Tom Doorley reviews the Old Convent, Co Tipperary
Some of you may remember my account last year of a meal at Gannon's above the Bell, in Cahir, in which the portions were as vast as the grub was excellent.
I'm blessed with a small appetite at the best of times, but to do justice to Dermot Gannon's cooking I would need to have walked over the mountains from Lismore and back.
The news that Dermot and his wife, Christine, had left Cahir for the more remote environs of Clogheen, one of Co Tipperary's more overlooked villages (it makes Ardfinnan look big), reached me by way of several Munster bon vivants. And I knew that some of them might be inclined to snigger at agricultural portions. But no. Reports involved unalloyed enthusiasm.
So far, so encouraging. But then I heard that the Gannons' new venture, the Old Convent (which includes a bed and breakfast), does only a set tasting menu of eight courses. This was daunting. I had an idea that a tasting menu, judging by my previous experience, would be exquisitely cooked but sufficient to feed the local under-21 hurling team to the point that they would, to a man, decline the optional eighth course of cheese. The thing is that if you find yourself in the Knockmealdowns, and you start to get peckish, there is not a lot of choice.
Anyway, the tasting menu was great. And the portions and pacing were perfect. The Gannons are a brave pair. There are still a lot of people out there who require a grand plate o' dinner, and they would have no truck with the likes of the buffalo mozzarella popover with Connemara smoked salmon that formed the first course. This reminded me of a light and delicate Yorkshire pudding with a rich, cheesy filling topped with cool smoked salmon and cold creme fraiche. Yum.
Then came little crisp wontons of fillet beef and foie gras with impeccably fresh local rocket salad and pickled cucumber. They didn't taste much of foie gras, which suited me just fine.
Cauliflower and mint veloute was intensely flavoured with this much-abused brassica, scented with just enough mint and was indeed a veloute, as distinct from a common-or-garden soup, as it was sensually silky.
A remarkable little dish of creamy, cheesy mini-macaroni followed, liberally mixed with white crab meat and chanterelles. This was the most decadent pasta dish I've had in ages.
The green-apple sorbet that arrived next, in order to refresh the palate, was unusual in that it did just that. Sorbets tend to have a lot of sugar (the alternative is to use a chemical texturing agent), and this tends to coat the tongue. But the sharpness of the apple balanced out the sweetness and made us sit up and pay attention.
So far, every course had been immaculate in terms of both size and cooking. What came next was the one that worried me: crispy duck confit, crushed potatoes, roast baby beetroot, baby carrots and orange reduction. It sounded kind of big.
I need not have worried. This was a little gem. For a start, the duck confit, in two parts, was perfectly crisp and a refreshing antidote to all those alleged duck confits that are merely allowed to steam gently under the grill. The olive-scented spuds and the reduction were other highlights of a perfectly sized course.
So much so, indeed, that I still had room for the intriguing "Tipp Organic Ice Cream Martini". This extraordinary drink was delicious, a kind of liquid dessert but with ethereal qualities. It seemed to involve alcohol, it tasted strongly of vanilla ice cream and it floated over the tongue in a kind of gossamer wave.
From gossamer to silk with the organic chocolate fondue that came next. This involved exceptional melted dark chocolate, kept molten above a night-light burner, and a vast collection of stuff to be dipped. There was, inter alia, lots of sliced fruit, marshmallows (both pink and white), popcorn (hard to skewer but surprisingly good) and chunks of very decadent fudge brownie.
This splendid and original feast cost €50 each, including coffee, and we had a bottle of pink wine for €24. A jug of excellent well water was free.
The Old Convent, Clogheen, Co Tipperary, 052-65565, wwwtheoldconvent.ie
Wine Choice
A cautious and rather conservative list, probably reflecting the clientele rather than the proprietors. Our La Source de Vignelaure Rosé, from the O'Briens in Provence (€25), went with all of the savoury courses. André Dezat Sancerre is fairly priced at €34, and Jadot's Château de Poncereau Fleurie is a good example of this restaurant favourite at €30. Rocca della Macìe Chianti Classico (€30) has what the Tuscans call typicity, while Pikes Luccio Sangiovese is an Oz take on the grape. Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Riesling (€32) is perhaps the only wine that the gloriously eccentric Randall Grahm does not price outrageously. And he puts it in a cool bottle.