Around 5 years ago a consultant friend of my wifes told her she was going down to our neck of the woods in Tipperary for a special cullinary treat. She said her husband had booked a restaurant called the old convent. It is a restaurant off the beaten track in a small village in rural Ireland called The Old Convent. It was considered one of the finest restaurants in Ireland by many and she could not wait to go. They could stay over at the convent also as there is some rooms for guests.
I live in a town close by but had never heard of this place but I was more intrigued by it the more I read reviews. Michelin Star judges admitted that the restaurant would have quite a few stars at this stage but the owners like to take on local waiters and waitresses to support the community which means the service of the Michelin standard is not 10/10. But the owners stick to their guns and keep their policy of employing local students. I really liked this little fact and it would make me want to go even more to a place like this.
The menu is a 7 course tasting menu. €65 euro excluding which seems alot but how many times have you paid €40 for a disappointing meal. The food is top class and everytime I go it is the best food I have ever tasted. Let us take a look at the menu.
So we start off with 3 light starters. The whipped ricotta was probably the nicest starter I have ever eaten. Here is a photo of it below
Then we had the peashoot & buttermilk veloute which was very tasty. My wife loved the cauliflower risotto but we did not get a photo unfortunately. We were enjoying it too much. But I managed to snap the peashoot veloute.
After the 3 starters we had the sorbet to cleanse our pallet for the main course. This was right up my street as it contained apple and ginger.
The main was the beef and again cooked to prefection. An eagle eye will point out that there was no meat served up until the main. And I did not even notice this until I was told. That to me is how high I rate their food as I am a big meat eater. Another point to note at this stage is there is normally a fish course before the sorbet but for whatever reason there was not one this time.
The photo I had taken of the beef was mid way through the meal so it does not do it justice so I will refrain from adding a photo but I will show you one they prepared earlier.
So we have had 3 starters , a sorbet and a main course. Every course was 100% perfection. The downside was to come. Some might call it a positive downside but at this stage I was full up. Yes ladies and gentleman take a look back at the menu. There were still 2 more courses and they were desserts. The first one was light and creamy jelly.
The second course was a chocolate pudding and I have to say it was very heavy especially after all the fine dining. It really finished me off. There was no way we were leaving hungry thats for sure.
I think this course was put on for any local farmers in with their wifes that would normally eat 12 potatos for their dinner and still be hungry. I could not move after it. This was the nicest meal I have ever eaten. I have scoured Dublin's finest restaurants such as L'Ecrivain, Unicorn, Chapter One and none of them came close to the old convent. If you are ever down the south of Ireland make sure you book in for one of the best cullinary experiences of your life. You will not be disappointed.
I would also point out that the service was top class and they fully deserve a Michelin star. Many restaurants have one in Ireland and their quality is nothing compared to here. Thank god I live close to it so I can have many more family occasions with some of the best food in the world.
Edit:
Here is some photos inside the restaurant . Thanks to @steemflow for asking me.
Thanks for reading
@blanchy
Title Image Source:
https://www.independent.ie/life/travel/ireland/weekend-away-the-old-convent-co-tipperary-26512542.html
Internal image photo Image source plus the steak and two deserts are :
https://myemeraldkitchen.ie/the-old-convent-clogheen/
All other photos are my own.
Restaurant Information
The Old Convent
Clogheen Market, Clogheen, Co. Tipperary, Ireland
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