Restaurant Review

John McKenna climbs up the stairs to The Lemon Tree in Portlaoise.

Tuesday night, deep in mid-winter, and everyone packed into the upstairs room of Portlaoise's The Lemon Tree is behaving as if it is the last night of their holiday in Marbella or Miltown Malbay: this place is buzzing. We order the cumin pancakes with goat's cheese, spinach and a pineapple salsa, then the medallions of beef fillet with potato rosti, portobello mushrooms, tomato and gravy. Next door, a solo diner has the deep-fried fish and chips, a pudding and a couple of glasses of wine, whilst next to him a crew of five women are pushing the boat out big time with lots of wine, lots of food, and lots of noise.

And that is exactly why Kevin Hennessy's restaurant is proving to be such a success in Portlaoise. You can eat a couple of courses and drink a couple of glasses on a Tuesday night, all alone, or you can get the crowd together and party, and The Lemon Tree will give you the place and the space in which to do both. Mr Hennesssy is a superb host, on top of everything that is happening in his little room, solicitous and welcoming, a very smart chap indeed. He knows what he can achieve, and he stays just inside that line: the cooking is tasty but not grand or grandstanding, the value is keen, the place is simple but pretty, the energy is all positive. We greatly enjoyed the cumin pancakes and the beef, food that gave us a real lift after a long day of working and driving. Then, we had to do no more than stroll down the street to find ourselves in one of the best B&B's in the Midlands, Dinah Campion's meticulous Ivyleigh House. The Lemon Tree and Ivyleigh: that's the winning double in Portlaoise.

The Lemon Tree, Main St, Portlaoise 0502 62200
Ivyleigh House, Bank Place, Portlaoise 0502 22081