Orchard, Celbridge

i was slightly sceptical of going to a garden centre for lunch, but this was a pleasant surprise.

we were there on a saturday so it was a bit busy, but we still got a nice sunny spot with an outdoor feeling thanks to the sky-lights and the flora.

the french pink lemonade was a spur of the moment decision and encouragement to "trust your gut". not too sweet, and not bitter; bubbly and fresh-perfect for the location.

i had the leek, roasted red peppers and brie bake, with a choice of three salads: chick-pea, a garlic potato bake and fruit salad. the fruit salad was a bit heavy on the watermelon, but it was juicy. the leek bake was yummy.

for €12.80 it was great, i'd go again. i'd give it 3.5 stars because i wasn't expecting it to be fancy schmancy, and i was really happy with my food, and the price was good.

Orchard, Celbridge
While Ursula liked this place, I wasn't so impressed. The bacon and brie roll was a bit dry and the food would only merit an ok. The worst thing about the Orchard was the queues. Not that it was large, about six or so people in front of me. With only six people though it shouldn't take about fifteen minutes. It's one of those queue up with a tray and move along to pick up your food. Skipping by the hot food ,counter cut some minutes off my time, others took another five or ten minutes. For some unfathomable reason, the queue crawled along. The fact that the people behind the counter wandered off at random only accounts for about half the queue. The other half of the time disappears into some black hole.
I'm told that the whole layout has been changed and that it used to be much worse, and it is only a small thing. It's just a bad way to start, let's have a really slow queue.
The location in a garden centre works very well, and it is a very nice place to sit down and eat. Just do something about the queues, and the bacon and brie. Please?
Gerry

Wagamama

If this is not my favourite restaurant in Cork, it is definitely my most visited. The Japanese style noodle bar is at the top of my list of restaurant chains.
No more McDonald's or Burger King, for slightly more than a Big Mac meal you can get the lunchtime special, a main course and a drink for EUR9.95. Seating is provided with communal benches, though people are spaced out enough so that even at the busiest times you're not crowded in with strangers.
Placemats are paper, which also double as ordering pad. Servers take your order on a wireless palm PC and write numbers on your place mat. If you get bored there's crayons for the asking and you can create a work of at while waiting on your food.
The menu is varied, from Ramen (noodle soup), Gyoza (grilled dumplings), Katsu Curry and my absolute favourite the Yaki Soba. There are also some Asian beers and sake available, or for the more health conscious there are a selection of juices. For the more health conscious it's worth noting that a lot of the menu is also very low in fat.
The food is delicious, the service is good, the decor is minimal and there is nothing I can say against this place.
This restaurant rocks, and would I go back, yes, I tend to two or three times a week. Stars. A very high four.

Thorntons

Thorntons, Fitzwilliam Hotel, St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2

Where to begin? The food - fabulous; the service - perfect; the décor - hits the right note; the price - just what you'd expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant, I'm afraid!

From the moment you walk in, you know that you're not just in any old eaterie. The staff are immediately on hand to take your coats and seat you at your table. There's a bit of chair holding for the ladies but thankfully they draw the line at putting your napkin in your lap for you. Somehow, these guys manage to hit the right level: they know their food and wine and they know how to add a bit of pomp to the occasion, without being obsequious.

The atmosphere tends to be a little subdued early in the evening but by around 9, most of the tables are occupied and there is a pleasant hum of conversation. It never seems to get too loud either, which is a master stroke of acoustic engineering on the part of the 3 inch thick carpets! The walls are decorated with enlarged and mounted photographs of some of the chef's (Kevin Thornton) creations.

Until quite recently, Thornton's had two Michelin stars. While the chef was working on his book, he decided to scale back slightly and stop serving lunch. He lost one of those stars because of it. Having had dinner here when there were two stars and when there was one, I can't say that I noticed a difference in the food or service, so the losing a star thing strikes me as a bit of a nonsense!

Anyway - on to the food. Starters are priced from €27 to €45 and main courses from €40 to €60. You may think that this is excessive but remember, it's not like you'd be dropping in here for a quick bite to eat on your way home from work. This is a special occasion place. Also, if you're up for it (and all the people at your table need to be up for it too) you can tackle the surprise menu - 8 courses of epicurian delight for €125 per head.

Needless to say, when Con and I rocked up here last weekend with friends of ours (all four of us free from children, thanks to the wonder of babysitters!) we glanced briefly at the menu, looked at each other, and said "Surprise?". A resounding "YES" all-round. (And we were - all round - by the time we'd finished.)

