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Rob Krawzyck Creates a Tuscan-Inspired Dinner at Tankardstown’s Brabazon Restaurant
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Art Meets Food at Brabazon Restaurant – Tankardstown House

Having seen so many exceptional images on Twitter of the food at Tankardstown House, we decided to book a table on Valentine’s eve to sample how good this was for ourselves. There is no denying this is a stunningly picturesque and romantic setting. Set in the grounds of a beautiful and fully renovated Georgian house just outside Slane, Co.Meath, Brabazon restaurant is housed within the extensive grounds and and looks like an impressive courtyard cottage. The layout of the restaurant is cosy and informal and the finish and furnishings have a rich french overture to them.

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We decided to place our trust in head chef Rob Krawczyk very creative hands and opt for a 6 course “Land and Sea” tasting menu. Little did we know what culinary delights awaited us. Our server on the night was Derek who took great care in explaining each dish in astonishing detail. This is something Tankardstown pride themselves on and clearly they have carefully handpicked their staff to reflect this.

We started with some delicious homemade breads and a meat lovers feast of a charcuterie board. This consisted of some smoked pork, venison, salami and some seriously delicious chorizo.The meats are cured on site in Tankerstown. Rob’s father is himself an experienced charcutier, so it’s clear to see where his passion for food stems from. A less conventional dish was the “fish and chips ” which was expertly presented with delicate crispy batter and an oyster mayo. To the side of this was a pretty little take on beetroot and goats cheese in a “cornetto” styled cone.  We both had a palate cleansing gin and cucumber amuse bouche which was perfect after the meats.

Next up was probably one of the most unique dishes you will come across, Sea Urchin, with compressed cucumber and smoked herring. Very unusual presentation with great detail to make this not only taste divine, but have a personal artistic touch. Definitely one to try!

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Following the arty theme another stunning plate arrived, house smoked cured salmon, pickled vegetables and horse radish emulsion. The texture in the salmon was both smooth and refined, the horse radish was the perfect accompaniment to the smokey flavour. Another unusual addition to the menu was hen’s egg set in sherry vinegar, again tastefully presented however for me the flavours were a little too overpowering. Keith however lapped up both, but the apple sorbet with hundreds and thousands more than made up for this.

The duck dish was the stand out star among the mains, hay smoked with parsnip puree white chocolate powder and burnt leek. Once again the smokey flavours shone through, the duck was delicately glazed and surprisingly filling for a small portion.

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For dessert, decadently rich organic chocolate bubbles, with rose water and pistachio dusting and  a little helping of tangy creme fraîche.  No surprise to learn Robert studied art before entering the food world as the presentation of all the dishes are complex and something to be admired. To follow the creme fraîche theme, we were also treated to a soufflé with a light and frothy exterior served with a sublime preserved blackberry sorbet. We were fortunate enough to be seated with a bird eye view of the kitchen, which is always a treat to see how much effort these guys put in to every dish for their diners.

 

This is an imaginative taste we would highly recommend.

 

For Bookings

Call Tankardstown: 041 98 24621

Email Tankardstown: info@tankardstown.ie

Tankardstown Web Site: http://www.tankardstown.ie/brabazon

Tankardstown on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tankardstown

Tankardstown on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tankardstown

 

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