Lucinda O'Sullivan's Ireland

About The Restaurant

You can’t get much closer to nature than Achill Island – it is the most magical place and of which I have very happy memories. When I was young we used head off there every weekend we got and swim on Keem Bay beach - not for the faint hearted. There wasn’t much in the line of gourmet food although one of the hotels provided good simple fare – delicious salmon being one of their specialties.

I hadn’t been in Achill for a number of years but went back last year with my husband and two sons who also fell in love with the place. It is as wild and wonderful as ever but there is also a great place to eat – Calvey’s Restaurant at Keel – which you need to know about if you are visiting Achill.

Calvey’s is a family restaurant providing local and seasonal produce - you can’t get more local than meat from their own farm, abbatoir and butcher’s shop, and lobster and crab delivered daily by local fisherman Charlie O’Malley. In fact Calvey’s Master Butchers specialises in Achill Organic Lamb and Achill Mountain Lamb which has a distinct sweet flavour which people cherish and adore. Their fish, of which they have an abundance, comes from O’Gorman’s Fish Shop.

Calvey’s Restaurant was started way back in 1970 by Martin and Angela Calvey but is now managed by their daughter Maeve and the cooking is done by chef, Danny Colman. Starters include Keel Island crab claws served on a platter with a citrus dressing and baby herb salad, while fresh Clew Bay mussels can be had with a tomato and coriander salsa or garlic wine and cream. You can have a simple bruschetta with tomato and Buffalo Mozzarella or oak smoked Achill Island salmon with a celeriac and caper slaw – love that – finished with chive oil and crème fraiche. They do a great seafood chowder served with a homemade brown scone whilst confit of duck leg comes with Asian scented noodles with a vegetable julienne and Teriyaki dressing.

There is a very wide selection of main courses including delicious 10 oz fillet and sirloin steaks as well as a traditional T-bone. You can if you are really hungry have their 12 or 16 oz steaks. All come with either mushrooms and onions, or a scallion mash, or a crown of French fried onions. Their signature dish is the Rack of Achill Lamb served with a Provencal fondant potato and thyme and port wine jus – really delicious. They also do a slow roast lamb shank on creamed leek mash. Slow roasted pork belly is stuffed with black pudding by Kelly’s of Newport and served with apple and potato boxty and a rosemary jus. A novel idea they do is a roast of the night straight from the oven with market fresh vegetables and roast jus.

When it comes to fish they have pretty well everything covered too – monkfish on pasta with a Tiger prawn and butter sauce, smoked haddock on smashed potatoes, crowned with a poached egg and wholegrain mustard sauce. Seatrout is there too as is hake. They also do a cracking seafood platter for two people with lobster, crab claws, mussels, Tiger prawns, local smoked salmon and mackerel, dillesk and appropriate condiments. Do indulge yourself with their fabulous Keel Island Lobster Thermidor – it is one of the great treats in life – and we all need those.

They have a grand selection of wines starting from €17.50, they also have half bottles which I always like to see, and wines by the glass or in quarter bottles - Champagnes too!!!

If you live locally or are staying in a holiday home they have a great Pre Order and Pick Up Service which takes the pain out of cooking on holiday. You can have a delicious roast of the night, darne of salmon, an 8 oz steak….. and don’t forget to bring home some legs of lamb for your freezer.

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