Michelin-star restaurant in the red

Michelin-starred restaurant Thornton’s, which is owned by celebrity chef Kevin Thornton, dipped further into the red last year.

The abridged accounts just filed to the Companies Office by Conted Ltd — trading as Thornton’s Restaurant — show that the business recorded an after tax loss of €9,504 to the end of August last year after recording a loss of €1,595 in 2011.

This followed two years of profits and the company showed accumulated losses of €83,466 at the end of August last.

The firm’s cash during the year decreased from €162,950 to €120,262.

In a note attached to the accounts, Conted Ltd’s directors, Kevin Thornton and his wife, Muriel, state that they have “considered the uncertainty in the current economic and financial environment and are confident that the company will be in a position to trade through these difficult trading circumstances and continue to take appropriate steps to manage its business activities in this environment”.

It says that “the share-holders have indicated their willingness to continue to provide continued financial support”.

The modest losses of the last two years follows the company recording profits of €19,234 in 2010 and €37,990 in 2009.

Thorntons is one of six restaurants in Ireland that has been awarded one Michelin star. Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud is the only restaurant in Ireland to have two stars.

Thornton’s was first established in 1995 in Dublin’s Portobello.

In 2002, the restaurant was relocated to its present location on St Stephen’s Green.

Originally from Cashel in Co Tipperary, Mr Thornton was the first Irish chef to receive the rare accolade of two Michelin stars.

The restaurant’s website boasts that Mr Thornton “has a spiritual, almost reverential, approach to food”.

The two-star Michelin chef believes each ingredient passing through his kitchen should be treated with “absolute respect”.

Mr Thornton’s profile has increased in recent years through his appearances on a number of television programmes.

The restaurant’s renowned eight-course tasting menu costs €120 and its current menu includes dishes such as mi-cuit of foie gras rolled in black truffle; loin of milk-fed veal, and Irish Atlantic blue fin tuna, cooked three ways.

The dinner menu at the restaurant costs €65 per head with lunch costing €45 per person.

Mr Thornton was unavailable for comment yesterday.