Restaurant review: This is what a local restaurant should be
Joe McNamee: "This is what a local restaurant should be, I need to visit more often."
I’ve written before about my hometown of Athlone and complained a lot about how it turns its back on the Shannon, its best feature. But I can’t change the fact that I feel at home there, it is part of me, so no more complaining today.
I can’t claim to be a part of Athlone, however, not since my mother died in 2014. My only connection is her (and my father’s) grave in Cornamagh cemetery which is where I placed a colourful planter on Mother’s Day this year.
My mother loved flowers and I think her second love was a good feed of dinner with lots of potatoes and properly cooked meat. On at least a dozen visits to see her, I took her to The Fatted Calf in Glasson Village run by Feargal and Fiona O’Donnell. She loved the food and she always got the warmest of welcomes.
In 2015, the Fatted Calf moved to a comfortable modern building in the centre of Athlone with big windows looking onto the main street, so it seemed appropriate to have lunch there and raise a toast to my mother, the mother of my son and to the town.
The three-course Table d’Hôte Mother’s Day menu cost €48 and all the dishes were on the à la carte menu, so we didn’t feel shortchanged. Generous slices of crusty ‘roast onion’ bread arrived first and were a harbinger of what was to follow, everything about this meal was generous.
Inch House black pudding and sobrasada croquetas came next, three golf balls of rich fresh-blood pudding in a crisp shell with sobrasada lifting the flavour a little, adding Mediterranean exoticism to this quintessential Irish classic.
My starter of seared king scallops was also excellent, worth the €5 supplement. Perfectly cooked, with a touch of caramelisation on the exterior and a succulent centre they were given some extra sophistication with a lightly spiced romesco sauce and a smear of lemon oil to add tang.
As a bonus, there were light ‘chorizo dauphine’ puffs which added a kick of tangy paprika for contrast. In truth, I didn’t need the extra bits and bobs as the portion of scallops was generous enough, but the elements worked in harmony so I can’t fault it.
Braised shoulder of lamb towered on the plate, propped up by a thick slice of ‘pommes anna’ layered potatoes which added heft as did roast root veg, not to mention the side serving of roast carrots and parsnips. No Sunday dinner is complete without good gravy, of course, so my lamb came with a meaty rosemary and girolle gravy reduction.
The Engineer’s roast breast of Irish farmhouse chicken was topped with nduja and tarragon cream with a slab of hispi cabbage on the side. The chicken was tender, the cabbage crispy and the only fault was perhaps a rather light hand with the tarragon, a herb that I feel works best when added in handfuls, especially when it has to compete with nduj
The Fatted Calf’s wine list has around 35 wines and is sourced primarily from Wines Direct in Mullingar plus one or two others. Almost everything on the menu, in fact, is sourced locally. The wine list focuses on classic regions and grapes as you might expect but in the end my choice was easy.
‘Viña Alberdi Rioja’ from famed producer La Rioja Alta (€56) is one of the Engineer’s favourites and its smoky, ripe dark fruits were a solid match for both the lamb and roast chicken.
Service was warm and efficient and our server even offered to decant our wine to open up the flavours. A small gesture that took just a couple of minutes of her time but was worth it, not just because the wine improved, but it made us feel minded.
Salted caramel donuts with orange curd and a Bailey’s chocolate ganache is one of the Fatted Calf’s most popular dishes, they can sell hundreds on a busy weekend Fiona told me. Golden in colour, pillowy and light with a buttery, sweet and salty caramel centre, a lush chocolaty ganache on the side, and any richness offset by the zesty orange curd. Faultless.
The ‘Fatted Calf Thai lime and star anise crème brûlée’ is another signature dish, picture perfect with a classic burnt sugar topping atop a creamy, rich custard. Just a light touch of lime and star anise was in evidence, but in truth the crème was good enough on its own.
Our fellow diners that day included new mums, older mums and large extended families and the happy buzz in the room added to our meal. This is what a local restaurant should be, I need to visit more often.
Sunday lunch for two, including wine and coffee, cost €161.26.
