Terre established iitself quietly enough post-pandemic, as an independent fine dining destination at Castlemartyr Resort. But it wasn't long before it became the talk of the culinary community - for the theatrical experience that its original chef patron, Vincent Crépel, offered as much as its outstanding food.
Crépel arrived in Castlemartyr following a career overseeing leading restaurants across Europe and Southeast Asia and Terre itself is the brainchild of the Resort's owners, Peng Lo and Dr Stanley Queck. Singapore-based investors and no strangers to Irish fine dining and high-end hotel business already, they perhaps identified Cork as fertile ground for earning culinary accolades, as the county has certainly caught the eye of international inspectors in recent years. This is all relevant because, while the food here was indeed outstanding from the start, the theatricality of the experience and attention afforded to tiny details is what has marked Terre out as being exceptional for Cork - and up there with the very best in Ireland. Terre’s ambitions have always been clearly for the highest of accolades and little else in Cork city or county has yet compared.
Under Crépel's guidance, Terre’s cuisine married European classical and Asian cuisine with ferments and pickles made of foraged elements from the grounds of Castlemartyr and nearby Ballycotton. Quite the mix and, dare it be said, a departure from the hyper-seasonal, hyper-locavore menus that have become de rigeur in Irish fine dining.
But there has been a changing of the guard, with the departure of Vincent Crépel in autumn 2025 and the arrival of the British-born Chef Lewis Barker. Originally from Leeds, he has travelled extensively during his career - which has included a decade in Singapore, where he met Peng Lo and Dr Stanley Queck. Given his background, some of the Asian characteristics set by Crépel may be expected to continue. But this is a man keen to make his own mark at Terre, so it will be interesting to see how his own 'contemporary French cuisine with modern Asian flavouring' will develop as he settles into the role - and no dounbt continues the quest for the highest of international accolades.
