Restaurant review: I paid over €400 for dinner for two at The Morrison Room — here are my thoughts
The Morrison Room, Carton House, Maynooth, Co. Kildare
So the story goes that we almost lost Carton House in 1923 when a unit of the IRA turned up to burn it down. They were persuaded against this dastardly plan when a member of the family showed them a portrait of former resident Lord Edward Fitzgerald, of 1798 fame.
Sources for this tale are sketchy but it’s certainly true that the Fitzgeralds were a rebellious lot — Silken Thomas and others — and I’m pleased to say there is more than a touch of rebellion in Adam Nevin’s cooking in The Morrison Room.
Carton was built in 1739 by Robert Fitzgerald and designed by Richard Cassels — who also designed Russborough, Powerscourt, and Leinster House.
Carton was remodelled in 1817 by Richard Morrison who designed the spectacular Morrison Room, now named for him. These days, Carton sits on 1,100 acres and, while managed by the Fairmont Hotel group, is owned by John Mullen’s Belmullet Hospitality Group — which continued the beautiful restoration job carried out by the previous owners, the Mallaghans.
The Morrison Room was the house’s original dining room and is beautifully ornate, with elaborate stucco work on the barrel-vaulted ceiling, giant marble pillars, damask wallpaper, and gold —lots of gold. The 52ft-high ceiling does remove some of the intimacy of the space but it is difficult not to be awed by the opulence of it all.
Let’s talk price first: The dinner menu costs €163 per person, which is not inexpensive but is in line with restaurants of a similar standard here and internationally. Wines start at €55, but at least there were solid choices at lower price points. On the advice of our knowledgeable sommelier, we went with Frontonio ‘Microcósmico’ Garnacha from Aragon, made by Fernando Moro MW — who essentially makes it in his garage. It was a fine choice, lively and ripe with red and black fruits and matched well with the bulk of the flavours on our menu.
Chef Adam Nevin is a local boy and his first culinary job was in a cafe in Maynooth; he later worked in the UK in The Dorchester and with Tom Kerridge. Nevin was appointed head chef here in September 2023 and within 18 months, was awarded a star by the Michelin Guide. Canapés came first, too many to detail but all packed with vibrant flavours — Nevin is not afraid of spice, pepper or salt. Highlights included a mini potato tartlet with onion jam, aged comté custard, and topped with espelette chilli powder to add lift. A pristine flaked crab tartlet was enlivened with a Tabasco-infused mayonnaise, had a bonus knuckle of crab leg meat, and was topped with N25 Ossetra caviar. Disappointingly, the caviar was not farmed on the road between Cork and Rosslare, it seems N25 is a high-quality caviar farm.
Veal sweetbread had been coated in a light curry powder before pan frying and sat on a barley risotto infused with morsels of morteau sausage. The pearl barley was pleasingly luxurious, with each grain standing proud among its compatriots — a solid contrast to the sweetbread, which had a delightful caramelised crust and a lush centre; the ‘curry’ notes were just a whisper, adding nuance rather than heat or aggressive flavours, as say Vadouvan curry would have done.
A ‘Denver cut’ of Irish-farmed wagyu beef was my main, topped with lots of Spanish truffle and enriched with an intense Malbec and truffle sauce.
This shoulder cut of beef has excellent marbling, and was significantly more interesting than, say, fillet — loaded with umami and rich beefy flavours. On the side were rich earthy morel mushrooms cooked in butter and a potato torte in a crisp pastry with bonus slow-braised beef at the base.
The transition from this intensely savoury main course to sweeter things was handled expertly. A pre-dessert of strawberry cream parfait with strawberry jam on a strawberry consommé was more fruity than sweet — while a lime purée added contrast, as did a savoury herbal basil ice cream.
Next, a Valrhona Jirava chocolate medley included hazelnut and chocolate crémeux, truffled chantilly cream in brick pastry, little discs of smoked black truffle to add savoury notes, Carton Estate honey-vinegar gel; with a vanilla, truffle, and Madeira ice-cream.
The chocolate, honey, hazelnut and truffle flavours bounced off each other riotously, it was an outstanding finish to a hugely creative and exciting meal — served with panache by a talented front-of-house crew.
Just before writing this piece, it was announced that Nevin is moving on with his last service on May 16. He is “not going away for too long”, he told me via text. Carton House Fairmont is insistent that they will maintain the standards set by Nevin, but he will be a loss.
Learn his name, you will be hearing about him for a long time to come.
Leslie stayed as a guest in Carton House Fairmont but paid in full for his meal.
Ample reason given to remember the name
- Dinner for two with wine cost €434.50
- cartonhouse.com
