02 Jul 2014
Posted by Miriam O'Neill 
‘Fahrenheit Restaurant at Dublin’s 4 Star Clontarf Castle Hotel, Co. Dublin has been awarded an AA Rosette in recognition of their culinary excellence. Set in the leafy coastal suburb of Clontarf, the restaurant is situated on the 1st floor of the 12th century castle which is tastefully decorated in keeping with it’s historical past.
Led by Dubliner, Stuart Heeney, AA Hotel Inspectors observed that the food quality at Fahrenheit Restaurant has come on leaps and bounds since he took on the role of Executive Head Chef. Chef Heeney who joined Clontarf Castle Hotel in 2012 has great pedigree having started his culinary career in the Michelin Star, Chapter One where he trained under Ross Lewis. This is reflected in the cookery at Fahrenheit where the team have aspirations of achieving 2 AA Rosettes.
Chef Heeney’s food philosophy is simple, local produce and sourcing lies at the heart of the menus, simple ingredients cooked with flair and imagination presented with finesse. AA Rosettes are awarded solely for the quality of the restaurant’s cooking that demonstrates consistent standards of all dishes on the menus. Flavours are expected to be well-balanced and each dish appropriately presented using fresh and seasonal ingredients and the menu reflecting an obvious enthusiasm and commitment to promoting good quality food.
To specifically achieve one AA Rosette chefs need to display a mastery of basic techniques and be able to produce dishes of sound quality and clarity of flavors, using good and fresh ingredients.
As with all inspections, the AA Hotel Inspectors used an alias when booking his unannounced visit to Clontarf Castle Hotel to ensure an authentic guest experience. The most discerning of diners, his experience at Fahrenheit Restaurant which has moved from a steakhouse style to more mainstream operation did not disappoint. Of his sampled main course he described it as “Seafood cookery at it’s best” which was “carefully prepared” and “accurately cooked.” Both fresh fish landed at the nearby Howth Harbour and Aged Angus beef are specialities at Fahrenheit Restaurant.
The improved quality of the cuisine at Clontarf Castle has not gone unnoticed by North Dubliners either. Despite the fact that Clontarf is well served by quality restaurants, Fahrenheit Restaurant has a loyal customer base of locals.
Commendably the ambitions of General Manager, Mark Long goes beyond one Rosette. To further hone their skills and work towards 2 AA Rosettes the team at Fahrenheit Restaurant recently attended an AA Food Forum.
“Congratulations to the General Manager, Mark Long, Chef Heeney and all the team in the restaurant on achieving this accolade. Clontarf Castle is such an iconic Dublin hotel and we’re delighted that they have reached this level on their fine dining journey. We wish them every success in reaching the very high standards needed to attain 2 AA Rosettes.”
End
Notes to the editor;
- Photographs of Clontarf Castle Hotel are available upon request from Stephanie Hayes, Director of Sales & Marketing, Clontarf Castle, shayes@clontarfcastle.ie
2. About AA Rosettes:AA Rosettes are awarded annually to hotels producing fine cuisine. The aim of the Rosette scheme is to provide AA Members, its guidebook readers and the general public reliable information about where to eat. Rosettes are awarded on a rising scale of 1 to 5. The AA has been awarding Rosettes since 1955. There are currently 100 Rosette Award winning restaurants in Ireland.
