Clonakilty restaurant joins prestigious Good Food Ireland network.
Richy’s Bar & Bistro, Wolfe Tone Street, Clonakilty, West Cork has been accepted onto the impressive list of top Irish restaurants in the Good Food Ireland network. The network was set up to advise people on the best places to eat that are passionately committed to using the quality local food produce which epitomise the true taste of Ireland’s food offering.
Chef and proprietor Richy Virahsawmy’s funky 80-seater restaurant joins a club of top restaurants which include The Lime Tree in Kenmare, L’Ecrivian in Dublin, Ballymaloe House in Cork and a host of other reputable venues.
Richy, who is already a member of Euro Toques (the European community of top chefs) has lived a million interesting lives and has now ‘nested’ in Clonakilty, building up a solid reputation for great food and cool ambience in this West Cork town with his bar and bistro.
Described as a modern Irish restaurant with international influences, the bar and bistro, which is located just off the main roundabout on Wolfe Tone Street, Clonakilty, is open 7 days with seasonally changing menus and specials board drawn from the best of West Cork produce.
From seared Beara Peninsula scallops to locally-caught lobster, organic salmon to seafood risotto, and locally sourced beef, the restaurant also works in exotic dishes, reflecting Richy’s Mauritian heritage.
However, Richy reports that numbers are down this year, ‘a trend which is replicated around the country’ he said. Never one to rest on his laurels, Richy has, for some years now, diversified into outside catering (weddings, private parties, family celebrations etc), produces his own deli products, has written a cook book and become involved in local community projects of which he is very proud.
‘My wife Johanna and our two children are really rooted in this area now, and determined to work through the downturn. While we have won several accolades for our food including a slot as the number one Clonakilty restaurant on the Trip Adviser website, we recognise that outside catering, whether in people’s homes or other venues, is becoming increasingly popular with Irish consumers.
As if that is not enough, Richy will star in ‘On the Menu’ – a cookery series on City Channel (107) on NTL digital, starting mid- August and the show will broadcast over six months with 3 shows a week repeating. ‘That’s an exciting development’ said Richy. ‘They approached me through a recommendation and I am going to give it my all!’
Will the series give him celebrity status? Richy laughs at the suggestion saying: ‘Having overseen the 33 chefs at the Department of Trade and Industry and responsible for Tony Blair’s conferences and functions at No. 10 Downing Street, I am not fazed by it! I’ve also cooked for Michael Flatley’s parties and done private dining for the Board of Directors at Astra Zeneca, shipping in the finest produce from all over the world.
Now I’m picking wild sea asparagus from the bays in West Cork and serving fresh mackerel line caught by our own staff! Would I change it all for the vagaries of Park Lane and No. 10? Not in a million years. I adore West Cork and Clonakilty and we’ve made it our home’.
Richy and Johanna’s involvement with the local community involves running cookery courses in the winter for adults and children, and this October will see them work with Cork County Council in setting up an allotment area where children can grow their own vegetables and Richy will teach them to cook them in interesting ways.
‘While the summer months are crucial for us with tourists and day trippers using the restaurant, the local community are our core business. When I came to work for Inchydoney Lodge & Spa (who now refer their clients to us regularly) initially I fell in love with the area and decided to open my own restaurant – a dream I had had for several years. Now a lot of the local clubs and associations hold their meetings here, and local companies have used us to hold private Board Meetings and Customer Incentive Evenings on a regular basis. Hen Parties ‘of the sophisticated variety’ are hugely popular too’ he said.
Currently offering dinner for two mid-week, including a bottle of Richy’s branded wine, costs just €60 euro at the moment, and the restaurant is one of few offering ‘The Full Irish’ every weekend morning, with lunch and dinner as normal.
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