THREE top Killarney restaurants have been included in an elite list of must-visit dining locations published by an influential worldwide website which attracts close on two million hits every month.
The CultureTrip.com site is a one-stop, global website, showcasing the best of art, food, culture and travel for every country in the world.
Its audience continues to multiply and consists of hundreds of thousands of people in more than 200 countries, with 600,000 unique visitors every month and 7,000 newsletter subscribers.
Designed for travel enthusiasts, the site provides a wealth of information and recommendations for the pursuit of cultural knowledge.
CultureTrip.com has just published a list of 10 top cultural restaurants in Kerry and, again, Killarney is leading the way with three major recommendations.
Topping the list is Rozzers Restaurant in the Killeen House Hotel where, the website team discovers, owners Geraldine and Michael Rosney and head chef Paul O’Gorman use the local environment and flavours to design a menu that is critically acclaimed.
A typical gourmet feast at Rozzers could be starters of fresh oysters, or slow-roasted pork belly served with rillettes of confit duck leg, main courses of pan-seared medallions of monkfish, or roast rack of Kerry lamb with a basil and pinenut crust, finished off with a dessert of tangy lemon tart.
Another major recommendation is for the bustling Bricín Restaurant on High Street, a joint venture by brothers Johnny and Paddy McGuire, which has become a firm favourite, with locals and visitors, since it opened over 20 years ago.
Its famous Killarney boxty, which is like a potato pancake, is a house speciality and the team at Bricín offers a number of variations of that traditional dish including beef, fish, duck,and vegetarian options.
The third Killarney restaurant featured is Cellar One in the Ross Hotel which is praised for its innovative design and atmosphere as well as the quality of the food.
Operated by the Treacy and managed by Ciara Treacy, typical dishes could feature a starter of spinach, rocket and strawberry salad with candied walnut and crispy fried goats cheese and main courses like baked prosciutto-wrapped hake.
The other Kerry restaurants included in the top ten are the hugely popular Jack’s Coastguard Restaurant in Cromane; OC’s Restaurant in Caherciveen; brothers Niall and Brian Ó Conchúir’s An Canteen in Dingle; Dermot Brennan’s No 35 in Kenmare, Out of the Blue in Dingle; the Lime Tree in Kenmare and The Phoenix, an artisanal vegetarian retreat in Castlemaine.
* Images from individual restaurant websites. Click on each image for details
