The Michelin Guide is relevant – there, I’ve said it. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but this summer, amid the unnerving backdrop of a turbulent restaurant industry, I could see first-hand how it contributes to sustaining the industry.
At House restaurant at Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore in Co Waterford, there are a variety of American, Japanese and English accents in the room. There are some locals, but they are clearly in the minority. A few days later at Variety Jones in Dublin, it’s a similar scenario.
House has always been a destination restaurant, but much has changed since Dutch chef Martijn Kajuiter landed a Michelin star in 2010 for his highly technical cooking. The star has been maintained over the years, more recently under Ian Doyle, who led the kitchen from 2020 to 2022 with a Nordic-influenced tasting menu, focusing on foraging, fermentation and hyper local produce. In October 2022, UK chef Tony Parkin took over as chef-patron. With a solid Michelin pedigree from his time in The Tudor Room in Surrey, the style of cooking has changed. He is more influenced by the classics than his stint in Noma.
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The 22-seat restaurant is now in a smaller room next to the original dining area. This space, which has served various purposes over the years, is now a low-key diningroom with white linen-covered tables that seem slightly lower than usual.
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We choose the €120 five-course tasting menu (chosen when booking; there’s also a €150 seven-course option) and decide against the additional €85 wine pairing, opting instead for a bottle of Cliff Cantina Tollo (€38), a Trebbiano from Italy’s Abruzzo region, from a list that realistically starts at €60. The prices are typical for fine dining.
A cheese foam is a delicious first canape, aerated and intensely cheesy, with a bit of pimiento heat coming through, into which we dip the most fragile sable biscuits. A potato pave topped with jamon is tasty but less inspiring, as is a smoked fish croquette, accompanied by a few very fine olives.
A “refresher” of Charentais melon follows, topped with flaked almonds dusted with Timut pepper. Cherry balsamic adds complexity to the beads of frozen melon, a granita-like creation possibly made with liquid nitrogen. While not every dish needs to use local ingredients, I find the choice of melon on an Irish summer menu a bit unusual. A Guinness and treacle bread is served alongside, with local butter. Unlike the typical soda bread, this is a light, yeast-based bread.
Next is a dish featuring heritage tomatoes. The meaty pieces of semi-dried tomatoes are sweet, their flavour intensified by a tomato consommé poured over at the table. The bowl also contains cubes of jelly that add a savoury, ponzu note, and the dish is further enhanced by the menthol and aromatic flavours of shiso and summer herbs. It is a delicate and well-composed dish, light and intricate.
A hot and sour broth is then poured from a teapot over small cubes of tender squid, mixed with coriander, lemongrass, and daikon. It’s well judged, with the heat of spice lifting the flavour.
Our final savoury course is barbecued Thornhill duck, a nicely cooked piece of breast meat, served with carrot in various forms – pureed, pickled and cut into flower shapes – and a green peppercorn jus with a touch of sweetness. A piece of duck sausage on a skewer, enriched with offal, adds intensity, balanced by the fresh anise notes of a fennel salad.
For dessert, it’s Wexford raspberries. The raspberry sorbet is very good, enhanced with a raspberry and yuzu consommé, although I’m surprised to find that the raspberries are dehydrated rather than fresh. Rubbles of caramelised white chocolate crumb add texture, and a separate element, a set cream, is accomplished and delicious. A dehydrated honey tuille with a glint of gold leaf works better with the set cream than the raspberry flavours.
We finish with petits fours: a madeleine, a mini choux bun filled with tonka bean cream, and an intense ganache.
House restaurant is very much about special occasion dining and although many of the diners stay in the exclusive hotel, it is also open to nonresidents. While it may not have the energy and edginess of a city restaurant like Variety Jones, it delivers a solid Michelin experience. Parkin cooks with a light touch, weaving global influences with technical skill, and you get the sense that this is a kitchen that is very focused on consistency.
Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was €278.
The verdict: Delicious and precise cooking with global influences.
Food provenance: Ballycotton Seafood, Ardmore Fisheries, Munster Cress, and La Rousse.
Vegetarian options: The vegetarian or vegan tasting menu includes dishes such as roasted cauliflower with barbecued shiitake mushrooms.
Wheelchair access: Fully accessible with an accessible toilet.
Music: Background piano.
