Nestled in the charming village of Three Mile House near Monaghan, Sinéad Flynn and Karl Breen created an oasis of good food for the area when they opened here in 2022, and their delicious meals are sure to please visitors and local diners alike.
It's an attractive building, with welcoming bedding plants at the front and a bright red door that draws the eye. Inside, a contemporary revamp of this former pub has created a colourful and well thought out space, with a few steps creating varied levels and soft background music. It's a peaceful, well-lit and relaxing dining area - and there's still a bar, The Saddle Bar, serving beers on tap (but not any food at times when the restaurant is open).
Local staff greet and seat arriving guests with natural ease, chatting a genuine welcome and offering a choice of tables. Menus are presented closed, leaving one to discover the treats ahead - and, as owner-chef Karl Breen brings experience from some excellent kitchens including Gregans Castle in Co Clare, local gem Castle Leslie and the former GreenHouse in Dublin, there is plenty to look forward to. While not overlong, his menus offer plenty of choice - half a dozen starters, five mains (which include sides and a vegetarian option) and three desserts, or cheese. Making choices may be a challenge however, as it all reads so well. When it comes to drinks, there's a cocktail list, a generous selection of wines (good value) and, as in the Inn, some beers are on tap - although there's not much the way of craft beers or other local drinks.
Once orders are placed, complimentary bread (a soft onion bread with dark seeds, perhaps) and butter is served, with the beautifully presented starters not far behind. A Chicken Liver and Foie Gras Parfait, perhaps, is pretty as a picture with a little slice of toasted brioche, candied nuts and pickled apple, or maybe have a colourful Crab Salad in rolled mooli radish tubes, with watermelon, ruby gapefruit, pickled cucumber chunks and a few fish egg roes - a masterful starter and refreshingly light. Portions are generous, as are the garnishes, and the flavours are exceptional.
The dilemma of what to choose for the main course may also be a challenge, as everything reads so well. A seared Sirloin with black pepper, for example, comes with Portobello mushrooms and decorated with nasturtium leaves, while Panfried Spiced Monkfish has an oriental twist, balancing chilli, ginger, tender stem broccoli and a ponzu sauce - delicate flavours ending with a slight stickiness to the cooking juices. The more Irish and homely plate of Crispy Pork Belly (very good butchery and cooking: moist ,crispy and flavour packed) comes with juicy seared Scallops, Black Pudding, Cabbage, baby carrot and a light thyme Juice. Refined and so enjoyable. Sides are placed on the table family style, a bowl of baby potatoes and one ofwith vegetables like chunky, tasty carrots, green beans and cauliflower all dressed with a few soft herbs. The cooking is excellent and the presentation, flavours and satisfaction linger long after the plates are cleared.
Desserts are equally artful. A Valrhona Chocolate Pavé, for example (described as a mousse), comes with caramelised popcorn and a dark berry purée, or you might finish with a classic Lemon tart with raspberries and then Rustic Roasted Coffee served, as the Spanish do, as an Americano.
More information on provenance would be welcome (and it would be nice to see the famous local duck feature as a speciality) but the quality is self-evident and rarely do you find a place that's gets the sum of the parts just right - portions, colours, great textures and flavours, spot on cooking - together with such pleasing surroundings, genuine hospitality and fair pricing.
With all the makings of becoming a destination restaurant, Wild Thyme is well worth seeking out.
