Send to a friend

Print

del.icio.us this

Digg this

Bells at Killcare

Sipping prosecco at dusk, precision hedges and lawns the backdrop, you could be guests of a country squire, and Stefano Manfredi’s Italian menu is suitably elegant. An antipasto of vitello tonnato, ocean trout roulade, bijou pork terrine, one pop-star eggplant polpettino and corn and octopus salsa is a thoughtful selection, each component texturally distinct. A prawn, calamari and fish stew with mussels has intense flavour, while discs of sautéed black radish from the kitchen garden anchor a sweet fillet of kingfish with olive tapenade crust. A pudgy ingot of veal loin gains nuance from sorrel and a garlic and white mustard sauce. The 31-page wine folder lists many half bottles and Italian varietals by region; ask Manfredi to match wines to food. Desserts triumph, notably the cassata – raspberry sorbet inside a vanilla ice-cream ball, dusted with crunchy pistachio crumbs.