After a filling breakfast we hit the road. Our first planned stop was to do a little shopping, so we hit a well-known home furnishing store in north Dublin to stock up on a few bits. As is normal these days, we waited in line for almost 40 minutes, despite the long wait, the line moved pretty quickly. After wandering around for an hour or so and picking up a few bits we hit the road again in search of lunch.
It turned out there was an Avoca garden centre and café a short 20 minute drive away near the town of Dunboyne in Co. Meath, so we hit there.
Avoca is home to the well-known chain of fancy eateries, which shares the same name with the town. The Avoca cafés are known for their tasty food and treats. They also sell a selection of home products, cook books, gourmet food items, food to go along with clothing and plenty of Irish-made products.
But we’re here for the food and again, we had to wait to get in, this time we were in line about 25 minutes, which was not too bad. They had a pretty good system in place, you’re brought to your table, handed a number which is also used for contact tracing and then given a menu, once you decide what you like one person goes up to the food counter, places the order and pays. About 10 minutes later they bring the food down to your table. If you’d like anything else, same process.
Both of us went with the salad options, C had the quiche and I went with the sweet chili salmon. Red slaw, dark quinoa with herbs, curried buckwheat, fragrant carrots and a herb spinach and almond concoction made up the salads. All were tasty, we finished with a coffee and a small custard tart.
After browsing the shop and picking up a few chutneys and jams we hit the road for our first stop for the night, Kilkea Castle in Co.Kildare.
Our original plan was to try the K Club but it was booked out and by chance we came across Kilkea Castle, which both of us had not heard about before. There are actually hundreds of old castles, manors and houses that offer accommodation but are often not very well known.
Kilkea Castle also has a golf course on it’s grounds as well as several other amenities for guests. There’s a small garden area and plenty of space with a few walks to enjoy.
Check-in was a breeze and we got upgraded to a suite which was a lovely surprise. Our room was a good size and had a lovely view onto the gardens. The bathroom was a tad small but was spotlessly clean and had some fancy toiletry products. Given we were in a very old castle, the room was well maintained along with mod cons, overall it was very comfortable.
For dinner we booked the casual dining option which is offered in the golf clubhouse, at the back of the castle. The castle proper has its own fine dining restaurant but we had decided to keep it simple. Before dinner we grabbed a drink in the small bar, it has the usual selection of drinks but no craft beers or cider. There’s not too much space for sitting and having a drink, but we did get a nice spot by the very inviting fire. The barman who served our drinks was very friendly and hospitable.
We made our way to the clubhouse, were seated straight away and handed our menus. The waitress asked if we’d like a drink and I asked for two kir royals. To give her credit she was straight up and said she didn’t know what that drink was but would ask the barman. The barman did indeed know what the drink was and they were enjoyable.
The menu was as you’d expect, it had a short selection but covered all the bases, a burger, steak, chicken, soup etc.
To start I went with the seafood chowder, C opted for the heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad. The salad was ok but nothing special, my chowder was tasty, needed a tad more seasoning but was tasty. For mains I stuck with the fish and chips, C went with the risotto. The risotto was not great, lacked seasoning and dry rather than creamy, it was not unpleasant but nothing like what it should taste like.
My dish was the winner here, the hake had a really nice crispy batter served with some decent chips and the usual crushed peas. It was not the best fish and chips I’ve ever had but it was tasty.
For dessert, we shared a lemon tart, which came with strawberry, raspberry glaze and a huge blob of raspberry ice-cream. We knew before ordering the dish it’d be of the bought-in variety and for the most part, it was ok, the ice cream was the best part.
We enjoyed one more drink before calling it a night. However I do have to say, our waitress, who did not know what a kir royal was, well she was exceptional, so polite, so friendly, top marks.
Breakfast the following morning was in the castle dining room. I went with the eggs benny, C kept it simple with the porridge. There was a small selection of pastries brought to our table along with regular white toast and soda bread. The porridge was fine, it was just porridge after all, however my eggs benny were ok, but the hollandaise sauce was way too vinegary. The coffee was as expected, not great but not bad.
Overall we enjoyed our stay at Killkea castle, it has about 15 rooms, although it does offer lodges to rent on site. The food was actually pretty decent, especially in the clubhouse where we dined, the breakfast could have been better but the service by the staff was fantastic, we were made to feel very welcome. If you’re into golf you’ll certainly enjoy a visit. We’ll certainly consider staying here again if we’re planning an overnight in Kildare.
Until next time,
C&J
cjfoodandtravel 