Having had a loyal following at their much-missed Inistioge restaurant, Bassetts of Woodstock, some years ago there was great excitement in the area when they decided to embark on this new venture in Thomastown.
It's in what is probably the best premises in the area - formerly Hudsons, it's an attractive old building just on the edge of the town (Mount Juliet road) with a charming stone-walled garden at the back.
Now smartly renovated in a minimalist style, with a lot of white softened by beautiful polished wood floors and furniture, there are two main dining-rooms. The back one is bright and airy, and - with potted trees acting as natural room dividers and a glassed wall overlooking the garden and barbecue area - it's perfect for summer evenings.
The front room, on the other hand, features a long wooden table flanked by benches with brightly coloured over-sized cushions; other tables and chairs are dotted around the edges and, although there are striking paintings on the walls, the focal point here is actually the big hunks of beef that hang to mature in a glassed-front dry-ageing cabinet.
As soon as you step inside the door of this thoughtfully designed restaurant, you’ll feel at home. John is very much ‘mine host’ and greets everyone personally before escorting them to their (reserved) table and offering the confidently short menu - just five starters, two salads and three ‘from the grill’ mains.
But, as anyone who has previous experience of the Bassetts philosophy will know, none of this is ordinary fare – the air-dried carpaccio of beef comes with the finest olive oil, Parmesan, pine nuts and rocket, while antipasti is a glorious plate of olives, hummus, homemade fish cake, red pesto, Serrano ham, Mortadella and Parmesan shavings.
And it should come as no surprise to find that steaks are the speciality here; Bassetts’s House steak is an 8 oz Kilkenny sirloin and the ribeye is a hefty 10 oz, with the a range of accompaniments, sauces and toppings that include Chimichurri, bone marrow salsa and Rossini.
While refined, this is hearty fare nevertheless - and you’ll need to leave space for dessert. A meal here wouldn't be complete without something from a range of classical temptations, such as vanilla crème brulee, rhubarb and raspberry pavlova, a decadent chocolate truffle tart - or, perhaps, the Irish and Continental cheese selection.
To accompany your meal, there’s a short but interesting wine list, mainly European with just a slight nod to the New World.
Bassetts brings top quality food to a town that is no stranger to the best - it was warmly welcomed from the day it opened in May 2017, and promises to be a long term asset to the area.
