Review: Afternoon Tea in Carton House, Maynooth, County Kildare

Carton House takes pride of place at the centre of 1,100 acre fully-walled country parkland estate in Maynooth, County Kildare which also tips over the county border into Meath. Conveniently located within easy reach of the capital city, Carton was originally owned by the FitzGerald family who were part of Strongbow’s invasion into Ireland. The estate has a fascinating history and has seen many changes during its 800 years.

In 1739, Earl FitzGerald commissioned Richard Castles - one of the pre-eminent architects of the day to design and build Carton House. Castles was also responsible for building many of the great Irish houses including Westport House, Powerscourt House and Leinster House which is now home to the Dáil (Irish Parliament).

Carton House

Over the years Carton has welcomed many famous guests including Queen Victoria and Prince Rainier & Princess Grace. Early in the 21st century, the house and estate were re-developed into a modern hotel complex with grounds containing two golf courses. Guests now have the opportunity to experience the unrivalled opulence and luxury of Carton House for themselves.

I have wanted to try the afternoon tea in Carton House for quite a while and was delighted to get the opportunity recently. As I drove through the grounds along the driveway in the approach up to Carton House, I stopped a couple of times to take in the estate’s beautifully maintained grounds. The house itself is stunning and literally takes your breath away when it comes into view. Having built up an appetite, I was really looking forward to my afternoon tea and having the chance to sit down and relax in the hotel’s elegant surroundings.

Tiered Stand

Afternoon tea is served daily from 12.30pm to 5.00pm in the original kitchen and Steward’s Room of the house. This magnificent high ceilinged kitchen retains many of its original features and is a lovely spot from where to enjoy afternoon tea. Old cast-iron teapots sit happily on the large stove and the overall feeling is evocative of a bygone era. Expansive couches provide comfortable seating and the afternoon tea is served on tiered stands at the low but nicely positioned tables.

The afternoon tea menu includes a good selection of loose leaf teas which are supplied by Suki Teas, a boutique master tea blender from Belfast who only use ethically-sourced, Fairtrade teas. The teas are flavoursome with bold, assertive notes and there is something to suit most tastes. If you like you can also order a glass of Champagne or a cocktail to enjoy with your afternoon tea. As I was driving this was a pleasure I had to forego but on this occasion I was more than happy with just my tea.

Green Tea Luponde

Although usually of fan of assam teas, I decided to ring the changes and go for the Green Tea Luponde which is sourced from the Livingstone Mountains in Tanzania. A single estate, hand-picked tea, this was fresh on the palate with a lovely crisp finish. It was a particularly successful pairing with the savoury elements of the afternoon tea.

By way of contrast, Finbarr, my guest for the day decided to go for the Earl Grey Blue Flower tea which, with its floral notes had a delicate and sophisticated flavour. The defining characteristic of Earl Grey teas is provided by the addition of bergamot, usually by the use of essential oils which can sometimes overpower the gentle flavour of the leaf but I thought this was a wonderfully balanced offering. Both teas were served in individual teapots with strainers provided on the side.

Selection of sandwiches

I love the moment during an afternoon tea when the tiered cake-stand is delivered to the table and how, in the moments immediately after you try to visually absorb all the treats that are being served. It is this moment which brings out a certain child-like glee from deep within me and is why I don’t think I could ever tire of taking afternoon tea.

Here the cake stand had three layers; one for the sandwiches, one for the scones and preserves and one for the cakes and pastries. Everything looked mouth-wateringly good and we couldn’t wait to tuck in.

The tempting selection of sandwiches included an Open Prawn Cocktail on Rye Bread and a Smoked Salmon & Chive Cream Cheese Roulade which were both generously filled and delicious to eat. Similarly, the Turkey, Cranberry & Stuffing had been well-made and included a crowd-pleasing filling of succulent turkey and a flavoursome herb stuffing served between thin slices of white bread.

Tomato, Basil & Cherry Tomato Brioche

Next up was a sandwich containing Honey Baked Irish Ham on Wholegrain Bread. I have eaten many disappointing ham sandwiches in my life but this one was truly great, packed full of delicious, tender meat. I loved the flavour of the ham and could detect the subtle hint of the cloves which had obviously been used to prepare it.

