Chef Vincent Crepel in action on the pass (the table in the foreground is where your first snacks of the meal are served)
What do we need to know about Terre?
This is the brand new restaurant that's the culinary jewel of the Castlemartyr resort in Cork, Ireland. The hotel - which is part of the same group as hotels like the five-star Sheen Falls Lodge, and Town Hall hotel in London - has lured chef Vincent Crepel to the south of Ireland to open his first solo venture outside France. The space has been completely overhauled within the hotel to turn it into a destination restaurant to lure foodies from Ireland and beyond. It is quite the undertaking.
Where is it exactly?
It's about 20 minutes outside the city of Cork. Flying from London to Cork takes about an hour. The estate itself is huge; the hotel itself has a further two restaurants, several bars and even its own pub in the village at the end of its gates. Find out more about our stay at Castlemartyr here.
What makes Terre so special?
Chef Crepel has worked at some amazing restaurants, including time at Arzak in San Sebastian. Here in Castlemartyr, he's been given full rein to create an experience that celebrates French cooking but draws experience on his time spent in Singapore and also uses the bounty of great Irish produce he finds here on his doorstep in Cork. Lunch or dinner here features the kind of restaurant experience we've seen most recently at places like Azurmendi in Bilbao or Moor Hall in Lancashire where the feast moves from one location to another over the course of the meal.
Where does it all start?
To begin with, you'll have to actually find the restaurant. It's not signposted, so you head to roughly where you think it is in the hotel and someone will be waiting to guide you into the first part - drinks in the bar which overlooks the hotel's formal gardens. From the bar, GM Fergus Mac Devitt (previously at The Fairmont Singapore) leads you into the kitchen, via a corridor of jewel-like jars of ingredients that have been pickled, fermented or canned - like rhubarb from the hotel's garden or seaweed from the nearby coast.
The meal starts here with an aperitif in Terre's bar
The kitchen is the first formal part of your meal - and looks like a movie set (think Ralph Fiennes in Menu and you're halfway there). There's a table in front of the pass with room for up to six guests to sit while a parade of gorgeous snacks are presented by chefs. Standouts were the following:
Local stone crab in a maple syrup casing served with finger lime and kohlrabi.
Ballycotton blue lobster in a celeriac casing with confit tomato, lemon cream, dried hibiscus and horseradish.
Next, you're invited up to the pass to be given a tour of the ingredients being used in the meal - while we were being talked through it, a final snack arrived....
A5 wagyu from the Miyasaki Prefecture with barley koji wrapped in nori
At this point, you move to your table in one of a series of small dining rooms where the remaining seven courses are served. Every table has a small prep area and there's plenty of tableside finishing off of the dishes in front of you. Here's a selection of some of the standout courses we had.
Chawanmushi with foie gras, wagyu ham and 46 months old Parmesan - a bowl hitting the best umami heights
Quail cooked on a bincho grill with pied de mouton, alvufera and smoked porcini oil. In the background you'll see the laminated Parker House rolls to accompany this, which are just wonderful.
Cod with vermouth beurre blanc, jasmine caviar, rose oil and artichokes
This steamed sponge was flambeed at the table with 23-year-old Zacapa Rum and served by chef Crepel himself who grated buddha's hand over it before presenting it to us.
And then what?
Then it's back to the bar for the final part of the experience. Here you can opt for teas and coffees or - as we did - ask for a visit from the spirit trolley. And then there are the petit fours which are... not very petit...
The petit fours course is almost a meal in itself including chestnut honey madeleines and raspberry and clove jellies.
What about drink?
You 100% should have the drinks pairing - not least because of sommelier Filip Palfi (formerly at Ballyfin Demesne & Adare Manor). He expertly trod that line between giving us the perfect nutshell story about each choice without it being too much information to take on board. There's an emphasis here on wines served from magnums which, as he explained, slows down the development of the wine improving its structure and taste. In time, they're hoping for every wine pairing to be wholly magnum-based.
Overall thoughts
Terre's aim is quite clear - they are gunning for Michelin stars and the attention of the World's 50 Best. And while it's pretty unusual for any restaurant to go straight to two stars, we would say that it shouldn't be long until Terre gets there.
The food and the experience we had there were some of the best we've enjoyed this year. It's definitely worth booking a trip from London - you'll want to be in at the start of this restaurant's journey to the top.
More about Terre
Where is it? Castlemartyr Resort, Grange, Castlemartyr, Co. Cork, P25 X300, Ireland
How much?: The tasting menu is €140 with an additional €120 for the wine pairing.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @terre_restaurant_
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Terre. Prices correct at time of publication.
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