Restaurant review: This Laois restaurant is the main reason to leave the M7
Hugely talented chef Cúán Greene is behind the project on land owned by Stripe’s John Collison.
It's all happening in Laois. Ballyfin Demesne was declared the best place to stay in Ireland by Weekend magazine as part of our 100 Best Places to Stay supplement last November, and now the culinary world is full of anticipation for the opening of Ómos restaurant and guesthouse in early summer, just 1km from Abbeyleix.
Hugely talented chef Cúán Greene is behind the project on land owned by Stripe’s John Collison.
Laois has history in the food world — being the birth county of Darina Allen of this parish and, of course, her brother Rory O’Connell — not to mention Richard O’Connell, who runs the Meuller & O’Connell Bakery in Abbeyleix. Across from the bakery is the wonderful Morrissey’s, one of the best preserved grocery-pubs in the country, which dates from 1775.
Morrissey’s is due to open a 70-seater restaurant and add rooms later this year also.
All of this will be competition for Bramley restaurant, just opposite Morrissey’s, which was opened in 2023 by chef Sam Moody and his wife Emily.
Sam had worked in Ballyfin and the couple took over a former café, expanding it to create a neighbourhood restaurant.
On the Saturday I visited in March, most of the neighbourhood seemed to be there having lunch.
The room was welcoming and airy with a stained wooden floor, soothing muted colour tones, and comfortable seating. “Restrained elegance” was how my guest described it. We were greeted by a trio of young staff members who minded us well throughout the meal.
The menu includes classic staples with creative modern touches, and I was pleased to see included a fish and soup of the day, roast garlic and cauliflower soup on the day we visited. Most of the ingredients are sourced locally, and the chef has an allotment which provides much of the salads, herbs, and some of the fruits and vegetables.
Homemade treacle brown bread (€3.50) was nutty, crumbly, and sweet.
It worked well with the lightly whipped homemade butter helpfully dusted with salt crystals. The bread was a nice foil for my starter, a salad of confit duck (€10). A generous mound of tender pulled duck came with a mix of fresh pulled leaves, slices of pickled beetroot, wholegrain mustard seeds to add extra texture and a touch of piquancy, and a garlic mayonnaise to lift things. A solid start.
My guest did even better with her chicken schnitzel Caesar salad (€15), which had a pleasingly punchy dressing, coating the cos lettuce. Sourdough croutons and anchovies were, of course, included, but the star was the golden crumbed chicken schnitzel carpeted in grated parmesan.
Caesar salad in its original form doesn’t include chicken, but nobody but a purist curmudgeon would object to a schnitzel like this one.
My pork belly (€22) main course had been rendered of fat and rolled. It came with heritage carrots, fluffy boiled potatoes topped with an almond crumb, plus some puréed squash.
Plating was more rural pub than fine dining, but the pork was sweet and meaty and the vegetables good quality. This course gave old school Sunday roast vibes, and it was enjoyable, although a touch more seasoning would not have gone astray.
Fish pie (€22) was the better of the two mains — a generous mix of halibut, hake, and pollock in a rich sauce and topped with sourdough croutons. A side salad of fresh leaves added some contrast, as did some pickled vegetable.
A winter greens (€5) side dish of sautéed kale was not a success, however, it needed much longer on the pan to remove moisture and to crisp things up a little.
Bramley’s drinks list includes local beers from Ballykilcavan, cocktails, and a choice of 17 wines.
My guest’s Secateurs Chenin Blanc from South Africa (€12) had a pleasing tangy freshness that matched her fish pie nicely, while my Finca Bujanda Rioja Reserva (€15) also worked well.
Five desserts included a daily special of Basque cheesecake as well as sour cherry fool and “frozen Irish cream”. My guest’s bitter chocolate mousse (€8.50) was silky and rich, enhanced by peeled orange slices and candied compote.
My caramel pot (€9.50) was dense rich sponge which flowed with liquid caramel once pierced; a banana sorbet on the side a pleasing contrast.
These two desserts were comfort food personified. From a quick look at that menu, it moves things up a notch in creativity but stays true to the neighbourhood restaurant format.
Bramley is a fine local restaurant with ambition — the main reason to leave the M7 motorway, for the moment.
- Lunch for two with two glasses of wine cost €130.50
