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Just Ask Restaurant of the Month for January - Rathsallagh House Dining Room

The “Just Ask!” Restaurant of the Month winner for February is Rathsallagh House Dining Room, Dunlavin, Co Wicklow

Rathsallagh Chefs Just an hour from Dublin, the O'Flynn family’s romantically rambling country house has a wonderfully away-from-it all atmosphere - and this quietly luxurious place has always been renowned for good food.

Long before ‘local and seasonal’ came into its own on a national basis, that was just the way things were done around here, with food from the farm and the walled garden taking its rightful place on the table along with the best of other Irish foods.

Diners enjoy relaxing over an aperitif in the old kitchen bar, while choosing from menus that unselfconsciously introduce the house philosophy and the suppliers they are proud to credit.

A strong kitchen team is led by Abhishek ('Abhi') Tiwari, who recently returned to Rathsallagh as Head Chef after a spell in Dublin, and ably assisted by an excellent Sous Chef, Garret Young. Abhi and Garret clearly relish everything that is going on at Rathsallagh and take pride in showcasing the best and freshest, with Rathsallagh's own walled garden leading the supplier list.

Rathsallagh Breakfast Ham Local butcher, Myles Doyle, supplies excellent meats, notably the special dry-aged steaks that are the such a draw on the Steak & Wine evenings held on Thursday nights off season (to the end of March) and the wonderful whole hams that feature every morning, along with their own free range eggs and many other treats on the legendary breakfast buffet.

Doyle's and Heaney Meats of Galway also supply other meats and poultry, while delicious rare breed pork comes from nearby Wine Tavern Farm. But, although meats and game (in season) are probably first to come to mind when planning a meal in rural Wicklow, the menus at Rathsallagh also offer some particularly appealing fish and seafood dishes, including an excellent house chowder - and there may well be fresh fish on the menu at breakfast too, along with sides of the famous Duncannon smoked salmon.

Dinner menus are changed daily and, while this lovely dining room and everything that it offers always creates a sense of occasion, there's a welcome emphasis on simplicity. Light and tangy twice baked cheese soufflé is a speciality, for example; made with their own eggs, or supplementary organic supplies from The Nest Box Egg Company (http://organictrust.ie/members/the_nestbox_egg_company_ltd), and served perhaps with Apple, caramelised walnut and pomegranate salad with walnut oil, it makes a lovely starter.

Of the main courses, Doyle's butchers Wicklow beef - a Duo perhaps (6oz fillet, with red wine braised short ribs), served with boulangère potatoes, leeks, crispy onion and a Merlot jus - is usually the star among a choice of several meats, but vegetables and herbs are highly valued here too and the choice is balanced to include at least one imaginative vegetarian choice as well as some good fish dishes.

Luscious desserts are another well established high point at Rathsallagh - but so are the Irish farmhouse cheeses. Among them you’ll find cheese that local dairy farmer, Arthur Craigie (brother of Angus Craigie of Craigies Cider), is now making on the farm - and the Rathsallagh kitchen will soon be producing its own yogurt from whole milk supplied by Arthur, too.

Whatever you choose from the menu here, each well-conceived and visually tempting dish comes with a story - but will be especially memorable for its flavour.

MENU INTRODUCTION:

Dear Guest

It is our Great Pleasure to welcome you to Rathsallagh House Dining Room

At Rathsallagh, we are committed to using the finest ingredients in preparing our dishes to ensure you have enjoyable culinary experience in our Dining room. Our menu is inspired by seasonality and, as far as possible, dishes are based on produce sourced from within Rathsallagh or locally.

It is with great research and tasting of local fresh seasonal produce we have created an exciting A la Carte menu which uses local supplies from Wicklow and the surrounding counties, all meats and poultry we use are 100% Irish and traceable. Rathsallagh House prides itself on its menu being fresh, organic where possible, and the food being prepared in simple manner with a little imagination to satisfy our guests’ heart and soul.

Please note that all dishes are cooked to order, that means our chefs need time to ensure that preparation and cooking are of the highest standards. We would respectfully ask for your patience in this regard.

We would be delighted to clarify any questions you may have regarding our dishes.

Our wines have been carefully selected from the number of vineyards across France, Italy, Spain and the New World. We look forward for any suggestions and comments.

We sincerely hope you enjoy your dining experience.

Head Chef
Abhishek Tiwari
Sous Chef
Garret Young
Dinning Room Manager
Mary McCann
Bar Manager
Jo-Ann Nolan

We sincerely hope you have enjoyed dining with us and we would like to thank you for spending your time in the dining room in Rathsallagh House.
We certainly look forward to welcoming you back in the future.