All the sandwiches were fabulous but my favourite was definitely the Tomato, Basil and Cherry Tomato Brioche. Although it looked like a simple bread roll filled with cheese and tomato, every element was outstanding. The mini-brioche roll was superbly made with a delicate crumb that accentuated the flavour of the ingredients that were used to fill it.

Macarons

We then moved on to the cakes and pastries which were beautiful to look at. At their simplest, macarons contain only three ingredients but they can be tricky to get right. Both the Lemon and Raspberry Macarons were flawless in their execution and with their intensely fruity flavours were heavenly to eat. The Sticky Ginger Cake was exactly as described… sticky and full of complex spicing which included cinnamon, a hint of nutmeg and the aforementioned ginger.

Santiago Cake is an almond confection which originally hails from Spain. Here hazelnuts had been included along with the almonds and in my opinion, the cake was all the better for it, delivering an intriguing flavour profile. Beautifully light, the cake was topped with a with a 5 Spice Cream which made it seem even more indulgent. The Choux Pastry with Chocolate & Orange Ganache was rich with a lovely citrus kick due to the inclusion of orange-flavoured liqueur in the ganache.

Santiago Cake

After a brief hiatus during which our teas were replenished we concluded our leisurely afternoon tea with the Selection of Scones served with Raspberry Jam & Clotted Cream. The mini, bite-sized scones were full of plump dried fruit including sultanas and dried cranberries which I thought was a nice variation on a classic scone. Sweet with a lovely short texture we loaded them with the clotted cream and raspberry jam and slowly savoured every mouthful, not wanting our idyllic afternoon tea to come to an end.

At €24.50 per person (Monday to Friday) and €29.50 (on Saturdays and Sundays) I think that the afternoon tea is well-priced. I loved the relaxed ambiance in Carton House and would have no hesitation in recommending the afternoon tea as the whole experience was wonderful. The food was well-presented and delicious to eat. Service was friendly, attentive and delivered in a professional manner. This was an afternoon tea to remember.

Carton House

Maynooth

County Kildare

 

Telephone: 01-6517782

Website: www.cartonhouse.com

Restaurant Review: Bang Restaurant, Merrion Row, Dublin 2

I have passed by Bang Restaurant numerous times but have never actually dined there. Determined to address this situation, I booked a table for an early evening dinner there a couple of weeks ago.

Conveniently located just off St. Stephen’s Green on Merrion Row, Bang opens for lunch and dinner and is one of the city’s most popular restaurants with a loyal clientele many of whom work in the many offices and business nearby. The restaurant is deceptively spacious encompassing a mezzanine area, a downstairs dining room and a separate large ‘events’ space where corporate bookings can be facilitated. Decorated in neutral tones, Bang has a comfortable, contemporary feel. I loved the jazz music playing softly in the background which added to the relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant on the night that I visited.

Tuna

Once seated at our table in the mezzanine area of the restaurant, we considered the different dining options. Three menus are available including Pre-Theatre/Early Evening and A La Carte menus. A 5-course tasting menu is also offered and was the one that we decided to go for. I’m a huge fan of tasting menus despite the fact that there may be limited choice, if any, for each ‘course’. I like that you get to sample a range of dishes as this gives you a greater insight into what the food is really like. Tasting menus tend to contain dishes which the chef has deliberately chosen to showcase his or her cooking talent and as such are often experimental. In practical terms this means that some of the food that you eat may be truly excellent but that also there may be the odd dud dish along the way.

Celeriac, Hazelnut, Apple

Happy to leave ourselves in Head Chef Niall O’Sullivan’s hands, we sat back and nibbled on some very tasty Brown Soda Bread which was served warm from the oven with a generous amount of Irish farmhouse butter on the side. The bread was excellent and it was without hesitation that we accepted a second helping when offered it. For me, the bread served at the beginning of a meal is like a restaurant’s calling card and is a good indication of the quality of the food to come. It’s fair to say that the omens were good after sampling the bread in Bang.

Our meal kicked off with an amuse bouche of Tuna, Cucumber, Avocado which looked absolutely stunning. Despite both being rather hungry, we had to pause and admire the beauty of this dish which consisted of a thin smear of squid ink flavoured purée onto which a slice of tuna had been delicately placed. Sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, the tuna had been barely seared before it was thinly sliced and presented to us. The fish was full of sweet but almost meaty flavours which were enhanced by the cucumber gel and avocado purée which accompanied it. Slices of lightly pickled cucumber completed the dish.