Apperetif: Freshly squeezed orange juice for the driving/pregnant amongst us; Bombay Sapphire and tonic for the others
Course 1: Lobster and caviar with lobster consommé
Course 2: White asparagus spears with truffle
Course 3: Green asparagus mousse with caviar
Course 4: Foie gras and duck terrine served with truffle for the men. A bad case of 'shroom overdose (ixnay on the truffles) and pregnancy (no can do liver products) meant that the women were treated to goat's cheese in marinaded tomatoes with aubergine skin
Course 5: Brill in truffle saubinon
Course 6: Cod with potatoes
Course 7: Nettle and thyme sorbet (for those who were neither driving nor pregnant, this was also doused in Bombay Sapphire gin)
Course 8: Stuffed ballotine of Guinea Fowl with fig and armanac sauce
Course 9: Dessert - cherries that had been soaked in something incredibly alcoholic for a long time, créme anglais, cherry icecream, shortbread and some sort of pudding with cherries in that had been glazed over with a brulée torch
Coffee: Delicious coffee with a dish of petit fours
Wine: There was a bottle of white, a half-bottle of Chateau-Neuf-de-Pape (red) and an unending stream of sparkling or still water throughout the evening
Total: (including tip) €750

Worth every penny. Or cent.

The Nuremore Hotel, Carrickmacross

There are some restaurants you keep hearing about. For me, the Nuremore in Carrickmacross was one of these. Maybe it's because many moons ago I washed dishes in the kitchen, or maybe it's just because it gets a lot of reviews. A whole lot.
A new chef, Raymond Macardle won the Georgina Campbell chef of the year award in 2005, and every review I come across tells us that a Michelin star is on it's way.
Maybe he wasn't working that night is all I can guess.
The Nuremore is very much a silver service place. Very formal dining. The menu looked good, I didn't understand half of the words on it, so that was a good start. I went with the pigeon to open. It was nice enough I guess, but there is a good chance that a good vet could have used the parts in a life saving pigeon transplant surgery. Or maybe there is a save the environment thing going on in the kitchen, and not cooking the food is good. Or maybe it's meant to be that way. I don't know. It was ok, and just ok. A bit chewy, not at all the delectable starter I was hoping for.
For the main I had pork, which again was ok. And just ok. Lets face it, I've had better and in much plainer surrounds. This was followed by a sorbet to refresh the taste buds, which was better than the previous courses.
Dessert, at last, the chocolate cake and home made ice cream was perfect, and the coffee was excellent. The wine was good too, I can't remember the name off the top of my head, but I did write it down to see if I can get it elsewhere. At only thirty euro for a bottle, it was pretty reasonable.
Overall, the service was excellent, but at forty eight euro a head and a restaurant aiming for a Michelin star, I would have expected better. Would I go back again? I don't think so. Stars? About two.

Sixty6

Before I review anywhere let me lay my cards on the table. I am prepared to like restaurants. Open mind, positive attitude. I also like food. These things taken together are probably negatives when it comes to restaurant reviews, where truth be told, you need to be a bit of a dick. The arrival of my son means I go out less, so when I do go out I am more likely to enjoy it. They’re the rules, apologies that I cannot be more objective.

So. On to the review.

Brasserie Sixty6
66-67 South Great Georges Street
Dublin 2.
www.brasseriesixty6.com

I was here for lunch a few weeks ago. The décor (if that’s what interests you) is modern, with a long corridor down the centre with tables each side. If many people are dining the atmosphere would definitely be ‘intimate.’ We got a table in a section off the main corridor, which was very comfortable.

The menu is on the web, and hasn’t changed since I was there (it has just opened, so this isn’t really a criticism), with daily specials.

I had the wordy “Lamb chunks, lemon, garlic, oregano, olive oil with harrisa crème fraiche and pitta bread stuffed with sixty6 coleslaw” to start. This translates as lamb kebab with red cabbage, which was very tasty.

For main I had Crayfish salad with fries, which was nice enough, if not a little unremarkable. The others had sausage and mash, fish and steak, and were all fairly happy with what they got. The portions were decent too, you won’t leave hungry.

Dessert was the disappointment for me. I had “Raspberries, natural yoghurt, honey and pistachio Amaretto crumble,” which was plain yoghurt with crumble on top. I felt doubly cheated when all the other desserts arrived, and were pronounced “delicious.”

Everything was very attractively presented, on skewers, in steel buckets of ice, in glass jars etc., so your sense of style as well as your palate will be catered for, and it is very reasonable averaging €8.50 for a starter and €14.50 for a main.

Would I go back again? Definitely, I’ll just be a little more careful about what I choose.

this is how it will work

this is going to be a venue for reviews of places to eat, drink, and have fun in ireland.

it will mostly involve places in co. cork, but as there will be guest-writers and lots of traveling, hopefully the rest of the country will get covered as well.

ratings will be out of 5 stars, and based on one or more visits. all visits will have been made in the last year.