.jpg)
This famous hotel has an attractive exterior, with its name emblazoned in blue and white stained glass above the entrance and flags fluttering on poles, giving it a cosmopolitan look. Since 2004 this landmark hotel has been in the caring ownership of the proprietor, Ciaran Fitzgerald, who continues to do everything possible to build on and develop its reputation as a premier destination in this historic town.
Due to the nature of the building, public areas are quite compact, but regular refurbishment - and reinvention - ensure best use of space and there is always a fresh feeling to the design and decor. The reception and bar areas have a pleasantly open and contemporary feeling, and there's the Newport Lounge for is a quieter dining setting.
All the bedrooms have double glazing to offset the street noise that is inevitable in a central location and, although not large, both the rooms and their neat bathrooms make up in thoughtful planning anything they lack in spaciousness and they are refurbished regularly. Cookies and an iPad for your use on arrival, King Koil pocket sprung beds, Dyson Air Purifiers and Supersonic Hair Dryers, Nespresso machines in each room are among the details that make guests feel pampered here, and there are plenty more.
Although Kinsale is mainly seen as a tourist destination, the hotel provides excellent corporate accommodation rates. *There is extra accommodation available a few doors away at The Old Bank House (see entry), which is in common ownership and offers many of the same quality details.
Good food is central to The Blue Haven, which aims to offer a lot more than the usual hotel dining experience, whether in The Bar & Bistro, which offers cocktail and gin menus and an appealing choice of food, also based mainly on local ingredients, Hamlets Street Food & Gastro Garden which includes an outdoor kitchen and large, heated garden area with casual dining and cocktails in a fun environment - but also with a serious food offering. And then there is the destination restaurant Rare (see below), which is ideal for an intimate fine dining experience for couples and smaller groups
Rare
Rare is the culinary vision of Executive Head Chef, Meeran Manzoor, blending passion for exceptional Irish, local and seasonal produce with his professional training in classic French fine cuisine, and the flavours and food philosophy of his Indian heritage – specifically the ancient Chettinad food philosophy. What emerges is a genuinely exciting dining experience that has all the hallmarks of a fine dining experience elevated with a keen and insightful knowledge of the alchemy of spice all led by a sourcing policy that is steadfast in securing the best – the rarest – of ingredients.
Meeran's challenge of creating a fine dining destination restaurant inside The Blue Haven Hotel in Kinsale (with its longstanding claim to be Irelandt's 'foodie capital') was punctuated with closures during the pandemic era. But after that Meeran and his team, made up of chefs from across India and particularly Chennai, began to find their feet. Meeran has thought deeply about the cuisine and dining experience that would portray who he is, and it is important to note that - depite being influenced by the Chettinad culinary tradition - Rare is is not an Indian restaurant. However Meeran's vision and masterful knowledge of spicing, paired with his grounding in classical French cookery, has created a point of difference in his cuisine at Rare that has driven its reputation and recognition.
The restaurant itself is as unique as the cuisine. An unassuming entrance on the main hotel facade leads to doors which open into the Cocktail Bar - which, over the years, has become an integral part of the dining experience. Redolent of opulent cocktails bars of Manhattan, the well-stocked bar celebrates locally distilled spirits from Black’s of Kinsale, Kinsale Mead, and gin and whiskey from Kinsale Spirits. But there are also rare and unusual spirits, liqueurs and elixirs drawn from across Asia - a great introduction to the dining experience, so arrive early and spend some time enjoying a cocktail in the bar area with its comfortable booth-style seating.
The dining area is beyond the bar (which can be noisy with live music, especially on Saturday nights), in an elevated area with a backlit pickle wall and a unique floor to ceiling glass wall. The soundproof window provides a direct view into the working kitchen and the pass, lit with large copper heat lamps. Chef Meeran and his team work plating and garnishing each dish. Plates are served by the team, including Chef Meeran, and presented with an explanation of the ingredients and spices used – and how. There is no menu, so each course is a surprise. Menus tell a story of seasonality, primarily, but often the use of an ingredient or spice is influenced by a chef's personal story or memory, so his underlines the experience as one that is deeply personal to Meeran.
An extensive wine list offers great choice, by glass and bottle, and Pierre Toussaint - the experienced restaurant manager running a flawless front of house service - is also the sommelier. His role is therefore a busy one, but his friendly service is provided calmly and professionally, demonstrating depth of knowledge in both the wine and cocktail menus. Suggestions that show an interest in the chef’s cuisine and understanding of flavours showcased across the menu, are given expertly and affably. Prior to Rare, Pierre worked in other prestigious Cork venues including Bastion in Kinsale and Hayfield Manor in Cork city. It speaks to the overall ambitions of the team that they have invested in someone like Pierre and believe in the long-term vision for Rare.
Only one menu is offered, a seven-course tasting menu ranging from an amuse bouche (which may be a triple offering of mini dishes) to petit fours (a quarte, perhaps`). The menu is presented to guests at the end of the meal on paper seeded with Irish wildflowers which can be planted and, hopefully, bloom.
There is a relaxed tempo to the dishes arriving, with time spent explaining each dish. Guests are checked on regularly throughout the meal, although not enough for it to become annoying, and water and wine is regularly topped up discreetly by the floor team.
Rare enjoys showcasing the produce of the local region (the vast majority of the menu offering comes from the Kinsale area and hinterland. But what makes this experience stand apart is the deft touch and understanding Meeran and his team have for the use of spice .By accentuating, elevating and intensifying the natural flavours of the produce that has been carefully selected, this adds a sixth sense over and above umami, which is like unlocking a deeper sensuousness of flavour.
Rare is a bright jewel shining in the firmament of Kinsale’s renowned gastronomic landscape and its growing reputation is deservedly making waves around the region, and beyond. A must-try for your next visit to Kinsale.
