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Greenes Restaurant @ Hotel Isaacs

Opposite the Everyman Palace Theatre and approached through a cobbled courtyard, this attractive hotel offers comfort in spacious rooms at a fairly reasonable price.

Recent major renovations have made this a much more confident and comfortable hotel. New windows have reduced traffic noise, the fourteen new superior rooms are quietly impressive and have set the standard for refurbishment of all the existing bedrooms, which is now complete.

A few of the rooms at the back have a charming outlook on to the waterfall, which is a feature from the restaurant.

Small Conferences (50); broadband wi/fi; secretarial services available (from reception), video conferencing by arrangement. Children welcome (under 3 free in parents room, cot available free of charge, baby sitting arranged). All day room service. Car park nearby. No pets. Garden (courtyard). Self-catering apartments available (open all year).

Rooms 47 (14 executive, 4 shower-only, 37 no-smoking, 2 for disabled). Lift. Room service (all day). B&B €75 pps, ss €25. Closed 24-27 Dec.

Greenes:

Despite being next door to the well-known Isaacs restaurant (with the confusion of the hotel's similar name) Greenes is well-established as a successful stand-alone restaurant and has earned a following. The approach from the street is attractive, under a limestone arch to a narrow courtyard with a waterfall - which is floodlit at night, making an unusual feature when seen from the restaurant.

The reception and the two restaurant areas have character and the atmosphere is definitely 'independent restaurant' rather than 'hotel dining room'.

Head chef Frederic Desormeaux's menus are quite adventurous, offering modern renditions of classic dishes, sometimes with a French slant and often based on local ingredients, especially seafood. Starters might include air dried smoked Connemara lamb on salad leaves, with fresh figs, beetroot dressing & balsamic reduction, while main courses include classics like pan-fried T-bone steak with home-made chips as well as more unusual dishes pan-fried cod on a cassoulet of cannelloni beans with chorizo, cherry tomatoes & roast garlic aioli, perhaps.

Seasonal fruits feature strongly among the desserts (a dessert platter for two to share is an option) or, unusually, you can have a selection of Tipperary cheeses, with chutney, home-made biscuits and a shot glass of port.

Accurate cooking, attractive presentation and friendly, helpful service - plus a lively atmosphere and quite reasonable prices - should ensure an enjoyable meal. The early dinner menu is especially good value.

Outdoor dining in heated courtyard; Barbecues in summer. Children welcome (high chair, childrens menu). Seats 100 (private room, 36, outdoor, 30). L Mon-Sun, 12.30-3 (to 4pm Sun); D daily 6-10 (Sun & Bank hols to 9.30). Value L €15; early D €30 (6-7pm); set 2/3 course D €35/45; also á la carte. Set Sun L €30. House wine from about €18. SC10% on groups 10+. Closed 24-27 Dec. Amex, Diners, MasterCard, Visa, Laser.

Directions:

City centre - 400 m down MacCurtain Street, on left; entrance opposite Everyman Palace Theatre, through cobblestone archway.