Waterford Castle

Review

This 800 year old castle is a true destination. There is a real sense of excitement when you board the ferry to the 300 acre island on which it sits. Waterford Castle and Golf Club provide a retreat from daily grind, while you spend your time on the course, enjoying country pursuits like clay pigeon shooting or eating in the Munster Room, where Michael Quinn’s food will totally seduce you.



The warm ambience of the award winning Munster Dining Room with its wonderful oak paneled walls and ornate ceiling is complemented by a great cellar and exciting seasonal menus. Local produce and the talents of a highly acclaimed head chef create an intensity flavours to savor and a truly memorable dining experience.

From the moment you step inside, the welcome is warm and friendly, right down to the resident pianist who will serenade you during the evening. The décor is as you would expect in a gracious castle, opulent, atmospheric and richly decorated. Head chef Michael Quinn has come through Euro Toques and is a member of the Slow Food movement, and his outstanding food is perfectly complemented by the surroundings. It’s a like a marriage of sensory inputs - the old and baroque combining with the seasonal flavours and daily freshness of the menu.

The dinner menu is a set affair, but each course is helpfully priced separately, so guests can combine and pick and choose depending on their appetite. The menu changes depending on the season and availability, but you can expect to find O’Flynn’s beef tongue and cheek salad, tian of Mrs. bates crab, organic chicken breast, seared Kilmore Quay scallops and a cheese board that contains local favourites such as Knockalara and Crozier Blue.

The menu is reasonably short, about five options on starters and mains, while the desserts are fabulous, with the chocolate plate undoubtedly winning hands down. Assuming you are staying over, and why wouldn’t you, the breakfast has won many awards, and will set you up for another day of serious pleasure. Waterford castle is a gem, it’s not often many of us get to stay in a magical castle on it’s own private island. Combine the location and the food, and this is an experience to be reckoned with and ultimately savoured.