Duck Confit, Egg, Artichoke

Next up was Celeriac, Kombu Seaweed, Smoked Hazelnut & Apple. This was another wonderfully presented dish which, to look at, was reminiscent of an Impressionist painting. Here paper-thin slices of celeriac were draped like delicate silk over which a few smoked hazelnuts were strewn in a seemingly casual manner. In reality they had been carefully placed so that the dish looked visually balanced. Marble-sized balls of compressed Granny Smith apple added a sharp fruitiness which worked well against the earthy sweetness of the celeriac and the crunch of the smoked hazelnuts. Just before eating, and with a certain amount of pomp and ceremony, our waiter poured a small amount of celeriac ‘consommé’ into the bowl. This had such an intense flavour and really brought the dish together. Slight acidity was provided to the consommé by the addition of the merest amount of vinegar which balanced the dish. This was amazing on every level.

Slow Cooked Pork

The Jerusalem Artichoke, Duck Egg, Confit Duck, Buckwheat dish was another winner and was rich and indulgent to eat. Hidden underneath a light and airy artichoke foam was a perfectly cooked warm but still runny duck egg yolk. As I explored further, piercing the egg yolk to create a rich sauce, I discovered further treasures below in the form of meaty shredded duck confit and some Jerusalem artichoke crisps. This was lovely to eat and we both enjoyed it tremendously.

The Slow Cooked Pork, Onion Risotto, Malted Onion, Cavolo Nero, Onion Ash was a substantial dish but undeterred we also ordered a side of Triple Cooked Chips and Roasted Garlic Aioli to share between us. The pork was wonderfully tender and had been cooked to the point that it literally melted-in-the-mouth. It was unbelievably tasty but for me the standout element of this dish was the risotto which was creamy and packed full of the sweet flavour of onions. The chips were also magnificent with crispy exteriors giving way to soft fluffy centres. We demolished the lot.

Triple Cooked Chips

Dessert consisting of a Dark Chocolate Bar, Passion Fruit Sorbet and Hazelnuts was superb. The so called ‘chocolate bar’ was in fact a cake-like confection made of chocolate ganache sandwiched between layers of the lightest chocolate sponge. It contained a centre of chocolate craquelin which provided pleasing textural contrast. The chocolate used was suitably bitter but the accompanying passion fruit sorbet and gel mitigated this lending the dish the appropriate amount of sweetness and left us both feeling that all was right with the world.

Chocolate Bar, Passion Fruit

Our meal finished with a plate of the most delightful Petits Fours including Elderflower Fudge Chocolate Passion Fruit Ganache on a Cacao Nib Tuile, Raspberry Jelly and a Madeleine with Passion Fruit Curd. Each of these was delicious but the star was definitely the fudge which, having a sweet-tooth, I loved.

I was so impressed by my meal in Bang Restaurant. The food was outstanding and the whole experience was one that I will not forget quickly. Service was exemplary and delivered in a warm and engaging manner. This is a restaurant that I will not pass by again without going in. I loved everything that I ate and was still talking about the meal on my journey home.

The Tasting Menu cost €69 per person with optional matching wines a further €34.95 per person. Our side order of Triple Cooked Chips added €4.95 to our bill.

Bang
11 Merrion Row
Dublin 2

Telephone: 01-4004229

Website: www.bangrestaurant.com

Restaurant Review: Bastible, South Circular Road, Dublin 8

Although Bastible has only been open a few short months, it has certainly made an impact on the Dublin dining scene garnering rave reviews for the food on offer under Chef/Proprietor Barry FitzGerald.
 
The restaurant is situated deep in the heart of Dublin 8 at Leonard’s Corner on the South Circular Road. At first glance, this busy junction may not seem the obvious location for a restaurant but this has not deterred diners who have been flocking in their droves to eat there. Curious to see whether all the plaudits were deserved, I recently managed to secure a table for an early evening dinner and despite battling through wet and windy weather conditions to get there, I was looking forward to my meal.

