The lunch menu, as you might expect, is short. But very long in quality. Serving Irish and French cuisine, their reputation has been reinforced over the 18 months or so since they opened in the centre of the village.
The sun was shining but it was cold enough when we landed on Friday and so we picked the soup to start with. And the Celeriac was just the job, a big bowl of warm soup, topped with some nuts, adding flavour and a little crunch (4.75). Warmed up now and running.
We picked our two mains from the little specials board that is brought to your table. I went for the O’Connell’s fresh pan-fried hake with mustard sauce, York cabbage and smoked bacon (13.95). Fresh it surely was, white and milky and just perfect, a lovely matching sauce and every now and then a tasty touch from a bit of bacon.
And that wasn't all. We shared a side dish of vegetables, carrot and kale, all nicely cooked, not too hard, not too soft, and also a bowl of perfectly executed mashed potato.
The Cronin sisters get their beef from Macroom’s Michael Twomey, their mother’s butcher. And one could see why when CL’s Beef and Mushroom Pie (12.50) arrived in its own special pot, a nice touch on the presentation.
But no good having the classy presentation if what’s inside isn't up to scratch. The beef was just perfect, so much so you just had to stop every now and then and savour the superb flavour and texture. The overall combination was top notch.
We had been tempted earlier when we heard the list of desserts being called out but after the soup and a mega main course each, we reluctantly left the sweet stuff behind. Next time!
The Square Table
5 The Square
Blarney
County Cork
0214382825
Opening hours
Wed 6.00pm-9.00pm
Thu-Sat 12.00pm-3.30pm and 6.00pm-10.00pm
Sun 12.30pm-4.30pm.
Early bird served Wednesday 6pm to 9pm, Thursday 6pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 6pm to 7pm.
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