Review: The Candied Walnut

The Candied Walnut

Portarlington, Co. Laois

Today, Ali and I found ourselves in Portarlington for  lunch. We'd been visiting Lisa Nic Eoin's Cats Without Homes sanctuary who we foster kittens with. I did a quick search on TripAdvisor to see what the town had to offer and we settled on The Candied Walnut, a not so visible restaurant on the Monasterevin side of town.

The Candied Walnut is a beautiful restaurant located at Kilnacourt. Upon arrival, the restaurant was busy and we had to wait ten minutes for a table, surely a good sign. We were seated and received a welcome from one of the chef's through the kitchen hatch. The breakfast and lunch menu is well laid out with plenty of options to choose from. The breakfast options looked reasonably priced while lunch had the usual sandwiches and wraps along with some main courses and desserts. The specials board hangs on the wall and we both decided on the fish special; cod and prawn penne with a white wine and cream sauce.

The food arrived quickly and was delicious. Both the fish and sauce were tasty and seasoned well. The pasta was a little overdone for my liking and would have benefited from being a little more al dente. The portion was generous and was topped with a good sprinkling of grated parmesan. My only issue with the service was that we were left waiting 20 minutes with empty plates in front of us before having to ask for the Dessert menu. After ordering desserts (again we ordered the same; carrot cake with candied walnuts and anglaise cream) they arrived promptly and were generous portions. The carrot cake was excellent. I sometimes find it can be too sweet but this one was just right. My only issue with the dessert was the addition of a couple of mint leaves. To me, the flavours didn't work and if they're purely for presentation then I'd leave them off. After scoffing the dessert, my double espresso arrived. It was good if a little unspectacular.

We found The Candied Walnut to be very good value. Two main courses, two desserts, a glass of red wine, a tea and a double espresso came to an impressive €42.30 with the wine making up €5.50 of that. We really enjoyed our lunch and will certainly return for dinner in the not too distant future.

Lunch Ratings:

Food: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Ambience: 8/10
Selection: 8/10
Value for Money: 8/10

Overall: 8/10 Highly Recommended

Dublin Bay Prawn Festival

Dublin Bay Prawn Festival

Howth, Co. Dublin

Yesterday Ali and myself took off for the big smoke to attend the Dublin Bay Prawn Festival, which takes place annually in Howth. A burst pipe on the M7 scuppered our chances of getting there early but after a few diversions and crazy traffic around the town, we eventually arrived at around 3 pm.

 

After abandoning the car and with stomach's rumbling, we headed for Beshoff Bros Fish and Chip shop. I've never seen a chippers (albeit a very good chippers) so crowded! I opted for the scampi and Ali went for the cod. I have to admit I was skeptical of Ali's ravings about a chipper but this is no ordinary chipper! The scampi was outstanding, fresh and juicy while the chips were perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy within. Ali's cod was the same; juicy and delicious. What sets this place apart is the freshness of the fish, cooked for just the right amount of time and the taste of the batter; delicious!

After our feed we went to the Marquee for a hectic cookery demonstration that proved rather uninteresting and unorganised. The food court was anything but however; rows of food stands cooking a wide range of prawn and seafood dishes. I chose chilli and lime Dublin Bay prawns, while Ali went for a fragrant Asian-style prawn curry. I've never experienced seafood so fresh; the prawns were juicy and sweet with a nice kick from the chilli but what really caught me was the taste of the sea. Beautiful.

All that was left to do was to get a '99' and an espresso and go for a walk along the beautiful Howth pier. We rounded off the evening with a visit to the Beshoff's Fish Monger and Market but alas, the wallet was empty! We had a great time and will definitely go back next year; the food was fresh and delicious and the experience was certainly helped by the beautiful weather.