Restaurant Review: The Fatted Calf, Athlone, County Westmeath

I was saddened when the Fatted Calf, previously located in Glasson, County Westmeath, closed its doors early in the New Year and I have been eagerly waiting for it to re-open. I was a great fan of Head Chef Feargal O’Donnell’s food and regularly dined there as I only live a short distance away. I loved the easy informality of the Bar and Restaurant and over the years must have tried most of the dishes on the menu.

Now located on Church Street in the centre of the busy midlands town of Athlone, the reincarnated Fatted Calf is styled more as a formal restaurant rather than, as it was previously, a gastropub. The restaurant is light and spacious with a modern, contemporary feel which is welcoming even if it lacks the cosiness of a pub setting. As seems to be the fashion these days, there is an open kitchen where you can see your food being prepared and cooked.

Bread

I was pleased to see that there are many ‘old-favourites’ on the menu which is well-constructed and has something to suit everyone but cleverly manages to avoid being overly long and complicated. There is an obvious focus on the use of locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients which are used in an inventive way throughout the menu. The menu changes regularly to reflect the produce available and a ‘specials’ menu is also available.

 

I was dining with two old friends, so between us we were able to order a good cross-section of the food on offer. As we examined the menu and contemplated which dishes to choose we nibbled on the very tasty selection of breads that had been delivered to the table. The sourdough was wonderfully aerated with an open texture and was pleasantly chewy to eat whilst the soda bread was dark and damp and tasted heavenly when liberally spread with butter. Last but not least was a curry-flavoured bread which I absolutely loved and was something a little different. A flavoursome tapenade was served alongside the butter to accompany the breads and went particularly well with the sourdough.

 

Marrow Bones, Black Pudding

To start I ordered the Baked Beef Marrow Bones, Lisduff Black Pudding with Toasted Sourdough and Horseradish Aioli. Now be warned… this is a sizeable and very filling starter but every mouthful was pure joy. Rich and dark black pudding was crumbled and mixed with bone marrow before being stuffed back into the bones, baked and then served.  A small splodge of a subtly flavoured horseradish aioli topped each of the three stuffed marrow bones. The creaminess of the aioli was the perfect counterfoil to the richly flavoured black pudding. I love food where you can get stuck in and really enjoyed excavating the pudding out of the bones with the small spoon provided before spreading it on the toast and eating it. This was a top-notch dish.

 

Wontons

The Dublin Bay Prawn Wontons with Sweet Chilli and Ginger Jam which M chose were presented attractively piled up on top of each other along with some mixed salad leaves in a bowl. The wontons had been perfectly deep fried, without a hint of greasiness, to a very tempting light golden brown colour. The soft and sweet prawn filling was wonderful contrasted against the crispy exterior of the wontons and tasted delicious eaten with the simply dressed salad leaves. I particularly liked the Asian-inspired salad dressing which was sweet and exotically fragrant with just the right amount of chilli heat.

 

For her starter, C chose the Heir Island Scallops with Pulled Pork from the specials menu. Here two fantastically plump pan-fried scallops were served with a carrot puree and meltingly soft pulled pork. More unusually the dish also included warm, balsamic vinegar-macerated strawberries. Now in the interests of full-disclosure I should declare that I’m not really sure whether I’m a fan of macerated strawberries which I have eaten paired with meat in a couple of restaurants recently as I find their texture a little disconcerting. However, here they worked, mainly because they were served slightly warm and had been liberally seasoned with black pepper which cut through their acidity, giving them a savoury edge and served to accentuate the meatiness of the pulled pork. This was an unusual dish but we liked it.

Butter Roasted Chicken

Moving on to the main courses, I chose Butter Roasted Breast of Irish Farmhouse Chicken, Ardsallagh Goat’s Cheese Gnocchi, Crisp Pancetta with Pecan & Spinach Pesto. Chicken is something I rarely choose when dining out as, like many households around Ireland, we eat a lot of it at home.  However, I was tempted by the gnocchi and also the pesto which sounded intriguing so decided to order it. I was not disappointed. This dish was a perfect example of how wonderful chicken can taste when a quality bird is cooked properly so that it retains its succulence. The gnocchi were amongst the lightest I have ever eaten and were perfect with the other elements of the dish. I loved the depth of flavour of the pesto and the combination of pecans with spinach was a revelation.