 

Sourdough Bread & House Butter

The dining room in Bastible is compact but has been cleverly designed to create a feeling of spaciousness. I particularly liked the subtle nautical theme, which thankfully hasn’t been overworked to seem contrived. In line with current restaurant trends, Bastible has an open kitchen and it is from here that Barry FitzGerald works his magic preparing food for eager diners.

 

Seated in an intimate alcove we happily sipped on cocktails as we perused the menu and nibbled on the excellent Warm Sourdough Bread & House Butter. My Dublin 8 Negroni made with Punt e Mes Vermouth, Dubonnet & Lillet Blanc - an aromatic French wine usually served as an aperitif - was particularly good and a lovely way to whet the appetite. In a similar vein, Paula’s Aperol Spritz was a lively offering which was light on the palate and also delicious.

 

Crisps, Smoked Trout Dip

The menu in Bastible is brief containing three starters, three mains, four desserts (including a cheese option) and a ‘daily special’ main course. A good range of dishes is available and whilst on one level the choices offered would be challenging to a conservative diner, I felt that the menu was well thought out and made good use of ingredients that are slap-bang in season. Whilst we waited for our starters to arrive we devoured some terrific Homemade Crisps which were everything good crisps should be… well-seasoned, full of potato flavour and CRISP! The accompanying Smoked Trout Dip with its velvety texture was the perfect foil to the crisps. A salsa verde made from chervil, parsley and capers completed the dish, cutting through the richness of the smoked trout.

 

Carrots

My starter of Smoked Carrot, Fresh Cheese, Chervil & Spelt was a beautiful looking dish which really showcased this most humble of root vegetables. Thin baby carrots were smoked gently to highlight their inherent sweetness and were then served alongside wafer-thin slices of lightly pickled carrot draped on a pillow of fresh soft cheese. The subtle lactic tang of the cheese imparted a wonderful freshness whilst spelt added body without detracting from the flavour of the carrots. This was such a clever dish and one that I will remember for a long time.

 

Paula’s Veal Sweetbread, Potato Butter & Roasted Onions would have been so easy to get wrong as sweetbreads require very precise cooking. Here the sweetbread had been perfectly cooked and was a joy to eat with its wonderful caramelised exterior giving way to a firm, yet tender centre. I loved its seductively mild and creamy flavour and the rich, indulgent nature of this dish. Simply garnished with some burnt onions, slivers of beetroot and the most irresistible potato butter, it was amazing.

 

Partridge

The ‘daily special’ was beef and whilst we were both tempted, I found it hard to ignore the lure of the Partridge, Pearl Barley, Blood Sausage & Prune. I love game and tend to gravitate towards it whenever I see it on a menu. Partridge is one of my favourites and I was delighted to see it offered in Bastible. Unlike many other game birds, partridge has a mild, delicate flavour but in the right hands, it can be successfully paired with more assertive flavours. Here, the bird had been pan-roasted to perfection and was succulent to eat. It was served with chargrilled celeriac, rich fruity prunes and a flavoursome pearl barley risotto. Also included was some deeply savoury homemade blood sausage which could have overwhelmed the dish but when eaten with the partridge brought out the  underlying gentle sweetness of the bird. This was thought-provoking cooking which succeeded in challenging any pre-conceived notions that I might have add about game and how it should be served.

Sea Bass

Paula’s Sea Bass, Sourdough, Broccoli Stems & Bisque Sauce looked like simple fare but in reality it was a sophisticated dish where everything on the plate worked to highlight and accentuate the subtle taste of the fish. We both loved the fact that broccoli stems rather than florets were included as an accompaniment. They tasted wonderful and given that so many people discard them, we vowed never to do so again as they were truly delicious. The bisque sauce had a depth and intensity of flavour which pleased on so many levels. A garlic rouille was also included but we both felt that it was too much for the fish and wouldn't have been missed it if had been left off. Despite the fact that neither of us were keen on the rouille we felt that overall, this was a very good dish.

 

Rhubarb

Moving on to dessert, we faced a huge dilemma as we found it impossible to choose between them. In the end we decided to order three to share between us. First up was a Rhubarb, Lemon Verbena & Buttermilk Pudding. This was a stunning looking dish which contained barely poached strips of pretty pink forced rhubarb on the light and creamy buttermilk pudding. In effect this was like a lighter, less-set panna cotta. A scattering of a slightly spiced crumble completed the dish and provided a pleasing crunchy texture.

