The arrival in Skerries of Cathal Leonard (former head chef at Dublin's Chapter One) and his front of house partner, Sarah Ryan, was always going to be a culinary milestone for this delightful seaside town - and not least because the couple's first restaurant, Potager (meaning kitchen garden), is in the former Red Bank premises, originally opened by the legendary Terry McCoy in 1983 and always a beacon of innovation and love of locality.
With its tangled creepers and welcoming flowers, the old Munster and Leinster bank looks much the same as always from the street - but, once through the brightly painted come-on-in doorway, it's all change as the cosy period feel of the old restaurant has been transformed into an uncluttered modern space.
High-ceilinged rooms with subtle period cornicing, Victorian fireplaces, a stained glass ship set into a window and, of course, the old bank vault, make a characterful framework for a pared back interior where white-clothed tables and comfortable chairs take pride of place. As indeed they should do, as it's all about the food here.
The focus is intensely seasonal and local, so menus change frequently - often on a daily basis, depending on what's available. A list of twenty or so suppliers given on the first page credits the produce that underpins the day's menu; ranging from Cuinneog butter and buttermilk and Velvet Cloud sheeps yoghurt and milk (all from Co Mayo) and vegetables from Castleruddery Organic Farm (Co Wicklow) to Thornhill Duck (Co Cavan), rare breed pork (Redmond Fine Foods, Dublin) and a host of nearby growers and suppliers of fish and seafood, the carefully selected suppliers indicate the care that's taken with the foundations of Cathal's excellent cooking.
The menus are short and relaxingly decision-free - and all (dinner, vegetarian, Sunday lunch) follow the same pattern. All you have to do is choose a main course from the two offered, and then sit back with a glass from the equally well selected drinks list and enjoy the procession of dishes that will be presented and explained by enthusiastic young chefs, then cleared by the front of house staff.
The sequence begins with house breads (including a light potato bread - not to be confused with the better known Northern Irish speciality) with delicious accompaniments, quickly followed by more tasty morsels (a mini onion crumpet, perhaps, with a Boyne Valley Bán custard, and a bite-sized chicken terrine with truffle mayonnaise). Then a little palate-cleanser - if you're lucky you may get a shot of chilled beetroot soup with cherry & buttermilk, it's a revelation.
And then three more little starter sized dishes (including, perhaps, beautiful and seriously delicious poached quail with mushroom broth, foie gras tortellini and and cauliflour...) before the handsomely presented main courses. Typically this may be an early summer treat of Hake, with garlic purée, roasted cauliflower, mussels, broad beans & lemon - or perhaps an unusual dish of Pork cheek with with Tokyo turnip, kale and veal sweetbread, which is perfectly balanced and lighter than it sounds.
The cooking is precise and each dish beautifully presented, but it's the balance of textures and flavours that will linger in the mind.
And so to dessert, which brings another choice. But you won’t see the 'usual suspects' prevalent on so many menus - instead, you might be offered set sheep's yoghurt with seasonal fruit accompaniments, or perhaps a luscious peach with ricotta, doughnut & coriander.
Personal preferences will always have a particular significance in menus that offer less choices, so some dishes will go down better than others - and the most memorable may well be the simplest, as in the gorgeous three-day fermented beer and malt brown bread that's served with Cuinneog butter to start your meal, or a standout salad of sprouting broccoli with new season potatoes and moonhead lettuce dressed with anchovy & mustard...
Service, under Sarah's direction, is provided by a mainly young team and may sometimes seem to lack focus or come under pressure. But this is a place with a big heart and a real desire to please, so further training should sort that out - and, while it's a fine dining destination, Potager is also positioned as a neighbourhood restaurant, as reflected in the extremely keen pricing which is sure to encourage local diners to make a visit here a regular treat.
All round Potager is a very worthy successor to the original Skerries fine dining destination, The Red Bank - and, like Terry McCoy, Cathal and Sarah also look set to enjoy many years of success here.
*Accommodation is available at the adjacent Red Bank House, an 18-room guesthouse run by Terry McCoy and his son, Ross.
