In Kilkenny with Rocco, Paolo has nothing but praise for Zuni.

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A trip to Yamamori with his sister in law Gilly leaves Paolo very pleased indeed with the quality and choice in Yamamori. He even finds the chopsticks manageable, and decides tofu may serve a purpose after all.

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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.

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When Dave Cullen and Jeff Behan took over Vino Pasta two years ago, it was a standard pizza and pasta restaurant. It was however a bit of an institution down Greystones way, so they decided to keep the name, but change the food beyond all recognition. There are some Italian dishes on the menu, but its not an Italian Ristorante per se. Yes there are pasta’s, and you can have them as starters, but there is more going on here, not least the freshest fish well prepared.

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Via Veneto is a find. Great food unlooked for is always more special, and prehaps I am still shocked to stumble across such a memorable meal. You won't find garlic butter anywhere, or butter for that matter. What you will get is authentic Italian food prepared with love and care, and really you couldn't ask for more.

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Vermilion, powdered red lead, is applied as a dot on the forehead, like the regular 'bindi', or in the parting of the hair by all suhagans. It is worn by married women, as a visible expression of their desire for their husbands' longevity. Vermilion is one of the best etnic restaurant in Ireland, and the last time Paolo was there was as a judge in the Restaurant Manager of the Year competition. Here's what he found.

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Paolo and Michael Colgan visit Venu, a restaurant run by Charles Guillbaud, son of Patrick.

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Originally Dublin's best Spanish restaurant, Valparaiso has transformed into a Meditarranean cornucopia. Paul Foley opened Valparaiso in 1992 and it's a testament to his formula that the restaurant has thrived for so long, building a huge local following and moving seamlessly with the times.

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Contemporary Italian food served in an exciting and stylish environment, probably one of Dublin's busiest and buzziest restaurants combining great food, service and a sense of the theatrical. Paolo has been going for years, and always goes back for the atmosphere as much as the food.

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During a Winter snowstorm, Paolo and Rocco, thats paolo junior, escape the Wicklow hills through the Wicklow Gap and head for Kildare town. And therein lies the story......

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Great value bistro in culinary rich Glasthule. Contemporary menu, great service. Chef Karl Whelan did a stint in L'Ecrivain before heading to Oz, and his presentation and use of flavours shows. This food would not look out of place in a restaurant charging twice the price. Well worth a visit.

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Very popular neighbourhood restaurant in Ranelagh, very busy lunch trade, famous Sunday brunch and a fun nightime spot.

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Ronan Ryan makes a great host for this up-town, modern and busy brasserie on Kildare Street. Situated under Mitchells Wine Shop the narrow basement room has been cleverly designed to make the most of the space and give an airy feel. The colour scheme too is pleasing, plain blocks of neutral colour, like fashionable mushroom, and simple, but effective lighting. Good night guaranteed.

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This isn’t just lip service either. They have several acres of organic vegetables at home in Co. Wicklow and pick their salads and vegetables in the morning on the way into work. I am used to getting this in Greystones, in excellent places like the Happy Pear or Marc Michel’s organic farm, but in Dame Street, at the edge of Temple Bar, that is just a little bit special. Needless to say vegetarian and coeliac dishes are widely available.

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In the nineteenth century and indeed the twentieth, the docks in Derry was the source of much of the wealth of the city. Each area on the wharf’s became known by the name of the commodity that was off-loaded there. Timber Quay - Restaurant & Wine Bar, Derry is situated on a site where in years gone by, timber was imported to the Derry Quays in order to make wine & whiskey barrels, hence the name 'timberquay'.

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The Wolf Trap is cavernous; it stretches right back covering several rooms all set up with tables and chairs. It was obvious that a lot of people choose to have lunch here, because shortly after I arrived the place was filled to capacity. But what strikes you instantly and forcefully about The Wolf Trap is the level of service.

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If The Winding Stair can keep up this level of cooking and keep the prices as they are, then this will be a restaurant to take very seriously. It's a showcase for the best of new Irish cooking, a happy mix of traditional and new, carefully sourced Irish ingredients and a great wine list. If want to impress foreign visitors, you couldn't do better than to bring them here.

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Situated in the ridiculously picturesque village of Adare in Co. Limerick, David Foley and Julie Randles have been proprietors of the Wild Geese Restaurant in Adare for the past nine years. It is arguably the prettiest restaurant in Ireland, and when you add in David’s modern Irish cooking and Julie’s excellent run front of house, it’s a little force to be reckoned with.

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Now here’s a surprising thing: the second most visited place in Ireland after Blarney Castle is Glendalough. You’d have thought then that it would have been as commercialised as the Ring of Kerry, but no. Thirty years ago there was the Royal Hotel in Glendalough, The Wicklow Heather restaurant in Laragh and you could get food in the Laragh Inn. Today, all those years later, the same list holds true. Nothing added, nothing lost.

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The Tea Room has long been favoured as one of Dublin's best restaurants. Their market lunch and early bird menus are some of the best value in Dublin, and the room itself is still splendid.

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