Rather than follow a more direct route to Waterford, we decided for kicks to go through the midlands, a slower but more interesting route (depending on your perspective). As well as more established towns, the route we took passed through towns in which even the “one horse” no longer resides. To me, one such village is Golden, where we grabbed a quick coffee.
Continuing our journey our plan was to stop in the town of Dungarven and grab lunch in the Tannery, owned by Irish celebrity chef, Paul Flynn. Even though we booked a table to be sure of a spot, given the current climate, the restaurant was completely empty except for another couple.
There was a decent choice on the lunch menu, C had an asparagus salad with Roquefort dressing to start, I went with an onion, apple and cheese soup, both were tasty, especially my soup, which was fantastic. For mains C opted for the haddock and I kept it simple with a burger. C’s mains also came with a large side of very buttery mash, it was really tasty, we could feel our trousers getting that little bit tighter just looking at it. My burger was tasty too.
After lunch, we hit the road for the village of Ardmore and Cliff House Hotel.
The Cliff House Hotel is easily one of the best located hotels in the entire country. All the rooms have views of Ardmore bay and there’s nothing better than sitting outside enjoying a drink as evening draws in, if weather permits.
This was not our first time staying at the Cliff House. Our very first visit was easily the best, we dined at their Michelin starred restaurant and the food was amazing. However, the food never managed to match that first visit and on another occasion, the food was so bad, it prompted me to write a letter to the manager, we felt so strongly.
Anyhow, that was then and this is now…..
On arrival our bags and car were taken care of and after a very quick check-in, we were taken to our room. For this trip we’re staying in the Cliff Veranda Suite which is spread out over two floors as well as a living area, there’s a large outdoor deck and it also has a glass shower which looks out onto the bay and as you’d expect, the place is spotless.
After dropping the bags and being impressed with the shower (it was really cool), we headed out with a plan to do the Ardmore cliff walk. Basically it’s a short coastal walk along the cliffs. The walk starts outside the front of the hotel and loops around along the cliff and back in towards the village. The weather was a tad overcast when we set out, but the skies cleared as we got back towards the village.
As expected, the village was completely shut except for a pharmacy and local convenience store, which is a pity as they have some nice gift shops.
After our walk, we made our way back towards the hotel and had a welcome drink in the bar enjoying the view. After our drink, we hit the pool. The pool also overlooks the bay and there’s also a steam room, sauna and outdoor hot tub, if that’s your thing. After our swim, it was back to our room to get ready for dinner.
Back in the bar before dinner, we ordered two cocktails to get things rolling, a Bramble for me and C went with the classic Margarita, which was very tasty, my Bramble was a tad too sweet for my liking.
For dinner C went with the chowder to start, I had the smoked salmon, the salmon was very tasty, the chowder not so much, it was like a potato soup with bits of fish thrown in, very disappointing. For mains we both went with the fillet steak, which comes with fries, charred onion and a red wine jus. Both steaks were underwhelming, lacking in seasoning and the quality of the fillet was not the best, the side order of champ was thankfully, decent.
For dessert C went with a pistachio crème brulee, I went with the chocolate tart, again, very disappointing. The crème brulee just did not work and my tart was of the “bought in” variety. We also reckon that waiting staff realise the desserts are not great as when the waiter took away our two plates with over half the dessert on them, he did not ask “how was everything”. Overall, the service was good though, as it always is in the Cliff House.
The following morning, we did the cliff walk again and on returning, grabbed breakfast, which was decent and having “actual” freshly squeezed orange juice was really nice.
After breakfast, we had about an hour to pass before check-out so it was nice to relax in our room looking out at the bay.
Overall, we enjoyed our stay again in the Cliff House, it’s a great location, friendly staff and plenty of amenities to keep you occupied. Despite the food once again being a let-down, especially given the high price tag, we will return at a later date and let’s hope the food improves.
Until next time,
C&J
cjfoodandtravel 