Expect the unexpected

SOME OF US who live in the country, well beyond the towns and the cities, define neighbours in a way that is quite foreign to…

SOME OF US who live in the country, well beyond the towns and the cities, define neighbours in a way that is quite foreign to townies. Neighbours, for us at any rate, mean people you know pretty well and who live within about a 30-mile radius. Justin and Jenny Green are neighbours within that meaning. In fact, they live a mere 15 minutes away at Ballyvolane (not to be confused with suburb of Cork that has a big fire station), near Castlelyons.

Ballyvolane is a lovely Victorian house with glorious gardens where Justin’s father, Jeremy, and his late mother, the much-missed Merrie, started to take in paying guests back when I was teaching Justin at St Columba’s in Rathfarnham. Which, as Harry Moore used to say, is more years ago than I care to remember.

Now the baton has passed to Justin and Jenny, and Ballyvolane is one of the finest Irish country house retreats (it’s not a hotel, thank heaven) in which you can stay.

So, when our neighbour Justin dropped in for a cup of coffee one morning earlier this year, I was surprised when he told me that he planned to take on the late lamented Barca premises in Lismore. Barca had valiantly tried to serve tapas, but gave up the struggle.

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Surprised? I’m afraid that my first reaction was to tell Justin that he was mad. Which is strange, as he is one of the sanest people I’ve ever met. But by the end of the conversation he had me convinced.

What was once Barca is now O’Brien Chop House, named after the fine old pub which once occupied these premises on the Main Street in Lismore. We repaired there en famille the other day to see what the Greens were doing. And it was good. In essence, good, simple food served without fuss by delightful young people, all of whom seem to be friends of my eldest daughter.

There was earthy beetroot soup, a fine, dense ham hock terrine served with toasted white soda bread and chutney, and a goat’s cheese mousse with beetroot which needed just a touch of acidity. Beetroot is big at the moment in O’Brien Chop House, for the commendable reason that it’s big in the kitchen garden at Ballyvolane.

There was perfectly baked hake and tender lamb’s liver on a bed of new season onions (also from the kitchen garden), generously anointed with grainy mustard. And two fine steaks: one a hanger or skirt, which must be served rare and cut across the grain of the meat; the other a chunky sirloin, both served with decent chips and a passable Béarnaise. The meat here comes from Michael McGrath, just down the street.

A curry of chicken fillet, despite the organic provenance of the meat, was the least successful dish of the night. The spices didn’t seem to marry with the chicken and, personally, I would have preferred cheaper and tastier cuts such as the unfashionable but delicious thigh.

How often do you see real, home-made ice-cream? Well, you do here. A chewy brown bread version, a gloriously coloured blackberry one and a rich vanilla were all excellent. A proper, unadulterated crème brûlée came with big, glossy cultivated blackberries, which seemed odd at a time when the hedgerows are bursting with the wild sort. And there was a good lemon tart. Coffee was fine and we drank a lot of bottled water (the tap is freely available but Lismore water, while perfectly potable, looks a bit like New World Chardonnay after heavy rain). The bill came to €155 for five.

Lismore is a small and remote place but it has much to offer. Lord Burlington brings world class exhibitions of contemporary art to the gallery at the Castle every year, and the Greens are doing very honest food. Neither of them is mad but they are doing unexpected things. Which is wonderful. If you have never been there, this is the time. tdoorley@irishtimes.com

Read Megabites, Tom Doorley’s blog on all things foodie, at irishtimes.com/blogs/megabites

THE SMART MONEY

A two-course lunch for €14.90 will hit the spot.

WINE CHOICE

There’s some very decent value on this short list. Puna Snipe is a proper Chilean Sauvignon at €4.95 for a 175ml glass or €18.50 a bottle, while Domaine Boisson is much more than your average Côtes du Rhône, at €5.95 a glass or €24 a bottle. Cline Viognier from California is peachy and keenly priced at €24. La Bascula, at the same price, is a chunky blend of Monastrell and Syrah, while Domaine Vieux Telegraphe Telegramme is a serious Châteauneuf-du-Pape for €41.80. Henri Goutourbe NV Champagne is good stuff for €60.