In Kinsale, in glorious sunshine and soaking up the atmosphere of Arts Week (make a note for your diary for next year!), we stopped in Crackpots Ceramic Restaurant and came away converted.
Crackpots is Carole Norman's restaurant and pottery, where, if the plates and cups that come under, and around, your delicious food appeal to you, you can add them to your bill and take them home. Not that you'd be likely to be able to reproduce anything as tasty as the little amuse bouche of chorizo soup, or the polenta muffins with prawns (about which I am still dreaming).
There's lobster, oysters and lovely fresh fish on the menu too, as well as dishes for vegetarians. The ceramics are variations on a theme of blue, and the gallery upstairs also shows exhibitions of artists from the area, and the pick of graduates from the Crawford Art School in Cork. While we were there it was Aidan Dunne's selection of work by Nathalie du Pasquier, Gary Coyle and David Crone. I couldn't afford the art, but was very tempted by a couple of plates. Crackpots is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. 021-4772847.
