Review: The west is awake
After visiting the iconic Ashford Castle and the contemporary West at The Twelve, Stella Morris accompanied by Charlie Pitcher, found herself seduced by the new kid on the block.
My perambulations around the country take me all over - to hell or occasionally to Connacht. In a recent freezing trip to the wild west, I had a duo of encounters which spanned the full range of the Irish hospitality - from the historic, world-famous and iconic Ashford Castle in Cong, pictured, to a relatively new kid on the block, the contemporary, bold and iconoclastic Twelve Hotel in Barna.
Just over an hour apart but separated by a
number of decades when it comes to approach, attitude and ideas, Ashford Castle
is where they shot The Quiet Man in Cong, Co Mayo and The Twelve is where they
shoot preconceptions, stone dead, in the seaside town of Barna, ten minutes
from Galway city.
The world is a very different place now to that of The Quiet Man, although you might not think it when you visit Ashford Castle - depending on your own personal Hollywood version and expectation of the past.
It was my first visit to somewhere I have always wanted to go, and I arrived late on a winter's evening in the dark, to the fully lit and sparkling fairy-tale castle experience. Due to snow, ice and rain and an unerringly bad sense of direction, I was late for my booked dinner but I really didn't want to rush. I checked into my pretty lake view room and insisted on having a gin agus tonic in the beautiful panelled Prince of Wales bar before heading into the George V Room for dinner. I began to apologise for my tardiness when I met the maitre d' at the door but was charmingly reassured by "oh, we don't wear watches here".
The best thing about Ashford Castle - apart from the magnificent public spaces, suits of armour, monster fireplaces, paintings, manicured grounds and stunning views of Lough Corrib, of course - are the staff.
Relaxed, professional, charming, there is none of the fawning obsequiousness that can occasionally be mistaken for service, just honest, and pleasant levels of care.
My dinner was relatively pedestrian, unfortunately - it didn't really live up to the drama of the surroundings nor did it match how well some of the dishes on the menu read. Chef Stefan Matz has a focus on local ingredients, but the delivery was less convincing than the description.
There were some highlights - the breads were delicious, with a pretzel, potato and brown soda bread all being exemplary - but my amuse bouche of pork belly with scallops, red pepper and honey was bland, my prawn bisque was excessively sweet with an odd whiskey note and the turbot with goats' cheese ravioli, rhubarb and ginger, and spinach greens was actively unpleasant - a selection of substances far too similar in texture to be appealing. My main course came with the statutory side plate of irrelevant vegetables that is still de rigueur in many Irish hotels, somehow summing up the unadventurous nature of my meal.
Breakfast, on the other hand, was a treat of a feast. It was in the same room which in daylight made me feel like I was at a very large country house party in chintzville central. There was a vast selection of food with endless staff topping up cups and pride of place went to a huge roast glazed ham at the centre of the lavish buffet. The sun twinkling off the lake while a jaunty fella in a captain's hat took names for the boat tour made it feel like the movie I had been running in my head.
The Twelve Hotel in Barna is at the opposite end of the hospitality spectrum to Ashford Castle. Not 700 years old, in fact, not even seven years old yet, this is a purpose built, totally contemporary place built at a crossroads in the little seaside town outside Galway. Deliberately funky and not afraid to try things, The Twelve is one in the eye to those hotels that mushroomed all over the country, on roundabouts, in industrial estates, next door to all those car showrooms that are howling wastelands of no business at present. The Twelve is heaving. Permanently busy, the bar and West restaurant are a buzzing testament to that old trick in hospitality - do a really good job and people will come.
West's chef Cedric Bottarlini has been at The Twelve since 2008 but he seems to be really hitting his stride at present. We had succulent lamb ribs and a cocktail at the Champagne bar, then myself and Charlie had a selection of the small tapas-style dishes. Between us, we demolished pretty much everything on that menu - a challenge even to two hungry (greedy) people with eyes bigger than their stomachs.
We had...deep breath...James McGeogh's air-dried lamb with black figs, served on raisin-mustard blini, Dromoland wood pigeon on wild rice succotash, with hazelnut and blackberry vinaigrette (I could eat that all day), foie gras and smoked tuna terrine with organic smoked salt and brioche crust (God, so good).
We also had a confit of Irish smoked salmon with wasabi pasta roll and organic Irish yoghurt, crab agnolotti with leek and lemongrass in a seaweed consommé (cleanly delectable, served in a dinky suspended amphora), and Connemara oxtail with morel and Glenilen Farm sour cream (pure badness).
Oh and seared north Atlantic king scallop with girolles and butternut squash velouté. And organic St Tola goat's cheese with heirloom tomato, gram and Sechuan pepper crisp. Em, also rhubarb and lavender organic goat's milk rice pudding. Oops, Baiano chocolate with avocado and coriander ice cream and chilli snap. Hem. Burp. Groan.
Accompanied by some smashing wines recommended by the fiery haired Fergus, the hotel's general manager, sommelier and all-round good guy, this food is genuinely tasty, confident and above all, fun.
If West at The Twelve is the playboy of the western world, then Ashford Castle is the Irish RM, landed gentry, time-tested and traditional. There's obviously a place for both but as far as I was concerned from this trip, the West is awake and Ashford Castle is snoozing. Perhaps they're resting on their laurels, a comfortable place to be, I imagine.
Ashford Castle, Cong, Co. Mayo www.ashford.ie
West at The Twelve, Barna, Co. Galway www.thetwelve.ie
