2015 Award Winners FAMILY FRIENDLY RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2015

l'Officina, Kildare Village, Co Kildare

Family-friendliness is increasingly important in Irish hospitality and our Family Friendly award is more highly valued each year, as times change. We look for the places that cater especially well for families by providing the range of services and activities for varying ages and interests that make for a stress-free meal out or break - in the latter case, preferably with leisure centres and other all-weather activities. While a surprising number of promising ‘family friendly hotels’ fail to come up to the mark (we send real families to assess our shortlisted establishments) the best family-friendly hotels are a very good option indeed - and they will reap the benefits for many years to come, with repeat visits from multi-generational family groups. Similarly, the best family-friendly restaurants inspire a loyal following.

Far from just being a pitstop for shoppers, L’Officina is a destination restaurant for discerning diners - and, as is often the way in Italian restaurants, children are made especially welcome. It’s an ideal venue for families, as the Village play area is just outside the restaurant and the Kids Menu (€9, for under 12s) is outstanding.

Offering a proper, freshly prepared, sized down Italian meal based on top quality ingredients, it aims to ‘Bring out the foodie in your little one’ and is a great example of how to do things right for junior diners. How often do you come across a children's menu where the sourcing and nutritional benefits are explained?

The free range beef in the L’Officina ragu, for example, ‘is delivered by Mr. Gilligan, straight from his farm in Roscommon’... the Grana Trentino cheese, matured for 24 months, ‘is rich in vitamins ABD and is a wonderful source of calcium for young children’, while ‘extra virgin olive oil provides a good source of vitamin E.’

The vegetarian option, Pasta with fresh tomato sauce, served with a good dollop of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with Grana cheese, is not only ‘a good meal for active children’, it even gets a personal endorsement from Eileen Dunne Crescenzi herself, who says: ‘Pappa al pomodoro was a favourite in our home when the children were growing up and now it’s a favourite with our grandchildren.’

And quality remains the theme right to the end, as the gelato for your little one is ‘prepared using all-natural ingredients’. Offering this level of quality on a children’s menu is unusual in itself - and the educational element is exceptional.