Review
Located at the end of Merchants Quay in Waterford directly opposite the Viking tower is the Tower Hotel, a modern hotel and leisure centre, that’s also home to Bistro at the Tower and the Adelphi Bar, two of the happening places in town over a weekend.
Tower Bistro is just off the main foyer; a long open restaurant with huge picture windows allowing you to sit and watch the world pass by. The room lends itself to an intimate evening for you and your partner or for larger groups with an event to celebrate.
Offering exceptional value for money there was a choice of menus from a choice of set menus; €25.00 pp for three courses or €60.00 per couple with a bottle of wine. (Known as ‘Wine & Dine’ this menu changes daily) On the Wine & Dine you have a choice of four starters; soup of the day, foie gras or slivers of smoked duck breast. There are seven mains to choose from such as fish, beef and pasta and finally desserts such as a crème brulee or a Bailey’s cheese cake all freshly made in the hotel.
There is also of course the option of A la Carte, a carefully chosen selection of starters from French style pork and bacon terrine, seafood chowder or goats cheese & red onion tart all ranging between €5 and €6.95 each. The mains run from €17 to €21.00, with a choice of steaks, lamb, salmon and a couple of pasta choices. Chose from dishes such as beef bourguignon with champ mash, locally sourced Cappoquin chicken with tarragon and forest ceps jus or seafood mixed grill with chorizo and lemon butter.
There is also a children’s club menu with a choice of starters and desserts for €3.00 each and all mains at €6.50. Even though Keisha chose not to eat off this menu I was impressed with the choices and everything kid friendly but with health in mind.
With two pages of wines to choose from, from €17.50 each, and with nothing dearer than €34.00, there was a good selection. I chose a bottle of Selini Sauvignon Blanc which I thought would work well with the fish while my husband had the red equivalent in a Selini Pinot Noir to accompany the lamb, €24 and €25 respectively.
Starting light, husband and daughter had the homemade vegetable soup, which they both enjoyed, while I had the Thai fish cakes with a sweet cumin and chilli dipping sauce. They were well made, light and with plenty of fishy flavour, and the dipping sauce was truly more-ish. Myself and my daughter had the pan seared fillet of sea bass with cherry tomatoes, baby potatoes and French beans while Fred worked his way through Irish lamb rump which was so tender it just fell off the bone. It was scented with rosemary and garlic and served on a bed of ratatouille.
We spent the evening in the restaurant finishing off our drinks before retiring to the Adelphi Bar where there was live music, a couple of parties, and a lively atmosphere which we all enjoyed.
The Adelphi Bar
We spent the weekend in Waterford, and the second evening we ate in the Adelphi Bar; they serve food daily between 12.30 and 9pm.
The large bar area is split over two levels, and we took a table to the rear of the bar overlooking the water. The menu is divided between light meals; a selection of sandwiches and Panini and an evening menu which offers a selection of steaks, burgers, bangers & mash and some specials of the day. With prices ranging from €3.00 to €17.00 you won’t be disappointed.
Specials on the evening were roast leg of Comeragh lamb, braised beef or Atlantic salmon. I started with Caesar salad - it was huge but really enjoyable as the dressing was so, well, Caesar-y, while Keisha had the chicken wings and Fred chose the Dunmore East seafood chowder. Next up I had chicken korma with rice; Keisha had fish and chips and Fred had locally made Cumberland sausage and mash served with onion gravy. The sausages were well made and packed with flavour, the little one’s fish and chips was crispy and fresh, and the Korma was well balanced.
John Moore, head chef and AA Rosette winner in Faithlegg is responsible for all the food in The Tower, be it restaurant or bar. The Tower is a lovely spot to base yourself for a trip to Waterford and the surrounding areas. Comfort, good food and good old fashioned hospitality can’t really be argued with.
