Eschewing the fine-dining options at Fota Island Resort in Cork and The Europe in Kerry, our expert enjoyed the fab food at their ‘casual’ restaurants
Ballycotton Scallops, Nduja velouté, wild garlic crouton. Fota Island Resort. Photo: Lucinda O’Sullivan
Today at 03:30
The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is well and truly upon us and as we draw towards the end of October and head into the upcoming midterm break, with all the fun of Halloween, it’s an opportunity too to grab a few days away with the family before the mania of the Christmas season kicks off.
I’ve been to quite a few top hotels this autumn and, while we all love fine-dining treats, very often what we want is just well-prepared regular food served in a relaxed informal setting, instead of having to contend with some twiddly creations that leave you dreaming of a good steak or sole on the bone, prawns or a quality burger. For many of the top hotels in this country, this is where having a second (and in some cases third) restaurant comes into play, and believe me a lot of them have upped their game considerably in recent years.