Back in 2005 I dined in White Horses Restaurant, Ardmore, Co Waterford, it’s the yellow building in the foreground on the left of the attached photo. The food was excellent but a bowl of seafood chowder cost a whopping €9.50, I’ll write that down, Nine Euro and Fifty Cent. I remember it was pretty excellent chowder but I’ve had as nice for half the cost. Three years have passed and checking the price of seafood chowder has now become somewhat of a benchmark for me, I have yet to find a price that beats €9.50. In 2008 I think it rare for chowder to exceed the €8 barrier. If folk are aware of prices in their area post it up as a comment, if I get some good raw data then maybe it will build to something.
On Saturday evening we returned to White Horses where I noted the ‘Chowder Index’ has remained static at €9.50, that elusive €10 barrier is proving difficult to break. The restaurant itself is small and bustling. It’s always busy and comes highly recommended. We were offered a 6:30 or 8:30 sitting and our table was ready when our group of five arrived at just after 8:30. Bread and a couple of menus were supplied as soon as we sat and staff were quick to come back to take orders. There were a lot of staff, all very efficient, but then again there were a lot of diners. White Horses in not a large restaurant and nor was it originally designed as such. The dining room is L-shaped with the larger tables at the front by the window. The smaller tables, for groups of two and four, are toward the back and lined against the wall where the ceiling is low and the chatter echos. Wooden floors do little to suppress the noise. Lack of space and intimacy are traits OK in certain venues but at a €30 average per main course, hitting €50 for the lobster, I believe White Horses are catering for a lot more people than the venue, or the prices, allow. I am reminded of the excellent Eco in Douglas Village, Cork where their prices are kept in line with the comfort level experienced.
Back to the food. I had Blue Cheese and Bacon Salad to start. This was a mixture of leaves with a light dressing, dotted around were some small bits of blue cheese and a few slivers of bacon along with some tiny, dry, croutons. Somewhat tasty but very overpriced at €11.50.
For mains I had Black Sole on the bone (with a Marinaded Citrus Slice) and this is where it starts to get good. The sole arrived piping hot and looked beautiful with a simple butter-based sauce to accompany but not to overbear. It tasted every bit as good as it looked. Absolutely stunning. Once of the nicest fish I have tasted. The others had Prawns in a Garlic Butter which were equally as nice. Succulent, sweet tasting, prawns cooked to perfection, a tiny bit of garlic butter was all they needed . The dishes were €32 and €35.
Three bottles of a Macon Village at €24 each, two deserts picked from the display cabinet and three coffees brought the bill to just under €330 for five. The main courses are second to none and, more importantly, they are consistently excellent. However I just cannot get over the noise and low ceilings and overpriced starters. For the price I would prefer the whole dining experience, not just the mains. If noisy chatter won’t upset your own experience then the food, for the most part, is worth it.
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