Having left Ballymaloe House we continued our journey west towards Kinsale. We stopped midway at Mahon Point shopping centre to have a wander around and grab a coffee. Back on the road again we arrived in Kinsale just around 2:00pm, we’re staying at the Trident Hotel which is just along the wharf about an eight minute walk to the centre of Kinsale.
Kinsale is easily one of the nicest towns in Cork county, it’s compact and easy to walk around, it’s always busy and has a reputation as one of the best foodie destinations on the entire Island. Having visited before I can certainly vouch for this in fact to this day I still raved about a meal I had many years ago in a place called Hobys – which is unfortunately no longer in business.
Once checked in we decided to grab lunch at the hotel in the onsite bar, the Wharf Tavern and Terrace. The menu was extensive, C opted for the open sambo of prawns and smoked salmon, I kept it simple and ordered their chicken fillet burger. The open sambo was tasty especially the prawns, my burger was as expected, chicken in a bun with mayo…..enough said really.
After lunch we wandered around the streets of Kinsale which were busy, but not as busy if we were visiting under normal circumstances. A lot of the food places, restaurants, wine bars etc. were shut, choosing only to open in the evening. The few places that were open were steady but not too busy.
After checking out some of the gift shops and a few other bits we headed back to our hotel to relax for a little before getting ready for dinner. We booked a place called Bastion right in the centre of Kinsale, it’s been open for a few years now and received it’s first Michelin star in 2020.
We arrived into Bastion bang on time for our 8:00pm slot. We were greeted by a pleasant member of staff who brought us to our table. The table can seat four but was all for us. Our waiter introduced himself and informed us that they don’t hand out menus but that the meal (which is stated on their booking page) will be an eight course taster. We were asked if we’d like a drink to start – Kir royals as usual, which went down really well, so much so, I ordered another one…
We had an amuse busche to start which consisted of celeriac crisp with truffle and potato cubes and brioche topped with quail egg yolk and caviar. The celeriac was tasty and the brioche was not unpleasant but nothing special. This was followed by the first course of the evening – peas, served with a mint and basil sauce and pea sorbet. Two types of bread arrived to the table, a brioche along with a Guinness sourdough. There was treacle butter to go with the brioche and a caramelised onion butter for the sourdough, while the brioche was buttery and tasty the treacle butter sweet as you’d expect, the sourdough with the onion butter was fantastic.
Next was our fish course, turbot flavoured with saffron and summer vegetables which was very tasty. Charred broccoli followed next served with ricotta cheese and a lemon sauce, certainly different, it was reasonably tasty but a little too simple. Cured prawns arrived served with apple and horseradish and a kombu dressing, easily one of the best dishes of the night, it was fab.
Suckling pork shoulder with nectarine and mustard was next to arrive and again fantastic dish, really well cooked and flavoursome. Dessert was next, white chocolate with passion fruit, white chocolate ice cream and white chocolate meringue.
Finally to finish two more mini desserts, a tiny baked lemon meringue tart and a fruit jelly both very tasty and washed down with a refreshing dessert wine.
We were happy we booked Bastion, there was some tasty cooking going on along with some really good ideas. The wines we tried were all very good and all recommendations by our waiter who was friendly and well trained with really good knowledge of the food and drinks as you’d hope from a Michelin starred restaurant. While not all the dishes were to our liking and we felt some were a little too simple (the broccoli and feta) the overall experiencer was enjoyable, good food, great service, we’ll certainly visit again.
After our enjoyable meal in Bastion we headed back to our hotel for a good nights sleep. The next morning we had breakfast which was as you’d expect, nothing special but sufficed. The staff were friendly though which always makes a difference.
Once packed up we checked out and hit the road for the return journey home. Before leaving Kinsale we visited Charles Fort which is one of the best preserved forts in the country. Renovations are ongoing and will no doubt be ongoing for many years to come. The few building that are finished are closed due to Covid-19. They had a good system in place for visitors, people were only allowed in staggered groups of about 12. They also had a one way system in place, however, you could still wander a little to see as much as possible. A member of staff also give a brief history lesson on the fort.
The weather was fantastic and the fort offered some splendid views back towards Kinsale and out to sea and some of the surround hills and cliffs.
Once done we hit the road and decided as we had a lot of time to spare, we’d do a large detour to get home. We headed west towards the town of Clonakilty and onwards towards Skibbereen. We stopped up for lunch in a place called Rosscarbery, which easily one of the most disorganised cafes I’d ever been in. We just ordered two tuna sambos which were….fine. The staff were friendly though.
Back on the road again we continued towards the town of Kenmare which follows part of the famous Ring of Kerry. Although the journey is slow going it’s worth it for the fantastic scenery – when the weather permits. We arrived in Kenmare and continued on to Killarney which was busy, really busy, so much so you’d never think there was a pandemic J.
Soon after Killarney we stopped in Newcastle West to grab a coffee and a pastry before hitting the road again for the final leg home.
It was a long drive home but it’s nice to see some of the impressive scenery that the country has to offer.
Until next time,
C&J
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