Despite the balance of fine dining in Westmeath leaning towards the south of the county in recent years, An Tintáin in Multyfarnham managed to claim at least one prize for the north of the county at the Irish Restaurant Awards in Dublin recently.
Wineport, The Fatted Calf, and the Killinure restaurant in the Golf and Country Club all in Glasson scooped awards for the county on the night.
However, Paul Murphy and David Stynes from the bijou bistro at the top of the county stopped the whitewash when they picked up the award for Best Casual Dining for the second year in a row.
“Glasson cleaned up last year as well, and we would’ve been the only one from this area,” said Paul Daly, owner and head chef.
“To get it is one thing, but to keep it is twice as hard. We are delighted,” he added.
“It’s been a great year for us at An Tintáin. We had a brilliant review from [food critic] Paolo Tulio in the Independent and attracted Georgina Campbell’s guide down to us, so to retain this fabulous award is just the icing on the cake,” he added.
Paul Daly was previously the executive chef in the Killashee Hotel in Naas before moving to Multy in 2005 to take over An Tintáin, where he now employs seven people.
His restaurant manager David Stynes was previously maitre d’ in the Moyglare Manor outside Maynooth for 20 years.
“That’s very high-end stuff. Even I couldn’t afford to eat there,” joked Paul.
There was one other Westmeath eatery awarded a prize in the new Marker Hotel in Dublin’s Docklands last week, and that was Thyme in the centre of Athlone.
