The Park Restaurant at Castleknock Hotel and Country Club

Restaurant %

Just 15 minutes from the centre of Dublin, Castleknock is a country club with plenty of pizazz. The green fairways of the 18-hole golf course blanket the grounds, while inside it is classy and pristine, with all the spa facilities you can imagine. There are several eating and drinking options, the pick of the bunch being the Park Restaurant, with its elegant finish. There are floor-to-ceiling windows with swagged curtains, richly-coloured walls and large artworks, plus burnished darkwood tables. Steak has long been the mainstay of the kitchen's output, but there is a lot more going on besides, and a heap of regional produce to ensure a local flavour. Confit of wild Wicklow rabbit with apple gel, hazelnuts, Granny Smith apple and watercress is a creative first course, followed perhaps by roast rump of Cooley lamb - a fine piece of meat, soft and tender - and served with broad beans, feta and a warm potato salad.