Belleek Restaurant
Manor House Country Hotel
Killadeas,
Enniskillen,
Tel 028 6862 2200
NOVEMBER 12 2012. Ah, I remember it like it was yesterday. An autumn chi... hang on. Was it the 12th? Let me think. I can easily check because I know Everton lost away to Reading that day, after going one-nil up through a goal from Fellaini.
OK, let’s start again. November 17 2012. Ah, I remember it like it was yesterday. An autumn chill gripped the air, but I felt nothing but the deepest warmth. My wedding day, the happiest day of my life. (Reading, though. They went down that year, too. Trust Everton to bring a cloud to every silver lining. Still, it wasn’t the first day of mine Everton have ruined and it won’t be the last. I don’t mean ruined, of course. I mean barely registered on.)
The reason I mention it is because we had the reception here at the Fermanagh Manor (do-doo-be-do-doo). And this Sunday lunchtime was the first time we’ve been back since. Luckily, no-one remembered our faces, so the four of us were shown to our table without any problem.
This place is lovely. We ate in the conservatory, overlooking Lough Erne. The sun was shining and there were boats tootling up and down the lough. There was a man swimming in water-skis, and there were a few midday hackers on the golf course that circles the hotel. And the staff were as lovely as the hotel.
We had my God-daughter with us – I forget her name – and our waiter got her a high-chair and made sure her chips came first, on a cold plate, and that her ice cream was ready once she’d finished ignoring the chips. Minimum fuss, maximum care.
We enjoyed everything, but the starters were the best thing on the menu. The soup was light but creamy, with a refreshing tang from the red pepper. The bacon, Parmesan and anchovy in the Caesar salad blended beautifully, and the smoked salmon was a terrific mix of sweet, smoky, sharp, and savoury. The ham hock was beautifully seasoned, although I could have done with a lot more piccalilli, because I loved it.
There’s a story that sirloin is so named because James I knighted a piece of beef he was particularly impressed with. Had he been with us at the Manor House, he might only have given this one an OBE. It was good, but not fantastic.
And it was the same with the lamb. Just a trifle over-cooked, maybe, and so a touch chewier than it should have been. The turkey was tender and moist, however, and the ham was really good, and the chicken supreme was delicious. All the trimmings were spot on – smooth, buttery mash, crisp roast potatoes, vegetables with plenty of bite and texture, and rich gravy, not to mention a mountainous Yorkshire pudding.
When it came to pudding, I pretended to know what a bavarois was, telling the waiter it was akin to pannacotta, at which he nodded patiently. This was a good way to finish a meal – zingy lemon, light, fluffy cream – and I was given physalis, too, but the cream cleared this up nicely.
Two of us had the tarte tatin. One spoon pronounced it delicious, with well-made pastry and a clever combination of sweet and tart, while the other felt the tartness should have been turned up a notch. My brother disappeared into a mound of profiteroles, smothered in deeply glazed dark chocolate sauce, and came out the other side deeply glazed himself, with the satisfied smile of a chocolatey hunter-gatherer. The profiteroles never knew what hit ’em.
Yes, one or two things could have been better, but we all left happy. This was a lovely, long, leisurely lunch, in a beautiful restaurant in a beautiful part of the country. That makes two visits, and two great results. I’ll try and forget we lost to Reading.
THE BILL
Starters:
Roast Tomato and Red Pepper Soup, Basil Oil
Caesar Salad
Keenan’s Irish Smoked Salmon
Ham Hock Terrine, Piccalilli, Apple Puree
Mains:
Roast Sirloin of Angus Beef, with Yorkshire Pudding
Roast Turkey and Honey-glazed Ham, with Herb Stuffing
Roast Leg of Lough Erne Lamb, with Redcurrant and Rosemary-infused Sauce
Fermanagh Chicken Supreme, with Wild Mushrooms and Buttered Spinach
Puddings:
Profiteroles, with Warm Chocolate Sauce
Baked Apple Tarte Tatin, with Vanilla Ice Cream x 2
Lemon Bavarois, with Raspberry Coulis
£21.00 for three courses, plus tea or coffee.
Child’s meal of Chicken Nuggets and Chips, and Ice Cream: £10.50
Total, for four and a child: £94.50
