Lucinda O' Sullivan's Ireland - Little Black Book of Great Places to Stay and Eat
Travelling the country as much I do, visiting restaurants and Foodie people, I am also always on the look out for country houses, special hotels, spas and interesting places, which warrant inclusion in my Little Black Book of Great Places to Stay. Recently we hit on the most romantic and pretty little Pastis French Bistro at The Glencairn Inn just outside Lismore. Garlanded with masses of roses, wisteria and blooms, it is a three hundred year old inn, remotely located, but right beside a Cistercian Convent! Real “Sound of Music” territory! Lismore too is Duke of Devonshire country bearing a sort of “suitable” handle, its where Charles took Camilla when they got engaged. Not far away too in Cappoquin lives the brilliant artist, Arthur Maderson. Owned and run by French Chef Stephane Tricot and his Irish wife Fiona, they run the cutest little FranCo.Irish operation here doing delicious rustic French food. Whirling into the car park we were surveyed by four ex pat colonial types, who were sitting smugly outside and well into the white wine as, hot and disheveled, we lugged in the bags to our beautiful dinky room. Spruced up we went down to the bar for drinks. Downstairs is basically three rooms – we were in the original parlour and, on the other side of the hall, is the original kitchen and below that the diningroom. A posh American couple arrived. “Oh we are glad you got in Vermouth” – they exclaimed - and so the dry martinis were shook. The food is rustic – starters €5/€11 - mains €18/€25. A delicious robust cumin scented crab cake was on mango salsa with a dollop of cilantro avocado emulsion. Brendan had Crispy Duck Roll with an orange dip. We were more than happy. Panfried hake for me was lying on a big cushion of mash swirls, topped off with cherry tomato beurre meuniere. Brendan and the “too posh to push Yanks” had French style Grilled “Steak Frites” - a whopping piece of meat on an even more whopping plateful of frites with a big splosh of red wine shallot sauce. Delicious. “We’ll be back”, said the Yank, “but not until the end of November”, chimed in his companion! That cost the restaurant a bit I thought…a bottle of vermouth that will sit there for six months before another dribble goes out of it. Meanwhile our colonial friends were now in the centre of the room in full flight – “I have no soul mates in Ireland” one woman droned on overpowering the room…. We couldn’t take any more of “life after the Colonies” and reverted to the bar for a Summer Berries and lavender crème Brulee – and a Bailey’s! Next morning I woke to watch a little rabbit having great fun for himself on the road outside……the colonials were gone walking but even that couldn’t repair the red-rimmed eyes when they returned for breakfast. ”Giles will love the prunes…” said wifey No. 1. “He needs them…” I thought… Pastis at the Glencairn Inn is a special place



The Bridgestone Guide - 100 Best Places to Stay in Ireland 2010

“Brilliant to stay overnight. Great food!”.

Well, that is the sort of encomium we are always happy to receive from friends who have been tour-ing the country with their Bridgestone Guides,doing their best to enjoy the collection of idiosyncratic, and sometimes even eccentric, hoteliers and country house keepers and B&B experts whom we collate and select for this book. Since taking over the beautiful Glencairn Inn, a flower-decked old coaching inn of low ceilings, a bar, intimate rooms and cosy diningroom keeps that looks like it has sprung fresh-born from the pages of Country Living, Stéphane and Fiona have been doing the good thing, cooking nice French-inflected food in the bistro, maintaining the character of the house thanks to expert hospitality, establishing yet an-other exceptional destination address in beautiful West Waterford. The Glencairn Inn has much of the dream archetype about it, which explains why our friends Barbara and Trevor reported so vividly on their stay here in summer 2008. Lovely. 



