The Restaurant Pimp Visits Grace Neill's

Tuesday, 7 June, 2011

Grace Neill’s – Donaghadee

It’s fair to say that as a nation France is best recognised for its fine wine. For centuries the French have produced every style of wine known to man including red, rose, white, fortified and sparkling. These styles have originated from home grown grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. These varieties of grape have helped establish iconic wine regions throughout France including Bordeaux, Burgundy and of course the famous Champagne. The most recognisable wine vineyards have been in operation for centuries and distinguished labels such as Cháteau Lafite – Rothschild in Bordeaux, can trace its origins as far back as the 13th century and could easily be described as an institution rather than a producer of wine.

On a similar note, I think it’s fair to say that as a nation Ireland is best recognised for its fine beers. For centuries the Irish have produced all types of beer, ales and stout. We have perfected the art of mixing our natural resources of barley, hops and yeast to transform it into beautiful beer. The master brewers of Guinness, Murphy’s and Beamish showcased and distributed their fine efforts to all four corners of the earth.

The earliest known existing venue for enjoying such fine Irish stouts and ales can be found up on the coast of Co Down. Its history may not date back as far as the Cháteau Lafite – Rothschild, but opening its doors in 1611, it certainly lends itself to being classified as a local institution in its own right. I had recently caught wind that this historic ale house had decided to freshen things up a little and secure the services of a young, extremely talented, award winning chef. So one Tuesday evening in June, The Restaurant Pimp thought it only fair to put in a few extra food miles and pay Ireland’s oldest pub and its newest Chef a welcome visit. I was happily off to sample the culinary delights of Stephen Hope at Grace Neill’s, Donaghadee.

The journey to Donaghadee is a relatively short one and was made feel all the quicker in the warm June sunshine. As Lady P and I made our way along the Co Down sea front, turning into the centre of town up a one way system we found ourselves sat at a set of traffic lights staring straight at Grace Neill’s Pub. It’s a small, beautiful white fronted building, like an old coach house with several intricate white framed windows to the front. Just to the left of the main building there is an archway with a sign clearly displaying that this was the entrance to the pub’s car park. Driving through you enter into a spacious courtyard with ample room for parking. Safely parked we made our way towards the pub through an attractive outdoor seating area with lots of comfortable looking tables and chairs. In this fine sunshine it seemed to be the perfect space for an evening drink.

On entering the side door which takes you into the pub’s restaurant area, we were met by an extremely friendly waiter who asked if we had a booking, lifted a couple of clipboards and directed us through the main dining space to a raised seating area along the back wall of the room. When seated we were each presented with a clip board and our friendly waiter explained the daily specials, evening meal deals and a la carte options available to us. He then took our drinks orders and seeing as this was my first visit to Ireland’s oldest pub, I plumped for…. Yes you guessed it, a pint of Guinness.

As I sat sipping a delicious pint of the black stuff we were given time to browse the menus and it allowed me time to have my first good look around my surroundings. This is a lovely dining room, it has a deceptively high ceiling and it’s a lot more spacious than it looks from the street front. The roof is made up of dark wood and there are exposed beams jotted throughout. The room is incredibly bright and open planned. One section of the sloping roof has been finished with glass and it allows fantastic natural light into the entire space. The main dining room is split into two levels, neither level overcrowded with tables and the raised area where I found myself sat was snug and intimate. The walls of the dining room are scattered with interesting paintings of Donaghadee from down through the years and behind me I noticed two grand candle holders that looked like they were centuries old. A large blackboard hangs at the far end of the room and showcasing an endless array of fine wines – all available by the glass! This room has serious warmth and character.

The menu was a single sheet on a clip board and read like a catalogue for local produce, highlighting Glenarm Salmon and Fermanagh Beef to name a few. Grace Neill’s do a fantastic offer of 3 courses for two people, a bottle of wine, finished with tea & coffee for £45 – outstanding value! On this occasion Lady P and I went with the a la carte option and with our orders placed, coupled with the amazing smells coming from the kitchen, we couldn’t hide our smiles in anticipation of what culinary delights lay ahead.

For my first course I went with a starter of Pan Fried Scallops, Horseradish Potato bread with smoked Salmon & chive crème fraiche. This plate was a pleasure for the eyes, pretty as a picture with each element forming a seamless circle joined together with bright green leaves. The scallops were cooked to perfection and the seasoning of the dish was absolutely sublime. It was drizzled in a sweet lemon dressing which really added to the charred flavour of the scallop and married the subtle saltiness of the potato bread. I loved the dish, so much so I happily ran my fingers across the empty plate several times to ensure I savoured every last drop of the amazing flavour. Lady P opted for the Smoked Mackerel fishcakes with lemon mayonnaise. It came presented on a slate with the fish cakes being served in a miniature steel frying basket. They smelled amazing and she commented on how light they were along with the mayonnaise. Smiles all round for our delicious starters.

