Vendricks, a name to remember when you visit Killarney
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| Prawns |
Small plates are certainly having their moment on Irish restaurant menus. We had the most delicious illustration of this trend last week at Vendricks in Killarney.
Their small plates are called tapas, as is done in many other places, and one can be your starter, if you wish, as Vendricks also do the full a la carte and indeed have some very tempting main courses.
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| Goats Cheese Tartlet |
Angie and the Archangelus
The Vendricks name comes from a Belgian friar who, in 1860, arrived in Killarney to help restore the Franciscans here. Their abbey is just a few steps form the restaurant. Its a great choice of name. Luckily they went for the surname rather then the first name which was Archangelus.
The restaurant is in the more than capable hands of Angie, the enterprising lady who had the El Vino restaurants in Cork (Douglas and the Elysian) a few years back.
Vendricks had his mission when he arrived in Kerry. And we had ours which was to explore sample of the dozen or more tapas available, sharing all the way.
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| These potato croquettes were top notch as was the brown bread at the start. Always a good sign when a restaurant gets the small things right |
Fresh Mozzarella
Perhaps the trio of Crostini were the closest to what you might get in a Bilbao bar. We certainly enjoyed our hat-trick. Each had fresh Mozzarella, but with different toppings, one of Sundried tomato relish and Black Olive, the second with Hummus and Onion Jam and the third came with Apple Chutney and Carrot. We were off to a good start!
And it just got better as three fairly serious players arrived on the table. Certainly, the Prawns Pil Pil, tender, plump and succulent, caught the eye and thrilled the taste buds. The juicy crustaceans had been sautéed in Garlic & Chilli Oil and there was Crusty Bread on hand to soak up the warm liquid.
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| Three Crostini |
Lamb and Leek pack a flavour punch!
The Kerry Lamb and Leek Spring Roll was another ace in the tapas pack. Loaded with the lamb and leek, with Pickled vegetables, cucumber, yoghurt, and a Hazelnut Dukkha, it packed quite a flavoursome punch.
The parade of flavours, something different almost in every bite, continued with the Goats Cheese & Fondue Tomato Tartlet that came with Orzo Pasta, Black Olive Glaze, Beetroot & Apple.
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| A super-cool Daiquiri, non alcoholic. |
Crêpe worth fighting for!
There was a journey home to be negotiated after the meal but we enjoyed a sweetener before that, this time sharing a Warm Crêpe filled with Vanilla Ice cream, Warm Butterscotch, Marshmallows. Absolutely gorgeous, so much so that the bowl became something of a battlefield. Well, just a friendly tussle, really!
We had been looking forward to a chance to get to Vendricks for a few months and knew we were on to a good thing. Back in the spring, their Head Chef Gary Fitzgerald was awarded Best Chef in Munster at this year’s Irish Restaurant awards.
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| Spring roll |
The freshly prepared food is served in comfortable modern surroundings and combined with a friendly atmosphere and excellent service. It is in the centre of Killarney, right next door to the Killarney Royal, with a public parking lot across the road, and is well worth a visit.
