We arrived at the Cliff at Lyons late evening, we had actually stayed here before so we knew what to expect. It’s a large estate, more so than a hotel. Many of the guest rooms are in separate buildings so after checking in at reception, you walk through the grounds to the ‘house’ you’ll be staying in. The porter who showed us to our room informed us that during Covid, they rented some of the houses to help with income for the hotel.
In our ‘house’, there are about six rooms from what we could make out. Our room is a very good size and also has an outdoor patio area. It comes with the standard tea and coffee making facilities, ironing board, TV and a mini fridge. There’s a large bathroom and a separate shower which is on the other side of the room. There was also a handwritten note from Jordan and Majken welcoming us to Aimsir – nice touch.
Once settled, we went for a wander around the grounds. There are several houses, raised beds bursting with fresh produce and polytunnels which are brimming with all manner of vegetables. After our walk, we went back to our room to get ready for dinner. We were really looking forward to our meal but we also had pretty high expectations.
We arrived about a half hour before our dining time and we were greeted by the very friendly member of staff who showed us to the lounge area where we were going to have a drink before dinner. The lounge opens up an hour before your dining time so you can grab a drink or two before dinner if you choose to do so.
Once at our seats, it was off with the masks and we ordered, a cocktail for myself and C opted for a glass of wine, both went down pretty well. We were also asked if we would like sparkling or still water. Bang on our reservation time, we were escorted into the restaurant. The kitchen area is on your left as you enter and Jordan welcomed us and we were shown to our table. It was evident straight away why a booking is so difficult get, there are only six tables and this has nothing to do with social distancing. Each table can accommodate up to four guests, four tables had couples, one table had four people and one table had three.
One interesting point, as well as offering the ‘wine paring’ option, they also had a ‘juice pairing’, a first for us. I decided on this option, C stuck with her wine.
So I’ll let the photos do most of the talking, this is our 18 course meal at the much lauded, Aimsir.
So what did we think. Without a shadow of a doubt, the service by Majken and the front of house team was absolutely amazing. It was friendly, warm and professional. Water was always topped up, they would take the time to have a quick friendly chat, new napkins would arrive if you left the table, they even had a small table for leaving your phones down so they would not be on the dining table.
As for the food, the angle Aimsir is going for, all the food they serve must be Irish. For example, you won’t find chocolate on the menu, or peanuts for that matter as we can’t grow those items in Ireland. This is a fantastic concept and it really showed what amazing produce we can have in this country.
Overall, the food was really good and we enjoyed it. For us, a lot of the dishes worked but some did not. Some of the flavours did not really seem to make sense, such as the crab with hazelnut or carrot for dessert and for this reason, Aimsir didn’t fully meet our high expectations. Basically, there was no ‘standout’ dish which is something a Michelin-starred restaurant should have. However, there is no denying the techniques on display and the presentation of the food, it was fantastic and we certainly look forward to a return visit at a later date.
The following morning, we had breakfast in one of the dining rooms at the hotel. No point in going into the details but suffice to say, it’s a pity the quality of service and food did not match the previous night’s experience.
Until next time
Bye for now
C&J
cjfoodandtravel 