Culinary Vision & Textured Countryside: The Tastes Of Southeast Ireland - Feature
The impetus behind the structure of Southeastern Ireland, lying just beyond the cusp of Dublin yet shy of Cork, resides in its structure of immigrant and survival textures that have formed its intensive history.
Just within this idea resides the juxtaposition of old school values with somewhat of a new age mentality. In a time where the personification of instant gratification in terms of texting and emails makes the simple and quiet moments seem fleeting, the simple getaway thoughts make the green lushness of these lands (which are much different from its Western coast counterparts) all the more alluring especially involving the use of gateway resorts compounded with little cafe getaways offering both an organic and homemade remembrance of the old country.
Leading the list with gusto bridging the balance between the old and the new is the Brook Lodge & Wells Spa in County Wicklow. Possessing of its own pub (which is essential with all things Irish), its embrace of organic progression makes its culinary fare all the more tender in inventive ways.
Visiting the farm that provides all the samplings for its chef table, the V-shaped valleys stretch out in tandem for miles. The key here resides in that everything needs room to grow. Cramped quarters do not beget the sprawling nature of life.
The baby leaf lettuce optimizing the importance of the stalk brings these points into focus. Between the various plants from basil to raspberry, the tart taste of each individual item distinctifies that the absence of pesticides and many other modern contrivances do make a difference, especially if the production is one of limited scale.
Another specific point of the farm is that of its organic pork whichinvolves the specific breeding of the pigs and their requisite growth in a more natural environment. As specified by one of the farmers himself, the natural instinct of a pig to be able to forage for food with his nose in the dirt is genetically ingrained. When it is done on the concrete floor of a slaughterhouse, it obviously is not the same thing.
Returning to the Brook Lodge, the Wells Spa offers the distinct amenities of many other spas from saunas to cold dips showers to a wonderfully detached old school barrel jacuzzi. Its strength however lay in its masseuses, specifically Ludo, a sports trained Slovak, who understood that in many instances the spa is not just for its relaxing properties but within its rejuvenating processes. In executing a back massage the muscles were tenderized with exceptional force. Explanation was then given for the importance of sauna for blood flow before powering down in the chill room.
After a deliberate and refreshing organic Weiss beer made specifically for the resort, dinner was served in the Strawberry Tree whose interior design with its black chandeliers and streamlined setting were ultra sleek. Although unconventional with the aspect of family serving, this Thanksgiving type feast can be had optimizing everything from haddock to pork to cabbage while still making the individual portions quite vivid.
Some of the suites within the Lodge use split level mentality not unlike that of The Venetian in Las Vegas. The integration of internet, TV and video on the bottom floor makes it optimal for business people that still need their fix with a bit of specific non-European structure while the bed functions on its own upstairs with a lifted tub that allows easy cavorting between mediums.
The second destination of note, Monart Spa, uses the rejuvenation trade as the utter focus of its intonation. Situated in County Wexford reveling in the country, its isolation is its key. Entering inside the vaulted reception area, one understands the need of breath to allow stress to filter away.Entering into its spa, which rests within the labyrinth walking of corridors, the atrium spins one around into a central compound layout. The more experimental structure of their treatments informs guests to create a routine structure including sitting in an assimilation room that allows your body to adjust to the different temperatures before attempting different levels of sauna, both indoors and out.The massage, one of Swedish possibility, was satisfactory but not exceptional simply on the basis that certain techniques even when improvised need to be employed for pressure points to create the adequate experience. However, to be fair, there is a range of training based on necessary pressure and other options.The most impressive aspect of Monart Spa in excess was the Dark Chill Room laid out in the center of a circular structure which houses the treatment rooms. Completely bathed in black with a chandelier shaded in the middle of the room, different beds stretch out in tandem from the center in an exceptional devilish and cool way while a lemongrass tea makes one just want to bathe in the chamber's innards for as long as possible.Dinner within the restaurant too was adequate but not overwhelming in its inventiveness or structure. With the interior bathed in white but also possessing an inherent compactness in its seating, the layout reminds one of the Essex House on the corner of Central Park.
