Where’s the Salt?

My gran is 93 and lives in a nursing home. She’s still very much up to date with world (& nursing home!) politics and while she’s quite stiff these days, she manages to get around with the help of her walking stick.

There’s not much she hasn’t already experienced, but she always loves an outing and has a fondness for the great houses of Ireland. So, the Saturday after Christmas, we brought her and my parents out for lunch in Eden restaurant, at the newly opened Bellinter House.

One of the owners, Jay Bourke (well-known in Ireland for his “The Mentor” tv show) greeted us and showed us where to park on arrival. He popped up again through our visit, and always added to our experience.

Eden restaurant is located in the basement of Bellinter. There is no lift. A problem for a 93 year old lady, but we got there in the end. We were the first to arrive and there was no-one to greet or seat us for a couple of minutes, but once someone arrived they were very friendly and efficient. They had set a special place for our toddler, but she was quick to point out that she is “a big girl and sits on a big girl’s chair now”. They happily left the high chair for Winnie the pooh instead.

I loved the decor & style of Eden. Very funky, and very low key. My gran and parents loved it too. Everyone, toddler included, enjoyed the food. The wild boar and apple sausage which I had to start was one of the taste highlights of the entire Christmas period. Our waitress didn’t know where the boar was from and although said she would ask the chef, we still don’t know if they found it wandering the grounds of Bellinter, or if it had come all the way from it’s natural stomping ground of Central Europe.

Jay popped his head in during the meal and a couple of minutes later, our waitress arrived with a huge colouring book and pencils to keep the toddler entertained while we finished our meal. Little touches like this mean the world to parents. If children are welcome, parents feel comfortable. Since Ireland has one of the highest birth rates in Europe, if restaurants want customers to come, it makes sense to welcome little people too.

We decided to take our coffees in the Drawing Room upstairs, a beautiful bright room which overlooks the Boyne River. According to our waitress, the best way to get there was via the servants stairs, a tight spiral staircase which was nearly the end of my poor gran. She’s very determined, but was exhausted by the time we made it to the Drawing Room.

Alas, the only chairs available were high bar stools, definitely not suitable for gran. Cue Jay’s second appearance, carrying a low chair for her.

Other customers were just leaving, and kindly offered us their sofa, so in the end we didn’t need it. But it’s easy to see why Mr. Bourke is so successful in the hospitality industry, he has a great eye for detail and the comfort of his guests. It would be great if that extended to installing a lift though!

Things slightly unraveled at this stage. Teas arrived promptly, however we waited at least half an hour for coffees. When I asked if they had forgotten our order, I was told they “ran out of coffee” and had to go to get some more.

We then had to send the bill back twice before everything we ordered appeared. The first bill didn’t charge for any of our mains!

There are obviously some chinks which need to be ironed out at Bellinter (probably the reason for Mr. Bourke’s omnipresence) but the food and ambiance are really special and I’m sure will develop a loyal following in Meath.

My parents since tried to book Saturday dinner there with some friends. Even though they were booking 3 weeks in advance, they could only seat them at 7, or 9pm. They reserve most of the 8pm tables for hotel guests, so if you’re planning Saturday dinner in Bellinter - book early, and bon appetite!