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 it offers, as much as its outstanding food.
For a county so tied to its storied relationship with its food producers, it has become expected that, in Cork, wherever we eat and at whatever level, a considerable amount of patronage is shown to Cork’s army of artisan producers; that a chef’s interpretation of the produce underpins the story told by its menu and ethos of the restaurant.
At Terre, although there are nods of patronage, it isn’t exclusively to the county of the restaurant’s home, or even the country. Instead, diners romp around the world through the menu: there are hand caught scallops and enormous langoustines from Norway; venison, quail and guinea fowl from France, lardo from Spain, and a veritable larder of ingredients and flavours from across the Southeast Asian continent.
The patronage that Terre’s chef patron, Vincent Crépel, displays is to things he enjoys the best – not because they’re local or seasonal, but because they are the best from the best, wherever in the world that may be. More than once are diners informed that such-and-such producer has worked with Crépel for many a-year.
In a way, it’s not a place that helps Crépel shape and define his style of food, but a collective of producers located across the globe that he has come to know, enjoy and respect for their own commitment to quality – and consistency.
Cork producers and their produce, therefore, doesn’t translate as Crépel’s reason for setting up shop in Castlemartyr. But we must resist clutching our pearls in astonished aghast that a chef might dare open a restaurant in Cork without Cork writ large on the menu, and instead take a moment to appreciate a new fable being communicated to diners.
Crépel, arrived n Castlemartyr following a career overseeing leading restaurants across Europe and Southeast Asia. Terre itself is the investment brainchild of Peng Lo and Dr Stanley Queck, Singapore-based investors; no strangers to Irish fine dining and high-end hotel business already, they no doubt identified Cork as fertile ground for picking up culinary accolades, given how the county has caught the eye of international inspectors in recent years.
This is all relevant and important because, while the food here is indeed outstanding, the attention afforded to tiny details is what marks this experience out as being the most exceptional that Cork has to offer right now - and it is up there with the very best in Ireland. Terre’s ambitions are clearly for the highest of accoldaes and there is simply nothing else in Cork city or county right now that compares.
Terre’s cuisine marries European classical and Asian cuisine with ferments and pickles made of foraged elements from the grounds of Castlemartyr and nearby Ballycotton. It’s 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.
Lunch at Terre is a five-course meal with snacks and a trio of petit fours, while dinner is an eight-course affair, plus snacks and petit fours. To accompany the menu, there is a selection of pairings and a well-curated wine list, available by the bottle only. If choosing a pairing, diners can select from the Petit Accord showcasing small grower-producer wineries, or the Grand Accord with wines from bigger, showier wineries.
Or choose Terre’s unique tea pairing, the first of its kind in Ireland. Sourcing only Oolong teas and only from Taiwan, the tea pairing showcases terroir, altitude, oxidation and acidity differences, and slow brewing techniques to unlock a whole new lexicon of aromas and flavours that, quite surprisingly, pair as well – if not better – than wine.
As the meal progresses, diners move through various rooms in the restaurant: from the drawing room to the kitchen, it’s dry ageing cabinets filled with ceremoniously displayed dead meat and a resolute “Welcome” sounded out by the entire kitchen brigade in rehearsed, eerie unison. Here, diners receive a detailed review by an affable young chef of the ingredients that will be tasted today: where they come from, why this particular product from a particular place, and so on.
Receipt of this immense body of information is punctuated by the arrival of the reductively named Snack course, with their intricate craftsmanship of flavour and presentation. From here, diners are seated in the restaurant where the main body of the menu is served at starch white tables overlooking manicured lawns, each with its own serving table for a la minute finishing, serving and yet more information about the different elements of the dish.
The final stop on the Terre “Express” sees diners back to the cosy comfort of the drawing room for tea, coffee, petit fours and a digestif, should one be so inclined.
The menu at Terre feels like a meal of two halves: one with very obvious influences from Crépel’s time in Asia, the other where those Asian influences are much subtler allowing the cuisine of Crépel’s homeland to sing with greater freedom.
Dining here may be seen by some as a journey but, given the performative act of dish-finishing at the table and the voluminous amounts of scripted information orated throughout the entire show, it could alsoi feel like being thrust into participating in some improv theatre - depending, perhaps, on how interested you are in engaging with the front of house staff - all young and displaying a level of professionalism that is a real credit to them.
The attention to detail is extraordinary, in everything from the service to the table setting, to the bespoke knives made for the main course, the gifted sommeliers of both wine and tea, and the ease with which every team member breaks down the expected stuffiness associated with fine dining to create an environment that is relaxed and enjoyable for diners - and these are where the anticipated critics' points will stack up best for Terre, in their quest for the highest of international accolades.