Beginning with a starter of seared peppered mackerel which, though flaky lacked a sense of flavor, the main course of crisp roast half duck definitely offered a tangy texture but the general taste of the meat was unimpressive despite a lithe presentation.
What exceptionally stood out in paradoxical structure was the pre-dinner cocktails simply for the briskness of mixology involved. The first, The Mud Bath, mixing Kahlua, Baileys and Skyy Vodka, simply married smooth like its American cousin. The most inventive though resided in the Bananarama mixing Frangelico, Banana de Creme and Grey Goose which simply thrilled.
The rooms, replete with an elongated balcony overlooking a small lake, emerges with a sense of peace which revolves in the inherent softness of the beds.The irony of the morning after points also to the strength of the different possibilities involved. Here, within the spa, the option of a meditation session at 7am with a Shaolin Master brought in on staff from China was simply too cool to pass up even after a late night local pub excursion at J. Murphy's just outside the resort gates. These kind of additional incentives provide the necessary spark of interest.
The third encompassing resort resides in Mount Juliet, which is a massive country estate along the edge of winding creek overlooking a stud horse farm. Looking at the vision through the twilight mist brings to mind the idea of an almost gothic style chateau even though it hosts only a smattering of rooms.
While not possessive of a spa, the getaway does have an extended golf course (championship level no less) as well as an elite equestrian center. The exercise needed is easily accomplished in the long trails which lead out like snakes into the roads surrounding the horse farm. The views of the countryside have an unmatched beauty adding to its sense of contemplativeness.
Inside within the Lady Helen Restaurant within Juliet, the white interlaced ceiling columns provide an almost majestic structure in which to purvey the culinary textures. The Duncannon Crab Ravioli frothed in the breathe of its vermouth foam and lobster reduction but the intention of the actual meat became lost in the taste while the main entree of organic Kilkenny pork resting on a bed of shredded apple hash provided a more hearty inflection of the local flavor without overcoming the palette.External of the actual resorts a generous cross-section of different possibilities exist within a small but discernible radius outside Dublin (perhaps an hour and a half driving at most) allowing for interesting side trips.The nearby cross-section of Youghal and Ardmore along the coast provided the most vivid intentions.
Paddy Linehan Pub (also known as Moby Dicks & Spouters Inn), located in the heart of Youghal, played host to the filming of the 1960s film of the same name starring Gregory Peck. The bar itself is featured in several scenes. After sipping some oatmeal fused stout in the form of Murphys, the opportunity to see scrapbooks chronicling the film's production provides an instinct and insight for any film lover.
Only blocks away, Ahearne's provided one of the best meals sampled by far with its fusion-fueled possibilities reflected with their beautiful seafood texture. The starter of a luscious seafood chowder replete with shrimps and monkfish set the stage with a tart bite that purveyed the possibility of what was to come.
The main course consisting of a baked fillet cod encrusted with parmesan and topped with a spicy tomato sauce simply melted in the mouth while the crusty flakes of fish literally dazzled within its spectrum.
Nearby the town of Ardmore, used as a base camp, allowed for a wonderful panoramic of the surrounding sea with distinct trails leading from the city's left arm up into the cliffs marked by a well believed to possess healing powers.
Further out onto the point, the waves crash in quick succession into the jagged rocks while a marooned work crane acts almost like an artificial reef provided an interesting paradox to the scene.
Cliff House, perfectly situated at the cross point, offers wonderful views with a sense of sleek architecture that plays wonderful into its selected suites which offers a bevy of ocean views as the surf sales towards the town's breakwater.
As usual in small towns in Ireland, the late night comfort of a local pub rings true with Keevers offering the requisite Guinness pint. The sound of the crashing surf reverberates through the town upon entering providing that feeling of years of yore when the glaring sirens of ambulances did not overwhelm urban areas.
