Lunch at The Wild Geese Restaurant, Rose Cottage, Adare, Co. Limerick

The Wild Geese Restaurant, Adare, Co. Limerick

I would expect it’s very hard to pass through the picturesque town of Adare in Co. Limerick and not feel some sort of wonder or intrigue about the place. Yes it’s renowned for its Manor, but it’s the small thatched cottages that have always caught my eye.

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And as we drove through the town on our most recent family trip to Killarney last October, their magical cuteness cast their spell on me once more. However this time a plan was put into action to make Adare our lunchtime stop en route home from Kerry to Co. Kildare.

Between Patrick and myself – I’m usually the one who happily takes the reins when it comes to deciding on where to dine. Deciding on where to eat in Adare was a decision that was easily made I have to admit. I had a few boxes I wanted checked – the most obvious boxes where the good food and open for lunch boxes, but I also wanted somewhere that was child-friendly as we had our sons with us (Smith was two years old and Cassidy six months old at the time), and I wanted to dine in one of the aforementioned cottages. The Wild Geese Restaurant checked all those boxes.

 

I think it’s important to reserve a table at your restaurant of choice, when possible, and especially so if you are dining out with your little ones. As well as hopefully guaranteeing you a table, it also gives you the chance to get a feel for the place based on how positive the phone call experience is, plus it allows you an opportunity to ask questions or make requests – which for us, was to confirm the restaurant’s child-friendliness and the use of a high chair. A very pleasant phone call later and we were booked in for lunch.

 

The Wild Geese Restaurant is an award-winning establishment owned and run by husband and wife team David Foley and Julie Randles. David runs the kitchen and specialises in modern Irish cuisine that uses the best of local produce. Julie runs the front of house and is renowned for her service skills. I was aware of this when we booked and then arrived at the restaurant, but yet I couldn’t contain that giddy feeling I get when I see an abundance of award plaques adorning a wall – because I know that something great is in store.

We were greeted warmly when we were met at the door, and explored the framed awards before we made our way to the dining room. (I actually imagined myself and Patrick retiring to the comfy couches of the reception room to enjoy a nightcap after an evening meal, before taking a stroll back to our hotel – we’ll aim to make that a reality some day).

 

The decor of The Wild Geese Restaurant works perfectly with its cottage structure.  As much as I enjoy neutral palettes, clean lines and minimalism, I also have an appreciation of history and age, and so it was refreshing to see period furniture and colour on the walls – the sense of belonging was strong and the natural light that crept in through the cottage windows cast dancing shadows throughout the dining rooms.

We were shown to our table and it was nice to see we weren’t the only one’s dining out with young children. Funnily enough Julie who showed us to our table actually mentioned that she thought they were us (the booking) as our children were of similar age (I might have minded had their table been more suitable but there was ample room for us all along with our pram). Smith was delighted to have free rein next to me on the couch style seating, and Cassidy slept through most of our lunch, wakening towards the end for a light bite and a bottle we had pre-prepared.

For lunch both Patrick and I ordered from the ‘Light Meals’ section, and we chose ‘Linguine with butter and parmesan‘ for Smith from the separate ‘Kids Meals’ section – which was just perfect for him.

Patrick chose the ‘Chicken liver pate with warm brioche and seasonal salad‘. Finical about pâté, Patrick was delighted with his dish. It looked pretty, and was far from plain. The salad complimented it completely and he gave his highest compliment by relishing every last bite.

As a recently proclaimed pescatarian (basically a vegetarian who eats fish) I was delighted to see ‘Kenmare mussels‘ on the menu and they were served ‘in a white wine, garlic and herb cream with fries‘.  The mussels were fresh, the sauce was delicious – I even ordered bread to soak it up.

To complete our light lunch I ordered a coffee and we enjoyed a ‘Dessert plate‘ that included fresh strawberries, ‘Orange and Almond Cake with Raspberry Sorbet‘. Perfect.

Dining at The Wild Geese Restaurant was a great experience. The food was quality – delicious, local and very good value. The service was warm and friendly. The restaurant was homely and pretty. We’re looking forward to dining here again – and I hope it’s soon.

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*****

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