 

The Bitter Chocolate Cream, Clementine Sorbet & Cacao was also beautifully presented. Packed full of rich flavours, this dessert was surprisingly light to eat and I regretted agreeing to share it with Paula as I wanted it all to myself. In particular, the chocolate cream looked like it might be dense and heavy but it wasn’t. A cacao tuile provided textural contrast and was delicious in its own right. This was a dessert that was designed to please and emphatically succeeded in doing so.

 

Chocolate, Clementine

Young Buck, Drop Scones & Pickled Quince was perhaps the most straightforward dish of the evening but looked elegant in its simplicity. Made by Northern Irish cheesemaker Mike Thompson, Young Buck is a raw milk blue cheese that is gaining quite a name for itself. A good-sized wedge  of this salty, Stilton-style cheese was presented along with some short and crumbly drop scones and a quenelle of of quince paste, all of which worked together perfectly.

 

It is evident that there is a very passionate and talented chef at work in Bastible and whilst the hype surrounding the restaurant may have reached fever pitch after it opened it’s not hard to see why as the food and cooking is incredibly good. Most importantly you really get the sense that Barry FitzGerald is a chef who is proud of his roots and that he wants to share his love of Irish ingredients and food with all who dine in his restaurant.

 

Service throughout our meal was relaxed but attentive and in keeping with the atmosphere of Bastible as a whole. We felt that the meal was competitively priced with two courses for €32 or three courses for €38. I shall definitely return.

 

Bastible

111 South Circular Road

Dublin 8

 

Telephone: 01-4737409

Website: www.bastible.com

This review first appeared in TheTaste.ie

Young Buck, Drop Scones, Quince

 

Cookery School Review: Ballymaloe Cookery School - Butchery & Charcuterie Course

Many people feel that we are becoming increasingly disconnected from the food that we eat. At worst there are those who believe that meat comes in neat little vacuum-packed plastic trays with little idea of which animal provided that meat and that salads come pre-washed in plastic bags. We are prepared to sacrifice flavour so that all our fruits and vegetables are of a uniform size rather than understand how to get the best out of the ingredients that we are presented with. Somewhat ironically, despite the tough economic climate in recent times, we still throw away thousands of tons of food each year.

 

Somewhere along the way something seems to have gone wrong.

 

Cookery School Entrance

With the pressures of modern life, the last thing that any of us want when we come home from work after a long and stressful day is to have to prepare a meal from scratch. It is perhaps understandable that it seems easier to order a ‘take-out’ or to pop something into the microwave for a few minutes but the truth is that many meals can be prepared quickly using fresh ingredients for a fraction of the cost of these so-called ‘convenience’ foods. Ultimately, without understanding where our food comes from and appreciating the effort that goes into producing it, it is impossible to have respect for it.

 

However, there appears to a shift in thinking and more and more people are now keen to grow their own fruit and vegetables and reconnect with what they eat. Cheaper cuts of meat are now regularly seen on fine dining restaurant menus and there is a resurgence in the popularity of the foods that fed our ancestors. People want to know where their food comes from and there is increased interest in back-to-basics cooking based around the seasons.

 

Demonstration Area

Ballymaloe Cookery School was set up in 1983 by Darina Allen and her brother Rory O’Connell with the aim of showing us all how we can cook great food using the wonderful ingredients available to us in this country. The school enjoys a world-wide reputation for excellence and has taught thousands of students since being set up.

 

In addition to the intensive 12-week Certificate Course, a number of shorter courses are offered throughout the year covering subjects as diverse as Butter & Cheesemaking, Cake Decoration, Seafood Cookery  and Sushi Made Simple amongst many others. Whilst some of the courses are demonstrations, many are hands-on meaning that you get the chance to cook and prepare food for yourself. At all times the emphasis is on the quality of the ingredients used, many of which are grown on Ballymaloe’s 100 acre organic farm or are sourced from local organic suppliers.

 

Philip Dennhardt

One particular course that caught my eye was the one-day Home Butchery, Charcuterie & Sausage Making with Philip Dennhardt, so I booked myself a place on it and was looking forward to my day away in Ballymaloe.

