Clonmel Central

Clonmel does well for food, with fine cooking in Angela's Restaurant and O'Tuama's café, and now, with Michael Clifford having opened his smart new restaurant, Clifford's, just before Xmas, the town has been gifted with a hip new destination for the evening.

Clifford's has been packed ever since the doors opened, and Michael Clifford's serene, stylish classical cooking explains why the locals are lapping up this great new destination. His signature dishes such as quenelles of chicken with Milleens, and gateau of Clonakilty black pudding are here, as well as lovely mains such as farmyard chicken with apples and almonds, beef with Fleurie sauce, Tipperary lamb with pear and thyme and turbot with fennel and a lemon butter sauce. Enthusiastic young women work the front of house under the guidance of Deirdre Clifford, and it all swings along happy as Larry.

Of course, they built a by-pass – a complicated, fiddly one – around Clonmel years ago, but only a fool would miss out on cooking of this quality, so that's another by-pass that won't be used by food lovers. Megabytes hereby calls on Seamus Brennan to do the decent thing, the noble thing, and to fall on his sword.

Clifford's, 29 Thomas Street, Clonmel Tel: 052 7067