This is the restaurant part of Darver castle. There’s usually a real charm to be found in places like this. I rang to enquire about when the Sunday lunch menu ended and if a booking was needed. The lilting answer was ‘a sure around four o clock and, sure let us know a half hour beforehand and we’ll sort a table for you.’ My chief interest here is the quality of the food versus the cost, then comfort and service. It’s a high bar as I have to pass my favourite Fitzpatrick’s to try this place and believe me it’s a big ask. I do remember being here long ago, it was a Saturday night meal with friends but it’s a vague memory, so I read some recent reviews and the fact is that most of these relate to wedding day functions. Clearly the owners focus a lot on this business for sensible reasons. This place is in the countryside. So I used the coordinates provided on the hotel website, popped them into my Garmin and we set off. The posh lady on the sat nav politely directed us right to the front door. There’s plenty of car parking in the extensive grounds. The castle’s restaurant is a big place and its called the grain store, it’s not a part of the castle and it’s one floor up from ground level(temperamental lift available but ring for a staff member). The restaurant was fairly packed when we got there and the atmosphere was lively and fun. The roof and walls are decorated with bits of armour and swords, old aluminium milk churns and brewery and distillery style mirrors. The friendly owner arranged for the three of us to get a cosy table and quickly. The three course Sunday lunch with tea or coffee is € 22.50 and is real value for money. The food too is darn good. I began with a bountiful, tasty smoked fish in white wine, garlic and chilli with long grain boiled white rice. Really good wheaten breads were served up with butter with the starters. My main was a good but not exceptional well done roast beef. a fair portion serving with unseasoned mash and an alright Yorkshire pudding, with a deep fried(roast) potato. They had Colman’s English mustard too, the world’s greatest mustard, delivered within minutes of my asking and the roasted mostly root, oven vegetables were really exceptional in terms of taste and a hot temperature. I had a very good crème brûlée dessert too with a home made chocolate cookie, ginger biscuit would be an improvement, pre frozen fruit coulis and fresh cream. Sadly all of the apple sponge was gone already but then it was mid — afternoon. My companions had some different choices: vegetable soup and salmon mains and chocolate type desserts and each affirmed satisfaction. The coffee is excellent. It’s a solid four stars and yes there were some downsides and I start with being picky; some of the food wasn’t hot enough including my starter and potato mash main, the Yorkshire pudding and the plate should be much hotter, the margarine based flaky pastry parcel with the salmon main offers nothing additional to the dish. A real no no was the crème brûlée top, it wasn’t crunchy so it had to be sitting around too long before serving. And an absolute no no was the young waitress who took our food order — she did not make eye contact with any of the three of us as we have our orders l, beyond about a second or two apiece, instead she was mostly looking all about her staring around into the distance. Now this is really so off — putting and just not good enough and took some of the charm away. Hey girl it’s the hospitality industry and not the hostility industry. Finally the staff were mega busy and mostly cheerful. We’ll certainly be repeat customers.
