Restaurant AuctionThe Kish restaurant, built next to 18 apartments on the site of the former Dalkey Island Hotel on Coliemore Road, Co Dublin, is being sold as a private home. Christine Madden reports
Described by its website as "a beacon of perfection", the Kish Restaurant on Coliemore Road in Dalkey has closed in readiness for sale by private treaty..
The property goes on the market tomorrow as a residential property offered by Sherry FitzGerald with a guide price of €4 million.
Indicating that working in gastronomy does not adequately reward effort with cash - "There's no restaurant in Ireland making money" - owner Jim Delaney explains why he decided to close the luxurious restaurant with stunning views of Howth Head, Kish lighthouse and the open sea.
(His view was seconded by restaurateurs from Donegal inspecting what was left of the interior for possible purchase).
In the belief that the building will fetch more as a house than a restaurant, he is dismantling and selling off the kitchen, tableware and customer tables and chairs.
The property has full planning permission for a private house, and as such, Delaney expects, should earn up to €2 million more than the sale of the building as a restaurant. Built next to the site of the former Dalkey Island Hotel, Kish made headlines at its opening four years ago when the 18 luxury apartments built on the adjoining hotel site were sold at "well over €1 million each, the first time that an apartment had topped the €1 million mark in Ireland", says Delaney.
Although he had difficulty in securing planning permission for Kish, Delaney collected 6,000 signatures from local residents in support of his project, and An Bord Pleanála eventually approved the building of the restaurant.
Delaney's two daughters, who ran the restaurant, plan to lead less hectic lives now that the restaurant has been closed.
Working until the early hours of the morning (particularly for daughter Cathy, who has a young child) proved untenable over time, despite the illustrious list of guests who dined at Kish.
Delaney numbers celebrities such as Chris de Burgh, Bono, Van Morrison (all locals) and Cliff Richard among Kish's patrons, not to mention "James Bond", who "used to bring his mother quite a few times."
Soon to be completely divested of its restaurant interior, Delaney expects it would take €500,000 to €750,000 to convert Kish into a private home.
With its copious 335 sq m (3,605 sq feet) living space, the building can be modified to include four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a sittingroom and a diningroom.
The latter two, together with the main bedroom and the kitchen, would all face the water. Furthermore, the site features a courtyard and car-park with room for five cars, made secure by double gates worked electronically from the house.
Many of the building walls are assembled from granite Delaney bought from an old church on Dublin's quays.
The church metaphor continues in the interior design, with a fireplace shaped like a vaulted Gothic window and further similar detail worked into a far wall.
The former dining area features beautiful panelled wood flooring with a design of inlaid slate, and a broad sweep of windows offer a breathtaking view of the sea.
A stone terrace surrounds the house and protects people on the terrace with a streamlined stainless steel railing. The seat along the sea extends 50 feet, and the total property area comes in at just under one-third of an acre.
The building should appeal to someone looking for their dream home in an exceptional location, particularly as shoreline spots are in such short supply.
Although Dalkey will be losing one of its better-known restaurants, there are many still in the village, which is in walking distance from the site of the residence.
