Clearly signed off the main Cork-Dublin road, this large Georgian family house is home to Michael and Eileen Fleming's excellent restaurant with rooms. On a hillside overlooking the river, the house is set in large grounds, including a kitchen garden, which provides fruit, vegetables and herbs for the restaurant during the summer.
It is a big property to maintain and the entrance can seem a little run down, but this is quickly forgotten when you enter the light, airy double dining room, which is decorated in an elegant low-key style that highlights its fine proportions, while well-appointed linen-clad tables provide a fine setting for Michael Fleming's classical French cooking.
Seasonal table d'hote and à la carte menus offer a wonderful choice of classics, occasionally influenced by current international trends but, even where local ingredients feature strongly, the main thrust of the cooking style is classical French - as in a superb speciality starter of pan-fried foie gras de canard with Timoleague black pudding & glazed apple. Less usual choices might include Roast Loin of Venison with Poached Pear, an imaginative combination and beautifully presented.
Desserts may include a deep apple pie served with home-made ice cream - and a selection of cheese is served traditionally, with biscuits and fruits.
Michael's cooking is invariably excellent, presentation elegant, and service both attentive and knowledgeable. A great antidote to the sameness of modern multicultural restaurants - a visit to a classic restaurant like this is a treat to treasure.
Good wine list - and good value all round.
*A basement converted into a comfortable bar/lounge seats up to 70.
Flemings Restaurant : Banqueting (90). Seats 80 (private room 30; outside seating, 30). L&D daily, 12.30-3, 6.30-10; reservations not necessary. Set L €28.50, D à la carte; house wine €23-28. Children welcome. Live music on Saturday nights in winter. SC discretionary. Accommodation: There are four spacious en-suite rooms, comfortably furnished in a style appropriate to the age of the house (B&B €55 pps, ss €33). Closed 24-27 Dec. Amex, MasterCard, Visa, Laser.
