Kevin Thornton was seeing stars yesterday. Two of them to be exact. The Tipperary-born chef has been awarded a second coveted star by the annual Michelin Hotel and Restaurant Guide.
"I'm floating, it's absolutely magic," Mr Thornton told The Irish Times as he prepared for the evening diners at his restaurant in Portobello.
Kevin and his wife, Muriel, learned the news yesterday morning when a colleague phoned to congratulate them. "We didn't know what he was congratulating us for," said Mr Thornton.
He says his secret is staying away from "fashion food", and over the five years he and his team have worked to their own standards. "Once you are happy with what you are doing, that's what counts."
Among the delicacies on offer at the restaurant are pig's trotter with poitin sauce and sauteed foie gras. Main courses are around the u£30 mark, while a six-course menu is available for u£59.
Meanwhile, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin retained its two stars, which mean "excellent cooking, worth a detour".
The guide contains good news for Mr Conrad Gallagher, who will be pleased, after a difficult year, that Peacock Alley in Dublin's Fitzwilliam Hotel retained its one-star status.
Shiro, a Japanese restaurant in Ahakista, Co Cork, also retained its star, as did Erriseask House in Bally conneely, Connemara.
In Northern Ireland, Shanks restaurant in Bangor, Co Down, remains a one-star restaurant, to the delight of its chef, Mr Robbie Millar. Michael Deane's restaurant in Belfast also retained a star while Bib Gourmand awards were given to Fontana in Holywood, Co Down, and Alden's in Belfast. Cayenne, run by husband-and-wife team Paul and Jeanne Rankin in Belfast, also received a Bib Gourmand.
Two restaurants which were stripped of their stars in recent times - at the Park Hotel in Kenmare, Co Kerry, and The Commons on St Stephen's Green, Dublin - did not manage to win them back.
"We didn't expect one this year," said the owner of The Commons, Mr Michael Fitzgerald, explaining that his head chef, Mr Sebastian Masi, left in August to establish a new restaurant. While no criteria are laid down by Michelin, continuity in the kitchen is understood to be a key factor in awarding stars.
Mr Fitzgerald said the restaurant's new head chef, Mr Aidan Byrne, who spent the last year as head chef at Peacock Alley, had helped retain the star for Mr Gallagher's restaurant.