 

The Pan-Fried Fillet of Cod, Honey Mustard Parmentier Potatoes & Prawn and Chive Butter which M chose was another outstanding dish, where all the elements and flavours worked seamlessly together. The generous portion of cod was faultlessly cooked with a wonderfully crisp skin and soft, milky white flesh which came away in beautiful large flakes. The prawn and chive butter was a clever addition because it added another flavour dimension without engulfing or detracting from the flavour of the cod.

 

Cod

C’s main of John Stone Rib-Eye Steak was again chosen from the specials menu. The steak duly arrived cooked just rare as she had asked and came with a generous portion of hand-cut chips which were lovely and crisp on the outside and revealed a fluffy potato interior when you bit into them. An onion jam and garlic aioli on the side completed this dish. The onion jam was a little on the sharp side and with my sweet tooth I would have preferred something a little less assertive, but this did not detract from the overall dish and the delicious steak which had been lovingly cooked to order.

 

Main courses come with a choice of sides and the Summer Greens, and Baby New Potatoes we ordered were lovely but in many ways unnecessary as the main course dishes were generous and complete in themselves.

 

Steak

For dessert I chose the Strawberry & Salted Caramel Eton Mess, C chose the Chocolate and Peanut Butter Oreo Tart with Boulabán Vanilla Ice-Cream whilst M decided to go for the Cheeseboard. The Eton mess was everything that it should be and was a lovely concoction of broken meringues, cloud-like whipped cream and strawberries whilst the chocolate tart with its crushed Oreo crust encasing a layer of creamy peanut butter and topped with a rich chocolate ganache was an indulgent treat.

 

The cheeseboard comprised a quartet of Irish cheeses including Bellingham Blue, Cooleeney, Milleens and Mossfield Organic and was accompanied by a good selection of crackers, fresh fruit and a lovely fig chutney.  At €9.50, I thought it was great value for something that would have easily fed the three of us even without the desserts that two of us had also chosen.

 

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Tart

It’s worth noting that all our food was cooked without recourse to sous vide water baths and the like. Each dish was prepared with a real understanding of the particular requirements of the seafood/meat used. Everything was seasoned perfectly and we really felt that a lot of care had gone into the presentation and serving of each dish. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and will definitely return soon.

 

Our meal cost €179 for three courses for each of us which included a large bottle of sparkling water and a very enjoyable organic Malbec reserve which was full of deep plum and blackberry fruit flavours. We also had teas and coffee.

 

The Fatted Calf

Church Street

Athlone

County Westmeath

 

Telephone: 0906433371

Email:  info@thefattedcalf.ie

Website: www.thefattedcalf.ie

This review first appeared in TheTaste.ie

 

Restaurant Review: Sage Restaurant, Midleton, County Cork

It seems like ages since I have visited Cork so I was delighted that a scheduled family trip to see my sister-in-law who lives there had finally come around. Knowing that we were going to be in the Rebel County for a few days, I booked a table for dinner on our first night, in Sage Restaurant in the small town of Midleton just outside the city. I had researched the restaurant and having read the many positive reviews, it’s fair to say that I was really looking forward to dining there with my hubby.

 

Longueville House Cider

Having allowed ourselves loads of time to get there, we had anticipated a leisurely drive to Cork but unfortunately my relaxed mood meant that I missed the Cork exit on the motorway and only realised my mistake when almost in Limerick! After a stressful journey across country on secondary roads with huge delays due to road-works, we eventually arrived at our hotel in Cork, quickly checked in and then dashed off to Midleton for our meal. I was completely frazzled at this stage.

 

Sage Restaurant is located in a lovely courtyard just off the Main Street in Midleton and as I approached it, I could feel my mood lifting. We were greeted warmly, and led into the restaurant which is decorated in warm, muted tones and has an intimate, cosy feel. The soothing surroundings were the perfect antidote to the stresses experienced on our ill-fated journey.