As our friendly waiter cleared our table, I decided to order a glass of wine from the vast list on the blackboard to accompany my main course. I went with a glass of TorreAldea Rioja. I had guessed the fruity Spanish red would go well with my Roast Loin of Lough Erne Lamb, Anchovie Gnocchi, Fine beans with a confit of tomato.

This is what a Lamb dish should look like. This was a truly beautiful plate of food and it smelt fantastic. The lamb was cooked perfectly pink, with delightful cylinder shaped gnocchi and flashes of bright green exposing itself underneath a rich earthy sauce. This lamb tasted superb, really first class and as suspected reacted wonderfully with my glass of Rioja, a great match. There were small whole deep fried anchovies scattered throughout the plate which added a fun texture as well as delivering a smoky flavour. The star of the dish and a taste I will forever remember, was the sauce that accompanied the lamb, it was exquisite, laced with tomato and chives, rich & velvety – pure brilliance. I’ve read that it is seasoning and sauces that separate the truly great chefs from the mere mortals and judging by the delicate seasoning of my scallop dish and the stunning sauce which enriched my lamb, head Chef Stephen Hope at the tender age of 24 is firmly standing on the shoulder of giants – outstanding!

Lady P went for the Loin and Belly of Pork served with savoy cabbage and black pudding for her main. Once again this was a beautifully presented dish, with straight lines and regimented positioning. It looked to me like it could have been doing with a spoonful or two of more sauce, but Lady P said the pork belly was so succulent and the seasoning so balanced that for her there was more than enough sauce. We had been served two main courses that were genuinely fit for any dining room across Northern Ireland – delightful.

There are occasions in everyone’s life when they realise during the course of a meal that they have chosen the wrong option and become extremely envious of their dining partner’s dish. Well during our desserts I encountered this feeling at Grace Neill’s. Lady P ordered the Chocolate & Lime mousse served on Pistachio & Choc chip cookies. Whaow – this was a fine looking dessert, perfectly symmetrical, full of contrasting colours and complimenting flavours. I was a very jealous Restaurant Pimp. I finished with Armagh Pear terrine with cinnamon meringue & pear soup. A fine dessert in its own right and amazing presentation again, sweet and fresh, but next time we visit Ireland’s oldest pub the chocolate dessert is all mine!!!

What a meal this had been, three courses of truly sublime food, each course memorable for different reasons and all thankfully for the right reasons. During our visit the dining room was lively and could easily be considered a busy Tuesday night but based on the care and attention of each dish we received, you could easily have thought it was cooked to order in a private dining room.

In reality I shouldn’t have been surprised with the sheer delight and quality of the food I sampled at Grace Neill’s. Head Chef Stephen Hope is somebody I have known about for some time. A winner of the Gordon Ramsay Scholarship 2008, I have sampled his food on many occasions as he developed his trade as Sous chef in some of Northern Ireland’s finest kitchens (The Merchant, Deanes & The Salty Dog). However this occasion was different, this occasion was so much more special. He is now the main man in his own kitchen and this allows him to showcase his undoubted flair and experiment with his own ideas. The touch he delivered to each course we sampled was exquisite, such beautiful plates of food. I had worried that outside of Belfast he would have to tweak his food to be less high end and deliver more substantial looking portions – not the case at all, judging by the food we enjoyed he is instilling the idea to the masses of Donaghadee, that it is more about quality rather than quantity. It was an absolute joy and just like a French red Pauillac from Cháteau Lafite – Rothschild, this skillfull chef’s true wonder will only further develop with age, amazing!!!

Grace Neill’s celebrated its 400th birthday during June 2011. As I sat finishing my delicious Rioja and enjoying the unique atmosphere, I began to fully appreciate its remarkable longevity and admire how this pub had stood the test of time. It has natural charm and warmth that should rightly be associated with Ireland’s oldest pub. The staff are incredibly friendly, delivering a warm welcome and leaving a lasting impression to all that pass through its doors. Factor in the magnificent food now being served on a daily basis and I have little doubt that this fine Co Down establishment will only continue to grow in reputation and delight its patrons for 400 years more.

Would I Pimp this Restaurant???

Pimp it???

If you asked me nicely I’d drive you to Donaghadee myself, purely so I could sample another 3 dishes of their delightful menu!!!

I will be back. Soon!!!

Features

Grace Neill's
33 High Street, Donaghadee, Co.Down, BT21 0AH Call
028 9188 4595 Email
info@graceneills.com