Restaurant review: La Fougère in Knockranny House Hotel is truly on top of its game

La Fougère Restaurant

I miss my neighbour, Eamon. I also miss the rabbits, pheasants, teal, and mallard he would gift me. I can still hear the scream of consternation when I foolishly allowed my six-year-old to bring the head of a particularly cute rabbit to show his mam; as there was no body attached, her reaction was not positive.

Worse was the time I found a convenient nail in the garage on which to hang a brace of pheasant. I had not considered the proximity of the washing machine, and on a dark evening a day or so later the Engineer got a mouthful of damp feathers when she stood up with a bundle of clothes from the machine.

She was not impressed, and I had to find another place to hang my birds. I can’t tell you where, I may need it again sometime.

Game does not appear on Irish restaurant menus often — perhaps chefs are squeamish about diners finding shot and damaging a tooth. Knockranny House Hotel in Westport is one of my favourite hotels and the game on the La Fougère restaurant menu every autumn and winter is a major attraction for me — chef Seamus Commons is a hunter himself, as is Knockranny’s owner, Adrian Noonan.

First up for the Engineer was a fish-packed smoked haddock and cod cake with generous crab mayonnaise and pickled vegetables and lemon aioli to lighten the dish. It disappeared fast.

My roast partridge (€16.50) meanwhile was the bargain course of the evening. I know Michelin-star restaurants that would charge €50 for half a partridge, and would not get close to the artistry of this dish.

The tender flesh on the breast glistened inside with a whisper of pink indicating the flesh was cooked to perfection. The leg too was tender and had been stuffed with porky sweet white pudding and apricot and turned into a meaty lollipop perfect for mopping up the sticky rich jus and the celeriac mousse. The dish was perfection, I mopped my plate and sucked on the leg bone.

My only criticism of our meal would be the non-game main course choices on the menu which seemed a little uninspired; Silverhill duck breast, supreme of Irish chicken, farmed seabass etc. I’d love to have seen Achill hogget or mutton, for example.

Of course, I ordered game for my main course; wild Irish pheasant was just €33.50. Not all ‘wild pheasant’ are created equal and I’ve had birds that were intensively reared and shot a day or two later offering woolly and dull tasting flesh. This was not such a bird. Once again a tiny pink tinge in the breast flesh which was succulent, meaty and flavourful, crisp fried onions, hearty kale, sweet raisins, a fruity wine-based sauce and earthy root vegetables added pleasing flavours and contrasts.

The Engineer’s chargrilled cauliflower steak (€24) was the lighter dish she had been hoping for with meaty cauliflower offset by confit tomato which added sweetness and chickpeas in a Madras curry sauce adding piquancy. Basil oil added some herbal nuance while cashew nuts added crunch.

Knockranny’s wine list would shame most restaurants in the country in terms of value and choice. Prices start at €29.50 (for a decent Chilean red and white), the excellent Sicilian Ciello Red and White cost just €31 and there is lots of choice under €50. The focus is on smaller producers but also renowned ones such as the Rhône’s Stephane Ogier and Soave’s Pieropan. We had to pick Slovenian Roka Blaufränkisch €45 which is made by Sinéad and Liam Cabot who split their time between Mayo and their vineyard in Slovenia, and import many of the best wines on the list, including the excellent Grosse Point Chiroubles Beaujolais and Baroli Barolo.

The blaufränkisch proved a perfect match for my game and also for the spiced cauliflower. Rich and rounded with depth and complexity and almost a surfeit of black cherry fruit flavours, priced at €45, it was a relative bargain for this quality.

From a choice of five desserts including classics such as crème brûlée and pear and apple parfait it had to be chocolate crémeux mousse and it was a fine finish; rich chocolate, nutty biscuit base, a perfect toffee sauce, and a solid salted caramel ice cream.

Seamus Commons really is doing something special in La Fougère. The game season is over by now sadly, but spring lamb is on the way.

Dinner was paid for by Leslie who was an overnight guest of Knockranny House.