Enjoyable Stay At Cahernane House Hotel

Enjoyable Stay At Cahernane House Hotel 

Killarney Gem

A superb dinner in the Herbert Room of the Cahernane House Hotel in Killarney was the highlight of a recent stay there. Breakfast wasn't bad either! You could say head chef Paul O’Connor made a good impression.

Indeed, we had nothing but good impressions during our visit, starting with the long tree-lined drive from the Muckross Road down to the late 19th century building in its superb location near the lakes. The native red deer passed slowly beneath our windows, just before dusk and just after sunrise.

Regular visitors

Our room was spacious and well-equipped. And the bar is a gem, situated in the original wine cellar. That high-ceilinged Herbert Room is another gorgeous spot, used for both dinner and breakfast, and there are some lovely public rooms as well, one with a fountain flowing. And the courteous staff were both welcoming and helpful.

Back to our dinner then and, as we studied the menu (five courses for €50.00), we nibbled on some delicious breads and dips. Quite a long wine list there too, a good variety of styles, grapes and countries. In the end, we picked the Prinz Von Hessen Riesling (34.00) and we were very happy with that!

After a tasty amuse bouche, the starters soon arrived. Mine was the Pan-seared Castletownbere scallops, cauliflower, black pudding and samphire. Nicely presented and well appreciated! Ardsallagh’s goats Parfait with Beetroot, basil and balsamic was CL’s choice and she too opened with a winner.

Scallops

Next up was the middle course. I was thinking sorbet and indeed it was one of the three choices listed. I thought the other two would be very small but either could have passed for a starter. And they were both excellent. One was Pan-seared Mackerel, heritage potato, fine beans, black olives, the other a Garden Salad of Pickled Pear, truffle ficelle, and smoked bacon crumb.

That pan was busy again for our mains. I love Turbot and the affair continued with a slightly spiced and throughly lovely dish: Pan-seared Turbot, Chestnut mushroom, girolles, truffle and Savoy cabbage. Great mix of flavour and texture, the fresh fish cooked to perfection and much the same could be said about CL’s Pan-seared Cod, artichoke, hazelnut textures, raisins and brandade.

Dessert

Our confidence in the chef and his team was building all the time and we were looking forward to dessert. We weren't let down! Far from it. Presentation for my Crème Brûlée was outstanding as was the dish itself: Passionfruit Crème Brûlée, with raspberry sorbet and pistachio tuile. CL’s classy treat was Blackberry Choux (choux pastry, blackberry curd, marshmallow gel and wild berry creme fraiche).

We would, of course, be back in the Herbert Room for breakfast, for one of the very best breakfasts around. Full Irish yes but many great choices. Don't want to bore you with too many details but one to watch out for is the Pear, Brioche and Cheese, a mouth-watering morning treat of Grilled Vanilla Poached Pear, Toasted Brioche and St Tola Goats Cheese curd.

Breakfast Pear, Brioche, Cheese

We also made a couple of calls to that unusual Cellar Bar, making ourselves comfortable in the capacious armchairs. They have quite a selection of drinks here, lots of Irish spirits including local gins (among them Blackwater and Bertha’s Revenge) and the craft beers by Killarney Brewing take pride of place on the counter.

I just felt the need to continue my research in these comfortable surroundings. My favourite whiskey was undoubtedly the Jameson Black Barrel, rich and full and with an reverberating long finish, another gem in the range.

Breakfast bagel: smoked salmon, scrambled egg.

Killarney Brewing tell some tall yarns but the beers are pretty good too.We had been surprised by the red colour of their IPA but that Ale is named after a local hero who was known as the Scarlett Pimpernel. In any event, it was the Devil’s Helles Lager that caught the attention and the taste buds of CL. Had to check that out then and that made the verdict unanimous. Clean and crisp with a hint of hops, this is a good one.

Cellar Bar

After our final breakfast, it was time to settle up and say farewell to Cahernane House with a promise to be back. It is a great location to enjoy Killarney. And no bother either about going further afield. We visited Crag Cave in Castleisland. Valentia Island was our furthest trip while the nearest was Torc Mountain (where we managed to get to the top). No doubt the good food helped, not too sure about the drink though! 

See also:

Irish Whiskey Experience Killarney
Climbing Torc Mountain
Valentia Sky Walk. Islands in the Sun
Crag Cave. Underground in Kerry

The drive down