 

Selection of Breads

Sage proudly promotes its ‘12-mile’ ethos which is based on sourcing as much of the food served as is possible, from within a 12 mile radius of the restaurant. This emphasis on using the finest ingredients from local producers is evident throughout the menu which is simply constructed and has a good range of dishes on offer for each course which are designed to tempt and delight the diner.

 

The wine-list is thoughtfully chosen with something to suit most budgets and there is also a small but lovely selection of Craft Beers and Ciders on offer. Being a cider-lover the hubby chose some Longueville House Cider to sup on. This is produced in nearby Mallow and is packed full of complex, rich apple flavours. He loved it.

 

Breads, consisting of wholegrain rolls and thick slices of a brown soda were presented to us on a wooden board along with a plentiful amount of a salty herbed butter and we happily feasted on it as we waited for our starters to arrive.

 

Salmon from the Smoker

My starter of Salmon from the Smoker, Potato Bread, Fennel & Samphire was excellent. I loved the assertive smoky flavour of the meaty slivers of oily-rich salmon which were beautifully presented alongside some lightly pickled shallot rings, delicate fronds of fennel and just the right amount of salty samphire. Accompanied by a large bullet-shaped roll of potato bread, this was a seemingly simple dish but one that was so deftly balanced. Even the peppery nasturtium flowers which had been used to decorate the dish added something in terms of flavour and were not merely an irrelevant adornment.

 

The hubby’s Swede, Leek, Smoked Cheese Dumpling & Crispy Onion Soup was hearty fare and came served with more brown soda bread. Swede is one of my favourite vegetables but unfortunately you rarely see it on restaurant menus. Here it imparted an earthy-sweet but slightly peppery flavour to the soup which was attractively served, drizzled with a herb oil and crispy onions. This was a satisfying dish full of recognisably ‘Irish’ flavours brought together in a flavoursome soup.

 

Soup

For his main course, the hubby chose the Beef Fillet, Beef Dripping Chips, Onion, Spinach, Béarnaise. Looking around the restaurant, I could see that this was a popular choice with other diners and it was easy to see why. This was a dish that celebrated the quality, flavour and tenderness of the beef that was used. The steak was perfectly cooked medium-rare to order and was served with wilted spinach and a portion of chunky chips that had been arranged in a Jenga-like formation on the plate. Whilst the accompanying béarnaise sauce was fabulous, the onion purée with its rich, almost caramelised flavour was simply stunning and complemented the beef perfectly.

 

Turbot

The moment I saw Turbot, Samphire, Shitake, Young Spinach on the menu, I knew that I had to order it. Turbot is a succulent fish which is best treated simply. Here, it was flawlessly cooked and seasoned perfectly so that every mouthful was a sheer delight. Served nestled in some wilted spinach with a celeriac purée, pan-fried shitake mushrooms and a restrained amount of samphire this was a dish that it would be impossible to improve upon. The separate serving of very buttery mashed parsley potatoes which also came with the dish was delicious.

 

For dessert I chose the Seasonal Berry Trifle with Strawberry Macaron whilst the hubby was happy to sit back and just enjoy a coffee. The trifle consisted of a layer of berry jelly which was so intensely flavoured that I thought a fruit liqueur must have been used to make it. On inquiring, I was told that this was not the case and that it had been made using homemade fruit cordials from foraged berries. On top of this was a layer of velvety, vanilla-rich custard and some softly whipped cream. This dish was a perfect example of how home-spun dishes, when well executed, legitimately deserve to be included on fine-dining menus! With the added treat of the lovely macaron on the side, the trifle was the perfect finish to a superb meal.

 

Trifle

It is hard to fault the food served in Sage Restaurant and I really enjoyed the whole experience. Whilst the 12-mile philosophy might seem aspirational to some, Head Chef Kevin Aherne delivers on it in the most effective way possible by serving delicious food in a creative way. Many of the ingredients he uses are relatively humble and often overlooked by other chefs but here they are embraced and used inventively in a memorable way.

 

Our bill for the meal came to €100 with optional service.

