RESTAURANTS: Tom Doorleyfinds simple perfection in a rock'n'roll restaurant
IT'S NOT THAT there's any shortage of good places to stay in Mayo. One of my perennial favourites is Susan Kellett's glorious Georgian gem at Enniscoe, near Crossmolina. But, until recently, there has been nowhere as incredibly cool to stay as The Ice House.
We could get into a lot of ponderous puns here, but suffice it to say that The Ice House is one of the coolest hotels in these islands and is named by Condé Nast as one of the hottest new places of 2008. Well, you know what I mean.
So, temperatures aside, what is it about this place? Based on a refurbished Victorian house on the River Moy in the town of Ballina, the name refers to the warehouse in the basement which stored ice for the salmon fishery until the 1920s. A bright, airy restaurant has been added, along with two new wings, comprising bedrooms and the now essential spa, on either side, hugging the bank of the river and below street level. It's a very striking combination of building and conservation, lovingly recreated Victoriana and contemporary experiments in textures and colours. Very cool, actually.
Designed by Joe Kennedy, of SKA, who is known as a bit of a rock'n'roll architect, in a way, it looks like the kind of hotel that would confine itself mainly to rock'n'roll food: you know, Cristal champagne and skinless chicken-breast with a chaser of wheat grass juice.
But, in fact, the food at The Ice House is very good indeed, in a straightforward but naturally rather cool way. The philosophy, for want of a better word, of the kitchen, is perhaps best summed up in the Simply Seafood menu, which seems so appropriate as you sit watching the Moy wend its way out to the Atlantic.
It's a very simple idea. There's a list of seafood and a list of sauces. You just choose one of each. There's organic salmon, wild (hooray!) seabass, Newport scallops from not far away, tuna, brill and cod. And there's lemon beurre blanc, hollandaise, sauce vierge, Provençale, shellfish sauce and salsa verde. A starter portion costs €15, a main €30. Yes, I know. Nobody ever said The Ice House is cheap.
But the quality of the seafood and the delicacy of the cooking is first-rate. My scallops were among the very best I have ever tasted. They were small (which most good ones are) and there were only three of them, but they were superb, and the sauce vierge worked brilliantly with them. It was a few morsels, I suppose, for €15, but I have spent more for less, if you know what I mean. It was also a useful reminder of how degraded scallops have become in the average restaurant. These little ones from Newport were superb.
The prawn and crab cocktail with horseradish and tomato sauce (a rather American idea), that I saw being attacked by another diner, was vast - and the same price, by the way.
And then I had a main course of splendid simplicity, executed just as I like it. Ray (or skate, if you prefer) with beurre noisette and a good scattering of tart, salty capers. This generous piece of fish was served on a rectangular plate with a row of potent little cherry tomatoes, grilled until each had just split. This latter element is the very definition of what I never get around to at home, and therefore rather welcome. The geometric presentation was very much in keeping with the environment.
Prices are steep. The fish and chips (which looked quite seductive) cost 50 cent more than at Bentley's on St Stephen's Green. If you have a starter and a main course from the Simply Seafood menu, followed by the assiette of desserts, the all-in deal is €50. But, put in context, this means that two people can have three excellent courses and share a modest bottle of wine and end up with a bill for €130. It's unlikely you would get out for much less in the average run-of-the-mill restaurant with pretensions. And there's nothing average about The Ice House.
If you want to replicate my lunch, with a glass of white wine and a very good espresso, it will set you back just under €45. tdoorley@irish-times.ie
THE SMART MONEY
I don't suppose anyone goes to The Ice House to save money. Going there is an event, even if you live just round the corner. The fish and chips, a glass of Chablis and a coffee weighs in at just over €30.
WINE CHOICE
A curious list, with a sense that someone with real enthusiasm put it together, but that they may have had their hands tied somewhat. Prices are in keeping with the style of the establishment. The mark-up is generous - generous, that is, in favour of the restaurant.
It would not be fair, I suppose, to expect wine prices to be in line with typical Ballina rents, as this place must have cost a mint to create. Anyway, places as cool as this, wherever they are, don't trade on bargains.
Emiliana Sauvignon Blanc from Chile is €26.50 and pretty good. Alaia, a lovely Spanish red, is €35, while I would expect it to be €29. The fully mature Château de Lamarque 1998 from the Haut-Médoc is worth €59, and the Cattier 1er cru Champagne at €80 is better than many a famous name.
Rivola Abadia Retuerta, another lovely Spanish red, sells elsewhere for €30-plus, but here is it's €44. One of the best buys is Domaine Maris La Liviniere, a deeply savoury Grenache/Syrah blend from the Languedoc, at €36.