Review
The Phoenix Restaurant sits like an oasis on the main road not far from Inch beach and on the way to Castlemaine. A colourful and wind-chimey place, lovingly nurtured by the talented Lorna Tyther for twenty years, this place is bursting with character, charm, stories and most importantly, great food. The old stone building is surrounded by magical gardens where staff tend tunnels full of fresh salads and crops used in the kitchen. Here is a place to get lost, check out the lovingly restored gypsy caravans and browse the hand-written menus.
The most popular starter on the menu is the Phoenix salad, which features their signature rainbow salad, a lively combo of fresh veggies, fruit and toasted nuts that put a spring in your step. This is flanked by homemade hummus, feta, artichokes and plenty of garden greens and served with warm spelt bread. You can order any of the salads components as separate starters or as tapas with a nice bottle of biodynamic red. Fish is a newcomer to the mainly vegetarian menu and varies depending on the local catch. For mains the chickpea, sweet potato and tofu curry is a popular choice. The main of lentil quinoa bake is heaven for non-wheat eating, vegetarian who loves lasagne or mousakka. It comes with a punchy tomato sauce and plenty of green salad and is full of flavour and texture. A daily pasta special changes from ratatouille to pesto or cream sauces.
When it comes to deserts, this is where the Phoenix really shines. As the cooking day drifts by fragrant crumbles and pies appear from the kitchen to the mosaic counter. They get written on the blackboard alongside such temptations as a chocolate shortbread semi-fredo (can there be such a thing?) Blueberry cheesecake, orange polenta cakes, the list is long and heaven for a celiac too. Tea and coffee are served in mismatched china cups from teapots that look like they too have their own stories. If you’re on the high-speed highway of the ring of Kerry, make sure to put the brakes on your trip and your mind with this treasure.
The most popular starter on the menu is the Phoenix salad, which features their signature rainbow salad, a lively combo of fresh veggies, fruit and toasted nuts that put a spring in your step. This is flanked by homemade hummus, feta, artichokes and plenty of garden greens and served with warm spelt bread. You can order any of the salads components as separate starters or as tapas with a nice bottle of biodynamic red. Fish is a newcomer to the mainly vegetarian menu and varies depending on the local catch. For mains the chickpea, sweet potato and tofu curry is a popular choice. The main of lentil quinoa bake is heaven for non-wheat eating, vegetarian who loves lasagne or mousakka. It comes with a punchy tomato sauce and plenty of green salad and is full of flavour and texture. A daily pasta special changes from ratatouille to pesto or cream sauces.
When it comes to deserts, this is where the Phoenix really shines. As the cooking day drifts by fragrant crumbles and pies appear from the kitchen to the mosaic counter. They get written on the blackboard alongside such temptations as a chocolate shortbread semi-fredo (can there be such a thing?) Blueberry cheesecake, orange polenta cakes, the list is long and heaven for a celiac too. Tea and coffee are served in mismatched china cups from teapots that look like they too have their own stories. If you’re on the high-speed highway of the ring of Kerry, make sure to put the brakes on your trip and your mind with this treasure.
