Bastion

Bastion is a relaxed venue in the heart of Kinsale where Helen Noonan and chef patron Paul McDonald offer an outstanding food experience. Paul brings experience in top hotels and restaurants in the UK and Ireland to their venture here and, not only is his cooking innovative and the presentation excellent, but his menus - styled 'international' - showcase local produce creatively. Bastion Restaurant has been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2015 "good quality, good value cooking. Attention to detail, delicious food and excellent service is what we stand for & hope to continue to grow & expand with our customers. Set in two rooms - the first offers high stools, where you can sit to sip a glass of wine and nibble on their bar bites and, further in, well spaced tables are set up comfortably for more serious dining - the lighting is low and walls are hung with atmospheric landscape photos and prints. Small Plates take pride of place on the menu, and many people just choose a selection of these to make up their meal. The choices are unusual and very tempting, with dishes such as Mackerel Gin & Tonic, wild mushroom orzo; the intriguing sounding 'the duck and the egg" (confit leg and yolk) and beef carpaccio (with pannagratta, parmesan, rocket, truffle, aged balsamic and sourdough croutons) among them. Fillet steak, jam and doughnuts, is the eye catcher on the short main course list, but there are some very good fish, poultry and vegetarian dishes to enjoy too, including creations based on Turbot & 12 hour port belly, boned and rolled free range chicken, or a colourful vegetarian gnocchi. The wine list offers a good range of reds and whites available by the glass and more by the bottle - and it is still growing. Coffee - from the local Badger & Dodo roastery at Fermoy - is excellent, and so too are the teas; watch out for their specials, including the organic matcha grade III from Japan.

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