 

Georgina Campbell's Ireland – The Guide 2010


Husband-and-wife team Stéphane and Fiona Tricot fulfilled a dream by buying this pretty pub just outside Lismore in 2006, and the restaurant - which they renamed Pastis Bistro quickly earned a following.
        Three delightful old-world dining rooms ooze charm and cosiness and, just off the small bar, there is an alcove for intimate dining for four.
        Fiona manages front-of-house while Stéphane produces wonderful food using plenty of local produce, and offering menus with about five choices on each course, plus a weekly special on the board.
         Well-chosen starters may include a flavoursome salad like pear & blue cheese salad with roasted walnuts and balsamic & honey vinaigrette, and pan seared seabass proven�ale is a speciality main course.
A very nice dessert menu includes classics like tarte tatin and pot de cr�me au chocolat, offered with liqueur coffees, dessert wine or a digestif. A tapas bar menu is also available - tasty little dishes like fried calamari with saffron aioli; prawn & anchovy crostini, and piquillo peppers stuffed with Ardsallagh goat’s cheese and at four for €12 with a basket of freshly baked baguette they’re good value.
    A compact, carefully chosen wine list, offers a surprisingly wide range and includes some real treats, also half a dozen wines by the glass. Service is excellent, with friendly and knowledgeable staff - a rare treat.
Upstairs there are four delightful en-suite rooms.




 

Leading Restaurants of Ireland - 2010
A charming inn surrounded by beautiful countryside, this is a characterful place of great individuality set amidst neatly tended gardens. The interior is full of wonderful surprises from the small intimate bar with a series of interconnecting rooms, all tastefully appointed to a very high standard, as are the bedrooms which are beautifully decorated in charming Proven�ale designs.

Your hosts, Fiona and Stéphane Tricot have done a marvelous job restoring the inn to its original splendour and have really made it the perfect setting in which to enjoy a memorable meal or visit. The varied menu is strong on locally sourced produce. This is definitely a very relaxing place to stay while touring the county and comes strongly recommended.

THE ACCOMMODATION
Each bedroom has a tremendous view. Overall, there is a warm and welcoming atmosphere giving it a traditional feel with a continental flavour.




Special Places to Stay in Ireland 2010
Glencairn Inn exudes that incomparable mixture of old wood, delicious food and warm friendly chat, all gathered in the small pub, restaurant and B&B that Fiona and Stéphane have taken over from the renowned Buggys. Fiona has come home to her native Ireland to apply her outgoing nature and organization skills to this marvelous place; her quietly chatty French husband is absolutely the right man in the kitchen. Perch on a stool in the snug old heavy-beamed pub, joyfully eavesdropping on the local gossip while waiting for dinner. The even cozier restaurant has more stone floors, old pictures - including Stéphane’s ancestral farmhouse - and a definite French auberge flavour. As has the really good food: no jumped-up fussiness, just excellent ingredients, most of them local and fresh, treated with care and inspiration. After coffee, amble back to the bar for a nightcap and more chat. Upstairs, an eclectic mix of non-precious antiques wonderfully put together makes for utterly charming bedrooms: patchwork quilts on super beds, lots of pictures and books. Early sleepers may need their earplugs.

 

Stéphane and Fiona Tricot will give you a warm welcome at their Pastis Restaurant in the Glencairn Inn. The husband and wife team bought this charming pub just outside Lismore and wasted no time in changing it to a vision of rural France in rural Ireland. This charming property is in an idyllic setting and decorated with antiques from here and France. Four utterly charming rooms make this a sought after destination spot.

There are three dining rooms, each as cosy as the last, and a private dining area for four people. Fiona manages the front of house, while Stéphane is literally cooking up a Gallic storm in the kitchen using local produce where at all possible. They have gained a loyal following since opening and we have been hearing very good things for a while now. Typically the menu will offer about five options for each course and changes depending on seasonality and availability, but you may be choosing from warm goat cheese and roasted beets on a toasted crouton with sun-dried tomato and basil pesto, breaded baked mussels with garlic and parsley butter or main courses such as pan seared fillet of Araglin River Trout with toasted almond butter sauce or corn-fed Chicken Supreme Bourguignon with rich red wine sauce with lardons and mushrooms. There is a carefully chosen wine list and plenty available by the glass. The prices are very reasonable and a three course dinner will cost €45, while starters are from a fiver and of course you can just drop in a for a main course, the Fresh Tagliatelle with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce and Shaved Parmesan served with Garlic Ciabatta and Mixed Green Salad for 22 euros is particulary good.

There is a pretty patio area if you are lucky enough to plan your trip to coincide with one of our very rare summer evenings, but don’t worry too much, you can always perch yourself on a stool at the bar and while away some time until dinner. The rooms carry on the attention to detail and personal touch and make this a great spot for a weekend getaway. Enjoy.