Some chefs have such a precise technique at their disposal that it serves to define their cooking. The technique begets the textures and tastes, and serves as the foundation of their food. Paul Rankin has it. So does Paul Flynn. And Alan Foley has it.
Mr Foley cooks beautifully, and precisely. Look at the changes he rings in tastes and textures with his lamb tasting plate, or his warm poached lobster, or his amazing strawberry consommé. The dishes are tactile, varied and hugely pleasing and whilst they have all the other necessities - he sources well, he presents well, the staff serve well - it is the finesse of his culinary technique that makes the cooking so delicious, so enjoyable, so memorable.
The lobster has a poached tail and a lobster boudin so seaworthy and sweet that it took us back almost twenty years, to the legendary seafood sausage cooked by Bill Patterson at The Oystercatcher just outside Kinsale. This is a killer starter, and typical of Mr Foley's cooking: colourful; calm; hitting all the pleasure points. With lamb and beef, he may be even better. The lamb is from John Kavanagh, and Mr Foley does justice to its provenance, he shows it the respect it deserves. Once again his focus is on sweetness - the loin cooked pink, the shoulder slow-cooked and formed into a terrine, a basil purée and some fresh Ardsallagh goat's cheese flecked about the plate with painterly precision.
Hereford beef offers beef fillet and braised ox cheek, with spring onion hollandaise and it's a riot of umami-ness. And the precision extends even to some simple steamed potatoes, which are cooked just a point: just ready, just right.
The consommé of strawberries would draw you to Borris all by itself, but a passion fruit jelly and a passion fruit sorbet send the dish into the stratosphere. Praline parfait with poached pear and pear foam is precise and perfect. Served in the lovely bar of the hotel - the restaurant opens at weekends so the restaurant menu is available in the bar during the week - the informality showcases this superb food to great effect. Mr Foley is a modest, dedicated man, and his time is now.
