Life

Eating Out: Leaving it late to book at Easter, we struck lucky at Ballyliffin Lodge

Views from the Ballyliffin Lodge in Inishowen. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
Views from the Ballyliffin Lodge in Inishowen. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin Views from the Ballyliffin Lodge in Inishowen. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin

Jack’s Bar and Restaurant

Ballyliffin Lodge and Spa Hotel

Ballyliffin

Co Donegal

00353 7493 78200

ballyliffinlodge.com

I STRUGGLE with too much choice. It’s not too bad when it comes to food, because I get round the problem by having everything. But if it’s anything else – which film to go to, which clothes to buy (the ones I can squeeze into), which book to read – I can become paralysed by the options available.

So it was a relief when it came to where to go for our Easter break. With one exception, call after call met the same reply: sorry, but we’re fully booked. There might have been more availability if I’d not left it till late Maundy Thursday before ringing round hotels, of course, but, as it was, the only place with any rooms free was Ballyliffin Lodge.

We struck lucky. With no deliberation required, we got ourselves a lovely hotel, right by the beach, and so close to Derry that we didn’t even need to pack: we could just nip home in our pyjamas every morning and get what we wanted.

We stopped off on the way there to visit the Doagh Famine Village, and by the time we arrived at the hotel we were well ready to eat. Luckily, we were just in time for dinner, and there was a table free in the terrace where we had a beautiful view over Pollan Bay.

They have a nice set-up here, with an easy flow between the terrace, the bar, and the restaurant. There’s both a bar menu and a restaurant menu, but you can order from either regardless of where you’re sitting. It made for a lively, convivial atmosphere, with a mix of locals in for a pint and a bite to eat, young families on holiday, and groups of golfers from far and wide making their way round the courses of the north of Ireland.

We decided to stick to the nicely priced restaurant menu and went for the three-course option. The vegetable soup was excellent. Maybe a bit too thick and filling for the first of three courses, but full of flavour and with a hint of heat to lift the palate. The goats’ cheese salad was a much lighter affair and just as good in its own way. The creaminess of the cheese was balanced by a honey-sweetness, the beetroot was cleverly pickled so as to be only gently sharp, and the walnuts provided earthiness and texture.

Both main dishes were very good indeed, and the small faults there were in no way detracted from the enjoyment. The two large sea bass fillets both lacked crispy skin, but the meat flaked beautifully and was soft, tasty, and perfectly cooked. The bacon lardons added a welcome saltiness and the flavour of the spinach sat nicely within the dish. The potatoes were sweet and soft, although it was hard to detect much in the way of any herbiness.

In contrast to the sea bass, the skin of the chicken supreme had a good texture and was well-seasoned, complementing the tender, juicy meat pleasingly. The arancini casing was crunchy and the rice inside cooked perfectly, but a bit more of the ham hock would have been welcome. Talking of more being welcome, I wish there had been more of the red wine jus. This was rich, sweet, and gleaming, but there was precious little of it. Just a bit more would have really enhanced the dish.

The baked lemon tart was sweet, sharp, and light, but the pastry was a bit soft, and failed to provide a necessary contrast to the filling. No issues whatsoever with the brownie. This was just gorgeous – rich and gooey, with a lovely, crumbly top, deliciously chocolatey, with a good smattering of nuts – and made even better by the creamy, salty caramel ice cream.

All that was left to do was sit back and enjoy the view over the fields, hills, beach, and ocean, and be glad we were left with no choice in all this.

THE BILL

Three courses at set price of €35

Vegetable soup

Honey-whipped goats’ cheese, salad, pickled beetroot, candied walnuts

Pan-seared fillets of sea bass, crushed herb potatoes, bacon lardons, buttered spinach, basil pesto

Pan-seared supreme of chicken, ham hock arancini, carrot puree, red wine jus

(Mains served with seasonal vegetables and potatoes)

Triple chocolate brownie, salted caramel ice cream

Baked lemon tart, vanilla ice cream

Pint of Guinness €4.90

Total: €74.90 (£64.59)