Husband and wife team, Gareth and Kasia Reid's delightful restaurant in a Georgian terrace just beside Saint Patricks Church of Ireland Cathedral is always a-buzz with local fans and visitors to Armagh.
'Modern dining on the hill' is the promise and it's well kept. The climb up through Market Square, past the impressive modern Theatre and Arts Centre and on up to the cathedral is well worth the effort; aside from the cathedral itself, the views are magnificent. This, and enjoyment of the stimulating contrast of styles in this part of 'old Armagh', would be reward enough in itself, but there's also a real treat in store at the 4 Vicars.
Although the exterior gives nothing away, once inside the door there's a refreshing sense of youthful modernism giving this fine old building new vitality. The restaurant is shared between three domestic-sized dining rooms, each with its own character but all elegantly furnished and decorated with a nicely judged blend of old and new.
During the day, when there's more of a café atmosphere, or on long summer evenings, you'll feel drawn through to the brightness of the far room which opens onto a garden terrace where there are some tables set up for fine weather - with a fascinating view of the other side of the hill, and Navan Fort.
Even before you start to think about the food it's an intriguing place - but the food is certainly well worth thinking about.
Gareth, an Armagh man with cheffing experience in some of the best restaurants in Ireland and abroad, is, in his own words "focused on serving the best local produce in a simple and elegant way. We source all our fish from Kilkeel, our beef from a butcher/ farmer on the outskirts of the City, our salad comes from Loughgall and our apples and juice from the surrounding orchards." Perfectly put - and just what we all want to know when we're eating out.
This philosophy is carried through to every aspect of the restaurant, from the excellent Richhill chicken used for a chicken & sorrel soup, or seasonal vegetables like minted new potatoes and broad beans that come with a summer lunch dish of Kilkeel hake, to the must-have Armagh Bramley crumble & homemade vanilla ice cream that ends a meal on a homely note. The drinks menus follow the same pattern, with coffee by Koffy of Newry, Suki teas from Belfast, and local craft beers and ciders offered alongside a short but interesting and fairly priced wine list.
Seasonally-led menus are cleverly varied according to the time and day - a hearty lunch time open sandwich of Kilkeel crab, cucumber, scallion & mustard may be transformed into the daintier Kilkeel crab with spring onion, mustard, toast & fresh mango on the weekend dinner menu, for example - but the constants are sound cooking, modern presentation and food with oodles of flavour.
And, under Kasia's direction, the service is lovely, with well informed, engaging and efficient staff enthusiastically explaining menus and keeping a close but unobtrusive eye on every table.
All this, and good value too: a great neighbourhood restaurant for the lucky people of Armagh - and a consistently excellent dining destination for visitors to the city too.
