Vincent Coughlan’s, West Cork

Family friendly. Delicious. Very welcoming.

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Cookie FM Rating – 4/5

We enjoyed a family dinner at Vincent Coughlan’s Bar & Restaurant, Ballydehob last week while visiting West Cork. We booked a table ahead (though this was not necessary), and were greeted with smiles by the staff to a lovely table with a great view of the dining room. The menu was plentiful, and we opted for a three course meal each.

To start, I ordered the Irish Smoked Salmon, which was served with toasted local sourdough bread, a dressed side salad and a horseradish dipping sauce. The portion of smoked salmon was very generous too, which was topped with chives. Altogether it was a tasty and comforting starter, the salmon had great flavour, and the horseradish had its sharp bite to it without being overpowering.

For my main, I ordered the Catch of the Day Fish & Chips (in Batter), which on this occasion was hake, served with vegetables, tartare sauce and skinny chips. This was easily one of the best ‘fish & chips’ I’ve had in a long time! The hake was so fresh, the batter was crispy and perfectly complimented the white fish. The accompanying vegetables were an interesting contrast to the traditional mushy peas; a herb-crusted topped baked tomato, mushroom purée, a baked courgette & cauliflower and a vegetable fritter. The chips were well cooked and crispy, though they did go cold more quickly than desired. That said, I did devour my fish and most of the accompaniments – it was very satisfying.

I did opt for dessert too; Tarte of the Day, which was a pear tarte. A large warmed slice that was served with vanilla ice cream – what a delicious combination. The pastry was perfectly baked, the filling and pear generosity were bang on, and the overall taste was just lovely. Sweet but not overkill, and the ice cream cut well through the natural sharpness of the pear.

We also ordered a bottle of the Kapuka Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, which was beautifully complimentary of my three dishes. My family all enjoyed their meals too, everything tasted fresh and flavoursome. The staff at Vincent Coughlan’s was incredibly friendly, banterful and helpful too. Everything about the service was professional, the food was very well presented and cooked perfectly, and we thoroughly enjoyed this meal. We had a great laugh here, and left with content, full tummies, and slightly flushed cheeks! A must visit if in the area of Ballydehob – Cookie FM recommends!