NEW YEAR'S EVE BASHES
Tuesday 15 December 2009
Those who dine only in Michelin Starred restaurants will have to come down to earth in more ways than one this New Year’s Eve because the Big 4 of Dublin’s Michelin starred restaurants Thornton’s, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Chapter One, and L’Ecrivain are not open to help them escape gently from 2009!!! Are coffers of the Big 4 so full that they can afford to close on a night that people might be prepared to splurge? The first three shut up shop on Christmas Eve until the first week in January. L’Ecrivain is opening on the 28th, 29th and 30th December, for those with turkey and cabin fever, and closing then until 14th January.
For the rest of us, one of Dublin’s newest eateries, Nick Munier and Stephen Gibson’s Pichet Café Bar Restaurant in Trinity Street will, along with their regular A La Carte menu, be offering a table d’hote menu at €55 with a glass of Kir Royale on arrival. The menu will include foie gras terrine with quince doughnut and fig preserve, Wicklow venison, butternut squash, trompette mushrooms, pinenut gremolata. Peploe’s Restaurant on St. Stephen’s Green are sticking with their a la carte menu for New Year’s Eve which owner, Barry Canny, says proves popular every year. Peploe’s import all their wines and bubbles directly so, with wines by the glass available from €5, and their bubbles at €60, Barry says that is the best value in town. At the Merrion Hotel they have a two night package at €405 per person sharing to include two nights B & B, New Year’s Eve jazz dinner for two, and Champagne and seasonal delights on arrival.
At Roly’s Bistro in Ballsbridge, Paul Cartwright tells me they will be operating their normal restaurant menu until 9 p.m. in both their upstairs restaurant and the downstairs Café. This arrangement suits people who like to dine early and go home for the “bells”. At 9 p.m. upstairs they switch into their Gala Dinner which this year is €65 for a four course dinner to include a glass of Champagne - a reduction on last year’s price which was €75. In the Café from 9 p.m. they will be doing a great value dinner for two people, including a bottle of wine, at €70. Now that would have anyone looking forward to the New Year! Also in Ballsbridge Sasha Evan’s cool Maia Café Bar Restaurant has a really good 5 course menu at €45 to include an amuse bouche of a veloute of Jerusalem Artichoke with Keta caviar, venison terrine, Tournedos Rossine topped with foie gras, truffles and Madeira sauce, or sauteed fillets of Dover Sole, and more. Maia make great cocktails too.
At Shane Kenny and Nick Clapham’s chic Seapoint Café Bar Restaurant in Monkstown, they will be doing a three-course menu at €70 with choice of five starters, mains, and desserts, from their seasonal menu such as seared wild pigeon breast with Puy lentils, wild mushrooms and tarragon, oysters, and Toulouse sausage with a wild mushroom risotto, scallops, duck breast with red cabbage, and chargrilled rib-eye with roasted vegetables. The price also includes a glass of Champagne. In Glasthule at Nisheeth Tak’s Rasam Indian Restaurant, you can have dinner for two, including a bottle of sparkling rose wine for €99. Starters include Badal Jam – aubergine, King prawns, lamb kofta, and mains include Tandoori butter chicken, Bengali fish curry, Dahi Gosht – lamb, side dishes, and homemade Kulfi to follow. That’s a great deal.
Down at the beautiful Adare Manor they have a one night or two night packages at €330 and €510 per person sharing. You will find Champagne and chocolates in your room on arrival and both packages include a lavish Black Tie Gala Dinner in the Minstrels Gallery, preceded by pre-dinner drinks, and also includes wine with dinner, dancing and late night entertainment in The Tackroom Bar. The menu includes crispy skin salmon and tiger prawn, confit garlic mash, chowder sauce, and fillet of beef celeriac and truffle puree. Non-residents can avail of the Gala Dinner and all the fun at €150.
Further down, in the Kingdom, at the fabulous Parknasilla Resort at Sneem they have a two night package at €395 pps to include two nights bed and breakfast, welcome drink, cocktails on New Year’s Eve hosted by the affable General Manager Jim Feeney, and dinner on both nights.
In Galway at the hip G Hotel they are not this year having a Gala Dinner as heretofore but Executive Chef Stefan Matz is adding luxurious tweaks to their a la carte menu with mains reasonably priced at €19 - €32. The menu includes Connemara smoked organic salmon with marinated Killary Harbour prawn tails in lime jam, lobster ravioli with cabbage and Chianti cream, roast Irish beef fillet with fresh horseradish potaoes, and dark chocolate fondant with pecans. There will be a band in the Grand Salon plus a balloon drop and Champagne toast at midnight. A two night package is €240 pps which includes dinner on New Year’s Eve and brunch is available until 3 p.m. on New Year’s Day – now that is civilised. At the gorgeous Ashford Castle you can ring in the New Year in sublime style with mulled wine on arrival, a treasure hunt, afternoon tea in the Connaught Room, followed by a welcoming cocktail party hosted by General Manager, Niall Rochford, and then a gala black tie banquet in the George V room. The rate is €1100 per room – two people. If you can’t quite stretch to that they do have between Christmas and New Year Specials, and post New Year Specials starting at €450 per room including dinner for two people. Ashford is magical!
Last year Brian Lenihan and myself rang in the New Year In Cork at the Fota Island Hotel & Spa – not quite together you understand but we were both in residence – which thrilled him I am sure !! His favourite critic under the same roof!! The fact that we both like the Fota Resort is the only thing we would ever agree on! This year Head Chef, Neil Foster, will painstakingly be preparing a five course dinner in their fine dining Cove Restaurant at €90, to include a pre-dinner wine tasting, a Champagne toast at midnight, and entertainment in their Amber Lounge. Their more informal Fota Restaurant – where I dined last year – will offer a three -course menu at €59.50 also to include Champagne at midnight. 2 night accommodation packages with dinner on New Year’s Eve run from €194 pps depending on choice of restaurant and room.
However, Shiney Brian, our Minister for Finance, can relax this year – I am staying home – he has taken all the money out of our pockets!
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT ON DECEMBER 13, 2009.