Proby’s Kitchen. My kind of restaurant

 Proby’s Kitchen. My kind of restaurant

Proby's, from Elizabeth Fort

When you walk into a restaurant and read the menu and realise that you could enjoy every single dish here, then you know you are at home. That’s the feeling I had when I had “studied” the dinner menu at Proby’s Kitchen last Friday evening. Certainly, my kind of restaurant. 

Cod

And it's jut just the food. It is a welcoming and comfortable place (good space between the tables, nicely lit and with a superbly efficient service, not just efficient but calm and courteous and those so important smiles!

Stonewell. My favourite non alcoholic drink

They offer dinner three evenings a week, from Thursday on. The deal is two courses, starter and mains, for €39.00. If you fancy dessert, it will cost €7.50 extra.

There are seven starters to choose from. I had been looking online at the Salad of Quail or the Stacciatella but in the event picked the Prawn Cocktail, served with their delicious Proby’s O’rly sauce and mixed leaves. That sauce was delicious and I used the bread “for the table” to mop up every last drop. 

Duck

CL, who had earlier narrowed it down to two, eventually skipped Proby's fish cakes for another night and went with the Warm salad of scallops with citrus beurre blanc, another terrific starter. By the way, most (if not all) dishes here, can be made gluten free. Some are vegetarian, some vegan. So something for everybody!

We continued to sip our drinks, Stonewell zero cider (one of of the very best non-alcoholic drinks around) and a Kolonie Dry Riesling,  fruity and light, from the Mosel (also alcohol free). 

Soon, we tucking into our mains. By the way, the mains come with sides. Not just any old sides. We got parsnips (cooked in curry oil, a mild one), green beans and Gratin potato.

Tasty sides

The super standard continued with my  Skeaghanore duck breast with spiced pumpkin puree. I’ve known for a long time of the high quality of the West Cork duck. Enhanced by the Francatelli sauce (invented by Queen Victoria's chef, Francatelli), the duck was even tastier. CL's Fish of the day was Cod and that too was perfectly cooked and served with a red pepper salsa and an outstanding celeriac purée.

No shortage of drinks here. They have cocktails galore. Local brewers and cider-makers (including 9 White Deer - their beers are gluten free - and Stonewell ) are supported, along with quite a few local food producers. Some good wines there too and do look out for the regular specials. There’s an Austrian Grüner Veltliner (by Huber) and an Italian Cabernet Sauvignon (by Tuscany’s Frescobaldi) on special currently.

Opened in November 2023, the principals at Proby's are Marianne Delany  and Denis O'Mullane from Café Gusto & Liberty Grill, along with Pat Browne, formerly of Ballymaloe Cookery School. They say: “Proby's Kitchen shares the same commitment to fresh, seasonal, and healthy food made from scratch, as in our other establishments, with a focus on a shared passion for a sustainable future”. 

The building, a neighbour of St Finn Barre’s Cathedral, was previously used by the Brick Oven, Proby’s Bistro and La Dolce Vita. The Kitchen now serves Brunch, Lunch and Dinner. More on Proby’s here.