At the heart The Red Door - a country house, restaurant and bar beautifully located in Fahan on the eastern shore of Lough Swilly Co Donegal - is a country house dating back to 1789. Athough considerably extended in recent times, it remains an attractive building and was formerly the celebrated Restaurant St John’s.
Under new management since 2009, the building and setting will be familiar to returning diners – who will be glad to find that the little old-fashioned bar at the side, and its open fire, are still there – but the new owners have done quite a major interior revamp and landscaped the gardens. And, of course, there is now a welcoming red door.
With bay windows everywhere and bevelled glass doors, the building is bright and the rooms have interesting shapes; each room is named according to the décor or character – The Willow Room, The Violet Room, The View, The Red Room - and there’s a covered refuge for smokers.
While now styled ‘country house’ and offering accommodation - upstairs, the four guestrooms have been completely refurbished; individually designed and decorated to a high standard - the main emphasis remains on food, with a range of menus available throughout the day. Daytime food is served in the bar or, in fine weather, at tables set up in the paved courtyard.
While in the evening tables in the 80 seater restaurant are set formally with quality cutlery and glasses, linen napkins and decorative tealight holders. Welcoming, smartly black-uniformed staff are quick to offer menus to dinner guests – and everything combines to make diners feel confident of an enjoyable meal ahead.
Chef Enda McDonagh brings experience in some fine kitchens, including Ashford Castle and Newport House, but don’t expect his menus to be too high-fallutin’ – this is a restaurant for everyone, with popular dishes featuring; there may be some surprises among the fish dishes and imaginative vegetarian options, but main courses feature ever-popular steaks (28 day dry-aged sirloin and fillet), a also list homemade burger and a couple of chicken dishes, perhaps including chicken tagliatelle.
All round, a meal or short break here should be very enjoyable - it’s a beautiful place, the food is pleasing and the lovely staff are efficient, and very attentive.
The lucky winner of this free competition will have a short break for two people (subject to availability), to include:
• 2 nights B&B
• Dinner one evening
Read more about The Red Door on their website.
To enter the competition simply tick the answers to the questions below, you must be a logged in member to enter (if you are not a member click here to join, it's free):
