The Leebrook Bar,
Ballygarry House Hotel
WE’VE had some rain this week! And, unfortunately, it finally started to get cold as well.
The first two weeks of November is one of the most miserable times of the year (along with all of January and the first two weeks of February) as the feelgood Christmas vibe hasn’t quite kicked in yet and everybody is staying in, minding the shillings for the madness to come.
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The weather certainly isn’t helping. I travelled out to Ballygarry House Hotel on Friday in the driving rain and got soaked in the short run from my car to the bar.
It was almost 2pm so I thought I’d easily get a table. Wrong.
The place was still bustling with leisurely lunchers who obviously hadn’t an office to run back to in the downpour.
I must have timed it perfectly though, because the only table left – obviously just vacated – was by the open fire.
I parked myself down, took off the wet coat and read the menu. The Leebrook Bar is a lovely place with comfy seats, subtle lighting and piano and jazz versions of pop standards by Billy Joel and The Beatles playing on CD in the background.
Normally I can’t stand that kind of muzak, but after coming in from the cold rain and being plonked in front of the fire, it seemed more than acceptable.
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Anyway, there were three lunch specials; Loin Of Pork with an apple sauce and honey jus (€12.50); Baked Fillet of Hake with saffron sauce (€11.50) and Spiced Fillet of Chicken served with a provencale tomato sauce (€10.50).
There were numerous mouth-watering sandwiches on the menu but I plumped for the pork.
I’ve always liked Ballygarry because they seem to do things right. Weddings, socials, fundraisers, whatever, there’s an air of informal professionalism about the place.
The pork arrived on a bed of mash with the veg (broccoli, carrots, more mash) on the side. The pork was very good with delicious, artery-worrying crackling to boot. The apple sauce and jus complemented the pork beautifully and the mash was just the right texture and seasoning.
I had a very good cappuccino to finish, but if I hadn’t a world of work to do, a child to collect and a wife to answer to, I would have ditched the car.
Sitting in a bar, in from the rain, in front of an open fire? That demands something stronger to drink.
Some other time.
