Rosscarbery: Delicious in its detail
The restaurant has, in its 22 years, got its share of gongs, passing nods and plaques, but they seem almost peripheral to the job in hand. Picture: Dan Linehan
FILM director David Lean — The Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Ryan’s Daughter and many, many more — was notoriously fastidious about detail. Some colleagues suggested he was obsessively, nit-pickingly difficult about the accuracy needed to seem authentic.
Close enough was never good enough. Actors wore clothes that were copies, not interpretations, of the clothes current at the very moment the story was set. There was no subliminal, half careless nod to the fashions of the day to make his films more immediate.
Authenticity was the objective, credibility was the issue because he realised the very best way to engage an audience was to present them with something utterly, breathingly credible. And yet he sometimes struggled to satisfy his own demanding standards because, well, authenticity can’t be faked. It either is or it isn’t.
The O’Callaghan Walshe restaurant in Rosscarbery has no need to fake authenticity. It is the epitome of a comfortable straightforwardness, of having a focus on creating the often wonderful experience of enjoying good food with friends. It reeks of that casual but far-from-it professionalism that only those at ease with themselves and their work seem to have. It is the kind of place you leave thinking that you might like to run it, that the happiness so obvious across the room would be rewarding and sustaining.
And it’s in a lovely, tucked-away place ever so slightly off the foodie showbiz/celeb circuit. The restaurant has, in its 22 years, got its share of gongs, passing nods and plaques, but they seem almost peripheral to the job in hand — celebrating wonderful local seafood by using only the best of it at its freshest.
The night we — there were three of us, Orla and Eithne brought their abundant curiosity and energy — visited was one of those almost unprecedented July evenings that showed West Cork at its very best. The food more than matched the weather.
I was, I must confess, proselytising, trying to show students Orla and Eithne that making good food and wine a part of their lives would be a joyful, enriching experience. I’m very glad to say the O’Callaghan Walshe food more than played its part in the mission.
Orla began with chargrilled squid with a spicy salsa. What a lovely contrast it was to the by now default and often limpid calamari. It was a joyful plate not to be outdone by Eithne’s goat’s cheese with rocket and beetroot. This version of the contemporary standard stood out for its freshness and piquancy. It was a lovely iteration of the dish.
I may have got the best part of the bargain — smoked salmon, asparagus, and a poached egg; a lovely combination of tastes and textures. Excellent.
For her main course Eithne chose Roxanne’s homemade scampi. It was excellent, sweet, and crispy dry. Orla had roast monkfish with garlic butter. What a generous, beautifully cooked piece of fish it was. Not a fleck survived. My turbot with sauce citron was one of those dishes that seem simple but require real skill in the kitchen. It was as close to perfection as you could wish for. All were served with good cheer in an unpretentious, welcoming place. Desserts — ice cream and a seductively gooey pud — and coffees were excellent, too.
The restaurant’s website emphasised an enthusiasm for offering wines not readily available on the high street so we chose, for me at least, an unfamiliar Spanish white, Sisquella Clos Pons.
It tasted, if I may be allowed the kind of fantasy that David Lean would leave on the cutting room floor, like what I imagine a mermaid might taste like. This may not be a standard wine-tasting note but the wine could hardly have been bettered as an accompaniment to seafood. Certainly a name for the files.
The website also emphasises “during the months of July and August booking is essential” — this lovely meal showed why you should.