“There is no love sincerer then the love of food”
George Bernard Shaw

“God comes to the hunger in form of food”
Mahatma Gandhi

“A meal without wine is like day without sunshine”
Jean Anthelme Brillant Savarin

Our Suppliers

Fruit & Vegetables: Rathsallagh’s Walled Gardens and Tallon Vegetables, Dublin
Meat & Poultry: Doyle’s Butchers Dunlavin, Co Wicklow and Heaney Meats, Co Galway
Fish &Seafood: Duncannon, Co Wexford and Glenmar Shellfish ,Dublin
Dairy: Glanbia, Co Kildare
Rare Breed Pork: Wine Tavern Farm, Co Wicklow
Speciality Foods & Cheese: La Rousse Foods, Co Dublin, and Lynas Foods
Eggs: Rathsallagh free range hens
Bread &Cookies: Rathsallagh House
Preserves: Mrs. O’Flynn’s –Homemade Jams, Marmalades and Chutneys

SAMPLE MENU:

Rathsallagh House
Dinner Menu
10th January 2015

Starters

Soup of the Day Served with Home Made Brown Bread €6.00

Traditional Creamy Seafood Chowder Served With Crusty Bread €7.50

Potato Crusted Crab Cake with Arugula, Fennel salad Crushed pepper Grapefruit Segment and Mustard Herb Vinaigrette €13.00

Trilogy of House Cured Atlantic salmon Dill Dressing, Beetroot Cream Fraiche, Wasabi Caviar and Capers €8.00

Home Made Duck Liver and Port Pate, Winterberry Relish Pancetta Crisp, Spiced poached plum, Cranberry Gel and Melba Toast €8.50

Szechuan Barbecued Pork Belly Rib with Asian Coleslaw and Lemon grass Glaze €8.00

Cheese Soufflé with Apple, Caramelised Walnut and Pomegranate Salad Walnut Oil €7.50

Main Course

Beef Duo 6oz Fillet of Beef, Red Wine Braised Short Ribs, Boulangère Potatoes, Leeks, Crispy Onion and Merlot Jus €29.00

Loin of Venison served with Spiced Red Cabbage Salsify, Candid Beetroot, Violet Potatoes, Bitter Chocolate and port jus €25.00

Confit Fillet of Cod, Chorizo and Butter Bean Casserole, Saffron Fennel Dill Sour Cream and Crispy Shallot €22.00

Fillet of Sea bass with Cauliflower Texture, Almonds and Polonaise Sauce €23.00

Tarragon Butter Poached Roulade of Chicken, Maple Scented Butter Nut Squash, Red Rice Pilaf, Pencil Asparagus and Natural Jus €21.00

24 hr Cooked Shoulder of Lamb, Minted Peas, Turnip Fondant Bacon and Herb Gremolata and Spiced Baby Carrots €24.00

Vegetable Wellington, Mushroom Ragout , Cherry Vine Tomatoes and Rocket Leaves €14.50

Side Orders

Thick Cut Chips €3.50
Seasonal Vegetables and Potatoes €4.00

Desserts

Traditional Crème Brulee Served With Strawberry Sorbet €7.00

Pear & Almond Tart Whiskey Ice Cream And Toffee Sauce €7.00

Caramelised Gratin Of Amarena Cherries with Orange Sorbet €7.00

Red Velvet & Pistachio Cake Served Semi Freddo €7.50

Poached Pear Chocolate Sauce, Hazelnut Crumble & Honeycomb Ice Cream €7.00

Selection of House Ice Creams With Chocolate Sauce €7.00

Coffee & Leaf Teas

Homemade cookies €4.00

Please Inform our Dining Room Staff of Any Food Allergies or Requirements.
All our beef and lamb is of Irish origin unless otherwise stated.
There is a 10% Service Charge on Groups of 10 or over, however if guests feel service is especially helpful you may show your appreciation by way of gratuities.
We would respectfully ask you to please respect our House policy that the use of mobile phones is restricted to the bar and reception areas

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VIEW ALL JUST ASK RESTAURANT OF THE MONTH WINNERS

“Just Ask!” is a public awareness campaign that aims to encourage consumers when eating out to look for information on where the food (particularly meat) on their plate comes from, and encourages chefs to provide this information on their menus. The programme supports both large and smaller artisan suppliers, encouraging both Irish diners and visitors from abroad to support restaurants that are in turn supporting their suppliers.

Here at Georgina Campbell Guides we have always been avid supporters of the ‘eat local’ concept, and we always enjoy reading menus that have a real sense of place. The dining experience is greatly enriched by knowing that the food on your plate is inspired by the produce and traditions of the area, and sourced nearby – and we would love to see more chefs sharing that precious information with their guests.

If you are a visitor to the area, learning a little about local food and the people who produce it adds a special extra dimension to the visit – and, for residents, it reinforces a natural pride in the good things of their locality and makes a meal all the more enjoyable.

So, we are delighted by the high standard of menus that continue to be submitted for our ' “Just Ask!” Restaurant of the Month Competition', menus that really speak of the best of Irish foods – and the dedication of both the people who make them, and the chefs who select them to create wonderful dishes with real Irish flavour for our enjoyment.