BALLINA, Co. Mayo – The Kitchen Restaurant at the Mount Falcon Estate is excited to announce the re-opening of the 2024 season with a new bold á la carte menu featuring in-house dry aged beef, fresh seafood, and a range of other offerings. Under the direction of Chef Tom Doyle diners will be able to select their own preferred cuts of beef to suit their appetite and budget. A wide range of sides and desserts remain a staple to allow guests to tailor their dining experience to their own taste.
“Pure simplicity, there’s beauty in simplicity,” Doyle said describing the restaurant concept which focuses on Irish-sourced protein and beef aged on site in specially designed aging cabinets.
The dry aging process, while not a novel idea on its own, went out of favour as mass produced “wet aging” (think vacuum sealed and moisture absorbent packaging) became the standard practice for restaurants and at-home consumers sourcing their beef. Doyle and estate proprietor Alan Maloney watched the trend moving away from quality and flavour toward volume and productivity. They didn’t like what they saw, so instead of relying on the efficiencies and labour-savings of modern practices Maloney and Doyle decided, as Doyle says, to go “back to basics” to the source of flavour and quality.
Mount Falcon is also proud to announce The Kitchen Restaurant will be offering specially selected wines by the glass paired with dishes by Resident Sommelier Maxence Gaudillot. The sommelier joins Mount Falcon from Burgundy where he grew up in his parents’ boulangerie learning about wine through the producers who frequented the shop. Gaudillot brings his particular sensitivities to Irish cuisine, saying, “To know the wine you need to know the gastronomy.”
The wine pairings aim to strike a balance, or as Gaudillot says, achieve “équilibre” with the food and wine matches. Much of the restaurant’s full wine selection is being sourced from producers Gaudillot knows and whose appellations he has visited and studied.
The new restaurant concept was conceived of by Maloney and Doyle after questioning what “fine dining” in Ireland means. This new direction for the restaurant is, according to Maloney, a re-focusing on his vision for the Irish country kitchen. “With an á la carte menu of in-house dry aged beef we are taking a stand for Irish beef,” he said. Choosing the best available ingredients is at the core of the new restaurant concept. “Let’s treat [ingredients] with care,” Doyle said, adding, “I’m giving them really what beef should taste like.” Maloney acknowledges the protein focused menu is taking a position on what diners will find on the menu, but added, “We want to celebrate what makes Irish ingredients coveted the world over.”
Diners can still expect to find a classic pot of spuds on the stove, alongside menu items like pork belly, local crab, smoked Haddock, roast cauliflower, and saffron risotto. All beef, poultry, and pork are of Irish origin. The new progressively protein targeted offering will be served for lunch and dinner. A Lunch Cut chosen by the chef from the restaurant’s dry aging cabinet will feature a daily selection. Diners can ask their server about the daily Lunch Cut, which is available alongside the full menu.
With an ingredients-first mentality nothing is sacrificed on the journey from produce to plate. “This year we hope to bring you the best steak & seafood dining experience on the west coast of Ireland,” says Maloney.
