Errigal Country House A new find for us, always on the lookout for new hotels and restaurants… On invitation from a friend who has taken what I consider to be several new roles in this property - Manta, we travelled down to see what this hotel and more so the restaurant had to offer. With Chef Peter Fisher at the stove we were excited to experience their Friday night “Supper Club” On arrival we were greeted by a bridal party getting set to enjoy their dinner banquet so an extra 200 plus meals to serve on top of the Supper Club. Kitchen was going to be busy and I imagined that Chef might have liked us to visit on a quieter night, not so. After we checked into room 230, a newly refurbished junior suite, we dropped into the bar for a pre-dinner pint and G&T. The menu read very well indeed; we were presented with a Strawberry Margarita to kick off proceedings. A nice little palette cleanser. Following some complimentary breads, the sourdough was to die for, Nicci started with the Thai Duck Salad, Red Pepper, Mangetout, Coriander, Cashew Nuts and a Fragrant Thai Dressing to complete. Very nicely presented and the flavours didn’t disappoint. I went for the Ham & Brie Croquettes, Garlic Aioli, Parmesan and Confit Tomato. Again, a wonderful start to a meal. For mains, we both went for the Lough Sheelin10oz sirloin with all the trimmings one would expect. Cooked medium rare and to perfection, the quality of this meat sourced locally to the hotel is superb. The steak was as good a cut of beef as we have eaten this year. Now, having just recovered from a serious dose of man-flu (we’ve all been there guys), my appetite was not on top of its game. We decided for a coffee rather that a dessert, even though the sticky toffee pudding was screaming from the kitchen… We retired to a lounge area just outside the restaurant door where restaurant manager Manta joined us for a chat, followed by chef. We obviously gave our feedback and the only nagging point was for both of us, portion size. They were more than generous to say the least! Chef Peter asked why we didn’t have dessert and I explained, not good enough was his reponse, sticky toffee pudding arrived out and OMG, as a STP fan, it was out of this world. Overall, for €50 per person you get a cocktail each, five sumptuous courses cooked to perfection and a bottle of decent wine to accompany. This is amazing value for money (there was a €8 supplement for the steak). We also met with owner Niall Kelly who manages the property along with his day-time job running a construction company, also family owned. Although we were a little ahead of time he explained to us the next development in the hotel, the new alfresco dining atrium, watch this space Although Cootehill is not a destination town in my mind, as a base to explore the area this family run hotel is ideal. Shane & Nicci Smith, YesChef Ireland
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