Campagne

This one has been on the bucket list for aaaages. Meeting rellies half way between Dungarvan and Dublin for lunch on Valentine’s Day, we grabbed the opportunity to dine here. And what a good idea that was. Speaking of Dungarvan, the look and feel of the restaurant and the menu in Campagne is redolent of the Tannery in DG. From me, that is one of the highest compliments I could bestow. The special table d’hôte three course at € 33 was a steal with plenty of choice for everyone. I chose the terrine for starter as did one or two others. It was excellent as was the bread accompanying it. We asked for more which appeared in seconds. Main course was beef, slow cooked and literally melting in the mouth. When I say literally, I mean figuratively of course, but it was very close. Delicious. Chips — unusually described as such instead of the usual ‘fries’ Americanism — were pretty good too although I could have done with more of them. Others in the party had hake and declared it superb. Some defectors at this stage for dessert but I soldiered on with salted caramel chocolates which, by sheer fluke, were an excellent accompaniment to the really good coffee. Being lunchtime with several drivers, a single bottle of Pinot Grigio was shared 5 ways which was a great pity. Next time we’ll stay in town and do the excellent meal justice with a more appropriate dose of PG. We will be back. Really very, very good. Oh, and the staff were friendly, efficient and yet unobtrusive.

Campagne is really an *outstanding* restaurant.
I can’t give it anything but 5 stars.
It is absolutely amazing that they have a Michelin, considering how difficult it is to get one (and considering how traditional the judges are :) ?)
But they totally deserve it.
Let me tell you why…
I was on a day trip to Kilkenny and decided to give it a try. It was one of the best decision I took that day :)
We went for the 3 course meal with wine.
The starters were amazing. My SO had the Guinea fowl sausage with lentils. The sausage was good, but the lentils were delicious, with a perfect seasoning. Lentils can be a little dull, but there it was a pleasure for the palate.
I took the Celeriac mousse, which can sound a little boring too… But was incredible.
There were so many different tastes in this plate, with the hazelnut dressing perfectly balancing the acid and sweet taste of the pickled ear. The celeriac mousse and chutney were very interesting (and delicious).
For now, perfect performance, Campagne!
The dishes arrived quickly after, with a colloquial and very nice waitress.
We shared the roast cod and the pork belly. Spoiler: both were a success.
The pork belly was tasty, perfectly grilled.
The plate was absolutely beautiful, and as good for the mouth as it was for the eyes.
What was the best in this dish was the jus, which gave an incredible taste to everything, including the cabage.
The roast cod was outstanding. Not only it was beautiful, but the piece of cud was huge and everything in this dish worked perfectly. The different tastes replied one to another.
I’m usually not a fan of cauliflower, but I couldn’t stop myself from eating the whole plate. The lobster bisque emulsion and cauliflower purée were perfect with the cod… All this with fresh food and skilled cooking, what else?
The wine was exceptionally cheap and good (as a froggy wine lover!)
We had the Mont d’Or, and it passed the test of filling our 2-​month good-​cheese craving. Creamy, tasty, decadent… Yummy!
The dessert was also of high level. The chestnut ice cream was crazy good. The opera was nice but slightly lacked this layered feeling I love so much.
However, I would lie if I didn’t say that it was really good.
The best surprise was the bill, which was of 32 € for the 3 course menu, and 9 € for 2 glasses of wine.
Long live Campagne! Thank you for this delish experience…
I’m already planning to come back!

