The Byerley Turk

The K Club styles itself as a hotel, spa and country club and it certainly makes a fine first impression - the impossibly grand French château-style building stands in lush Kildare countryside, and if you are a lover of golf, the fact the place hosted the 2006 Ryder Cup, and the two golf courses were designed by Arnold Palmer, may well get your heart a-fluttering. The interior with its plush fabrics, gilt-framed mirrors, oil paintings and antiques will likely take your breath away as well. Amongst all this opulence and moneyed glamour is The Byerley Turk, a restaurant (named after an Arab stallion who super-charged horseracing stock in the late 17th century) worthy of your full attention. There's plenty of old-school opulence in the restaurant in the form of marble columns and walls upholstered in rich brocade, while a pianist tinkles away in the background at dinner, and staff ensure a silkily-orchestrated country-house experience. It's jacket and tie for gents, please. Dinner takes the tasting menu route, and it is a journey through top-notch Irish produce with a great deal of technical dexterity on show. There may well be a bit of luxury from the off in the form of a beautifully seared lobe of foie gras, perfectly counterbalanced by the well-judged sharpness of estate grown rhubarb (purée and sorbet among them), plus tender Puy lentils in a glossy Madeira jus. Roasted Kerry prawn tail comes with a tortellini of Jerusalem artichoke and a light white port sauce, and beef 'Tuath' remains a signature dish harking back to the days of the Ryder Cup. Among desserts might be mango cannelloni, the 'pasta' made from caramel flavoured with local honey and encasing a rich mango mousse. It all looks beautiful on the plate, and the attention to details runs right through from the generous selection of breads to the well-crafted petits fours.