Enda and Ailish Hennessy’s lovely country house style restaurant and cookery school is not the easiest place to find (it is sensible to get directions when booking) but, once discovered, what a welcome sight their neat pink-painted farmhouse presents.
Enda will be at hand to welcome guests, offering an aperitif beside the fire in the comfortably furnished bar, where you can look over Ailish’s five-course menus, which are based on carefully sourced ingredients and credit suppliers on the first page.
Menus are balanced, to include fish, poultry and vegetarian choices, but local meats are especially good, and generous portions of seasonal vegetables are served separately. Like the bar, the restaurant has an open fire and, with red walls, white ceiling, mahogany furniture and crisp white linen, it is cosy and pleasingly traditional, making a special yet relaxed setting to enjoy a good meal.
House specialities include lovely breads, a delicious starter salad of baked Clonakilty black pudding & caramelised apple, and fairly traditional main courses like rack of Tipperary lamb, the ever-popular grilled sirloin steak Diane or a speciality dish of panfried medallions of veal with celeriac and Madeira cream sauce.
If a long list of tempting desserts makes decisions difficult, you could try the excellent Assorted Dessert Plate or farmhouse cheeses. Ailish’s cooking is excellent and, under Enda’s supervision, caring service makes it a special experience; and a compact, informative wine list offers good value and includes some half bottles.
Ailish also offers cookery classes throughout the year and aims to teach cooking skills in an atmosphere in which students will also make new friends. This is a very popular restaurant and advance booking is essential.
*Fiacri was selected for our Féile Bia Award in 2004.
** Evening cookery courses also available, please enquire.
