| Fine Dining at Ballynahinch Castle Hotel
With a reputation as one of the very best restaurants in Connemara, The Owenmore Restaurant provides a splendid panoramic view overlooking the beautiful Ballynahinch River. For fine dining at Ballynahinch Castle Hotel this is the perfect setting for a carefully prepared menu, which is complimented by an impressive wine list.
Under the expert guidance of Head Chef Xin Sun, the team create an exquisite menu using a splendid array of fresh local produce of the highest standards.
Located in Galway, Ireland and spoiled by our proximity to the Atlantic with ready access to the freshest fish, our top restaurant also takes advantage of the availability of quality organic game in the winter. Great care is taken when sourcing our ingredients. Robert always pursues the organic option where possible, shunning any farmed fish, and buying only from the most reputable butcher who can confidently demonstrate the source of their cuts.
 Chilled Atlantic Oysters with Shallot and Red Wine Vinegar, Oven Roasted Rack of Connemara Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic Jus, Seared Cleggan Scallops, Tomato and Anchovy Butter, and Poached Wild Salmon with Spinach and Lemon Beurre Blanc are some of the culinary delights to be found in our dining room.
Xin's team can always accommodate our guests' with special dietary needs and always offer fabulous vegetarian entrees.
The Pastry chef prepares sinfully delicious deserts for those with the stamina to continue, tempting with such creations as Dark Chocolate Mousse with Passion Fruit Coulis, Lemon Tart with Chantilly Cream and our own home made ice-creams. There is always a selection of the finest Irish Farmhouse Cheeses available.
Ballynahinch Castle is steeped in a wealth of tradition and has been intertwined in the history of Connemara and its people for many centuries. From the days of the O'Flaherty Chieftains, to Grace O'Malley, the Pirate Queen of Connemara, to Humanity Dick Martin, founder of the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals and to H.R.H. the Maharajah Ranjitsinji, also known as the 'Ranji', Prince of Cricketeers.
Our Winelist
Welcome to the Ballynahinch Castle Wine List. We have tried to assemble here a selection of wines that we feel will offer something to everybody. While no means being a completely comprehensive list we have attempted to choose wines for their value and consistency.
We offer choices from all the major wine producing areas in the world with some interesting New World selections contrasting nicely with the more traditional methods of the Old World wines. In some cases we have noted Robert M Parker Jr.’s rating for a particular grower or vintage by an entry.
We hope that you will find a wine to suit you and to assist in this regard we have made a, “House Selection” of a number of wines which, we feel, represent excellent wine making and very good value. There are plenty of other good value quality wines in the pages of this list.
If you would like some assistance in choosing a wine to complement your menu choice a member of the team is always on hand to help.
Click here for our wine list
RECIPIE of the Month
This month, as in all others, we are using whichever ingredients are seasonal and
available fresh.
Roast Sea Bass, braised fennel, truffle and thyme butter
SEABASS
Serves 4
4 x 160g portions seabass, descaled
15ml vegetable oil
TRUFFLE AND THYME BUTTER
225G Soft butter
1 tsp thyme leaves
2 shallots, chopped
30g truffle trimming
5tsp truffle oil
BRAISED FENNEL
2 bulbs fennel
100ml vegetable stock
bouquet garni
40g butter
For the truffle and thyme butter, heat a little oil in a frying pan, add the shallots and thyme, and cook without colour, then leave to cool. Beat the soft butter in a mixing bowl until it doubles in volume; add the truffle trimmings ad thyme and truffle oil and refrigerate.
Clean the fennel and slice in half lengthways. Melt the butter on a hot pan and add the fennel, caramelising on all sides, then add the vegetable stock and continue cooking until the liquid starts to steam. Turn down the heat, add the bouquet garni, and cover the pan, cook until the fennel is soft.
When ready to serve, ( preheat the oven to 200°C), add a little oil to a heated non stick frying pan. Place the sea bass in the pan, skin side down and allow it to brown. After about 2 minutes turn the fish and cook for a further minute. Spread truffle butter over the fish and transfer to a Salamander for a minute, until the surface is browned. Serve on a white plate with the braised fennel, boiled potatoes, and spinach or mixed greens.
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