Fuchsia House, Ardee: 'Lamb rogan josh was, I reckon, the best I've ever tasted. The meat tasted of proper lamb.'
There are many architectural delights in Co Louth, but the Fuchsia House in Ardee is not one of them. It was not a thing of beauty when it was put up in the 1950s and time has not been kind to it. People with aesthetic sensibilities are quite likely to wince as they pass it.
But passing it would be a mistake because within it is some exceptional Indian food. And even those who brave the exterior might miss this simple fact if they take just a cursory look at the menu.
This mid-market restaurant in a not very glamorous provincial town - Ardee is no Kinsale or Westport - is designed to survive. Hence the big portions, the pasta, the steaks and the usual suspects. But the interior is fine. It could be any modern restaurant in a fairly sophisticated spot.
Donegal woman Sarah Nic Lochlainn and Bangladesh-born Sarajit Chanda, the couple who run it, wanted to open a restaurant in Dublin but found the overheads too high. She had managed Mint and he had been head chef at TriBeCa, but fate decreed that they were to come to Ardee, where they opened Fuchsia House just over a year ago. Lucky old Ardee.
I wouldn't have known all this had Sarah not sent me a packet of blended ground spices in the post a few months ago. Normally I would be wary of mysterious powders sent through the post, on the basis that a deranged restaurateur might have cooked up botulism or anthrax in their spare time. Weapons of mass destruction are not entirely unknown in the catering business, although I'm not sure they are deliberate.
But this powder had a very seductive aroma and it was not long before the Doorley kitchen was full of the perfumes of the East. The resulting curry was the business.
It was only a matter of time before I took the long road northwards. And not being inclined to judge restaurants by what they look like (some of the worst food in Ireland is served in very cool, contemporary surroundings) I was able to persuade my curmudgeonly companion to over-ride his aesthetic sensibilities and join in the adventure.
I want to stress that we ordered a lot of food. Far more than was necessary. But it was very hard to choose. The Lucullan spread (should that be Lucollon in Co Louth?) left us feeling hugely satisfied, and the doggy bags kept me going for days, filling my fridge with something much more alluring than the usual scent of stale milk and forgotten sliced pan. I happen to adore cold Indian food for breakfast, but we all have our foibles. The point is that the Fuchsia House does some of the best oriental cooking in the country and it also offers tremendous value for money. Just take a glance at the bottom line.
We kicked off with buttery, crisp paratha bread (they don't do Indian starters, as such) and were soon tucking into a hot, creamy yet attractively tart Kerala prawn curry.
Then came tandoori chicken - two meaty fillets - encased in a rich, spicy, utterly yummy marinade which was reassuringly not day-glo orange. They don't have a clay tandoor here, so it was baked in the oven; it was remarkably good.
Lamb rogan josh was, I reckon, the best I've ever tasted. The meat tasted of proper lamb, and the dark sauce was intense, earthy and - to borrow a phrase from the world of wine - had terrific length.
Palak paneer, a combination of spinach and home-made cheese (they are rightly proud of this touch) combined sharpness and warm spices with weirdly wonderful textures. This is vegetarian food of the highest order.
We had three kinds of rice: steamed basmati; beautifully aromatic pilau; and simply superb lemon rice with a zesty flavour and lots of mustard seed.
In too many "Indian" restaurants it seems that there's a central sauce pot, the contents of which are tweaked slightly for each dish. Not so here. The dishes taste intensely of themselves, and that's why it's worth a long journey.
With a bottle of mineral water, four Cobra lagers and one very proper espresso, the bill for a vast amount of utterly delicious grub came to €85.70.
Fuchsia House, Dundalk Road, Ardee, Co Louth, 041-6858432
Wine and beer
We stuck with beer, eschewing Heineken, Carlsberg, Guinness, Miller and the traditional local lager, Satzenbrau, in favour of Cobra, which is Indian in origin. The wine list is fairly basic, but Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2003, both red and white, is decent at €29 . Villa Maria Riesling (€29) might well work with spicy dishes. I don't know Hocheimer Stein Riesling Kabinett Domdechant Werne rsches Weingut 2000 (€30) but it sounds as if it might be even better. Drostdy-Hof Chenin Blanc (€24) is slightly off-dry and easier to pronounce.