15 Apr 2014
Posted by Miriam O'Neill 
Well done to the team at The Barony Restaurant on their AA Rosette
Located in the heart of Belmullet Town, the last stop before Newfoundland, ‘The Barony Restaurant’ at the family owned and run 4 star boutique hotel, The Talbot Hotel, led by Head Chef, Brendan Conmy has been awarded a prestigious AA Rosette for their superior fine dining experience.
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.
The Talbot Hotel takes its name from owners Orla and Tom Talbot who worked as a home economics teacher and publican respectively before taking up ownership. “True to Season True to Region” is the motto at The Talbot something which Orla has nurtured from the restaurants infancy.
This promise is clearly upheld throughout their menu according to our AA Hotel Inspector who carried out the inspection that led to their award. As with all inspections, our AA Hotel Inspectors used an alias when booking his unannounced visit to The Talbot Hotel to ensure an authentic guest experience.
In his report our assigned AA Hotel Inspector commended the sourcing of many ingredients from as near as possible to the town of Belmullet. Our inspector also described the cookery of the team, chefs Orla Murphy, Pat Calpin and Brendan Conmy, as accurate with interesting combinations, none of which however overpower the basic element of the dish. A further endorsement of their cuisine by the most discerning of diners, our AA Inspector commented “I’m looking forward to my next visit.”
While AA Rosettes exclusively judge the quality of the menu and the food on the plate, our designated AA Hotel Inspector also had lots of positive observations about the funky décor of the intimate boutique hotel and ‘The Barony Restaurant’ which he described as eclectic and contemporary without compromising on comfort.
Guests at ‘The Barony Restaurant’ are greeted by black napery, sparkling crystal chandeliers and seats upholstered in leather and strongly coloured velvets of cerise, purple and scarlet.
Another key component in one’s overall dining experience is the quality of the service which was noted to be of a high standard at The Talbot hotel. In his notes our AA Hotel Inspector commented that the team exuded natural friendliness which was underpinned by sound professional procedures and great menu knowledge.
“Congratulations to chefs Brendan, Orla and Pat on achieving an AA Rosette Award. It’s clear that a great passion for hospitality is shared among the Talbot’s owners, Tom and Orla, and their dedicated staff. We’re expecting great things from them all going forward and hope to bestow even higher honours on them in the future.” Conor Faughnan, Director of Consumer Affairs, AA Ireland.
