Herbert - Killarney

To put this review in some context, I'm well traveled 49 countries and have lived in and around New York City for 35 years. There's been a lot of good food consumed. Herbert's served us a superb dinner with several unexpected touches along the way. Two amuse bouches, one a very light goat cheese tartlet and the other a smoked mousse of trout as I recall. Both were excellent. Our main courses were venison and cod, both wonderfully prepared. Desserts were spectacular berries pannecotta and a banana souffle with chocolate ice cream dropped into the warm souffle at the time of serving, melting into the heart of the souffle. During after dinner coffee and tea we were surprised with three objects: a tiny macaroone, a jellied berry club, and a very buttery miniature madeline. The service this evening was efficient and friendly, with just the right amount of attention to every aspect of every course. Who would have thought that the Cahernane Hotel in Killarney Ireland would have such satisfying dining? I didnt, although this lovely hotel stay had many highlights over the two days we were residents there. This is a whole hearted recommendation to the reader to seek it out on your next trip to Killarney

We started our dinner by going to the cellar basement cocktail lounge, where the bartender was completely distressed. He was cussing about the lack of help and the amount of work he had to do. We ordered cocktails, but they weren’t delivered until perhaps 20 minutes later. Upstairs at the restaurant, we found the same confusion among the wait staff. At least three different staff asked us if we were ready to order. We had questions about the menu and about the wine, and it took quite a while and three or four different staff to answer those questions. One question we had was what kind of beef was included on the beef selection. Our wait person said it was “steak.“ Ultimately it turned out it was probably sirloin. We had difficulty ordering wine. Initially, we were told that all the suggested wines to accompany the beef are out of stock, but it turns out that wasn’t the case. Once we got to the food, it was surprisingly good. We really liked their bread selections. The brown bread was probably the best we have found in Ireland so far. However, the rabbit tortelloni was mushy and without much flavor, Quite a disappointment. The beef was 6 ounce pieces of sirloin that were nicely cooked. It wasn’t especially tender but it had good flavor. This was accompanied by mashed potatoes and a bordelaise sauce. We were surprised by a special dessert as it was our 50th wedding anniversary and that was quite good. Despite a very confused waitstaff, chef seems to know what he or she is doing.

We had a wonderful dinner the first evening as we stayed 4 nights. The breakfast is fantastic, they have a la carte part and buffet part. They have fresh juices made at the spot and you can order a large variety of cooked breakfast. Also the interior was very nice, large tables and comfortable chairs and great service from the staff.

Pretty limited menu 4/5 Starters and 4/5 Mains, so limited options to choose from. They are trying very hard. Everything fresh but high prices, small portions and limited to no seasonings.

The seafood chowder is TO DIE FOR. Dinner, hospitality and drinks were wonderful, make sure to tip them! Tips are NOT included