A review in The Irish Times on 12th November 2011
www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2011/1112/1224307225186.html
A profile on Chef Maria Raftery in The Sunday Business on 20th November 2011
www.businesspost.ie/#!article/ee8c4aa6-36ac-453e-898a-de616fd981ffA
Review in The Sunday Business Post 6th March 2011
www.sbpost.ie/travel-and-wellbeing/well-travelled-54816.html
Cat’s got the cream in Kilkenny
23 May 2010 Reviewed by Ross Golden-Bannon
Zuni
26 Patrick Street, Kilkenny
Tel: 056-7723999; www.zuni.ie
Chef: Maria Raftery
I’ve heard so much about Zuni over the years, and wondered how many of the glad tidings came from those who had little to compare it with.
This is often the case in a small catchment area, where even a glimmer of style or a higher notch in quality can seem to shine very brightly.
I was with my Blonde Chauffeuse on a mini-culinary tour and we’d just checked into the chic and modern Pembroke Hotel. Staff seemed pleased that we’d chosen to dine in Zuni, almost directly across the road, and it’s always a comfort when people are so chivalrous in their recommendations of what could be viewed as a rival. Perhaps Zuni would really shine.
Things did not start well, with some less-than-fresh bread, but excellent wine service soon cheered us, as did the half-bottle selection. We went for an old favourite, Huia Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand (€16.95).
We started with a warm breaded goat’s cheese with beetroot purée, caramelised walnuts and balsamic dressing (€8.95), a happy, fresh-tasting starter and no wonder, with the cheese coming from the famed folk at Knockdrinna. This is an example of well-chosen local produce gathered into contrasting colours, textures and flavours for some modest but compelling post-Celtic tiger cooking.
We also ordered the seafood platter (€9.95), which included some blackened salmon that tasted sweet, but was perhaps not as strong as its look suggested. There was also some sweet crab, a beautiful feather-light seafood mousse wrapped in salmon, as well as chunky prawns and an old-fashioned Marie Rose sauce that perhaps needed some modernising. A generous plate of fish, though, and easily enough for two.
Between courses we considered the cheery service - staff included plenty of the ‘New Irish’, all well-informed, enthusiastic and clearly working to a well-trained system.
What a relief. We questioned some who came from more exotic climes as to why they’d settled here, and their loyalty was as much to Kilkenny as to Ireland. Often this is the secret to good service - people who are loyal are hopefully also well looked after, and a virtuous cycle of knowledge and long service is created.
My Blonde Chauffeuse, who’d been driving me around Kilkenny while I probably drove her mad, went for the seared tuna coated in sesame seeds, served with bok choy, coriander rice and pickled ginger with wasabi (€24.95).
Let’s stop and think about that for a moment. Is it a modern western dish or perhaps a scary hybrid of sashimi-esque elements for unadventurous tastes? Thankfully, this was a seamless marriage of two traditions with a slight searing on the edge, satisfying the need for that uniquely meaty taste of cooked tuna and then the soft, sea-spray flavour of the rawness with traditional Japanese elements. Clever and stylish, yet simple and satisfying too.
I had the tandoori cod (€23.95), served with a spinach risotto and mint yoghurt. Again, the chef has taken a good, old-fashioned hunk of fish and not just bolted on more exotic elements, but really thought through what will work and what won’t. It was perhaps in need of one higher note of coriander or maybe asparagus, but this is a minor quibble with what was a happy balance of old and new.
By the main course we’d moved on to the Chateau Turcaud, Entre Deux-Mers, Bordeaux (€29.50), a semillon-sauvignon blanc blend that worked fantastically well with our choices.
Things slipped a little with the chocolate fondant, the crispy exterior giving way to a gloopy mess, rather than an unctuous flow. Great pistachio ice cream, though (€7.95). We were back on track with the cheese board (€9.95), which included Kilkenny hard goat’s cheese from Knockdrinna. I’ve got quite a soft spot for this, along with Gubbeen, Cooleeney and Cashel Blue.
There’s a real balance here between modernity and tradition, but with a light touch that always allows the essence of each ingredient to shine through. Seasonality and locality is clearly a byword at Zuni, which not only makes good business sense for the restaurant as well as the local economy, but will also thrill your taste buds.
Watching the pennies
Starter: soup of the day €5.95
Main course: wild mushroom spaghetti with poached egg, rocket and Parmesan cheese €19.95
Dessert: vanilla creme brulée with apricot doughnut €7.95
Wine: Western Cape Hout Bay Chenin Blanc, South Africa 2009, €21.50
Total: €89.20
Breaking the bank
Starter: chilled seafood platter with dressings €10.95
Main course: chargrilled Irish sirloin of beef with chunky chips, mushroom and thyme duxelle, crispy onions and bearnaise sauce €25.95
Dessert: cheese selection €9.95
Wine: Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Morgeots’, Burgundy, France 2005, €85
Total: €170
Tomás Clancy rates the wine list
The wine list at Zuni is sparse but chic. There is something to be had in each price range, with many of the choices being the best in class.
Try, for example, the gorgeous and hip Olivier Leflaive, Chablis 1er Cru, Cote de Lechet 2007 (€49.95). It is one of the most elegant examples of lean, mineral-driven complexity in modern Chablis, though it isn’t cheap.
The best value for quality white wine is the Huia, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2008 (€29.95 or €7.95 a glass), while the best value for quality red is the Chateau de Cedre, Prestige, AC Cahors 2006 at €39.95, a dense and spicy delight that does need decanting.
The pick of the list is the dazzling Pesquera, Crianza, Ribera del Duero 2006 (€46.50).
Rating: ***