Tom Doorleyreviews Vaughans, Co Clare
In restaurant reviews people are forever choosing or opting for this, that or the other. They so rarely just have something. The man at the next table in Vaughans Anchor Inn, however, had a new word for it. He announced that he was not fond of fish - which is a shame in this restaurant - and that he had just given away two award-winning salmon that he had caught.
He studied the menu very carefully and eventually said to the waitress: "I think I'll chance the duck." It doesn't sound very encouraging. It's more like what you do with your arm than what you do with a carefully constructed menu.
Vaughans, which is on the main street of the Co Clare town of Liscannor, near the Cliffs of Moher, is pleasantly old-fashioned and chintzy, and there's a lot of pint drinking. It is, after all, a pub. Mind you, I was surprised that a Dutch couple decided to accompany the tasting menu with pints of Budweiser, but each to their own.
The menu shows signs of influences way beyond the Liscannor horizon. The first sign that someone in the kitchen was trying very hard came with a lamb lollipop - actually a minced-lamb patty on the end of a small wooden skewer, served with a dollop of finely diced aubergine cooked with what seemed to be orange, star anise, a little sugar and a touch of vinegar. It was quite delicious. Someone in the kitchen was trying very hard - and succeeding. (As I write, my own aubergines are ripening in the watery sunlight, and the first to reach acceptable size is going to get this treatment. I might even manage to make a few lamb lollipops, too.)
This was a mere amuse bouche, though. The starter was as successful as it was big: four Dublin bay prawns - large and juicy within their crisp coating of tempura batter - came with far-from-small mounds of potato salad enriched with smoked salmon. I didn't quite manage it all.
The special of the evening sounded good: roast lobster with fried John Dory, baby carrots and something that sounded like a ginger foam. Foams are often a bad sign, and ginger can be dangerous in the wrong hands.
This big main course was very nearly a triumph, however. The baby organic carrots, tiny, sweet and crunchy, worked superbly with - and here was a surprise - the ginger foam.
Together, they picked up the sweetness of the impeccably cooked John Dory and stood a good chance of doing the same for the lobster. Except that the lobster had, I reckon, been poached in too strong a stock before a brief roasting. It was too like eating roasted stock, but I will admit that I managed to eat it all.
In a country addicted to woody carrot, sulphurous cauliflower and penitential broccoli it was very refreshing to have a vegetable selection that well exceeded expectations. It comprised baby carrots (again, and I'm not complaining), baby beetroot, asparagus, fennel and yellow courgettes, all lightly dressed with sesame oil and topped with a sprig of lavender.
A pre-dessert of a small creme brulee, fine as these things go, threatened to swamp any remaining appetite, but I decided to chance (chancing was clearly catching) some strawberries dressed with aged balsamic vinegar and served with whipped cream.
It was worth the chance, this being the first time I've experienced how good the combination can be.
Most balsamic vinegar used in Irish restaurants tastes like acetic acid with added caramel. I'm told that it's no coincidence in many cases.
With a bottle of organic Alsace Riesling (which I must stress I didn't finish, although it was very good indeed) and a small Ballygowan, the bill came to €79.30, including delightful, friendly service.
Vaughans Anchor Inn, Main Street, Liscannor, Co Clare, 065-7081548, www.vaughans.ie
Wine Choice
This is a very mixed list, suggesting that it may be put together by a committee. You can have Mateus Rosé, if you are so inclined, for €19.95. There are not many sightings of that brand these days. My Domaine Mittnacht Riesling (€28.95) was excellent: crisp, minerally, perfectly dry and an organic bargain. Jean-Max Roger Sancerre is a bit steep, at €49. Domaine Reverdy Sancerre Rosé (€37.95) looks like a much better buy. Green Point is Moët & Chandon's Victoria outpost, and its sparkler is one of the New World's best. At €44.95 it's better value than any champagne, but you can have Dom Perignon, the wedding wine of choice among the new aristocracy, for €199. To be honest, I find it too oaky. Green Point for me, then.