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Just Ask Restaurant of the Month for June - 1826 Adare

The “Just Ask!” Restaurant of the Month winner for June is 1826 Adare, Adare, Co Limerick

Wade & Elaine Murphy Wade Murphy - recent Commissioner General of Euro-Toques Ireland and former head chef in several prestigious kitchens - planned a move away from fine dining when he had his own restaurant.

So, when he and his wife, Elaine, opened their charming restaurant in Ireland’s prettiest village in 2013, it was no surprise to find that he had taken the casual dining route in what he called “a broadly gastropub style, but without being a pub!”.

In fact, the experience at 1826 Adare is very special, and might be better described as “fine dining without the fuss”. What you get from a classically trained chef of this calibre when he chooses informality is the same top notch cooking, but in a more relaxed style - and at a very accessible price.

1826 Adare - Interior

The restaurant is a lovely combination of the traditional and the stylishly simple modern, and guests at some tables can watch the busy chefs in the semi open kitchen.

As would be expected of a Euro-Toques chef, provenance is all: “All our Beef, Lamb, Pork & Chicken is Born, Reared & Slaughtered in Ireland” a statement reassuringly reads. Valued suppliers are detailed on menus and many are name checked on dishes too, with starters featuring Doughmore Bay crab from Doonbeg fisherman Charlie Sexton, for example - and, trawling a little further afield, the very successful Young Buck blue cheese from Northern Ireland features in a handsome pear and chicory salad with pickled walnuts.

Meats from Garrets Butchers of Limerick, including dry-aged rib-eye steaks, Kerry Hill Lamb and free range pork are staples among the main courses, which also feature exceptional poultry - pasture reared chicken from The Friendly Farmer of Athenry, and Skeaghanore duck, from West Cork - superb fresh fish and seafood from CS Fish at Doonbeg in Co Clare, and specially created vegetarian tasting platters featuring produce from Bally Salad, Limerick, and the famed Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms of Co Cork.

Wade & Elaine Murphy

A big blackboard announces the daily specials and menus change with the seasons but, although there’s a sense of continual introduction of new dishes, there are house specials too and many regulars would travel especially to enjoy the masterful house fish pie - a selection of the best fish and seafood with white wine velouté, topped with 75ºC egg and a herb & cheese crumb - or a beautiful spring dessert of grenadine poached rhubarb with brown sugar meringues, lemon curd and Chantilly cream.

The drinks list includes a good sprinkling of Irish names across spirits, beers and cider and, for the perfect ending to a meal here, have a cup of the local rocket fuel - Ponaire coffee from Limerick - then the world will do you no wrong.

SAMPLE DINNER MENU:

Glass of Le Contesse Prosecco €8.75 / Bellini €9.50

Duck

STARTERS

Spice Cured & Marinated Salmon €9.95
Avocado, Wasabi Crème Fraiche, Sesame Crisp, Asian Dressing

Sexton’s Doughmore Bay Crab Claws €11.95
Chili, Coconut & Coriander Broth, Scallions, Coriander Oil

Shaved Pear & Young Buck Cheese Salad €9.25
Chicory, Pickled Walnuts, Honeycomb, Walnut Vinaigrette

Confit Chicken & Ham Hock Croquette €9.50
Burnt Apple Puree, Tarragon Mayo, Raw Ivy Honey & Mustard

Warm Pan Fried Chicken Livers €8.95
Pickles, Piccalilli Aioli, Bally Greens, Almonds

All Starters Served With Daily Bread Selection. Additional Bread €1.50 per Person

Salmon

MAIN COURSE

Dry Aged Rib Eye Steak (contains an eye of fat) €25.95
Parsley Puree, Braised Cheek Croquette, Peppercorn Cream

Tasting Plate of Free Range Pork €24.50
Loin, Belly, Inch House Pudding, Lovage Pesto, Salt Baked Turnip

Pan Seared Fillet of Salted Atlantic Cod €19.50
Jerusalem Artichoke, Puy Lentils, House Pancetta, Sherry Reduction

Breast of Friendly Farmer Pasture Reared Chicken €21.95
Shredded Leg, Chive Gnocchi, Bacon, Mushrooms, Roast Garlic

Oven Roasted Fillet of Salmon €19.95
Grilled Potato, Doughmore Crab, Fennel Salad, Saffron Aioli

1826 Adare Spring Harvest Vegetarian Tasting Platter €18.95
Tasting Plate of Vegetarian Dishes From Our Kitchen

All Main Courses Are Served With Daily Changing Potatoes

SIDE ORDERS €3.50 each

Hand Cut Chips – Bacon & Crispy Onion Mash – Baby Potatoes
Seasonal Vegetables

Our Suppliers

Garrets Butchers – Limerick, CS Fish – Doonbeg, Co Clare,
Bally Salad – Limerick, Clancy Lewis – Limerick, Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms – Co Cork
The Little Milk Co – Dungarvan, Co Waterford, The Friendly Farmer - Athenry,
Ponaire Coffee – Limerick, Larousse Foods – Dublin, Pallas Foods – Newcastle West
Redmond Fine Foods – Dublin, Croom Free Range Eggs – Croom, Co Limerick

