Bistro Sol

What a wonderful little country café. My wife an I were on vacation in Ireland. We were spending a couple of nights in Kilkenny and decided to take a side trip to site and see and find a place to eat. What a find! The menu for dinner was price fix but you could just order a part of the menu rather than a whole two or three course dinner. We decided to order one two course dinner for the two of us and shared. The staff was friendly and helpful. I ordered the roast chicken with dressing and potatoes and a swirl of squash. The dressing was so wonderfully savory with flavors that blended beautifully with the moist chicken breast with a hint of crunch from the bit of perfect crispy skin on top. Delish! My wife had some trout that was smoked and chopped with a bit of onion and spices. Also wonderful. We ended with a fruit and homemade organic ice cream crumble that was filled with freshly cobbled fruit. It was a perfect meal to end a beautiful day in Ireland.

Sol Bistro is a sister restaurant to the popular Café Sol in Kilkenny city. Based in nearby Thomastown, it’s separate enough to warrant its own review.
I’ve eaten in Bistro Sol a few times, and the place is just getting better and better. Small, friendly, and very simple inside, the focus is on the menu and on producing some of the best dishes possible from (what I imagine must be) a small kitchen.
The staff are efficient and friendly — nothing over the top. The setting is simple comfort, warm mellow lighting; nice and quiet.
However the real feature here is the food; an interesting and imaginative menu, with flavoursome meals cooked to perfection.
I had seaweed rolls for starters that were light, delicate and so flavoursome.
I’ve had the nut loaf here before, and it was top notch as usual, however my husband had a cannelloni that was to die for; another vegetarian selection and I wish I had gone for that.
For desert I had an orange and almond polenta cake. Polenta is usually quite a stodgy affair, however this rendition was sublime; light as air and melt-​in-​the-​mouth. Fantastic.
I really mean it when I say this is an absolute gem of a restaurant featuring some of the very best dining in the south-​east of Ireland. I have no idea who is working in that kitchen, but I cannot wait to return and see if they can maintain such a high standard.