RESTAURANTS AND FOOD: Search results for Cliff House

All above visited last 24 months or so. Lots of other good places out there. If I didn’t get to your place last year, maybe we’ll meet in 2016! Hard to keep track - might need a reminder!

View from bedroom in Blairscove

Places to Stay
Albany House (Dublin)
Archways (Rosslare)
Ballymaloe House (Shanagarry)
Benner's (Dingle)
Blairscove (Durrus)
Brooklodge (Macreddin)
Celtic Ross (Rosscarbery)
Davitt's (Kenmare)
Dun Ri (Clifden)
Gleeson's Town House (Roscommon) 2015
Lakeside Hotel (Ballina, Tipperary)
MacNean House (Blacklion)
Maritime (Bantry)
Randle's Court (Killarney)
Rolf's (Baltimore)
Rosquil House (Kilkenny)
The Maryborough (Cork)
The Old Bank (Kinsale)

Brooklodge Hotel

Food Festivals

Ballymaloe LitFest 2015
Dingle 2015
Franciscan Well October Fest 2015
Kilkenny Savour 2014
Roscommon Lamb Festival 2015
Taste of West Cork 2015
Waterford Harvest 2015
West Waterford 2015

Ballycotton Cliff Walk

Visits & Tours. Events.

Arigna Mining Experience 2015
Atlantic Sea-kayaking 2015
Ballymaloe Garden Festival 2015
Ballycotton Cliff Walk 2015
Ballynatray House (Youghal) 2015
Blarney Castle 2015
Castlecoote House 2015
Castlefreke and Rathbarry. The castles and the wood 2015
Clonmacnoise 2015
Connemara 2014
Cork City Marathon 2015
Cork Harbour Festival. Boats & Bites 2015
Cork Jazz Festival 2015
Cork Saint Patrick's Day 2015
Cork Summer Show 2015
Culture Night. Paintings & Plates 2015
Doneraile Park 2014
Dublin. Summer Days 2015
Elizabeth Fort 2015
Fota Gardens & Arboretum 2015
Glenbower Wood, Killeagh 2015
Glendalough 2015
Highbank Organic Orchards 2015
House of Waterford Crystal 2015
Jameson Distillery Midleton 2015
Kilkenny 2014
Killarney in 24 hours 2014
Kinsale Harbour Cruise 2015
Loughbeg Farm. Meeting Mabel! 2015
National Botanic Gardens 2015
National Museum of Archaeology (Dublin) 2014
Powerscourt Gardens 2015
Teeling Distillery 2015
The Sheep's Head peninsula 2015
Waterford's Harvest Festival, including Medieval Museum, Bishop's Palace 2015
Wax Museum (Dublin) 2014
West Cork Islands, Ferries, Food 2015
Wexford's Johnstown Castle 2015
Youghal Medieval Festival 2015

Loughbeg Farm

Top Guides
Lots of excellent guides around the country, including the lady we met at Waterford Crystal and the lady who took us under her wing in the nearby Medieval Museum. But the three that stand out are, in no particular order:
Joe at Dingle Distillery,
Jimmy at Arigna Mines,
Johnny at Trinity College

Monday, April 17, 2023

Seafood Delights at Cliff House Hotel Festival Lunch

Seafood Delights at Cliff House Hotel Festival Lunch

West Waterford Festival of Food Highlight

The minute I read that the House Restaurant were doing a Seafood Lunch Tasting Menu as part off the West Waterford Festival of Food, I booked our table. And my confidence was rewarded spectacularly as we absolutely enjoyed the meal served up by Chef Patron, Tony Parkin. I have enjoyed a few splendid meals at this elegant cliff-side location but this was perhaps the best. I could be back there again soon as it just 45 minutes from my door.

After a gentle welcome we got a prime window seat with a view of the bay. We’ve had better weather here but never a better lunch. First the wine had to be settled. The list is extensive but I concentrated on the list of five whites available by the glass.

Haddock croquette
canape

The Guerila Rebula from Slovenia (left) immediately caught my eye as I was very impressed by their wines at a recent La Rousse tasting at the Glass Curtain. This golden wine is made from biodynamic grown grapes; it has complex aromas, and is fresh and elegant on the palate, quite close to an orange wine, and combined well with the fish.

We also very much enjoyed the Weingut Malat Höhlgraden, Grüner Veltliner, from Kremstal, elegant and fine and a classic expression of the Austrian grape, always versatile at the table.

Then the food began with a couple of canapés, a Smoked Haddock croquette (right) and John Dory tempura, each a tempting hint of delicious things to come.

Then we were into the menu proper beginning with Tuna, Nahm jim, Galangal. Just a sliver of tuna with the Thai sauce giving a sweet and sour and spicy flavour enhanced by the ginger of the Galangal.

