Unique is an overused word but it really does apply in this modest roadside pub in Co. Mayo - a place that you could easily drive past, as classical fine dining is the last thing you’d expect here.
Pleasant but plain, this is a very unusual set up where the old pub has been left pretty much as is. It has a small hallway in keeping with a pub and it is ‘traditional’ but not in an atmospheric olde-worlde way. it’s just a middle of the road country pub with nothing particularly unusual about it except this high level French cooking, which is just added to it. There is no pretence, no dressing it up as anything but a pub. Album covers with the likes of Matt Molloy on them hang on the wall, as do blackthorn shillelaghs and other pub paraphernalia. It’s surprising, but you can see why Parisian-born chef Thomas Fleury would have decided not to invest huge sums in the décor but keep it simple and let the food speak for itself. Helped by some appropriate background music, the space becomes more welcoming as tables fill - visiting musicians are welcomed too - and Chef Fleury’s stamp is all over it, with an unapologetic and unexpected gallic authenticity. It ticks every box for a French restaurant and his confidence from years in leading kitchens is very clear - the menu urges diners to ‘trust the chef and you will have good food’ and that is not an empty promise.
It also offers exceptional value. The menu is short but spectacular - €69 for a tasting menu of this standard is unbelievable value - and the wine list is similar, with pairings offered. There’s also a short à la carte menu with some of the Tasting Menu dishes included. Especially highlighted is the Chef’s signature dish, Tournedos Rossini Beef Filet, Foie Gras, Truffles. It proudly proclaims that ‘This recipe identifies our very own chef. The beef filet mignon, duck liver & mushroom are so unique that it allows an informed gastronome to name the chef in a blind tasting’. At €52 you could be very tempted. Specials such as flambéd lobster create tableside drama, and there is no shortage of wow factor in details like the gleaming egg washed pastry cap on a winter dish of Pheasant, Marmite and Roasted Canapes; served in a deep bowl with a pastry cover - which, as Chef Fleury will explain personally, is not just decorative but seals in the flavours during cooking. And what flavours they are, the breast of pheasant moist and delicious in its unctuous sauce, with a depth of flavour most only dream of - definitely not the kind of fare you’d expect at a roadside inn.
Later treats might include Valrhona chocolate fondant (a triumph of warm chocolatey sauce and featherlight sponge) and perhaps St Honoré Parisian Choux au Craquelin Pastry - light and sweet and fabulous, especially when paired by a pear liqueur of the chef's own choice.
Except for their own hydroponic produce, which is grown on site and makes another unusual USP, provenance is not generally highlighted but their is no doubting the quality of everything used in this kitchen and the memorable experience created by the food is enhanced by lovely young staff, who take pride in ensuring that everyone is happy.
Le Petit Vatel has broken the mould in presenting food in a pub that is so much more than pub food. A small tight team and focus on food rather than fripperies means exceptional value for money. There’s probably nowhere else like it in the country.
