic, heady, and perfectly Guinness pie, boiled ham and cabbage and the Crown
surprisingly filling and undoubtedly healthy. spiced. (Double the serving size would be nice, though. Champ: cream potatoes, scallions and two pork and leek
The couple who helped kick start Irish pride in food, Travel is a hungry business.) The menu has most tasty sausages in onion gravy. There are wines on offer, but this
the Rankins, would indeed be proud. beasts represented, but the seafood items stand out. The is a pub, albeit a grand one. There’s no better
tuna au poivre with wasabi potato salad and crispy shallots accompaniment than a pint of local favourite Harp or the
is sublime. It can be served blue upon request, and there’s compulsory Guinness.
no better way to have it. When you’ve had your fill of massages, wine hotels,

Address book
Cayenne, Belfast, 7 Ascot House, Shaftesbury Square,
Belfast +44 (0)28 90 331532 www.rankingroup.co.uk
While Cayenne keeps Belfast’s young avant-haute on
their toes and with an eye to the future, another must-visit
culinary destination is steadfastly preserving the past.
A fine example of the grand Victorian gin palace is
National Trust owned Crown Liquor Saloon.
goat’s cheese and fusion, stout and snags will work a
treat. It’s this hearty fare for which you came looking. This,
after all, is Ireland.
The writer was a guest of Tourism Ireland and Etihad Airways

Crown Liquor Saloon, 46 Great Victoria Street Belfast

+44 (0)28 90279901 www.crownbar.com
CHEFS TABLE – RC POWERSCOURT.
Monart Spa, The Still, Enniscorthy, County Wexford,
+353 (0)87 2122995 www.monart.ie

Fallon & Byrne, 11-17 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2

+353 (0)1 472 1010 www.fallonandbyrne.com

Wineport Lodge, Athlone, Glasson, Athlone, Co.

Westmeath +353 (0)90 643 9010 www.wineport.ie

Sean’s Bar, Main Street, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

+353 (0)90 6492358, www.seansbar.ie

Cullen’s at the Cottage, Ashford Castle, Cong, Co. Mayo,

+353 (0)94 9546003 www.ashford.ie

Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt, Powerscourt Estate,

Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow,
+353 (0)1 274 8888 www.ritzcarlton.com

Sheridan’s Cheesmongers, 14-16 Churchyard Street,

Galway, Co. Galway, +353 (0)91 564 829
www.sheridanscheesemongers.com