On the waterfront

IT’S EASY to take a good restaurant for granted.

Every now and then, however, a reminder comes along as to just how much love and sweat goes into making one.

Greeting us at The French Table in Limerick is Thomas Fialon, the chef. In his whites, apron tied around his waist, Fialon takes our coats, shows us to our table, talks through the menu and drops off a basket of doughy bread and a little bowl of homemade potato chips.

Shortly afterwards, his wife Deirdre (she is from Limerick, he from Strasbourg) comes over to say hello. She chooses just the right moment to slip into the budding conversation, lists several specials, including prices, and does it all with a big, beaming smile.

Husband and wife are so genuinely welcoming, so devoted to what they’re doing, it’s disarming. And somewhere amidst it all, Thomas finds time to cook, and both find the time to rear a young family, bankroll several staff and run a business they opened in the distant summer of 2008, just as the hob-nailed boot of recession came stamping down.

All of which wouldn’t amount to a hill of beans, of course, if the food didn’t stand up. But the food does stand up. Choosing from a menu of classic French fare, listed in black font on white card, barely a bum note is struck across 12 dishes ordered by our party of four.

Starters include Dublin Bay prawns, crispy suckling pig served with Bramley apple purée and foie gras terrine. The highlight is a simple French onion soup — a sweet, beefy bowl of brownness, swimming with soft onions and partnered with a hunk of bread and melty cheese.

I go for the escargots, which Thomas explains are pre-cooked in Alsace and presented inside re-usable shells. The snails are a little tough, but worth ordering for their sauce alone — an oily blend of garlic, parsley and butter demanding to be mopped up with yet more bread.

My main course is a fillet of lemon sole with prawns and a champagne beurre blanc. The fish is super-fluffy, and tangy prawns are butterflied and balanced either side of a pastry puff that disintegrates between the teeth. Deirdre is on hand to explain the secret behind the delicious sweet potato, too — it’s puréed through a sieve and mashed with butter and salt.

The rest of the main courses are all classic French dishes, executed with finesse but a minimum of messing around. Duck a l’orange, braised rabbit or a mille feuille of creamed mushrooms and roasted shallots are options ranging from €16 to €22.

L chooses the ‘Seven Hour Shoulder of Lamb’ with field mushrooms, smoked bacon and red wine jus. It is tender, and the dauphinoise potatoes she requests alongside it are so yummy, she is reluctant to share. A lightly spiced couscous with Provençal vegetables is another hit.

The room is elegant without feeling particularly inspired. Venetian blinds, splashes of white linen and chateau wine boxes all click, and an aubergine banquette cuts the space in half, diluting the slight unease of a restaurant that is around two-thirds full at 9pm on a Friday night.

Outside, Steamboat Quay is a snapshot of Limerick in transition. The Clarion Hotel speaks of Celtic Tiger ambition, deteriorating apartments communicate the reality, and a couple of nocturnal fishermen are dropping lines into the Shannon.

Diners in The French Table are happy, lingering over coffee and petit fours, but l feel a little edgy parking the car on the street.

Desserts are another success — the caramelised skin on my lemon tart breaks like a delicate pane of glass. L’s chocolate mousse with Chantilly cream is light and airy, and a choice of crepes is also available, as is a selection of French cheeses at €10.

Two pages of wine, unsurprisingly, also feature a French line-up — with most reds and whites priced in the twenties, and a small selection of champagnes and sparkling whites. We share a bottle of Felines Jourdan Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc, which is crisp and dry at €25.

Thomas and Deirdre Fialon’s hearts are in it, and the word-of-mouth that led us here is testament to that. The French Table is a good restaurant, and not one to take for granted.