Barry and Catherine McLoughlin’s roadside bar and restaurant just outside Bandon is a typical pub with the bar downstairs and restaurant above and, with dark wood, hunting prints, a fireplace corner with leather sofas, and other seating divided between banquettes and high tables with bar stools, it has a cosy ambience.
But, although this place may be unremarkable in appearance, the kitchen is turning out wonderfully flavourful dishes based on fresh local seafood (from Castletownbere), and they have earned a great reputation in the locality and beyond for their fine food and hospitality.
Barry is the chef and, once guests learn that he was previously at Fishy Fishy Café and Casino House (widely recognised as two of the finest restaurants in an area well known for its good food), expectations are immediately raised.
And there should be no cause for disappointment here as top quality ingredients are deftly handled and, even when eating in the bar, the seafood is restaurant quality, both in taste and contemporary presentation on smart white plates.
Crispy Dinish Island crab and prawn cakes come with spicy mango and plum salsa, and deep dish seafood pie is comfort food of the first order; dishes like West Cork seafood chowder at about €6.50, and , when available, fresh crabmeat open sandwiches at around €10.95, are popular with the many family groups who are attracted to this spot.
Steak, a chicken dish and a vegetarian choice is also offered for non-fish eaters, and desserts are of the homely kind - hot-sticky toffee pudding, bread and butter pudding, and apple cinnamon & walnut crumble are all typical.
The restaurant upstairs is open for dinner several nights a week, with menus that overlap to some extent with the bar meals, and also offer some extra dishes.
Catherine manages front of house and service under her direction is informal, but pleasant and efficient. Wines are served by the glass from a dispenser, a choice of four or five each red and white, also a rosé.
This new venture has proved a great asset to the area, and cookery courses are also available.
Restaurant: Seats 50 (outdoors, 10); D Thurs-Sat only, 7-10pm; L Sun only, 12-7.30pm; house wine from €22. Children welcome before 9pm (high chair, childrens menu, baby changing facilities); reservations required, air conditioning, free broadband wi/fi, toilets wheelchair accessible. Pub food served daily, 12-9pm (bar closed 3-5.30pm Mon-Thur); weekend music sessions. Restaurant closed Sun night & Mon-Wed, house closed 25 Dec. MasterCard, Visa, Laser.
