Restaurant Reviewer: The Kingfisher
Main Street, Portlaoise, Co Laois
Tel: 057 8662500
Festivals, I must admit, are not my thing. I'm waaaaay too fond of my creature comforts and though a culchie to my core, I don't much fancy the idea of spending a weekend roughing it in a tent, washing (if at all) from a plastic bottle, and traipsing around a muddy site that looks more like a major humanitarian disaster area than a concert venue.
Of course, Electric Picnic -- or Leccie Piccie as the kids calls it -- is the original "boutique" festival, and one of its biggest achievements has been raising the bar for the kind of food available at such gatherings. Those heading to Stradbally next weekend have at least two reliable options on site: right from the heart of that most boutique of addresses -- Ranelagh -- there is a Diep Noodle venue, as well as the Asian fusion stylings of Café Mao, the swish eaterie beloved of yummie drummies everywhere.
Wine-bar extraordinaire Ely is also at hand, as is the pun-rific Pie Minister, a popular British pastry chain whose matador pie, consisting of beef steak, chorizo, olives, tomato, sherry and butter beans, comes highly recommended from an iron-stomached friend in the know.
On top of all that, there will be stands offering Japanese, Mexican, Jamaican and Palestinian fare, amongst many more. I tell you, it's a long way from having to make do with a roadkill burger or battered badger (if you were lucky) at festivals of yore.
Of course, there's always the option of heading into the surrounding towns for grub. I popped down to Portlaoise myself a few weeks ago to check it out, though I nearly got waylaid from my mission by a friend's offer to head from there to Roscrea, then thumb a lift to Shinrone, and call on his mother for some hang-salad sangwiches and a cup of hot scald.
Tempting as that offer was, I opted instead for The Kingfisher, an Indian restaurant that's also a popular take-away in the area. It's located in an attractive red-brick building on Main Street, while the décor inside follows a simple and traditional eastern vibe of deep reds, yellow and brown.
Billy-No-Mates that I am, I visited The Kingfisher on my ownsome at lunchtime on a Thursday and the place was empty. It filled up more as the lunch hour progressed, but the evening is presumably when it shines brightest.
The lunchtime menu (12-2pm) offers a range of balti, tikka and tandoori specialities for prices ranging from e7.50-e10.50. Nothing jumped out at me, so I requested the main evening menu which turned out to be huge, something that always makes me fear that a restaurant is casting its net as wide as possible and so quality is bound to suffer.
That's not quite the case with The Kingfisher, though I still maintain they should trim down the menu to focus exclusively on perhaps a dozen top dishes. It should be said that the staff were welcoming and attentive from the get-go, and my waiter was very helpful as I perused the epic bill of fare.
For starters, I had the Baigan Pakora (e6.50), consisting of four large slices of aubergine deep fried and served with a pasty sauce of mint, chilli, lime, garlic and coriander. This was a big starter, but it was very soft and tasty, and hot enough to bring the sweat out on my forehead. I ended up requesting more of the sauce -- it was delicious. Things were off to a good start.
While waiting on the main, I quaffed a glass of Moncaro red wine (hey, I wasn't driving), costing e5.75, which was rich and fruity, but perhaps too dry for the spicy food accompanying it. My main course, the chicken Tawa Balti (e17.50), was a tad perplexing at first because the chicken and chickpeas were ground together into indistinguishable bitty pieces, served in an oily garlic, chilli and mint sauce. It was commendably spicy, but the mint was too dominant and overwhelmed the taste. It came with some deliciously sticky white boiled rice, and warm, doughy nan bread; a belt-busting, if uneven, feast by anyone's standard.
The desserts didn't look too appetising, at least according to their pictures on the poor, tourist-trappy menu. I ordered an orange sorbet served in real fruit skin (e5.50) that arrived frozen solid, and which I gave up on after a few spoonfuls.
Desserts aside, The Kingfisher is an above-average, solid bet if any of you Picnickers happen to venture off site next weekend. Or you can always head to Shinrone for those "hang-salad sangwiches": address available on request. nn TYPICAL DISH: Murg or Gosht Tikka Masala
n RECOMMENDED: Deep fried aubergine
n THE DAMAGE: e46.45 for starter, main, dessert, glass of wine, Diet Coke, pot of tea
n ON THE STEREO: Mellow traditional eastern music
n AT THE TABLE: Office colleagues
n WHAT TO WEAR: Smart casual
n DO SAY: Can you deliver to a tent?
n DON'T SAY: Extra mint please!
- Declan Cashin