Other visages of note included the town of Kilkenny where the castle and its history spread the vision of knights and long forgotten blood feuds that raged the land through the centuries.
Within the back streets of the town, the brewery of Smithwicks permeates to the artisan traction of red ales. Tours throughout the structure, which was once a monastery, snake through its heart ending with a normal bar structure visualized the world over.
Five blocks over just steps from Kilkenny Castle, Cafe Sol provides the necessity of afternoon dining proceeding with light lunch fare that offers sustenance without overwhelming the palette. The brisk mushroom soup and a midday portion of tagliatelle pasta topped with roasted peppers and sundried tomatoes in a basil pesto sauce frolicks with a bit of spice without overfilling.Also of specific note, just outside of town close to the Mount Juliet estate, Jerpoint Glass creates their structures the old fashioned way with extensive furnaces that modulate the earth elements into their own unique visions.
One of their designs made its presence known in the final Christmas scene of "Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix". One glass from the original order remains with authentic glasses to be made just a click away.
The mysterious essence of the goblets is also reflected in Jerpoint Abbey just a few streets away, surrounded in fog which has its basis back in the 12th Century with revelatory and remarkably preserved animal imagery gracing many of the sculptures.On the road to Waterford and New Ross a hour's drive away, the Blackberry Cafe in Thomastown on the edge of Kilkenny (much like Jerpoint) offers an organic progression which is a consistent vision in the evolving perspective of Ireland which instills the proof that the beef and produce farmed is indeed local.
The Gardener's Lunch consisting of a lite tomato soup, goat cheese on soda bread and a beet and potato salad along with a local pure apple juice proves the ideal of eating light without sacrificing the dining experience.Waterford, also draped in the textures of fog, appeared next emanating orange hues of light into the witching hour holding a vision of cobblestone streets reveled by students in a town with a thriving bohemian scene and a penchant for appreciating crystal.
Curled in essence around a vapid corner, the Gingerman Pub offers a wraparound appreciation with old school calm from which to enjoy the effervescent pint before the night wraps the soul in vain.
Doolans, by variation, as a pub fare destination in Waterford approaches the ideal without depreciating its possibilities. While distinctly casual food, it still equates the requisite bit since all dining is a mixture of different tastes. The Chicken & Bacon Pasta, instilled with a heavy cream sauce, vivified the accompanying Guinness with a sense of purpose, vividly portraying and enhancing its taste before the back bar room elevated the late night with tales of economics, culture and the necessary whims of the world.
Revolved in the early morning light, New Ross bathes its waterfront with a sense of knowing. The famine ship Dunbrody, reconstructed from its original blueprints in honor of John F. Kennedy whose great-grandfather traveled from this fateful site to the New World, sits in tandem with the industrial blue collar trade built around its base.
In paradox, across the street within a receded storefront, a hidden gem hides in the form of the Ros Tapestry, personally overseen and designed by Countess Anne Bernstorff. Per the words of the Countess herself over tea, the imperiled and intriguing story of William Marshall and the arrival of the Anglo Normans into the Southeast of Ireland (specifically to the town of New Ross) held great strife, emotion and adventure, worthy of a Hollywood movie.
Not to be undone, the panoramic of Glendalough on the road back to Dublin, replete with ancient religious texture and gravestones set within a vast intrinsic valley, underscores the sense of grandness in the Irish lore, where the ideals were distinctive and the celebrations grand.The vast swath of history and vivid storytelling seems to imbue the Southeast Of Ireland giving each town its own identity and structure. Revolving within its culinary traits buoyed by a great intrinsic love of seafood and earthy textures, the focus commands from its population both organic and homegrown materials in terms of produce and meat. In perspective, the resolute vision of land remains remarkably astute, and in the eyes of locals, evolving with a sense of purpose, not just to feed but to illuminate.