Just Ask Restaurant of the Month for July - Richys Restaurant Clonakilty Co Cork

The “Just Ask!” Restaurant of the Month winner for July is Richy's Restaurant in Clonakilty Co Cork

When everyone heads off on the annual pilgrimage to West Cork in July, many of those in the know will make a point of dropping into this relaxed and atmospheric family-friendly restaurant in Clonakilty.

Here, since 2002, Euro-Toques chef and Good Food Ireland member, Richy Virahsawmy, and his team have specialised in showcasing the freshest and best that this exceptionally well-endowed area has to offer, in a wide range of dishes that are all – including bread, desserts and salad dressings - prepared in an open kitchen for everyone to see.

Menus include an imaginative à la carte that not only offers a great choice of interesting dishes, but is also exceptionally informative. How often, for example, do you come across a menu that not only names the origins of key ingredients in each dish and credits their valued local suppliers at the end, but also lists some of the foods that are in season at the time – and even gives a glossary to explain some of the less usual ingredients and cooking terms. (Just the kind of information that will settle many a dinner table family argument: hands up who knows what nonpareil – literally ‘without equal’ - capers are?)

The shorter menus – a more casual lunch menu, the 2/3 course set dinner menus and a lovely ‘real food’ children’s mini-menu offering healthy choices – give less detail but there is an equally strong sense of locality and freshness, and all menus have symbols giving important nutritional information for coeliacs (cf – coeliac friendly), vegetarian (v) and nut intolerance (n – contains nuts).

And the Richys website, richysbarandbistro.com, is a mine of information too, giving news, details of cookery classes (off season), recipes (many of them from Richy’s cookbook, available on the site, and including a recipe of the month), and details of the suppliers (including a supplier of the month).

“Our menus change seasonally” says Richy, “Being in West Cork we are spoiled with wonderful artisan producers such as Ummera Smoked Products from whom we have smoked duck breast; Edward Twomey's famous Clonakilty black pudding; Devoy's Organic Farm vegetables and fruit and Dave Bushby's wonderful Rosscarbery strawberries to name but a few!”


SAMPLE MENU

A la carte menu
(Early summer)

STARTERS

Soup of the day v €4.95

Sally Barnes Woodcock cold-smoked herrings, marinated cucumber and cherry vine tomato salad, grated horseradish cf €7.95

Confit Barbary Duck Leg, oriental spices, crisp vegetable salad,

Panang dressing cf €9.50

Breaded Bantry Bay mussels, nonpareils capers and lemon aioli €8.95

Salad of caramelized goat’s cheese, green beans, red onion, lime pickle v,cf €8.95


MAINS

Seared calves liver, champ potatoes, red onion confit, crispy pancetta cf €24.95

Shannon Vale breast of chicken and mash on a roast root vegetables with thyme and honey, cauliflower tempura and cauliflower puree cf – without the tempura €17.95

Richy’s Mauritian beef curry, basmati rice, flatbread and poppadom cf – without flatbread Recommended with Tiger Beer €17.95

Pan roast Atlantic cod, summer vegetable caponata, mash, tempura of fennel, lemon emulsion cf-without tempura €22.95

Braised Ballyburden pork belly, Clonakilty black pudding mash, sautéed greens and caramelized apples, Madeira jus €22.50

Prime Irish Angus 7oz Sirloin or 8oz Fillet of Beef, fondant potato, caramelized shallots, aubergine caviar, vine tomato cf €21.50/ €24.50

Semi sundried tomato risotto, tempura of vegetables v,cf-without tempura €15.95

Penne pasta with sautéed chicken and mushrooms in a white wine, tarragon and cream sauce €16.95


SALADS Starter €9.50 Main €15.95

Grilled goat’s cheese salad, cherry vine tomato dressing, crispy streaky bacon cf, v – without bacon

Richy’s grilled chicken Caesar salad, parmesan croutons and marinated anchovies cf – without croutons

Warm chicken, streaky bacon and avocado salad, caramelized walnut and orange dressing, crisp apple cf, n


SIDE ORDERS

Cheesy nachos with salsa, guacamole, jalapeños and sour cream cf,v €8.95

Side of House Chips or Mash cf,v €3.95 Fondant potato €2.95

Side Salad cf,v €3.95

Mixed Vegetables cf,v €3.95

Mixed Olives cf,v €4.50

Garlic Bread v €3.50

Garlic Bread with Cheese v €3.95

cf: coeliac friendly v: vegetarian n: contains nuts


DESSERTS

Polenta citrus drizzle cake, clotted cream, candied oranges cf €6.50

Elderflower panna cotta, rhubarb compote cf €6.50

Dark chocolate and hazelnut brownie, vanilla bean ice cream n €6.50

Cheese board; Ardagh wine cheddar, Cooleeney farm house cheese,

Wicklow blue and Milleens €9.95 With a glass of port €13.50

Rosscarbery strawberry ice cream or Mauritian vanilla bean ice cream

Butterscotch sauce, chocolate or berry sauce cf €4.95 for kids €2.95

Summer Sorbet cf Ask your server for today’s selection €3.95


GLOSSARY

Aubergine caviar Classic Provençal spread made from grilled aubergine, olives, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.

Nonpareil Capers are a miniature variety of the classic caper, a pickled flower bud from caper bush.

Caponata dressing made from, capers, olives, courgette, aubergine, peppers, anchovies bound on tomato sauce.

Confit generic French term for several kinds of preserve. The term describes various kinds of food that have been immersed in a substance for both flavour and preservation.

Compote this word denotes a preparation of fresh or dried fruit cooked in a thick or thin syrup and flavoured, or not, with various aromatics, such as vanilla, cloves etc.

Panang a type of Thai curry sauce, milder than other curries, flavours of honey, ginger, sesame, chilli and lime.

Aioli aioli- mayonnaise dressing infused with garlic.

Pancetta is Italian bacon, typically salt cured and seasoned with such spices as nutmeg, fennel, peppercorns, dried ground hot peppers and garlic, then dried for at least three months. Associated with Italy, pancetta
varies by region. It is also produced broadly in Spain.

Panna cotta (from Italian cooked cream) is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set.

Champ is a deceptively simple dish of mashed potatoes and spring onions (scallions).

Fondant potato barrel shaped potato cooked in vegetable or chicken stock, creamy inside and somewhat crispy outside.

Polenta is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal (ground maize).When boiled; polenta has a smooth, creamy texture due to the gelatinisation of starch in the grain, Gluten free.

Tempura is a classic Japanese dish of deep fried battered vegetables or seafood.


IN SEASON

Elderflowers Beans Rhubarb Apples Cauliflower Spinach
Herring MackerEl Turbot
Lamb Venison Wood pigeon

LOCAL SUPPLIERS

Blue Bell Falls – Co Clare

D. Bushby Strawberries – Rosscarbery

Devoy’s Farm – Rosscarbery Shellfish De La Mer – Castletownbere

Eddy Twomey Butcher – Clonakilty Shannon Vale Poultry – Clonakilty

Sally Barnes Woodcock Smoked Products – Union Hall Bantry Bay Sea Food – Bantry

Ummera Smoked Products – Timoleague Bally Burden Butchery – Ballincollig

Parties of eight or more are subject to service charge of 10%, one bill per table.

As a member of Good Food Ireland we are committed to prioritising the core indigenous ingredients of Irish cuisine and promoting local and artisan food producers. Our chef/proprietor Richy Virahsawmy is a member of Euro-toques – the European Community of Chefs and Cooks – and is committed to sourcing locally and supporting small food producers wherever possible.

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VIEW ALL JUST ASK RESTAURANT OF THE MONTH WINNERS

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“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.