Red Mullet

The Red Mullet (carrot, ginger, orange, jalapeño) followed in a foamy liquid. Another slightly spicy and delicious dish and here the wines played a role as well. A memorable dish indeed - there was a spoon to take up the liquid, otherwise we would have tempted to use a piece of the earlier bread! A pity that we don’t see more of this fish in Irish restaurants and fish shops.

No problem getting your hands on John Dory but not like this serving of the fish with asparagus, morel, wild garlic and a sauce of mushroom and truffle. Quite a simple dish with every single element a star. It is an outstanding fish in any case but surrounded by such an assembly of delicious local and seasonal elements, the dish was amazing and memorable.

Tuna

And we would finish on a high as well with the 63% Manjari Chocolate (Marsala, Coffee and Yoghurt Sorbet). I was wondering where the fruit notes were coming from and it was from the Manjari itself, a single origin Madagascar, which is made from rare cocoa beans giving it a fresh, acidic, sharp bouquet with red fruit notes. Add in the Sicilian Marsala, the coffee and the sorbet and we had quite a chocolate symphony. Perhaps the best chocolate dessert I have tasted.

Not quite finished yet as, with the coffee, came our Petit Fours, a Chocolate Truffle and a gorgeous White Chocolate piece loaded in the middle with a white chocolate ganache. Lovely finalé to a splendid meal indeed. Bravo to Tony Parkin and his team at The House.

White Chocolate Petit Fours
with white chocolate ganache filling

On this trip

Mount Congreve, Kilmeaden

The Local, Dungarvan

The Baker's Table of Lismore

Vinilo, Lismore

Marvellous Sunny Morning On The Vee (Waterford/Tipperary)

360 Town Stay, Dungarvan

The Shamrock

Seafood Delights at Cliff House Hotel Festival Lunch

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Renovated Mount Congreve is looking very well indeed this year! Fuel up at the Stables Café.

Renovated Mount Congreve is looking very well indeed this year.

You can fuel up at Stables Café.

The Temple, with the River Suir in background
All pics taken 13.04.2023

Mount Congreve House and Gardens are situated in Kilmeaden, Co. Waterford, in Ireland’s Ancient East and are home to one of “The Great Gardens of the World”.

Mount Congreve House, home to six generations of Congreves, was built in 1760 by the celebrated local architect John Roberts. It is now in the hands of the OPW and, after a recent seven million euro revamp, is looking very well indeed, both the house and the gardens.

The gardens comprise around seventy acres of intensively planted woodland, a four acre walled garden and 16 kilometres of walkways and some great viewpoints. But don’t worry. There are some long and shorter walks and all are well signed and you can check the distances before you start off. If you tired halfway through and need some feed, then check out the Stables Café. The main walks are The Woodland Garden (55 mins), the Fragrant Walk (20 mins) and the Walled Garden Walk (30 mins). There are also guided tours.

The shop is alongside the café

If you visited Mount Congreve in the past, you’ll remember that the cafe was down in the old out-buildings, near to the car park. Now it is part of the house itself with outside tables on a terrace as well. It is now run by Catoca Fine Food and Giftware, who already list Emo Court, Portumna Castle and Doneraile Court as places where they operate food facilities.

Something sweet?

You have to queue to order your food here, then pay for it and then find a table. Not too difficult but do take a look at the menu boards around and also check the displays in the glass cabinet as the queue makes progress. Lots of us would prefer a menu in hand but this is a busy spot and some 80,000 visitors are expected this year.

Approaching the house from the car park (which is not very close at all)

Anyhow, I settled on the (already prepared) Chicken Caesar Salad (13.00) which was neatly presented and a good one. No shortage of good quality chicken, crispy bacon pieces, one or two baby tomatoes, lettuce leaves, sauce and of course the essential parmesan. CL had to wait for hers to be cooked - Smoked Salmon and Prawn Salad (16.50) - ands brought to the table and that too proved quite satisfactory and we were ready for the garden walks!

Plants for sale here also

The gardens are of course seasonal. The woodland garden peaks in the months of February through to May so the colourful rhododendrons and magnolias have reached their peak by now. One other side of the coin, the walled garden (a very extensive one) looks rather bare right now but will be the sight to see in late summer. Around the same time, in a three-quarter mile walk, there are over ninety different varieties of Hydrangeas is in full flower.

On this trip

Mount Congreve, Kilmeaden

The Local, Dungarvan

The Baker's Table of Lismore

Vinilo, Lismore

Marvellous Sunny Morning On The Vee (Waterford/Tipperary)

360 Town Stay, Dungarvan

The Shamrock

Seafood Delights at Cliff House Hotel Festival Lunch