The Cottage Restaurant

Nobody cooks quite like Sham Hanifa. With a Malaysian background, but with half of his life spent working in Ireland, Mr Hanifa has concocted a truly original fusion cuisine, with menus that can offer both perfect buttery mashed potato, alongside Langkawi-style slow cooked ox cheek. Best of all, the food eats seamlessly, from the simple things like vegetables in filo with coconut risotto, to the Thornhill Farm duck served with young kim chi. Note that even the age of the kim chi is detailed: Mr Hanifa doesn’t miss a trick when it comes to collating his flavours, and his secret, above all, is an ingenious culinary subtlety. His other secret is a great room that offers spirited and friendly service, and one of the best eating experiences in the county.