EATING OUT:Wood-fired ovens and a candle-lit barn make for a unique - but expensive - dining experience in Co Wexford
ORMOND RHODES HICKSON, aka Roddy Hickson, is no Johnny-come-lately to the Irish restaurant scene. Having brought Italian exoticism to a dreary 1980s Dublin in the shape of authentic pizza, the white-haired founder of the Bad Ass Café now resides in the sunny south-east, where he runs a seasonal restaurant with his Texan spouse, Maureen.
A seasoned restaurateur, Hickson plays the part of genial host well, welcoming every customer who enters. He is on first-name terms with most, and, throughout the evening, continually checks on tables to make sure all are happy, all the while whistling, or singing, providing the restaurant with a jolly DIY soundtrack.
As cook, Hickson also directs a brigade of fresh-faced young disciples in a very distinctive kitchen. It is distinctive because of its employment of two unusual cooking methods. The first, an Italian wood-fired convection oven, may not be the only one of its kind in the country, but the second is certainly something we don’t have a surplus of – a Middle Eastern fire basket, an interesting contraption upon which most of the meat is cooked.
Outside the open, stage-like kitchen, the interior architecture screams barn, but in a cosy, inviting way. There is no new-fangled electric lighting in the dining area, where candles create a soft focus atmosphere. Light touches of conservative, down-home Americana are scattered throughout.
Our starters of oysters baked in the wood-fired oven with dill butter (€15.95), and prawns, grilled on the fire basket with hot spiced butter (€12.95) were both enjoyable. We could have cribbed about the minuscule oysters were there not eight of the beauties, drenched in dill butter and baked just so. The prawns, topped with a fist-sized lump of spiced red butter that took the breath away, were more substantial fellows, juicy and tender, having benefited greatly from a good flame-grilling. Neither were cardio-friendly dishes, but a pleasant treat nonetheless.
The wine list is quite limited, short, and sporting nothing unusual or out of the ordinary, although there are some decent bottles. Our chosen Marques de Riscal Reserva (€39.95) is a high street staple, but it is also a classic; two years spent in oak produces a medium-bodied Rioja with lush motifs of vanilla and toasted oak, shot through with a complex array of summer fruits and spice and an elegant mouth feel.
For mains, we ordered beef entrecôte with garlic butter (€34.95), and two racks of lamb with rosemary and garlic (€39.95 each). All were well cooked and accompanied by a very fresh and vibrant salad of lamb’s lettuce, cherry tomato, and sweet gherkin. The string fries were excellent, perfectly seasoned and cooked, the quality and cleanliness of the cooking oil quite apparent.
The lamb, for me, was just a smidgeon overdone, but I like it very pink; however, flavour and quality-wise I’ve had nothing better this year. It was supremely tender, and subtly sweet, enhanced regally by the Rioja. The entrecôte was a noble cut, and it too was perfectly executed. Portions were massive – Texas massive.
As we finished our main courses, just about getting the hang of the restaurant's eccentricities, we watched our fellow diners' heads swivel as Brian O'Driscoll's fiancée, the actress Amy Huberman, walked in to the restaurant clutching a blow-up, half-naked man doll. BOD's betrothed was accompanied by a gaggle of giggling lady friends in bowler hats. A little too surreal? Apparently we were going to share the room with Miss Huberman's second hen party. Thankfully, there were no table-top renditions of Simply the Best, nor crazy antics to speak of, all present conducted themselves with remarkable modesty and decorum, which I kind of expected, something tells me Papa ain't the type to suffer drunken debauchees gladly.
My accomplices were both quite full at this stage, gastrically and mentally, so I was the only one for dessert, a “Better than Sex” chocolate pudding (€8.50) was merely okay; for that price, it could have been much, much better.
To conclude, the Papa Rhodes experience is a unique one, but it is also a very expensive one. With no early bird and some jaw-dropping prices – €8.50 for a portion of sautéed onions - I don’t think it will be a regular destination for many diners, but if you want a restaurant a little out of the ordinary and some good, ingredient-led, non-cheffy cooking, it might be worth a detour, but do expect the unexpected.
Dinner for three, with two starters, one dessert, coffee and wine, came to €201.50.
Papa Rhodes, The Old Creamery, Ballycanew, Co Wexford, tel: 053-9427533
Wheelchair access: Yes
Coffee: Excellent, expensive
Facilities: Rustic
Music: Whatever the Papa feels like singing/whistling
