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This Jaw Dropping Opening is Well Worth a Trek to The West – The Carriage House at Adare Manor Review

When you think about picturesque places in Ireland one place that always springs to mind is Adare Village. For those readers who have bypassed this picture perfect village in Limerick, Adare is dotted with pretty little thatch roofed boutiques, quaint bars and some fantastic spots for a good feed.

Most notably 1826 Adare which is home to one of our favourite chefs Wade Murphy, other than the latter there is one more notable landmark in this much loved spot – Adare Manor reopened several months back to great fanfare after a multi million euro investment from proud local Limerick man JP McManus.

It is JP’s vision that one day Adare Manor’s award winning golf course will host the Ryder Cup, it was also his vision that the manor and its grounds was far too impressive to be locked down to only guests.

And so a more relaxed yet still luxurious space was born which is open to non residents, opulent in its design, this 250 seat restaurant embodies all the glamour of the manor but has a much more relaxed vibe. Perfect for the weary golfer to quench a thirst over a creamy piny of the black stuff or a few cocktails on the terrace.

On our previous stay the Carriage House opening had been delayed due to an unfortunate fire on the grounds so we were excited to finally see the doors open welcoming guests.

On our previous stay the Carriage House opening had been delayed due to an unfortunate fire on the grounds so we were excited to finally see the doors open welcoming guests.

Like everything at Adare, the Carriage House has a serious wow factor at every turn, the restaurant, bar and terrace all have a chic feel to them, each space is unique to the next.

On the Friday we dined there temperatures were soaring up at the thirties so rather than dine in the restaurant we decided to make good use of the terrace area which is fully covered and flooded with natural white and marble table tops, an instagrammable dream. The vast space will be a huge draw for special family occasions and private events.

There is all day dining available from 8am seven days a week, we were here to check out the lunch offering, which for a Friday afternoon was fairly busy with bookings by the time we arrived.

The menu here is very different to what you can expect from the fine dining options of the Manor’s award winning Oak Room. One thing it appears they do have in common is excellent food provenance. Irish dry-aged beef as expected features heavily with two of Ireland top producers on offer John Stone and one of our own personal favourites Peter Hannon.

The Carraige House has been designed as a space that will have something for everyone, expect some chic salads, burgers with wasabi ketchup and Gubbeen cheddar, chicken pot pie and grilled turbot on the bone.

The wine list alone is worth visiting for, Head Sommelier Jurica Gojevic has carefully chosen an eclectic mix of well priced wines with many interesting small producers dotted throughout. Wines by the glass start at €9, which may seem a little steep to some but in this idyllic setting and for the wines on offer it is worth every cent.

We began with a couple of light salads, first up an Asian Crispy Duck Salad (€9), chunks of shredded duck tempura, spring onions, chilli and beansprouts were an ideal opener for a light lunch, we paired it with a glass of dry Geil Reisling 2015 (€13) which worked beautifully to cut through the heat of the chilli.

Across the table a timeless classic Yellow Fin Tuna Nicoise (€10.00), a perennial favorite of many a brasserie, arrived with green beans, young potatoes, taggiasca olives and a helping of mesclun leaves. Quail eggs make the cut rather than hen’s which alway gets a thumbs up from us.

Mains were a slightly more mixed experience, with steaks being a huge part of the menu we ordered a Hannon 45 day aged Rib Eye (€30), some of the sweetest most flavousome beef that will pass your lips due to ageing in Hannon’s unique Himalayan salt chamber.

Creamy mash, root veg and a damn fine Bordelaise sauce definitely passed TheTaste test, we predict the pass will be fairly busy searing many a rib eye over the coming months.

Our second main of Lemongrass Marinated Tiger Prawns (€24) however was a little lack lustre and presented a lot less generously than anticipated. Simply dressed with garlic and lemon butter we really felt it needed something added to make it a bit more substantial.

Desserts are all quite retro themed; apple crumble, lemon meringue tart and a Tahitian vanilla rice pudding. The Chocolate Fondant (€9) won hands down and was beyond worth the twenty minute wait, warm dark chocolate fondant oozed cacao-dense mousse that was enough to set any chocholic’s pulse racing.

The Carriage House will no doubt be the place to be seen for some time, its breathtaking backdrop of the Manor, stylish and chic interior and casual warmth make it a very pleasurable dining experience and one we would more than happily repeat.

Lunch for two came with wine and a sparkling water came to €98.

The Carriage House
Adare Manor
Adare
Co Limerick
T: +353 (0)61 605200

www.adaremanor.com

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