The Red Door Country House,
Carrowmullin,
Fahan,
Co Donegal
THE Red Door Country House sits behind a high wall on the road into Fahan from Derry. The well-tended grounds slope gently down to the waters of Lough Swilly. Across the water lie Inch Island and the western banks of the lough.
We had tried to book for Friday at 7.30, but had to settle for Saturday at 8. The car park was full when the three of us arrived, and when we left, for that matter, and the restaurant was packed, with locals from either side of the border, and with visitors from further afield, who were using the hotel as a base from which to explore Donegal.
You could hear Scottish, Spanish, and German accents, as well as Irish, of course, and my brother and I added a refined Scouse to the mix.
This is the kind of place that Ireland maybe does better than anywhere else. The Red Door has an easy, relaxed, familiar, attentive elegance. It’s warm and friendly and eager to please. It allows you space while staying close at hand.
We chose the Katifi prawns and cod goujons to start, as well as the vegetable soup and the Mulroy Bay mussels. The goujons needed more seasoning and felt a bit fishfingery, and the prawns were a little overcooked. The mussels were terrific, though, the taste of the sea blending beautifully with the gentle curry and coconut sauce.
If the prawns and cod lacked a bit of finesse, the same certainly couldn’t be said for the soup. It threw us a little, to be honest. A bowl was placed in front of my brother. It was dotted with dabs of sauce and garnished with leaves. But there was no soup. We weren’t quite sure what to do – was this some Blumenthalish concentrate? The emperor’s new soup, maybe?
Thankfully, before he could spoon up the dollops of sauce and pronounce it delicious, the waitress arrived and filled his bowl from a serving boat. And it was properly delicious.
Two out of three, then, and that score continued with the main course. I loved my dish – a big, meaty serving of cod, sitting on a layer of smoked salmon and orzo pasta, topped with succulent prawns, a great balance of delicacy and punch. The duck breast was tender and of full of flavour, with sweet and sharp notes coming from the fig, port, and passion fruit.
The feta cheese parcels were disappointing, mind. There was nothing wrong with the flavour, but the pastry casing was soft and soggy, when it should have been crisp and crunchy.
On to pudding. My wife and I shared the vanilla custard tart, and this was a bit of a let down, frankly. You couldn’t really taste the vanilla, the custard was too heavy, and the pastry a bit stodgy. The rhubarb that came with it, though, was gorgeous, and I really liked the rhubarb ice cream.
That pleasure, however, was nothing compared to my brother’s, who was undergoing some sort of cheesecake ecstasy next to me. Honestly, it was like witnessing a religious conversion. I don’t know if I share his faith – I wasn’t allowed a taste. His evangelism has strict limits and stops just south of sharing.
So then, not a complete success. But we’d definitely go again, because the good bits were really good. We’d just choose a little more carefully next time.
And also because our waitress was Erika. She recognised us from the last time we met, when she served us at a different restaurant, ages ago. No big deal, you might think. But she remembered my brother’s name, and the café where he works, and the day he works there, and she meant it when she asked him about it, and she made him feel brilliant. Restaurants aren’t just about the food.
THE BILL
Starters:
Mulroy Bay mussels in curry coconut cream €9
Vegetable soup €6.95
Katifi prawns and cod goujons €9.50
Mains:
Breast of Barbary duck, port poached fig, seared foie gras, passion fruit sauce €28
Fillet of cod, prawns, smoked salmon, orzo pasta €22
Spinach, pine nut, and feta cheese parcels, salad, mint and yoghurt dressing €19.50
Side order of vegetables €4
Puddings:
Vanilla custard tart, poached rhubarb, rhubarb ice cream €8
Baked orange and white chocolate cheesecake, passion fruit jelly, honeycomb parfait €8
Drinks:
Diet Coke €2.90
Bottle of Trebbiano €28
Dessert wine x 2 €14
Total: €154.85 (£115.78)