All our Beef, Lamb, Pork & Chicken is Born, Reared & Slaughtered in Ireland

VALUE MENU

Available daily from 5.30pm to 7.00pm
€29.00 2 Courses / €34.00 3 Courses

Soup of the Day, Homemade Brown Treacle Bread
St. Tola Goat Curd, Beets, Bally Salad, Pine-nut, Citrus Dressing
Pan Fried Chicken Livers, Pickles, Piccalilli Aioli & Field Greens
Spice Cured & Marinated Salmon, Avocado, Wasabi Crème Fraiche, Sesame Crisp, Asian Dressing

*******
Breast of Chicken, Shredded Leg, Chive Gnocchi, Bacon, Mushrooms, Roast Garlic
Roast Fillet of Salmon, Grilled Potato, Fennel, Crab, Saffron Aioli
Dry Aged Sirloin Steak, Caramelised Onions, Pomme Puree, Jus (€5 Supplement)
Spiced Red Lentil & Vegetable Dahl, Cauliflower Bhaji, Cucumber Raita

*******
Orange Panna Cotta, Glazed Orange, Orange Sorbet, Amaretti Crumb
Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding, Drunken Fruit, Rum & Raisin Ice Cream
Selection of Homemade Ice Creams

Sunday Late Lunch Value Menu Available 3pm to 5.30pm
€24.95 2 Courses / €29.95 3 Courses

All 14 Allergens are openly used throughout the kitchen
Trace amounts may be present at all stages of cooking
Please see our detailed allergen list located at the bar counter in the restaurant

Our Suppliers

All our Beef, Lamb, Pork & Chicken is Born, Reared & Slaughtered in Ireland

Please refrain from using Mobile Phones in the restaurant

A discretionary service charge of 10% will be added to tables of 6 and more
All prices are inclusive of VAT

Tel: +353(61)396004 Mail: info@1826adare.ie Website: www.1826adare.ie

SUNDAY LATE LUNCH MENU

2 COURSES €24.95 / 3 COURSES €29.95
served between 3pm & 5.30pm

Soup of the Day
Herb Oil
Or
Roasted Beetroot & Goat Curd Salad
Apple, Smoked Pine-nut Crumb, Citrus Shallot Vinaigrette
*******
Slow Roasted Rib of Garrett’s Dry Aged Beef
Butter Braised Carrots, Pomme Puree, Yorkshire Pudding, Roast Jus,
Homemade Horseradish Cream
Or
House Fish Pie
75 °C Croom Egg, Herb & Cheese Crumb, White Wine Veloute
*******
Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding
Drunken Fruits, Rum & Raisin Ice Cream
Or
Selection of Homemade Ice Creams
Salted Caramel Sauce

All 14 Allergens are openly used throughout the kitchen

Trace amounts may be present at all stages of cooking

Please see our detailed allergen list located at the bar counter in the restaurant

Suppliers:

Garrets Butchers – Limerick, CS Fish – Doonbeg, Co Clare,
Bally Salads – Limerick, Clancy Lewis – Limerick,
Wild Mushrooms & Foraged Foods – Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms
Chicken – The Friendly Farmer - Athenry, Ponaire Coffee – Limerick,
In Season Farm – Galway

All our Beef, Lamb, Pork & Chicken is Born, Reared & Slaughtered in Ireland

A discretionary service charge of 10% will be added to tables of 6 and more
All prices are inclusive of VAT

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VIEW ALL JUST ASK RESTAURANT OF THE MONTH WINNERS

“Just Ask!” is a public awareness campaign that aims to encourage consumers when eating out to look for information on where the food (particularly meat) on their plate comes from, and encourages chefs to provide this information on their menus. The programme supports both large and smaller artisan suppliers, encouraging both Irish diners and visitors from abroad to support restaurants that are in turn supporting their suppliers.

Here at Georgina Campbell Guides we have always been avid supporters of the ‘eat local’ concept, and we always enjoy reading menus that have a real sense of place. The dining experience is greatly enriched by knowing that the food on your plate is inspired by the produce and traditions of the area, and sourced nearby – and we would love to see more chefs sharing that precious information with their guests.

If you are a visitor to the area, learning a little about local food and the people who produce it adds a special extra dimension to the visit – and, for residents, it reinforces a natural pride in the good things of their locality and makes a meal all the more enjoyable.

So, we are delighted by the high standard of menus that continue to be submitted for our ' “Just Ask!” Restaurant of the Month Competition', menus that really speak of the best of Irish foods – and the dedication of both the people who make them, and the chefs who select them to create wonderful dishes with real Irish flavour for our enjoyment.