 

Sage Restaurant

The Courtyard

Main Street

Midleton

County Cork

 

Telephone: 0214639682

Website: sagerestaurant.ie

 

This review first appeared in TheTaste.ie

Prosecco Jellies

We have had no summer to speak of this year and the weather seems to have mainly consisted of chilly temperatures and rain… LOTS of rain!  Despite this, I still like to pretend that we actually do get sunny days; days where picnics can be enjoyed and summery foods can be eaten.

I honestly believe that the Irish must be one of the most hope filled nations on earth because no matter how dreadful the weather is we never give up and we always believe that it will improve! We discuss at great length the possibility of getting a ‘fine spell’ the week after next on a Tuesday at approximately 3.27pm in the afternoon. And because we are imbued with such endless hopefulness we really believe we will… if only because ‘yer man' up in Donegal who predicts the weather by testing goat droppings (or some equally fanciful weather divining method) says so!!!

 

Irrespective of what the weather outside is like these Prosecco Jellies always make me feel in a summery mood. They are incredibly simple to make and provided you chill the Prosecco and the glasses/containers that you use for the jellies, you should retain a lot of the fizz in the jellies as they set.

 

I like to use a selection of berries, but you can also use segmented sweet citrus fruits such as clementines and satsumas which are wonderfully zingy and taste delicious. This is a very elegant dessert which would be wonderful as a showstopper dessert for a dinner party and has the added advantage of being able to be prepared well in advance.

 

I like to serve it in individual glass bowls so that you can see the beautiful soft fruits suspended in the effervescent jelly but you can make it in one bowl if you prefer.
 

Ingredients:

4 leaves of gelatine
550ml Prosecco, well chilled
50g caster sugar

250g-300g of soft berries (e.g. raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, redcurrants etc.)
 

Method:

1. Place 6 glass bowls (approximately 150ml capacity each) in the freezer for 20 minutes before making these jellies. Refrigerate the berries and do not remove them from the fridge until just before you are about to use them. You want everything to be as cold as possible.
2. Put the gelatine leaves in a small bowl of water to soak for 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, place 150ml of the Prosecco in a medium sized bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and allow to heat up a little. Squeeze the excess water out of the gelatine leaves and pop them into the Prosecco in the bowl. Keep stirring until the gelatine has dissolved.

4. Add the sugar and keep stirring until it has dissolved and then remove the bowl from the heat. Let sit for a minute or so and then pour in the chilled Prosecco stirring well into the gelatine mixture.

5. Remove the glasses from the freezer and divide the chilled berries evenly between them. Then divide the jelly mixture evenly between the glasses and pop into the fridge.

6. After about 30 minutes, the jellies will have begun to set. Some of the berries may have settled near the top of the jellies but you can gently poke them back into the jelly with the tip of a cocktail stick as it sets so that they are evenly dispersed.

7. Allow the jellies to set for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Serves 6.
 

Restaurant Review: Söder + Ko, South Great George's Street, Dublin 2

I absolutely love brunch as a meal and readily admit that I am thrilled that more and more restaurants are now offering it. Despite the fact that I never need to have an excuse to eat it I fully acknowledge that many brunch menus are formulaic and inevitably seem to include Eggs Benedict, Huevos Rancheros, something with avocado and of course the ‘Full Irish’. Whilst these are all dishes that I love and I appreciate that there is something reassuring and almost comforting about eating familiar dishes executed well, there are times when I like to experiment and try something a little different.

 

Stockholm 866

There is definitely something different about the brunch available in Söder + Ko which has been open since the beginning of May 2015. Housed in an impressive building which was previously home to the Dragon Bar, Söder +Ko is located on South Great George’s Street -  a street that seems to be shaking off its air of downtrodden shabbiness and, as evidenced by the amount of top-notch dining venues to be found there,  is rapidly becoming the centre of Dublin’s culinary scene!

 

I was recently invited to TheTaste.ie Bloggers Brunch launch in Söder + Ko where I and the other invited bloggers were treated to samples from the menu which were served to us in platter form. I was really impressed by the food that I ate that day and was keen to visit again. I was pleased to have the opportunity a couple of weeks later.

