The great thing about Gearoid Lynch’s cooking is that whilst he offers many of the standard repertoire dishes that characterise modern European cooking – bacon and cabbage terrine; prawns in ketaffi pastry; foie gras terrine; sirloin with bearnaise; suckling pig with poitin sauce; venison with Valrhona sauce – he cooks these dishes in a way which is entirely free of cliché. We have often mentioned how masterly he is at manipulating the textures of his dishes, and how this gives them a tactility that few other chefs can manage, But in fact he also brings an instinctual approach to his work, so no matter how obvious or venerable the dish – goat’s cheese with beetroot; carpaccio of beef; Coq Hardi chicken – Mr Lynch’s interpretation always seems freshly minted, newly thought-through, just out of the oven. It makes for great eating, eating that gives great pleasure and satisfaction, eating that make sense. And that satisfaction is copper-fastened by the warmth and comfort of the restaurant, the fantastic staff, and the cosy rooms that invite you to linger in lovely Cavan.