 

The focus of this course was pig butchery and as we entered into the large cookery demonstration area we caught sight of the pig carcass that we would use during the day. It had already been split in half lengthwise but other than that, all of the butchery that took place was carried out in front of us.

 

Originally from Germany, Philip Dennhardt is a master butcher who has been living in Cork and teaching at Ballymaloe for a number of years. He is a mine of information about all aspects of butchery and encouraged us to ask questions throughout the course. It was fascinating to learn about the tradition of pig-slaughter and to realise that not so long ago many families living in the country would keep their own pigs which they would rear, slaughter and butcher themselves. No piece of the animal that could be used was wasted or thrown away and consequently, people were very creative in the dishes that they would make to feed their families. To illustrate this point Philip then prepared a dish of Brawn (Head Cheese) which is made from the whole head of the pig.

 

Bones for the Stock-Pot

There are countless recipes for Brawn but we used Darina Allen’s which is included in her book Forgotten Skills of Cooking. The fresh pig’s head must be brined first in a solution of salty water before being gently simmered in a large pot of water and vegetables for a number of hours. After this time the meat, including the pig’s tongue and some of the fat, is picked from the bones and roughly chopped before being mixed with herbs, seasoning and some of the reduced cooking liquor. Packed into bowls, it is then weighted down and refrigerated to help it set. Although initially it might not sound appetising, this was one of the tastiest things I have eaten in a long while and something that I would be more than prepared to try making at home.

 

Philip then showed us how to make a Pancetta-style cured ‘bacon’ using the pork-belly from the pig that we had butchered. What amazed me was how relatively simple this was to achieve. In order to make it, you essentially need good quality fatty meat into which you rub a generous amount of salt and spices before hanging in a cool, dry spot. After a couple of days you can wash the cure off the meat and use it as bacon but given the right conditions you can also choose to let it ripen for at least 4 weeks and let the natural enzymes do their work in order to create Pancetta.

 

Brawn

The difference between dry-curing and wet-curing was also explained to us and we were shown how even the fat of the animal can be cured. Coppa, Guanciale and Lardo are all made by curing fat and are considered delicacies, seen on many fine-dining restaurant menus.

 

During the morning, as Philip butchered the pig, he collected any off-cuts and scraps of meat together and these were minced and used later in the day to make Sausages. Interestingly we learnt that although sausages made from 100% lean meat might sound appealing, a certain amount of pork fat should be included to create sausages that are juicy and succulent to eat. Some of the students then volunteered to fill the minced meat mixture into natural sheep and hog casings using a hand-operated machine to create the sausages. This was great fun and a skill that Philip assured us was easy to acquire with a little practice.

 

Salami

Moving on Philip also showed us how to make Frankfurters to his own recipe which included cold-smoking the filled sausages for at least an hour. Keeping to the sausage theme, we then covered the principles behind the making of Salami and Chorizo.

 

Finally we stuffed the Loin of Pork with a simple herb and breadcrumb stuffing and roasted it in the oven along with its covering of skin which we scored to create the crispiest pork crackling imaginable. This was accompanied by Bramley Apple Sauce, Braised Red Cabbage, Roast Potatoes and Buttered Carrots as the centrepiece of a feast to finish the day. Also included were the cooked sausages and frankfurters we had made during the day along with samples of cured meats. All these were delicious and we left with our bellies full and smiles on our faces after a most enjoyable day.

 

Frankfurters

I really enjoyed my day at Ballymaloe and would recommend this course to anyone. Philip Dennhardt is a great teacher with an easy manner who succeeds in making the subject accessible. Extensive notes and all the recipes from the day are given to all participants and I felt the price at €195 was reasonable considering all we learnt and the fact that we were fed so well during the day. The price also included a light lunch which consisted of wonderful pizzas cooked in the wood-fired ovens in the café attached to the cookery school. The pizzas were delicious as were the salads and desserts that we also ate.

 

Self-catering accommodation is available to those attending courses in the school with further details available when booking. Further information on all the courses offered at the school is available from

 

Ballymaloe Cookery School

Shangarry

County Cork

Telephone: 021-4646785

Email: info@cookingisfun.ie

Web: www.ballymaloecookeryschool.ie
 



Roast Pork Dinner