 

Pot Stickers

Söder + Ko styles itself as a Scandi-Asian restaurant/bar and whilst the food is quite obviously Asian inspired, it would be fair to say that the Scandinavian influences are more evident in many of the drinks and cocktails that are offered. I have adopted what I consider to be a very sensible rule regarding brunch; namely that cocktails are mandatory (ahem) so I ordered a Stockholm 866 which is a Nordic Negroni of sorts. Containing Aquavit, a caraway flavoured liqueur, Campari, grapefruit juice and garnished with fresh dill this was a refreshing drink. The Söder Sura which my dining companion Erica ordered was similarly invigorating and the two of us happily sipped away at our drinks as we examined the menu in greater detail and considered what to order.

 

As often happens when I am presented with a new or interesting menu, I found it hard to choose just one dish to order but luckily many of the brunch dishes in Söder + Ko are specifically designed for sharing so we decided to order a couple of these between us to sample together. Although we were tempted by the Steamed Pork & Shrimp in Wonton Pastry and the Squid Tempura and also toyed with the idea of ordering the Hot & Sour Chicken Wings Sharing Platter, we finally decided to go for the Pot Stickers and the King Prawn Dumplings.
 

Steamed Brunch Bun

I absolutely loved the Pot Stickers which due to having been pan-fried possessed a slightly crispy exterior which screamed ‘eat me’. The filling of chicken and scallions was surprisingly light and although there were six of them, I will admit that I felt slightly resentful that Erica assumed that we would divide the portion equally. I could have eaten them all by myself! They were served with a simple but incredibly delicious umami-rich dipping sauce.

 

The steamed King Prawn Dumplings were served in a bamboo steamer and were also delicious. Beautifully plump and generously packed with prawns they were hard to resist and we gobbled them up quickly.

 

Chinese BBQ Spare Ribs

Erica was feeling rather peckish so decided to order one of the Steamed Brunch Buns choosing one that contained a Hash Brown, Fried Egg & Sausage and arrived smothered in a piquant Hollandaise Sauce. A drizzle of a fiery, almost neon green-coloured dressing completed this dish which Erica tucked into with great enthusiasm. I had eaten this at the Bloggers Brunch and had enjoyed it tremendously so could completely relate to Erica’s purrs of satisfaction. I loved this dish and thought it was an interesting variation on the breakfast roll theme.

 

Our next dish the Chinese BBQ Pork Ribs was absolutely wonderful with meat that melted in the mouth and fell off the bone. Erica declared them to be amongst the best ribs that she had ever eaten and with the wonderfully rich but extremely well-balanced sauce they were cooked in, I have to say that I’m inclined to agree with her. This was a hearty dish but we still managed to finish it.

 

French Toast

With my slightly sweet tooth it was inevitable that I would have to try the French Toast + Smoked Bacon + Maple Syrup which was very good. This was a classic interpretation of the dish which suited me fine as I truly believe that there are certain dishes that shouldn’t be tinkered with! The slight saltiness of the lightly smoked bacon was wonderful against the fried eggy bread and the rich and unctuous sweetness of the maple syrup – it really is amazing how a dish which has its origins in frugality and was designed as a way to use up stale bread can taste so unbelievably good and in Söder + Ko it was delicious.

 

Under Culinary Director Kwanghi Chan the Söder + Ko brunch brings something different to the Dublin dining scene and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Kwanghi previously worked under Martijn Kajuiter in the Michelin-starred Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore, County Waterford and before that in The Wineport Lodge, L’Ecrivain and Chapter One so has formidable cooking credentials.

 

There is something very cool and contemporary about the bar and restaurant in Söder + Ko with its faux baroque décor.  As you enter the building you walk into a space which has a double height ceiling and feels vast. As you continue on through the restaurant and bar you pass by the open kitchen where the chefs are busily working away. There is more seating upstairs on a mezzanine balcony and a very trendy outside smoking area. This is a beautiful building which doesn’t distract from the food but rather complements it and adds to the whole experience of dining there.

 

Some of the dishes on the brunch menu may seem a little on the expensive side, but not particularly out of kilter with prices in other brunch establishments around Dublin. Portions are generous and I really enjoyed my meal.

 

Brunch is served 12pm -4pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.

 

Söder + Ko

64 South Great George’s Street

Dublin 2

 

Telephone: 01-4781590

Website: www.soderandko.ie