A smart contemporary restaurant at the golfing end of Newcastle's long main street, Vanilla has become the dining destination of choice for many visitors to this famous Victorian holiday town at the foot of the Mournes - and many discerning local diners too.
When he opened here in 2009, owner-chef Darren Ireland had a clear vision of the creative modern food and great service that he wanted to bring to his home town - and, thanks to hard work and a good team, it has paid off with plenty of happy customers spreading the word, and growing critical recognition too.
For a fine dining restaurant, the ambience is very relaxed and, with a board set out prominently on the pavement, the restaurant is welcoming from the street and encourages walk-ins, especially at lunchtime and for the early dinner service.
Enticing lunch and early dinner menus offer an attractively priced introduction to some very good cooking. Although including a fair number of upbeat versions of lighter / more mainstream choices (soup and wraps, sandwiches, main course salads) these daytime and early evening menus also offer some excellent house specialities such as a starter of hot smoked fish croquettes wih salad, soft egg, lemon chive mayo and beetroot, interesting soups (served with very good breads), and unusual sides like truffled fries with parmesan & sea salt, or buttermilk & black pepper onion rings.
Cooking and presentation are of a very high standard throughout but main courses, especially, manage to achieve that unusual balance between modish 'art on a plate' and food that is genuinely appealing to eat. Darren Ireland combines elements that not only look stunning on the plate but also have a depth of flavour that lingers long after the last forkful.
As befits a coastal restaurant, the fish cookery is particularly good and, while there is no shortage of protein - especially in hearty dishes like Old Spot belly of pork with Puy lentils, that comes with creamy mash, kale, carrot purée and a black pudding cigar - vegetables play a key role, and are treated with imagination and great respect.
Elegant desserts may well include an irresistible white chocolate & vanilla creme brulée but other options include an Irish cheese board and, unusually, a dessert cocktail - espresso martini, say - in addition to the more usual liqueur coffees and dessert wines or 'stickies'.
Equally appealing to a discerning clientele is the extensive drinks list offering, which includes some excellent Northern Irish craft beers and ciders and the local Shortcross gin alongside an international roll call of great and famous names - and the wine list (supplied by McAlindon Wines of Direct Wine Shipments in Belfast), although relatively short, is well chosen.
Attentive, well trained staff ensure a memorable meal and it is not hard to see why so many diners are repeat customers. All round this is a great spot, and well worth knowing about when visiting south County Down.
