Sea fresh sharpness

IT may not have been Dylan Thomas’ “mussel pooled and the heron Priested shore” but the view from the windows at Deasy’s Seafood Bar in Ring, outside Clonakilty, Co Cork, is as captivating as I imagine the shoreline that shaped the Welshman’s sublime Poem in October must have been.

There are few more endlessly revealing dramas than an ebbing tide, as it is ushered through gullies, over seaweed beds by metronomic, bopping seabirds — oystercatchers, curlews, bullying gulls and little dunlin darting, spearing sea maggots stranded amongst the samphire like a busy scrum half rescuing the ball from tangle-nets of forwards’ legs.

And, if you’re lucky enough to get one of the enviable window seats at Deasy’s, you can watch all of this life and death — but you must be there as the tide ebbs, sluicing towards the gap at Inchydoney, pushing all the time to reach Clonakilty Bay.

Like so many rural pubs Deasy’s has had to re-imagine itself. Once a lovely local, glue-pot bar near Ring pier, changing mores meant it needed to do more than sell drink to survive. For some years it has been quietly building a good reputation as a place to be enjoyed by those who like seafood.

It is an unpretentious and comfortable house, happy in itself. It’s the kind of place that begins to satisfy your appetite even before you even see the menu. We — DW and I — visited on a Friday night and like many of these places it was bustling at eight but almost empty at 11. Just like the tide, the crowd had gone, pulled away by the hour and satisfied by the food.

DW started with calamari and the mandatory chilli dip and it was fine, no better or no worse than the same dish in nearly every seafood restaurant in Ireland. Maybe we’ve become jaded with it and it might be time to give this long-time staple a rest and make room for something new on menus everywhere. Nevertheless, Deasy’s version was crispy and lovely. I could have, if DW let me, eaten it all.

I opened engagements with what was described as Thai coconut fish soup. It was fiery, maybe too much so, the heat overpowered the usual velvety sweetness of dishes using coconut, but it was a rich, satisfying soup — a cordite chowder for those who love the spices of the Far East.

There was a choice of seven main courses and apart from steak, skewered chicken and a vegetarian option, all were sea fish. DW went for what read as one of the nicest seafood plates for some time and it proved to be just so. Brill and John Dory fillets with braised local artichoke heart, green beans with a pink peppercorn sauce to give it its full, attractive title. It had the kind of bounce only fresh fish and fresh vegetables can impart. This was as lovely as it was simple.

I had what seems to be becoming increasingly popular as either a starter or main course — a seafood risotto. Deasy’s used monkfish and prawns and it was all set off by a red pepper relish. It was lovely, subtle and punchy. It was a thoroughly satisfying combination of sea fresh sharpness and the heart-warming comfort only rice or potatoes can confer.

Desserts — lime panna cotta for DW and — another diet-breaking description here — pecan, salted-caramel, milk chocolate and expresso tart — were very good — maybe even better than very good.

The wine was Jean-Luc Mader Riesling 2009, a solid, full-bodied dry that, according to a wine lovers’ web site, offers the very best value available to Riesling lovers. It was an adult white and one to remember.

This is another perfectly good and commendable, if just a tad pricey, restaurant in west Cork. Dylan Thomas is unlikely to ever make it as far as Deasy’s, but just like the tide outside the door we will return — and before October too.