The wine list is surprisingly afforable. They offer a 3 glass carafe for less than 20 euro.
The bread is soft and warm on the inside with a crunchy crust and with butter the sour dough melts in your mouth.
Lots of wild game in the menu. They even have a warning about the possibility of shot still being in the meat.
Relaxed modern interior. Comfy benches and chairs. Large tables for groups. Ambient lighting. Interesting art. White table cloth with linen napkins. Crystal wine glasses.
Open kitchen floor plan so you can see them cook. Seems I am the only single party here. Everyone else is in groups. Many older tourists, well dressed and educated.
My starter was the vennison. Simple beautiful plating rich flavors with with layers of taste. Each bite was an experience. I closed my eyes to more fully feel the flavor.
I don’t really have words for my main course which was also vennison. Simply resplendant. Just try it. I ate it rare and the preparation could not have been better.
Well the desert topped it all. Hats off to the chefs for one of the best meals of my life.
Some of the pictures don’t do the plating justice as I could not help myself and started eating before I remember to take a picture.
Yes if you are near kilkenny I think you should eat here. Reservations help as they fill up fast with foodie tourists. Also call finding the place can be deceptively simple.
If you are near a parking lot and some arches. Park and walk towards the right set of arches as you leave the parking lot. It will be on your left once you pass through them.

We ran down to Kilkenny for the night a few weeks ago and there are a ton of great sights to see but I was most looking forward to finally trying this place. We arrived at 8 and were immediately taken to our table. The dining room has a nice atmosphere without being too stuffy. When the waitress came by we asked for prosecco and scotch and started the daunting task of picking our mains. After much back and forth we asked for the lobster lasagne and porcini risotto dishes to start, and the monkfish and spring lamb for our mains.
Our starters came out quickly and the presentation was lovely. The risotto was really nice but the clear winner was the lobster lasagne. Very unique dish with wonderful flavours. A bit later our mains arrived and once again they were put together beautifully. The monkfish was very light and flaked off easily with a fork. The vegetables and sauce pulled everything together and made this a really lovely dish. I myself had ordered the lamb and was in heaven. It comes out exactly like the pictures you see on the website — perfect medallions of lamb with aubergines and some kind of tasty jus. You can get some really nice lamb dishes in Ireland but this is one of the very best I have had.
To finish everything off we decided to split the baked clotted cream with strawberries and strawberry sorbet. It was not overly sweet and was a great end to a wonderful meal. I’m not sure when we will be back in Kilkenny but Campagne is a must try for anyone looking for a nice meal outside of Dublin.

Had a fantastic meal here and the service was perfect. I had the duck sausage followed by venison, both wonderfully pink, while my wife went for the goats cheese soufflé and pigs trotters. Food was so exquisite we were even able to hold out for dessert.
Had heard that this was now a Michelin star restaurant and while they weren’t shouting about it, the experience certainly lived up to what we had expected.

wooohoo I just learnt that owner Garrett Byrne had been crowned Best Chef in Ireland at the Irish Restaurant Awards recently… I gave the details of this restaurant to my cousin (who lived in various places in France and was on a round trip in Ireland) and the feedback I got from him was «wow…so far I thought that Irish people just dont care that much about good food but my god that place proved me wrong !»

Fantastic dinner with my better half, worth a trip for the potatoes served with main courses alone.
Lovely room, efficient service; special food.
Had selection of duck to start — incredible; sea bream with crab butter sauce; partridge; all done with skill and massive flavour.
Fish slightly overcooked (or left under lights for too long) was the only downside of the whole night.
Highly recommended.

fantastic quality of food and service. Great ambiance, perfectly presented food and very good service. The sourdough bread is almost worth the trip alone! There is no better place in Kilkenny

If you’re looking for a superb restaurant in the South East of Ireland, where the menu is always interesting and varied, food is incredible, ambience is comfortable and relaxed and where the service is always top-​notch, then look no further than Campagne, Kilkenny.
Yes, it’s a wee bit more expensive than your usual Saturday night out, but it is genuinely a very special place, and is right up there with the very best.
I’ve had evening meals and delicious Sunday lunches in Campagne, and never once has it disappointed. Wine list is superb, staff are great — there is always someone in charge making sure everything runs like clockwork, and it does.
There’s only usually 1 vegetarian main course, but it’s always different and always delicious. And as for deserts… heaven!
Book your table today.