You may be wondering where is the Gallery Restaurant in Furbo? It is part of the Connemara Coast Hotel, and the reason that I have separated it out from the hotel name is that I think it needs special consideration. My memory of the Connemara Coast Hotel goes back to the days of Teach Furbo, and I am sure many readers have a similar association. That’s a long time ago and things have moved on drastically since those days. It is now a four-star hotel with a massive repeat business fom Irish people and a great reputation for excellent wedding receptions and functions. Many visitors book their next year’s holiday as they leave, similar to Kelly’s in Rosslare. The dining room is a large part of the attraction and to some extent is a well kept secret in the locality.
For those of you who have not eaten in The Gallery previously (including myself ), it is a venue that deserves consideration, especially if you want fine dining in a child-free zone (diners with children can dine in the separate Daly’s Restaurant with the same menu ). There is a grand piano live in the dining room from Tuesday to Saturday. The chef, Ulrich Hoeche, is a member of Euro Torques and his training in Germany brings an interesting slant to many of the dishes on the menu. As I walked from the car park to the restaurant, I noticed a large herb garden and that seemed like a good omen for the meal. Any restaurant that goes to the bother of growing all its own herbs and edible flowers is most likely giving the same level of detail to everything else.
The choice is extensive, both a la carte and a set evening menu. The set dinner menu is five courses for €40 and the one I recommend. It is changed every night because of the number of residents who expect that level of choice, and therefore guaranteed to be built around the freshest current season’s produce. Put aside any preconceived ideas you may have of hotel restaurant set dinner menus, this is fine dining with some interesting dishes to tempt you.
I chose a starter of marinated shrimp salad on a beetroot carpaccio, as in the photo. It was also nice to see on offer a platter of McGeogh’s cured meats from the master himself, James McGeogh in Oughterard. Back to my shrimp, they were melt in the mouth tender, and the laser thin slice of beetroot a perfect match. My guest had Taste of the Sea, which included smoked mackerel pate which was really good, smoked salmon, and warm crab claws. This was a large portion, but perhaps not the most adventurous choice in a menu with several other interesting dishes.
Then followed the soup course. My guest had the homemade mushroom and potato soup, while I had the cream of vegetable and lovage soup, both soups were delicious. Next up was the main event; my guest had the lamb tasting plate with carrot and mint purée and a natural jus. This consisted of three perfectly done lamb chops cut from a rack of lamb, slices of stuffed belly of lamb, and also some minced lamb that was served a bit like koftas. The portion would keep a weightlifter happy and the taste was really good. One of the advantages of eating lamb in a restaurant is that you can avoid all the worry about getting it right at home and the smell seems to get everywhere in the house and lingers there. The smell of roast beef is a different matter, that is just great on a cold Sunday afternoon but I am afraid the lamb does not have the same pleasing effect on me. But the taste of perfectly cooked Irish lamb is a culinary delight.
My main course was a difficult choice, I nearly plumped for the braised beef on a bed of sweet potato purée with a ragout of foraged chanterelles, however I decided on the duo of hake which consisted of pan fried hake with hake spring rolls and a julienne of vegetables and prawn bisque. It was delicious and I rate hake as one of my all time favourite fishes. The spring rolls were a meal in themselves and the pan fried hake excellent. We were also served a side dish of gratin potatoes and steamed vegetables, but we were unable to do anything other than taste them as the main courses were more than generous in size. To accompany the starters we had a glass of a super sauvignon from the Lurton stable of wines, €5.50, and a glass of Baron De Ley Rioja to accompany the lamb, €6. The wine list is well thought out and the emphasis is on value for money wines that work well with food. There is an impressive collection of contemporary Irish art on the dining room walls.
My dessert was the classic French dish of tarte tatin with brown bread ice cream, now there is a blast from the past, brown bread ice cream was all the rage 10 or 15 years ago and it was delicious. My guest had that other French classic, crème brulée with a flavour of cinnamon and served with a blood orange and cardamom ice cream, also super.
What can I say, I was not expecting the level of cuisine that we enjoyed. If you want to enjoy a lazy and relaxing two- to three-hour meal (no second sittings to worry about ) with great food and great service then the Gallery Restaurant is a place to sample. Telephone (091 ) 592108, or visit www.connemaracoast.ie
Footnote: To my learned Scottish reader, I must apologise for the mistake I made when attributing the origins of Cullen Skink to the north of England. It is from the town of Cullen in Moray, on the north-east coast of Scotland.
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