Set well back from the road with plenty of parking at the front, Siobhan Sweeney’s atmospheric restaurant is warm and welcoming, with a big open fire, lots of wood, and good art on the walls.
A Ballymaloe-trained chef, Siobhan is now hosting front-of-house and Allasdar O'Riada (her sous chef for 10 years) has taken over the kitchen, so there's a confident sense of continuity.
Down-to-earth à la carte menus offering 4 or 5 choices on each course have a pleasing focus on seasonal ingredients (with local suppliers credited) and prices are very reasonable for the quality.
Main courses include a fair amount of seafood, including two fish of the day specials, while other specialities include a tasty house interpretation of Boxty (the regional potato dish of North-West Ireland), which is available with bacon and in vegetarian and vegan variations, along with favourites from further afield such as the warmly spiced Moroccan Lamb Shoulder.
Quality ingredients are handled with creativity and culinary skill throughout, and daily prepared desserts might include sometyhing like a gorgeous chocolate pot with fresh raspberries, which is even better if enjoyed with a macchiato...
An informative wine list is broadly organised by price (Everyday Wines/Fine Wines) and offers plenty to encourage you to linger on a little after dinner - and an inviting selection of craft beers come from as far away as the Dungarvan Brewing Company (try their Blackrock Stout) and as close as Letterkenny, where the Kinnegar Brewery makes some excellent ales
This is a very friendly place, where caring service backs up the good work going on in the kitchen - the restaurant team are very helpful, and Siobhan takes time to chat with the tables, making sure that everyone's having a good time.
