Paul and Geraldine's O'Dowd's popular restaurant on the main street consists of two cottagey ground floor rooms - each with the country character of stripped pine, old brick and stonework - and a newer dining room upstairs, with white table linen and candlelight, which has added a pleasing space and comfort.
Diners travel from a wide area to eat here, and the atmosphere of the place plus the warm welcome (and good service) you'll get from Geraldine and her team are as strong a draw as Paul's wholesome cooking.
A 3-course dinner menu offers a choice of about eight or nine dishes on each course, with starters ranging from goats’ cheese in filo pastry with pear and honey to, perhaps, crispy duck leg with red cabbage. Typical main courses offer everything from ever-popular steak, to fillet of venison and sea bass.
Country generosity is the name of the game here - you get a good selection of side vegetables as well as a big portion of the main dish.
But your dessert may well be the highlight of a meal at Pol O'D; the selection offered includes favourites such as cheesecakes and 'gateau of the day’, but that gateau could be a delicate portion of moist sponge with a light mousse-like topping and really good crème de menthe flavour - and homemade ice cream really is homemade here, so give it a try if you get the chance.
Rather than serving wine by the glass, it is offered by the half carafe; serving about three glasses - this tends to work out well for a couple who don't want much to drink, or would like different wines to match selected dishes.
