Langtons (Gourmet Chick in Ireland)

I went to Ireland last weekend as my good friend Clare who lives there is about to get married and it was my last chance to see her beforehand. A big group of us went for dinner at Langtons in Kilkenny to celebrate. Located on the main street Langtons is a hub of Kilkenny social activity comprising a maze of rooms all packed with people eating and drinking. Don't go to Langtons looking for your traditional local Irish pub this is quite a slick affair with lots of polished wood and huge long mirrored bars topped with chrome.

They have dining for large groups down to a fine art and we were ushered in and out with a minimum of fuss. To begin I had the golden fried brie which was served on salad with sweet chilli jam, cherry tomatoes and red onion. Fried and cheese are two of my favourite things so I really could not recommend this dish more highly although you will have to take into account that my views when eating anything that combines these two elements are rather biased.

Mains were a little more disappointing, I chose the savoury stuffed fillet of pork with brandy and apple sauce (pictured). This was served on top of hard little spheres of mashed potato. In fact, whatever you ordered was served on top of mashed potato. For good measure, a couple of roast potatoes were also added on the side. I know that Ireland is famous for its love of potato, however it seemed like the duck breast or salmon may have been better accompanied by some Asian greens, rice or really anything else.

The dessert selection also looked better on paper than reality. My toffee and brown bread ice cream gateau with hot butterscotch sauce sounded decadent but was disappointingly gluey. Langtons is convenient for a big group however the food was lifeless and uninspired. You will be better off to try elsewhere to experience Irish hospitality and cuisine.

Details: 67 John Street, Kilkenny, Ireland (Ph +353 56 7765133)

Damage: Reasonable

6/10