RESTAURANT REVIEW - REUBEN'S RESTAURANT AT THE STEP HOUSE
Monday 19 August 2013
It was a scorching Sunday morning as I decided to hit the road for somewhere, rather than the road to nowhere around the house! I am a last minute traveller defined by my family of men as bonkers for, on a previous impulsive Sunday a few years back, we ended up sailing to Cherbourg in the afternoon! It wasn’t Cherbourg this Sunday but, sitting in the delightful garden of the floral bedecked Step House Hotel in Borris, Co. Carlow, I never felt closer to favourite places I’ve been to in France. Borris, a very pretty historic village, is a popular place for holiday retreats, and for walkers, with the Barrow and South Leinster Way on its doorstep.
The Step House, the former dower house of the MacMurrough Kavanagh’s of Borris House at the heart of the village, was a guesthouse for many years before James and Cait Coady expanded it into an hotel. They did a stunning job and also appointed ex Chapter One chef Alan Foley, as Head Chef . Supporting local food producers is important here with beef coming from Fred Salter of Ballon, and their lamb from John Kavanagh of Borris. Margaret Kirwan’s cracking Goatsbridge Trout also features, as does Wild Red Deer from the Glen of Imall and so on.
Departing Dun Laoghaire sans any repast but black coffee, approaching Carlow I knew why the French are always beating down the doors for lunch at 12.00. However, I had booked a table for 1.30 pm in their Ruben’s Restaurant to find, with motorway most of the way, like the French we were on the door step of Step House at 12.10pm! Thankfully they kindly slotted us in earlier. Ruben’s is a lovely romantic space with nooks and crannies - and a pulpit overseeing things! We sat in a long narrow garden room section which was perfect; the French doors were open, we were looking out at the sun and, watching families and friends gather, I wondered why we didn’t relax and do Sunday lunch more often – like the French!
The 3-course lunch at €28 offered a quintet each of starters, mains and desserts. Alternatively, a main course is €15 or two courses €24. Reading the food pairings and tweaks on the menu, the feeling was good - as were the breads -curry, sage and brown. Gravadlax of salmon was with beetroot, local wood sorrel and pickled dill jelly, whilst rabbit confit had a foie gras cream, caramelized walnuts and cured ham. Hardly bog standard Sunday lunch stuff! Organic chicken liver parfait for Sir was a substantial tranch, the soft pink interior contrasting beautifully with its white buttery coating, beetroot chutney, green and white flowers and glistening beetroot dots. Confit of Gordon Rowe pork belly was an exquisite perfect little rectangle of tenderness, hosting a guard of honour of seared scallop, all on warm apple ‘salad’ with intense sharp citrusy hints of lemon.
Mains sported sirloin of beef (€2 supp) and garlic chicken with organic summer leeks, rosti and Béarnaise, whilst lightly curried cod had influences of carrot and cumin, liquorice and pearl onion. Sir’s roast hake, coated with a silky green herb crust, sat in a tomato and caper fondue with a sauce Rouille and was simply superb. My two fine slices of pink lamb, braised shoulder rondelle, and cube of Boulangere potato, were cracking. The flavours were so intensely pure, absolute heaven, set off with dice of sharp glass clear mint jelly.
How could we not have puds – it would be remiss. Passion Fruit Panna Cotta was passion on a plate, a rainbow of glorious ochre yellows, from a fresh sunny yoke yellow pannacotta tian to a ribbon of golden mango to ball of orange coloured sorbet sprinkled with herbs. 70% chocolate pave was exquisite, stuck with a chocolate flag, topped with peanut icecream, quenelles of banana puree, and drizzled with something appropriately decadent.
With a half bottle of Drouhin Chablis 2010 for Sir (€15) and an Espresso (€2) for me, our bill with optional service came to €80 – a veritable steal for food at this level. The Step House is far more than a local hotel – it is a foodie destination - of which we should be hearing a lot more.
Rubens Restaurant,
The Step House,
Borris,
Co. Carlow.
Tel: (059) 977-3209
FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT