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Set on the shores of Lough Ree, just a few miles from Athlone, Ray Byrne and Jane English’s Wineport Lodge is truly an oasis in a gastronomic desert. An ambitious a la carte menu of 8 starters and 8 mains sets the tone with such items as Dublin bay prawn won ton with a sesame and sweet chilli jam, seared king scallops with a ginger pickle fried rice, honey and soy, chicken breast terrine with dill and McGeogh’s turf smoked lamb with a beetroot and mint sorbet, hot mint sausage and a turnip mousseline – all beautifully executed.
Main courses could consist of local lamb with cous-cous, duck with a sweet and sour sauce as well as generous helping of tiger prawns with coriander, lime and ginger pickle, roast guinea fowl with a pumpkin and pepperbelle risotto and chorizo. Braised lamb shank with a parsnip and chickpea beignet and a pesto mash was as tasty as it was filling.
The cuisine is precise, although seasoning of the oriental herbs and spices may be a little bit overdone. However, you could not say the same about the execution of the meat flesh, which was spot on according to the requested degree of cooking. Desserts were good, too. A New York cheese cake with praline crunch, rum and butterscotch sauce was made by someone who had obviously been to New York, according to our New York colleague, who was prepared to scoff at the description initially. And the pecan nut carrot cake with mascarpone cream also had a transatlantic twang about it. A slight disappointment was the hot chocolate fondant with a Cointreau fudge sauce, which was a little on the dry side.
The economy menu at €29.50 for two courses was a much simpler affair, homemade soup, smoked organic salmon carpaccio as starters, lemon sole goujons, wild venison pie as main courses appeared amongst a choice of four dishes for each course which seemed appetising enough – we tried the goose and ham hock terrine with spiced apple chutney as one of our starters (you can mix and match) which showed good preparatory skills.
The service, led by manageress Norma Wilson, is efficient and with good humour, which is a welcome bonus to the enjoyment of the evening. However, we did encounter a little problem with the wine pouring which a little more experience among the staff should soon rectify. A second bottle of the Enate Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon was ordered which was just poured into our glasses which already had some wine from the first bottle in it. It was only when we refilled our second glass of the second bottle that we noticed that the wine was slightly faulty.
Main courses could consist of local lamb with cous-cous, duck with a sweet and sour sauce as well as generous helping of tiger prawns with coriander, lime and ginger pickle, roast guinea fowl with a pumpkin and pepperbelle risotto and chorizo. Braised lamb shank with a parsnip and chickpea beignet and a pesto mash was as tasty as it was filling.
The cuisine is precise, although seasoning of the oriental herbs and spices may be a little bit overdone. However, you could not say the same about the execution of the meat flesh, which was spot on according to the requested degree of cooking. Desserts were good, too. A New York cheese cake with praline crunch, rum and butterscotch sauce was made by someone who had obviously been to New York, according to our New York colleague, who was prepared to scoff at the description initially. And the pecan nut carrot cake with mascarpone cream also had a transatlantic twang about it. A slight disappointment was the hot chocolate fondant with a Cointreau fudge sauce, which was a little on the dry side.
The economy menu at €29.50 for two courses was a much simpler affair, homemade soup, smoked organic salmon carpaccio as starters, lemon sole goujons, wild venison pie as main courses appeared amongst a choice of four dishes for each course which seemed appetising enough – we tried the goose and ham hock terrine with spiced apple chutney as one of our starters (you can mix and match) which showed good preparatory skills.
The service, led by manageress Norma Wilson, is efficient and with good humour, which is a welcome bonus to the enjoyment of the evening. However, we did encounter a little problem with the wine pouring which a little more experience among the staff should soon rectify. A second bottle of the Enate Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon was ordered which was just poured into our glasses which already had some wine from the first bottle in it. It was only when we refilled our second glass of the second bottle that we noticed that the wine was slightly faulty.
...It was still quite drinkable but not as good as the first bottle. It was just a €40 bottle, though it would have really hurt if it had been one of the three figured bottles mentioned below (up to €375). But, having mentioned this to Norma Wilson, we were delighted to receive from her a complimentary bottle of the Enate Cabernet to take away. Now that’s what we call hospitality! Well done, Norma.
The wine list is sound, but not special, which is a little surprising for what appears to be a wine-oriented establishment. Smart clarets at three figure prices abound, and the rest of the wine list seems unbalanced, possibly due to the rooms being sponsored by various wine and spirit producers which tends to exclude rivals. A good point, though, is the economy list, which lists about five wines in the price category of €15, €20 and €25, with some quite good choices amongst those categories.
Restaurant Ratings...
Food 43
Winelist 13
Service 9
Ambience 4
Value for Money 12
Total 81
Wineport Lodge Glasson, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.
Directions: Take the Longford/Cavan exit off the N6 Dublin to Galway road at the Athlone by-pass, continue towards Longford for about 2.5 miles, fork left in front of the “Dog and Duck” pub, and continue up that road for about a mile. Wineport Lodge is on the left.
Phone: 090 643 9010 Fax
E-mail: lodge@wineport.ie
Web site www.wineport.ie
Open: All year.
Rooms: 10 all en suite.
Prices: €175 single to €275 for doubles. Breakfast €19. Dinner (à la carte): approx. €55 for three courses. Economy dinner: €29.50 for two courses, €39.50 for three courses.
Special Dinner, Bed and Breakfast rates are available mid-week and off season.
Credit cards all major cards.
The wine list is sound, but not special, which is a little surprising for what appears to be a wine-oriented establishment. Smart clarets at three figure prices abound, and the rest of the wine list seems unbalanced, possibly due to the rooms being sponsored by various wine and spirit producers which tends to exclude rivals. A good point, though, is the economy list, which lists about five wines in the price category of €15, €20 and €25, with some quite good choices amongst those categories.
Restaurant Ratings...
Food 43
Winelist 13
Service 9
Ambience 4
Value for Money 12
Total 81
Wineport Lodge Glasson, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.
Directions: Take the Longford/Cavan exit off the N6 Dublin to Galway road at the Athlone by-pass, continue towards Longford for about 2.5 miles, fork left in front of the “Dog and Duck” pub, and continue up that road for about a mile. Wineport Lodge is on the left.
Phone: 090 643 9010 Fax
E-mail: lodge@wineport.ie
Web site www.wineport.ie
Open: All year.
Rooms: 10 all en suite.
Prices: €175 single to €275 for doubles. Breakfast €19. Dinner (à la carte): approx. €55 for three courses. Economy dinner: €29.50 for two courses, €39.50 for three courses.
Special Dinner, Bed and Breakfast rates are available mid-week and off season.
Credit cards all major cards.
