West of Ireland taste success at recent Food and Wine Magazine Awards

The West of Ireland was tasting success at the recent Food and Wine magazine awards, held in Dublin's Convention Centre last night, 21st August. 

Burren Co Clare restaurant, Gregans Castle was the big winner in this year’s Food and Wine magazine awards, scooping the accolades for best restaurant and best chef, Mickael Viljanen.

It is a small restaurant with just 50 seats and is situated in Gregans Castle Hotel. It specialises in seasonal produce or, as Mr Viljanen calls it, “modern European cooking”.

Food and Wine editor Ross Golden-Bannon said the award was a tribute to Mr Viljanen who has taken an outsider’s perspective on local Irish produce.

“In a difficult market he has stuck to the basic principles of seasonality and locality and he has taken that to the nth degree. He has woven in local traditions with his knowledge of food which is quite different from ours; he has delivered a unique produce.”

Best Connacht restaurant went to La Fougére, in Co Mayo.

The award winning La Fougére restaurant offers excellent cuisine with an emphasis on fresh seafood and the finest local ingredients, in a comfortable and stylish setting with huge picture windows making the most of the panoramic views of the spectacular surrounding scenery.

The 'Good Value' award went to Hargadon, in Co. Sligo and Co. Dublin. This famous and much-loved traditional bar in the centre of Sligo Town incorporates a busy restaurant with up to the minute kitchen facilities and top class chefs, producing high quality mouth watering lunch and evening meals to cater for all tastes at reasonable prices. So it is not hard to see why Hargadons Pub scooped up the award.   

For more information on Gregans Castle click here. If you would like to read more about La Fougére click here or if you would like more information on Hargadons Pub click here.  

 Image credit: Gregans Castle Restaurant Co Clare, www.gregans.ie